Your Grace Is All I Need

I know it has been a while since I have blogged, but I just haven't felt like I had much to say, or that anyone actually read my blog. However, I'm feeling rather inspired at the moment and feel like there is something that God wants me to share with you, and that there is something I have to say that can help others in their situations.

I am going to talk about God as our Father and how amazing that is.

You may or may not know that I grew up in a single mother environment, my biological father was not in the picture. It was challenging at times, and it made me feel incomplete in a lot of ways. My mother was wonderful, she stood up and took the place as both my father and my mother. She worked so hard to provide everything little thing that we needed, she made sure I had a food, a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and a bed to sleep in. She gave up so much for me. When things were tough financially she would always make sure that I had food and that I had the things that I needed. She sacrificed everything to make sure that I grew up to be a mature adult who could make decisions that would impact the world. I owe my life to my mom, she didn't have to do all that for me and she did!

I know I said I was going to talk about God as our Father, but I needed to give you some background so you could understand where I am coming from.

My mom married a wonderful man about 7 years ago. He has taken it upon himself to become the best father figure that he could, and he is. He is my dad and I love him deeply.

When I look at how God is like a Father, I look at the way that my mom was with me. She gave up everything for me. God is so love sick over us as and he is the relentless pursue, he would sell EVERYTHING to get the one thing he desires most - YOU AND ME!

If we look at parables in the Bible. Jesus used these parables to teach lessons (a parable is a lesson in story form).
1. The Shepherd and his 100 sheep.
99 Found and 1 lost. The shepherd leaves his 99 sheep to search for that one lost one. He doesn't stop looking until he finds it. Once found the shepherd REJOICES.
2. Woman and her lost coin.
This lost coin in so small in monetary value, yet the woman searches and searches for it. She finds her penny and she REJOICES!!
3. The Prodical Son
Son moves away with all his possessions, his father is heart broken. The son spends all his money is living with pigs and finally deciders that he would be treated better as a slave in his fathers house. He heads home and in that moment when his father sees him, he picked up his robe (shamming himself) ran to his son and embraced him. He threw a party and REJOICED over his return.

God doesn't just love us, he genuinely LIKES us.

He doesn't love you because he has to, He likes you with ALL your faults and imperfections.

WE CAN NOT DISQUALIFY OURSELVES FROM GOD'S PURSUIT.
- Genesis 3: When Adam and Eve sinned God went LOOKING for them. In the midst of their sin, when they were naked, when they new that had done the one thing God told them not to do, GOD STILL WENT SEARCHING FOR THEM.

The more you begin to realize that God loves you UNCONDITIONALLY the more free you become.

God gave up His most precious gift, His one and ONLY son. His most prize possession, He offered His son's life in exchange for ours. So that we could live FOREVER with Him, so that We could have a relationship with Him, Because he LOVES US!!!!!!

This song, How He Loves Us, performed by David Crowder Band is so encouraging. HE LOVES US!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCunuL58odQ&ob=av2e

I hope this has offered an insight to the amount of love that our Heavenly Father has for us, for you and ME!

Much Love,
Taelor

Easter Blessings

With Easter just around the corner, I am reminded of something I was taught during my time at YWAM. (YWAM or Youth With A Mission is an amazing organization that encourages youth to step out of their comfort zone and change the world for God. )

During one of our weeks at YWAM we had a phenomenal speaker that we called Rev Nev. He was from a church in Byron Bay, and he was absolutely Fantastic. Everything he had to say gave insight and brought new meanings to old words. He spoke on Covenants both from the old "Testiment" and the new "Testiment." In Latin the word Testiment actually means Covenant, so if you look at the Bible with that knowledge we've got the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

In the Old Covenant or Old Testiment there are very strict details for the Cutting of the Covenant. These include:
1. Exchange Coats
2. Exchange Weapons
3. Exchange Names
4. Blood Cutting & Seal
5. Splitting an Animal
6. Promise & Oaths
7. Blessings & Curses
8. Memorial
9. Covenant Meal
10. Covenant Attorney

Being in Covenant with someone means you are closer than blood brothers, it means that your wealth is their wealth, your poverty is their poverty.

Different Covenants through the Bible.
1. Covenant of Works (Hosea 6:5)
Created in Covenant

2. Covenant of Eden (Genesis 3:14-21)
Prototype of Covenant

3. Covenant with Noah (Genesis 8:20-22, 9:9-17)
Covenant with All the Earth

4. Covenant with Abraham (Gen 15)
Covenant with Father & a Nation

5. Covenant with Isreal (Exodus 19:5-24)
Covenant with Priests

6. Covenant with David (2 Samuel 17:12-16)
Covenant with Kingdom

7. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
Covenant with the Church

All this being said... The New Covenant is what reminds me of Easter. For Jesus made a Covenant with God on our behalf. He took care of everything for us. He gave us the "Helper" (our Covenant Attorney) and he said, "It is Finished!!" That also means that God's wealth is our wealth. If you need anything health, finances, love, a friend. God has you covered. He is our Covenant holder.

God Has our backs and he wants to take care of us.

Remember that this Easter season. It's not about the candy or the bunnies, it is about the beautiful gift God gave us through the death of His ONE and ONLY son!

Blessings on you this Easter Season!

The Cry of the Father's Heart from Genesis to Revelation

The Father's Love Letter

My Child,
You may not know me but I know everything about you (Ps 139:1)
I know when you sit and when you rise up (Ps 139:2)
I am familiar with all your ways (Ps 139:3)
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matt 10:29)
For you were made in my image (Gen 1:27)
In me you live, and move and have your being (Acts 17:28)
For you are my offspring (Acts 17:28)
I knew you before you were conceived (Jer 1:4-5)
I chose you when I planned creation (Eph 1:11-12)
You were not a mistake (Ps 139:15-16)
For all your days are written in my book (Ps 139:15-16)
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17:28)
You were fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139:14)
I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Ps 139:13)
And brought you forth on the day you were born (Ps 71:6)
I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me (John 8:41-44)
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love (John 4:16)
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you (1 John 3:1)
Simply because you are my child and I am your father (I John 3:1)
I offer you more than your earthy father ever could (Matt 7:11)
For I am the perfect father (Matt 5:48)
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17)
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs (Matt 6:31-33)
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope (Jer 29:11)
Because I love you with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3)
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore (Ps 139:17-18)
And I rejoice over you with singing (Zeph 3:17)
I will never stop doing good to you (Jer 32:40)
For you are my treasured possession (Exodus 19:5)

I desire to establish you with all my heart and with all my soul (Jer 32:41)
And I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jer 33:3)
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me (Deut 4:29)
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart (Ps 37:4)
For it is I who gave you those desires (Phil 2:13)
I am able to do more than you can possibly imagine (Eph 3:20)
For I am your greatest encourager (2Thess 2:16-17)
I am also your father who comforts you in all your troubles (2 Cor 1:3-4)
When you are broken hearted, I am close to you (Ps 34:18)
As a Shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart (Is 40:11)
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Rev 21:3-4)
And I will take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth (Rev 21:3-4)
I am your father, and I love you even as I love my son Jesus (John 17:23)
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed (John 17:26)
He is the exact representation of my being (Heb 1:3)
He came to demonstrate that I am for you; not against you (Rom 8:31)
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins (2 Cor 5:18-19)
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you (1 John 4:10)
I gave up everything I love so that I might gain your love (Rom 8:31-32)
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2:23)
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Rom 8:38-39)
Come home and I will throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15:7)
I have always been father, and will always be father (Eph 3:14-15)
My question is…… Will you be my child? (John 1:2-13)
I am waiting for you (Luke 15:11-32)

Take Courage Again.

Hillsong United released the "Aftermath" album February 15, 2011. I purchased it that day and it hasn't left my cd player since. Track 1 is called "Take Heart." This song has been really pressing on my heart recently and has been a song of comfort to me in my weakest moments and in the moments of stress and fear. The chorus goes...

So take heart
Let His love lead us through the night
Hold on to hope
And take courage again

As I was driving home tonight from church, I had this song on repeat, and the part of the chorus that stuck out to me was "Take Courage Again." How often do we find ourselves concerned with the way the world sees us? How many times do we sit and wonder if we're good enough, if we make enough money, if we spend enough time with our friends and family, if we are providing the right amount for our family, how often to we worry. The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:25 - 34 Don't worry. I'm going to pull one scripture out of that passage and that is verse 34, it says "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has its troubles of its own." While driving I felt God just speak to me saying, "Don't worry, Take heart, Let my love lead you through the night, let to tomorrow worry about tomorrow, let's just get through the night. Hold on to the hope you have in me, and take courage again, you are a strong wonderful woman, and I will be beside you every step of the way."

God tells us that he will never leave us nor forsake us, (Hebrews 13:5), so why are we worrying. He says, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest, for my yolk is easy and my burden is light" ( Matthew 11:28-30).


The rest of the song goes...

All our troubles
And all our tears
God our hope
He has overcome

All our failure
And all our fear
God our love
He has overcome
All our heartache
And all our pain
God our healer
He has overcome

All our burdens
And all our shame
God our freedom
He has overcome

All our troubles
And all our tears
God our hope
He has overcome

All our failures
And all our fear
God our love
He has overcome

God our justice
God our grace
God our freedom
He has overcome

God our refuge
God our strength
God is with us
He has overcome


HE HAS OVERCOME! Everything we ever worry about, anything we ever feel burdened with, everything... EVERYTHING, He has OVERCOME!

(Take Heart - Aftermath Album - Hillsong United)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW_f8aO77sc

Week 11 - Spiritual Warfare

During this week, we had our lovely school leader Rochelle speak to us about Spiritual Warfare!!

We learned all the names of the enemy, all they ways he uses to get to us. We as Christians are in a spiritual warfare whether we know it or know. Here are some of my notes!

~ Spiritual warfare: doing the works of Jesus & taking our authority over the devil as we go about our daily lives
~ Pride makes Jesus really angry, Lucifer was very prideful that is why he was thrown out heaven.
~ God has already WON the battle!!!!
~ "I have already beaten the power of the enemy, I have already won. Stop worrying about the enemies work in your life, for I have more power than him." - God
~ He (satan) is free to come and go as he pleases but he is subject to God and his limitations placed upon him by God (Job 1:7-12,
Mark 5:8,13, Luke 4:35, 1 Corinthians 10:13)
~ You are NOT alone!!!
~ He is the name above ALL NAMES!!!
~ We have authority over the enemy because Jesus gave us that authority
~ Unless we are seated and relaxed before the Lord, knowing who we are in Christ and trusting in the wonderful grace of God which is able to keep us from falling and unless we are walking with a clean conscience we will not be able to stand against evil powers.
~ every righteous thing a Christian does is Spiritual Warfare
~ if we can consistently watch over our minds, hearts, and mouths, we will deny the devil access to our lives and truly experience victory


This week was very challenging. There was for sure some Spiritual warfare going on during this week. All of us students felt upset, homesick, and sad. After praying on Thursday evening things started looking up, and it was a much better was to end the week!!


The most Eastern Point in Australia, Byron Bay!

The wonderful adventure in Australia...

So this week was an interesting adventure... it was scary, wet, cold and intense. During this week we started on Sunday night and had to have our hiking backpacks packed and ready to go until Wednesday night. We arrived at the church at 7 pm and it was crazy... we were then blindfolded and taken around Ashmore, it wasn't too much fun seeing as we didn't know where we were going or where we were gonna sleep. They dropped us all off at a random place and drove away before we could take our blindfold off. Once we heard the cars drive off, we knew we could take our blind fold off, and so we did... we were on a random car parking lot. We were given instructions about how we were to sleep that night and what time we had to meet Marty the next day. We were able to sleep in our own beds that night, Thank GOD!! The next morning we had to be up at 4:30 and meet up with Daniel at 5:15 in the morning, so we had to do an hour long walk, so we left and met Marty at 6 am. This was a challenging week were we had to physically overcome challenges and mentally. We were given very little food, and very little sleep.

The best part of this week was that My parents arrived while I was on this horrible adventure! It was so awesome having them here for a few day! We got to go see some crazy australian wildlife! My parents pet Kangaroos and we got to go see the Dolphins and sharks! It was so much fun, we did an amazing boat cruise and we got to spend a bunch of time together! It was so great to see them!


Dad and the Kangaroo!!


Mom and the crazy Ostrich

Week 9 - Jewish Roots

So for the week on Jewish Roots, I had a wonderful lady named Jesma. She came and spoke to us about many of the different Jewish traditions and words. Learning from her was good, I just wished I had known more of the history of the Jewish nation before I learned to more intricate details. Some of the notes I took:

- Genesis: Bereshit which means the beginning
- Hebrews: People who have crossed over into the ways of God
- we can tell what we believe by the way we live our lives
- p'shat: the direct and simple
- remez: hint
- darash: commentary
-sod: deep, hidden meaning
- Jesus' parables and Isaiah's parables are parallel
- Genesis contains everything in the Bible... everything that is written in the rest of the Bible, has already been written in Genesis
- in the beginning man and woman were created equal
- Genesis 2 - God rested even though there was more work to do; He took a Sabbath
- Our day off each week is to remind us of how we we're created in the image and likeness of God
- If you are too busy to take a day off, you are not free, you are a slave
- God is looking for availability, not ability
"We'll have peace in the middle east when the Arab's love their children more than they hate us (Isreal)"
- Remember the Sabbath day
- Sabbath starts when the first 3 stars appear. The mother blesses the family, then father joins in, then the father blesses wife and together they bless their children
- Sabbath is centered around the FAMILY!!!!

This week I found it really hard to pay attention. I think it was just a mid-point of the lecture phase and I think I started not paying attention, but by the end of the week I knew that I needed to pay attention!! And so I started getting more and more out of the week. Her voice was just too sweet and quiet to really pay attention...

Also this week, we had a week called Angel's and Mortal's... Everyone is given a person that they are to be angels for. I got to be Ellice's Angel and she had NO idea that it was me!! My angel was Paivi and she was amazing! She got my boyfriend to record himself singing a song and sent it to me, and it was exactly what I was needing, I was feeling a bit homesick, so having that really helped!!

Please continue to Pray for me that God will continue to show me His plan for my life!!

Blessings!