Sleepless in Texas

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by Falla39

Sis. Rhoni,

Yesterday, looking over some old threads I had posted, I ran across this
thread, posted one year ago today! I had referred to a post Berkeley had
posted in 2007.

http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com...ad.php?t=15074.

After I wrote that post 3-7-07, we attended my 50th class reunion in Sept.07.
We lost our first sibling, a brother, the morning after the 50th reunion. I had
stood the night before and thanked God that HE had allow all of our class-
mates to still be alive afte 50 yrs. (All are still alive). I also mentioned that I
thanked God that all of we eleven siblings were still alive after 50 yrs. The
next morning (Sun.) we received word our brother had passed away a short time
before.

In Nov. 2008, we had our 50th Anniv. of the church our parents founded in
1958. They honored me for being church secretary from the beginning. 50 yrs.
Now am into my 51st year. Now the one other event that I had mentioned in
the post was that in 2009 we would celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary.
This is being planned by our children!!

God has been SO good to our family. We have been SO blessed in SO many
ways. I know HE has been SO good to others, but I just like to count my
blessings and name them one by one!!

Hugs,

Falla39

Sis. Falla,
Having met you and many members of your family - I agree, you are blessed! May you have many more years of blessings.
Love you much, Rhoni

[Rhoni]

Sunday night I had a wonderful experience. I was up all night. I couldn't sleep. The Lord impressed a message on my heart. I got out my Bible, my study guides and took 7 pages of notes before I could rest. Can't wait for the opportunity to share it. It is meant for someone.

In Jesus name, Rhoni

[Falla39]

Originally Posted by Rhoni

Sis. Falla,
Having met you and many members of your family - I agree, you are blessed! May you have many more years of blessings.
Love you much, Rhoni

Thank you, Sis. Rhoni,

I appreciate your friendship also! Will be watching for your message God
gave you! HE can do it, anytime, anyplace, anywhere there is a listening
ear and someone who will just "Be still and know..that HE is GOD!

Hugs,

Falla39

[Trouvere]

Amen you must be preparing for something. Jesus does not just keep us awake and give us study notes.

[Rhoni]

Destined to Greatness: Hindered by shame

May 25, 2009
Rhonda R. Cyprus, LMFT,LPC, MAC
[Marriage & Family Therapist]

Exodus 1:6-8 NIV: Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. Then a new King, who did not know about Joseph, came into power in Egypt.

The new Pharoah felt threatened when he looked at the number of Israelites in Egypt compared to the number of Egyptians and surmised that if an uprising happened that the Egyptians would be overpowered by the Israelites. To deal with this perceived threat he implemented two things: 1. He ordered for slave masters to be put over the Israelites to oppress them into forced labor to build two treasure cities for Pharoah , Pithon and Ramese, and 2. He commanded two Hebrew midwivess to kill any male children born to Israelite women.

Thank God for two women who feared God more than the wrath of Pharoah and allowed the male children to live. Because the Pharoah could not control the birth of male children in this area, he insitued a third order; “Every boy that is born to you must be thrown into the Nile, but let every girl live.” Exodus 1:22 NIV.

During this time of practiced male infanticide, a levite woman, married to a man from the tribe of Levi, gave birth to a son. Jochabed was a praying woman and when she beheld her son she saw purpose in him and hid him until she could no longer, and found a basket made of papyrus and pitched it within and without with tar making it waterproof and instructed her daughter to put the baby child Moses in the Nile river and to watch and see what would become of him.

No one but God could have so perfectly orchestrated what God would do, not only to preserve Moses’ life, but to prepare him for his destiny. The daughter of Pharoah just happened to be taking a bath in the Nile river when she saw the basket and looked into it. She saw Moses and knew he was an Israelite baby but she loved him and took him into her home. Moses sister Meriam volunteered to find a wetnurse to nurse the baby and God so carefully placed Moses back into his mother’s arms to nurse at her breast, and be taught of the one true God of Israel.

God has a way of taking what the devil meant to harm or destroy a person, keep them bound, and oppressed, and brings deliverance right in the presence of the enemy. In this case he allowed the deliverer of the Israelites to be tutored in the higher education of the Egyptians, and in their traditions, raised as royalty as the grandson of Pharoah himself. What a God we serve! All praise and glory belong to Him.

[Rhoni]

Now, you would think that Moses looking back on all God has done to preserve his life that Moses would trust God more than the arm of his flesh. The scriptures tell us that when Moses was grown he chose to leave Pharoah’s home and to align himself with the God’s people, the Isrealites.. The first thing Moses did was to observe an Egyptian beating an Israelite. Moses was furious and looked around to see if anyone was watching him, and when he felt safe that he was not being observed, he slew the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. He knowingly committed a murder.

Moses is not so different than you and I who are called to a higher purpose and often find themselves fallen into a pit of their own making. The devil uses the shame over the deliberate sin, as well as the continuous projected shame from family and friends to keep us in that pit of self-shame; just like the Israelite men, when Moses asked them why they were fighting among themselves, threw it back in Moses’ face and asked him if he was going to kill them as he had done to the Egyptian. How could Moses minister or deliver a people who would never respect him for the past sin he committed which God had forgiven him from? The devil uses this lie every day to tell those who are called of God that they are somehow unworthy, broken, and unuseable to help anyone else out of their pit. This is a lie of the devil.

Moses, like you and I, had difficulty dealing with his “issues”. We walk around pretending to be healed; pretending that we, and those around us truly understand the mercy, the forgiveness, and the grace of God while we harbor deep rooted shame that leads us to justify ineffective ministry, and to give multiple excuses as to why we have no power, or cannot fulfill the destiny God has planned for us because we are so unworthy.

When God pointed out to Moses the plight of the Israelites, He told Moses, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharoah to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:10 NIV. After Moses had had a ‘burning bush experience’ with God Himself affirming His anointing on Moses; Moses’ shame and inadequacies he felt caused him to say to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharoah, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11 NIV. Moses, like you and I do sometimes went on to tell God how unworthy and inable to do what God has called us to do we really are. We are so arrogant to think we know better than God, aren’t we?

Exodus 4:14 NIV tells us that when Moses told God to send someone else – God got angry with Moses. Even in God’s anger he gave Moses a crutch, or support by allowing Moses’ brother Aaron to speak, or interpret for him before Pharoah. The ironic thing though was that each time Moses went before Pharoah, God’s anointing fell and Moses did the speaking with power and authority as Aaron stood in the background.

You might ask, “What does this have to do with me in my situation?” Is there 1 thing in your life that you have done? Something you have done knowingly that is buried deep in your soul, your mind, your heart that affects your very personality that goes beyond surface quilt, to the point of shame? Do those who know consistently throw it back in your face to remind you how unworthy you are? Do you stutter and make excuses for not being all God meant you to be? Does the wound have a scab on it that

[Rhoni]

others or you yourself purposely or even accidently scrape off until the wound is open and bleeding again?

For 5 years I worked as Social Service Director in a Sub-Acute Rehabilitation unit. People who are not mobile due to injury, disease, or old age often develop decubitus ulcers, or what are know as bed sores. When they are first observed a salve is put on them to heal them and the skin grows back over them but the patient doesn’t seem to get any better. They are put on a turn schedule of every two hours but sometimes a fever develops and delirium sets in. Although the outward appearance seems ‘healed’ a Physician will know that infection is still there due to the symptoms. The only cure for this is massive doses of IV antibiotics, and debreedment of the sore. The patient doesn’t like this nor the Physician and nurses that have to do it. The sore has to be lanced open, the infection, puss if you would, has to be cleaned out and gauze stuffed down into the wound. Just about the time the skin tries to close up, the nurse or Doctor comes back and rips the gauze out taking the infected skin cells out again and again until the wound heals on the inside, and only then will the Doctor allow the skin to heal up over the wound. The only thing left is a scar that cannot be ripped open again because the infection is gone.

Many of us have grown up looking the part, acting the part, and ‘doing’ religious activities, but just under the surface is: backbiting, jealousies, gossip, hatred, unforgiveness, fornication, adultery, rebellion, and even, like Moses, murder. In therapeutic terms:

• Acting like there is nothing wrong is what we therapists term, Denial.
• Not consciously realizing something has to be taken care of is called, REPRESSION.
• Knowing something is wrong but not wanting to there or take care of it is called, SUPPRESSION.
• Blaming someone or something else is called, PROJECTION,
• And, reacting in anger or bitterness is Reactive Formation.

Healing calls for a “coming to Jesus” time. Repentance constitutes cleansing. Setting boundaries with the devil and well meaning, and sometimes intentionally cruel family and friends is absolutely necessary. When God forgives – He forgets it and places it in the sea of forgetfulness and you are clean and holy. When the devil in your psyche, or the voices of your friends & family bring these “issues” back up – remind them that the healing has happened and the scar marks the spot.

The Bible tells us that Moses was 80 years old when he finally went to Pharoah resulting in deliverance for the people of Israel, Exodus 7:6 NIV. What this means for you and I is this: Philippians 1:6 NIV: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. Those of you who have wasted 10 minutes, 10 years, 30, or 50 or more years…it is time to give it up. If you want healing from your “issues” and want to give the devil a black eye; Don’t bring Jesus your excuses, denials, or justifications. Bring Jesus honesty. Let the word

[Rhoni]

wash out the wound, and let the Balm of Gilead, the Holy Spirit fill your wound with healing salve and let Him complete the process of healing in your life. Do not let shame continue to hinder your fulfilling the calling and purpose God has placed in your life. In Jesus name, AMEN.

Copywritten in 2009 and property of Rhonda R. Cyprus. May only be used giving recognition to the author.

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by Falla39

Thank you, Sis. Rhoni,

I appreciate your friendship also! Will be watching for your message God
gave you! HE can do it, anytime, anyplace, anywhere there is a listening
ear and someone who will just "Be still and know..that HE is GOD!

Hugs,

Falla39

Originally Posted by Trouvere

Amen you must be preparing for something. Jesus does not just keep us awake and give us study notes.

God has brought me back to the beginning of my journey in Texas to fulfill His destiny for my life.

I feel it.

Blessings, Rhoni

[Falla39]

Originally Posted by Rhoni

God has brought me back to the beginning of my journey in Texas to fulfill His destiny for my life.

I feel it.

Blessings, Rhoni

Very GOOD!!!

I believe it, Sis. Rhoni!! I really do believe it!!! You keep feeling and be-
lieving AND it SHALL come to pass. in Jesus Name!

Hugs,

Falla39