News
This portion of the Hydrated With Love™ (HWL) site features HWL Updates, and a
word for the Month (pertaining to the season, the times, or a sample
from an upcoming collection). By using the links below,
you can also connect with the following essentials in
order to know the full Life Garden experience desired by
God for all He created: The First Stepping Stone,
Preparing for the Master Gardener, The Ultimate
Invitation and Awakening Writers.
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GOING FORWARD! 2008 was the most
challenging year of my life as a born again Christian - test after
test happened as if I was being stoned, at times, and all the while I
could not help but wonder if I was being punished for all the hours I
wasted reading a myriad of books and articles on everything from
nutrition to politics, and financial news to Christian fiction.
Or was it also for giving into home improvement projects, the needs
of my new church, family and many people who needed my help, over my
usual extensive time with God.
The year began with the loss of my mother
in law, then months of health challenges and scares, all
requiring "further investigation" with everything from x-rays,
CT-scans, biopsies, new medications, and specialists. Yet in
each case, the final diagnoses were negative and I'd move into a new
crises, while each time praising God for His faithfulness
In mid-October the biggest test occurred - we were robbed in broad
daylight through the locked front window of our very visible living
room and many treasures were taken and never replaced. Yet, we
were not vandalized, we were not harmed since not home then, and the
item most dear to me - my wrapped Christmas gift in a safe they took,
was recovered by the police. It was a pearl pendant with the
chain removed, but it was the pendant portion most important to me.
And the Lord spoke to me, "I am the pearl of greatest value."
I believe with ALL my heart that God saved that item for me, to show
me He led my husband to buy it, and it was covered with His blood and
not to be stolen.... God showed me so many
positive things as a result of that invasion of our home that clearly
violated us. He led me to pray for the two intruders which I
continue to do, provided money for an excellent alarm system and
wooden blinds for future privacy. And so much more.
Then, in November we began three months of what seemed to be an
attack on our entire water system, requiring a new well pump and
connections, new water tank, purification system, some pipes and a
new hot water heater. As you know, my entire testimony is
filled with Living Water and water works, therefore this entire
seemingly never-ending series of breakdowns in the area of water,
really took me back. And yet, after the fact, I now believe God
simply wanted to give us an entirely new, updated system that would
be better for our health. For He is a GOOD God!
But there has been one other huge area of my life that changed in
2008 - my well of words seemed to also go dry. I rarely
journaled, I rarely was inspired (thus rare new entries on this
site), and with this year of dehydration in the area I was called to,
I became discouraged - my mood and self-control on edge.
I could spend pages making excuses and trying to find causes, but I
will not go back to that old way of thinking - analyzing again and
again and asking "why me?" while still sinking into the same bad
habits of procrastination and self-blame. It is time to go
forward, in Him, and to stop the pity party, and move on - to ARISE
and shine and be used for God's glory, not my own.
This new attitude and motivation is not
self-propelled! It is Spirit-fired! In the past week I
can feel and see and just KNOW God is working to give me new purpose,
new direction, new opportunities and new LIFE. Oh, the enemy is
also at work as my arthritis has flared up, the nausea has returned,
I am tired more than not, and so easily distracted. But, I have
also been led to exercise, lose about 10 pounds, use my time more
wisely, de-clutter our home, and above all - to spend more time with
Jesus, my best friend, who never did forsake me during the trials of
2008, nor will He ever. Why? Because He promised me (and
you), in His Word (Heb. 13:5). Happy
belated new year to each of you. May the Lord bless you and
keep you and faithfully watch over you and your loved ones as you
triumphantly walk through this life garden with Him, hand in hand,
eyes on the One Who will carry you and your burdens if you just let
go and let Him. cwp |
The First Stepping Stone
Though my heart, clearly evident through all I write, is to help bring people
into an intimate garden walk with their Savior, and become free of "life"
infirmity, the First Step on the life garden path rests on THE ROCK foundation.
Jesus is that ROCK (1 Cor. 10:4). He is also the Fountain of the Water of Life
(Jer. 2:13) that carries
Living Water to your heart, which is the dwelling place of your spirit garden.
The relationship with Him begins, grows and endures, through FAITH (Hebrews
11:1, 12:2; Romans 10:17). The ultimate life-choice made by you is initiated by
God as He continually draws you toward Him throughout life through nature,
experiences, silent words to your heart (the still small voice), and
revelation (Rom. 1:15-23). Our first step is therefore both our beginning and our ending, for
it involves our final travel destination and eternal home.
Preparing to Welcome the Master Gardener
God's heart plan and how to achieve it is clear and simple. The preparation and
final "work" was done by His Son on The Cross, and cannot be "re-worked" by us
on earth. For it was done by the final sacrificial Lamb required,
since Jesus was the
only One pure enough to meet Father's requirement of "sinless." Our forgiveness
has therefore been purchased by God Himself, through His Son - our spiritual
debt paid. This essential step in our garden preparation shall never again be
required. We need only believe this truth, then trust Him, however, we need
faith only He can give, to move on. He does not expect us to be perfect or all
cleaned up, before we come to Him. All He desires is our heart-sincerity. God
calls all creation unto Him, but does not call the equipped. He equips the
called. Therefore, once we do our part, by saying "YES," to Jesus, The Master
Gardener, (who is patiently waiting at our heart door or our personal Garden
Gate), the Holy Spirit will swiftly enter us then lovingly help bring forth our
awesome potential. Yes, He will refine us to have the essence of a rose, but oh
the fragrance we can then give to others. We are like living wells, reservoirs
for our full purpose on earth. It is spirit power from the Holy Spirit that we
need to realize it.
I pray now that all who visit this site, and are unsure of their heart
condition regarding salvation, will have the "desire" for greater faith planted
in them. Then, in God's perfect timing, I pray each will receive the gift of
faith that is essential to move on, in Jesus. Our heavenly Father, so loves
each of His children, and yearns to be one with them. In fact, He cannot look
upon sin, therefore we have to repent or admit that we have done so, for the
spiritual "turnaround" to occur in us. Then we need to receive the ultimate of
gifts from God, that of His Son (John 3-16-18). Only then can Father accept us,
for we have confessed our past sin and stated our belief in His Son. The final
result is: we become one with God as He adopts us into His
eternal heavenly family (read Romans 8; Acts 17:24-31).
The Ultimate Invitation
All you need to do is speak forth aloud or silently, these words: "Dear
Lord, I confess that I have sinned, and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe
Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for me on the cross, shedding His precious blood,
that my sins would be forgiven. I also believe He was then placed in a tomb,
but rose from the dead to live with His Father in heaven until He returns to
judge us. I now ask Jesus to come into my heart, and be my Savior and Lord over
all my life, that I may live eternally forgiven."
With this sincere profession of your faith, you are saved from spiritual death,
and will never experience hell. The enemy may harass you on earth, through
people and situations, and even through negative and defeating thoughts and
fears, for he has free reign here to do so, but the Word of God, who is Jesus
Christ, clearly tells to resist him and he will flee (James 4:7). We are also
told how to protect ourselves daily (Ephesians 6:10-20; Psalm 91). May the
Living Word, the Holy Bible, become your inseparable companion, and may you
seek out a church to regularly attend, one where you are truly fed and where
you can grow in your faith. There, you will find others to pray, study, reach
out and fellowship with, in safe unity.
A Call to Awaken Writers
I believe God wants me to call forth all people at this point who have always
had a desire to record or write, for it may be that He has planted the writing
gift in you. He has a way of revealing outright, or
simply gives us glimpses of our many abilities, throughout
life, (1Cor. 12; Rom. 12:4-8). I want to personally
encourage all people to not hold back in the area of the spoken and written
word. God clearly tells us in Malachi 3:15 of a Book of Remembrance being
written before Him, for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His
name. Those who will spend eternity with Him are in the Book of Life. He
compares His Word to a two-edged sword in Hebrews 4:12, and clearly states in
Ephesians that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. There is mighty
power when we wield His Word about, in the written or spoken form. Thus, I am
including it on this site frequently, for I intend to
firmly support what He inspires
through me, with His pure scriptural word.
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