Being an overcomer

I am an overcomer. That is what I feel like today.

There are times where I have been the victim. But I know that to move from victim to overcomer takes some strategy. In time victim doesn't fit, because its have been overcomed!

There are times when though that when satan wants to throw his firey darts that he will make us feel like the victim again. But there is a time when you realize that you haven't been the victim for a long time. You've actually overcome the situation, the darts are just that, darts. When the shield of faith is properly attacted, the darts cannot penetrate you.

I learned in "Bibical Foundations of Freedom" in the last several weeks about the sheild in the Armor of a soilder. The shield is a made of leather and is soaked in water to prepare it for battle. When it is saturated, the firey darts of the enemy cannot set it on fire!

Its the same as if we don't use the shield of faith in our armor of God. The shield dries up and that is how the firey darts attack us!

So today, when you look at your situation, soak your shield in the Living Word of God, saturate it. Then let go of being the victim and release your faith. The battle has already been won. You just have to show up dressed in the armor of God. He will fight for you.

Making Bath Oils from the herbs in my herb garden

I went out to check on my herb garden from the freezing weather we've been having. My Lavender, Rosemary and Sage plants seem to be weathering well. I did cut off the dead blossoms from a couple of the Lavendar plants. (I know this should go in my "Abiggermess.blogspot.com blog but its part of my journey that's why its here.)

I cut off a large chunk of the Rosemary and decided to start making some bath oils.

I found a large Mayo container with a lid that I stuffed the Rosemary leaves in and shoved in as much as possible to fill the jar and then filled the jar with a 24 oz bottle of canola oil. Use a knife around the edges to clear out the air bubbles. The scent of the Rosemary is strong and with the canola oil it makes a good fragrance. I did a smaller one last year just to experiment and it was pretty easy.

Let the oil sit in a warm area for about 10-14 days. You can let it sit for up to two months if you'd like for a stronger scent. I'll have more batches to make up every couple of days to keep it rotating.

After the time has lapsed, strain through cheese cloth into another clean jar and cover that jar and let it sit for another 7 days. After this, I'll be pouring the bath oil into small wine bottles that I've had around for years to do this project with (currently housed in the cupboard about the washer and dryer that I'm reorganizing for my garden seeds and other gardening stuff that stays indoors).

Eventually I'll be doing bath salts using the oil from this method. I'll post how to do that when I make those. I want to use as much of what I have here and grow on my own for most of what I do. For me it makes the giving of it to others a little more personal.

Dag Event today

Today was the Southern Oregon DAG event! 6 ladies showed up, and we made 4 dresses. One of my friends brought a friend with her and the two cut out the dresses from the pillowcases, making it easier on my three sewers.

I usually set the time to be from 10-4 with one shift coming at 10, leaving about noon and then another group coming around 12:30. Around 1:30 when it was down to me and another friend we started packing up. It seems like the little corner that I promised I would use for my DAG stuff gets a little bigger each time I put things away. We left a bag on top of my stuff with the cut outs so that my sewers can just go in, get the dresses and take home what they want from the supplies.

Later I took some cut outs to another one of "my ladies" as I call my sewers as she stayed home to rest today. Her grandaughter is collecting pillowcases from Coos Bay and sends to grandma to use.

My goal is again 100 dresses to be sent to AZ for Hope 4 Kids to take to Uganda.

While at my friend's home we were talking about my garden. She loves to garden and is helping me to plan it out. I've got some ideas later for it that I'll share. One thing at a time.

I did take apart the upper tension part to my sewing machine as the upper tension spring broke. I'm trying to locate one. I thought something that size that gets used in all machines would be interchangable, but I don't think so. Not sure I want to spend the 2.95 for the spring and find out it doesn't fit.

It was suggested I take up sewing machine repair as there is no one here that does that. Another possiblity as I'm having women draging out a sewing machine that they haven't used for a while, dusting it off and making sure it works before they use it. I've been doing some minor repair on some machines and the lady that that I talked to today that told me not to take my tension gear apart even though I already had, made me feel like I wouldn't be able to get it back together again. That's what the other machine is for is to see how that's put together!

Tomorrow is my worship day. Looking forward to it as God is doing some amazing things lately! Can't wait!

A new leg to my journey

I know I didn't post much in this last leg, but God knows and that was what was important. It was an exciting time as I learned to get very close to Him and to the heart of His that I am seeking.

Tomorrow starts a new leg in my journey in seeking His heart, the lover of my soul.

Over the last couple of weeks, God has been showing me a different direction that I needed to go to. Several years ago those that remember on my followers and perusers list I did a leg of the Prov 31 wife. It wasn't until a couple of days ago that God showed me that was what I needed to do again in a different demension. I'll be explaining that dimension as time goes by. As with most legs of my journey they interceded quite a bit from time to time, picking up baggage from one leg to help complete another several months and sometimes years down the road. This is one of them.

So I'll post Prov 31 here to start off. I know its probably a scary part to read in today's day and age, and I know I'm going to be hitting on some topics that will seem stone age and "what is she thinking?" (that one's for hubby!). But know one thing. I'm seeking God's heart. I want my heart beat to match His.


Prov 31 10-31 (The Message)
A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.She's up before dawn,
preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.
She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she's put aside,
plants a garden.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
She makes her own clothing,
and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
Her husband is greatly respected
when he deliberates with the city fathers.
She designs gowns and sells them,
brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
but you've outclassed them all!"
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!

(I like the Message version!)

My study for today

Reading today on several topics in Gen 9-12 showed some things that I know I'll have questions later :).

Even after the flood, evil found its way back into the world with Nimrod who was an enemy of God, to the tower of Babel where pride was more evident than a relationship with the Creator. Also, God states that any moving thing that lives He gave as food. All things including green herbs. However no flesh that has life and blood flowing.

I take the last part to mainly mean that which has a soul, a place to decided between right and wrong, free will. God even put a demand on the taking of a life of another human being.

"Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning,
from the hand of every beast I will require it and from
the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother
I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood,
by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He
made man." Gen 9:5-6

We are not to take the life of any human being, whether they be walking the earth or in a mother's womb. Both are living breathing human beings with rights to live freely, created by the one True God.


From studies I've done, cites were named after people so I think that is the same for Canaan who is now a servant to the decendants of Shem and Japheth. It happened when Ham, Canaan's father saw Noah naked, and didn't take care of the situation properly. Now the land that was named for Canaan was a servant to other nations that surrounded the land. In Canaan is also Sodom and Gomorrah.

After reading in Chapter 12 that Abram departed to go to the land of Canaan to live, I wondered why since this is the land that God would give His decendants when it is also the same land that is a servant to the land that surrounds it?

But, when you look at the Gospel story, doesn't this depict the same? Christ came as a servant to those around Him, those His Father created, willing to die on the Cross for us, making Him the Kinsmen Redeemer, the one who was able to pay the price for our sins.

Pondering some of these thoughts as I go through the rest of my day. I know as I go further into God's word, I will find the answer.

This is the third year that I've started reading the Bible through in a year. Each year it is different when I read it. Its the same words, and for the most part the same translation. Sometimes I will get out my Strongs Concordance and take a phrase down to the Hebrew or Greek reference to study it further. At this point and time, I've decided to just read it as it is written. No indepth study as of yet as I've seen in the past how something will fit in to what I read just a week before in another chapter.

I am still going to do an indepth study on the word "seed". I tried to start one a few weeks ago, but other events came into play and I didn't get to it like I wanted to.

Something that I was thinking about earlier today and decided it was a good way to think on circumstances in our lives:

I'd rather kick myself for doing something I wanted to do whether it was right or wrong, rather then kicking myself for not doing anything at all.

The heart God wants

I was reading in the 4th Chapter of Genesis today and while reading about Cain and Abel I it amazes me how many people think God rejected Cain for the offering, when it wasn't the offering it was the heart behind the offering. He was giving what he had. Abel was giving out of his heart.

That's the heart God wants for us, is one that is in line with His. Its the only thing He asks from us. We can ask Him anything and He will answer, always. It just may not be what we want or expect. When our hearts are in line with His, when our flesh has died, do we see His Heart and know that they will beat the same heartbeat.

As I continued to read, it was the ground that was cursed, the ground that Cain worked on, as the blood from Abel was crying out from it. The curse was lifted several generations later, and then the flood destroyed all that lived on the earth and it was made like new again with Noah and his family.

And when Noah disembarked, he built an altar for the Lord. And gave from his heart, because he walked with God and God found favor in him.

Happy 2011!

So starts a new year. One of many possibilities. I had an awesome year last year in learning to trust in God in many areas of my life, and learning to let go of many areas, (still working on others). At times I felt as if I was hanging on a thread, had feelings of doubt that I wasn't hearing Him right on areas such as finances for home and for my trip, but He provided in areas and in ways we didn't expect.

I'm excited for what 2011 will bring.

I have some people who are keeping me accountable to my journey this year in studying the charismatic prayer movement as it pertains from the beginning of Christ Ascension to now. I wanted to study this last year but another bible study that I was doing I found was needed to prepare me for this one.

This morning I did my devos by starting over again in Genesis and reading my bible in the next year. I started last year and did it most of the way through up to Luke. I'm planning on being more consistant this time. I'm reading it with the topic of "Holiness" in mind and what God requires of His people to be One with Him.

Right off the bat, when I got to Genesis 1:11 I knew that my waviering on whether to do a Daniel fast or not was not a decision to take lightly. It continued on through Chapter 3 as Adam and Eve were now cast out of the Garden, that because of sin, Adam could no longer eat from the Tree of Life because that meant that he would have to live forever in his disobedience.

Not that its a requirement to holiness, but for me, I think being a vegetarian once again is something I'm to do. the choice to do so is more out of an obedient calling and I believe a personal one for health reasons. However, I did see that having a day of rest, is a requirement for holiness because our God who is holy took a day of rest for Himself.

A day of rest simply means, rest. It doesn't mean that we have to find a dogma of rules and regulations such as what the law was, and then added to it. It just means rest, relaxing in His presence.

I know that in order to do this I need to have some order in my life to keep me accountable. He saw that what He did in seven days was very good, and perfect, just the way He wanted. I know that I can be very passive aggressive to myself, and put things off that need to be done that day so I can continue on with the plan for the next day and not bunch it all together and wear me out and those around me. I've slacked off this year in a lot of areas that I know I shouldn't have, and technically I'm paying the piper for it.

So here's to 2011 (that's twenty-eleven)! May it be a prosperous year full of abundant blessings to all.