The Awakening

I wanted to share an essay I wrote a while back that is soon to be published in a quarterly journal through Thought Collection Publishing. A combination of testimony and philosophy, growth and encouragement; this is a portion of my story. I am sharing this in hopes to reach someone that may be going through what I went through and to show them that there is nothing impossible with God! I hope you enjoy it. 

Introduction

How could I ever begin to describe the wonder of all that has transpired? How would it be possible to put into words the intensity of revelation that took the fragments of a worshiper turned junkie turned seeker into a whole? In short, the catalyst of true living can be summed up in one word, God; who took my brokenness and transformed it into a peace that is like no other.

The Loss

My Christian faith began when I was 15 years old and was very intense. I witnessed, I taught, I led a music ministry that had Christian hardcore bands play shows and reach the world; I was happy. Then tragedy hit. My faith was shaken, more so, my faith was demolished. I was shattered. I was broken and my once revered foundation was nowhere to be found. I turned to heavy drug use and promiscuity in an attempt to fill the void left from the refusal of allowing God to remain in my heart. I grew dark and detached. For years I tried to kill myself with more and more drugs only to grow a stronger and stronger tolerance… I was a thief and I was a pathetic excuse of a human being. After finally giving up the fight I sought help and gained sobriety in November of 2005. This is this is the result of circumstance where I began to seek.

The Search

For the past 9 years I have been on a mission of self-discovery. I have asked question upon question in attempt to find answers to the meaning of existence, to find out who I was and what I am here for, to find out what life is about and why it is worth living. All of my questions have been in vain. None of the answers I have discovered have resulted in anything but more questions and more detachment. I have studied various religions, many philosophies, scientific hypotheses…always looking for the real answer…yet the answer was never found. Underlying this search was always the internal tug for my heart to return back to my roots in Christianity and every time I began to entertain the faith I ran like hell. With each notion of entertainment there was a call to responsibility that I was unwilling to accept. This tug never left, through all of my searching and amidst all of my questions, the internal current of what once was continually beckoned my return. As a final act of attempted disillusion I once more made a bold declaration of my refusal to believe in Christ and again tried separating myself from the God of my youth. “I DON’T BELIEVE IN YOU!” This attempt was the end of the seeker.

The Awakening

The tugs grew stronger and stronger after my outright verbal denial and aggression towards God. Was this due to my decision of denial? It was as if my soul screamed even louder after my refusal to believe. I found myself unconsciously praying “God please, God help, God what should I do…” I decided my kids needed to be in church to benefit them, even if I don’t believe, it would be good for them; so we began going to church. I found myself less and less reading the words of my favorite philosophers, and instead opening a bible. All of these events were happening and I was unaware at the time that they were all connected. I would open the Word in an attempt to scoff or fuel my choice of unbelief, but instead it made me question whether or not I actually did believe.

On an average ordinary day, a day of no importance while I was lying in bed waiting to go to sleep, it happened. I had a spiritual experience with the living, breathing, invisible God and essentially a “come to Jesus” moment. This overwhelming, unavoidable presence of power enveloped me where I laid and while I was curled up in the fetal position I wept. I wept tears of sorrow, of shame and guilt; I wept tears of joy, of laughter, of peace and comfort. It was as if 15 years of pent up regression was released in that moment and I could finally breathe again. This is a moment in my life that I will never forget, that I will never shake, that I can never deny or write off as anything other than a flagrant move of the Holy Spirit capturing my heart into the love and relationship of Jesus Christ. It was then that I realized that it was no coincidence that I could not die from the enormous amounts of drugs I ingested. It was my testimony.

The Present

There are still many questions that I have regarding biblical issues that once warranted my excuses to deny my faith, however I have made the decision to take my focus off of them and onto the relationship and love that comes through walking with God. I focus on the real life experience and applications that the Word of God has imparted into my heart and on the radical changes that are taking place in my life and are evident in reality. I am a renewed person, I am a whole person, I am a child of the most high God and will never look back other than to share the testimony of how the Lord broke me and molded me into the spiritual warrior I am today. I am changed. I am happy. I have learned that my happiness is not found in philosophical concepts or a scientific hypotheses, but true happiness comes from faith and trust in a savior that will never leave nor forsake me, no matter how many times I turned my back on Him in the past. The words in this writing are nowhere close to defining the awakening that took this worshiper turned junkie turned seeker into a whole, but it’s my best attempt at it.

Miranda Embry

Bible Study on Adultery

Are you committing adultery? Your first response will likely be: “of course not, I have never been unfaithful to my spouse,” or if you are single perhaps “nope not me I am not married.” Either way, whatever your response it doesn’t really matter. I am speaking on a different kind of adultery- spiritual adultery.

We are considered the bride of Christ. He is to be first and foremost in our lives; above our spouse, above our kids, above our jobs and our worries…is He first in your life or are you putting something else first? Whatever we put before God is an idol; it becomes in essence a God. The first and foremost in our lives is what we cling to, rely on, and pursue most intently. If this is not God, then you are not being faithful.

What does the Word say?

Exodus 20:3 (NLT) “You must not have any other god but me.”

Exodus 34:14 (GWT) “Never worship any other god, because the LORD is a God who does not tolerate rivals. In fact, he is known for not tolerating rivals.”

Matthew 22:37 (NLT) “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

Think about what Jesus said in Matthew for a moment. If there are people or things that you have placed before God, then you cannot adhere to the most important command we are given. It is impossible! To love God first in our lives means we have to rely on Him, we have to die to ourselves daily, we have to crucify our cares and our sin to follow Jesus. What is the predominance of your thought? You can quickly tell if God is first based on this alone. Do you think more about your spouse, your kids, yourself…or do you think more about your relationship with Jesus and ministering to others?

No one is perfect, we all know that. But the point of being a Christian is to try daily to be Christlike. Jesus is our example. If we are avidly seeking His will above all else, and we are faithful in our marriage to Him, the rest of our lives will fall into place!

Proverbs 3:5-6 (HCSB) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;
⁶ think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”

Search your hearts today, as I have to do every day. Who or what is first in your life? If it isn’t God then repent, ask for help, and commit to living for Him. He will guide you and take care of the rest of your life, put your trust in Him and experience freedom. He must be our first love!

Miranda Embry

Devotional: Well Done Good and Faithful, Daughter…

The more I grow in my walk with God, the more I press in, the stronger my desire is to hear this. When I stand before God I want to know that I have done as much as I could to minister to the world, to love others and to live for Jesus. The parable Jesus gives about this (Matthew 25:14-28) hits home in so many ways.

You don’t have to be a minister or counselor to be serving the Lord. We are given many gifts to use in the kingdom of God and everyone is capable of utilizing them for His glory. These are the gifts given when we are brought into His family through salvation, adorned by the spirit of God and given to each to be used for growth! It is never too late to do more for Jesus.

Here are 2 passages about gifts of the Spirit:

Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NLT)

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

I want to challenge you all today…are you doing enough for the Lord? When you stand before Him is this the message He will say to you? Pray and ask Him to reveal the gifts He has given you and get busy! If you want freedom, true freedom in Christ you need to be active in the body. There is nothing more rewarding than serving Him. There is no greater joy then knowing you are trying to live like Jesus.

Miranda Embry

Bible Study: Pitfall of Distraction

In the age we are living in it seems there is nothing but distraction. Our focus changes from one thing to the next to the next, never fully resting for a period of time. This is a huge issue in the church today. Satan uses distraction to get our focus off of Jesus and on to anything else that comes along. When I think about what distraction really is, to me it is a spiritual malady, a demonic influence to cause separation from our walk with God.

Every night when I am saying my prayers, random thought after thought pops up and off my mind goes on bunny trails… I have to constantly repent, rebuke, and resume my praying. Truth be told, distraction comes easier than intent focus on God. It takes work to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. It goes against our flesh to focus.

Definitions of distraction:

1. a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else
2. extreme agitation of the mind or emotions

What does the bible say about distraction?

Proverbs 4:25-27 (NLT)

25 Look straight ahead,

and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;

stay on the safe path.

27 Don’t get sidetracked;

keep your feet from following evil.

Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

1 Corinthians 7:35 (NLT)

35 I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.

Each of these verses offers powerful insight into the pitfall of distraction. In Proverbs we are warned not to get sidetracked from walking with God which will lead to evil. In Luke we are shown that when we focus on the details of life too much we miss the focus of who is life, Jesus. In 1 Corinthians we are told that when we are given ample amount of instructions it is not to hurt us, but to help us fix our eyes on serving the Lord.

We are a society that is so consumed with what’s next that it is virtually impossible to stay in today. Our minds are trained to move so quickly, taking in only partial information, and focusing on an end rather than the means to the end. As Christians it is our duty to slow down and truly walk with Jesus. Our focus should be on serving Him and reaching the hurt and dying world. Our prayer life and bible studies shouldn’t be a hurried time where we block a few minutes to devote to God; we need to make our devotion to Him first and slot out time for everything else afterwards.

I have noticed this in my daily life just how easy it is to focus on the bills, the work, the TV shows; everything that could take me away from doing what it is I am called to do in the Lord. I am called to prayer, to reading and meditating on His word, to serving and loving others, to share the message of Jesus; if I am focusing on the distractions of life, how can I do these things? Another verse that I have to cling to when I find myself in the pitfall of distraction: Matthew 6:33 (NLT)- “33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Worry, stress, doubt, etc. etc….these are all signs not only of distraction, but of lacking trust in the Lord. We are called to trust Him, Proverbs 3:5 (NLT) clearly relays this message: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” Trust is another principle we are called to do, when we do not trust in Him that is sin!

This is all well and fine, but how to we break the influence and trap of distraction so that we can put our focus and trust in God?

REPENT OF DISTRACTION, REBUKE THE DEVIL, READ THE WORD, PRAY INTENTIONALLY, GET OUT OF YOURSELF AND HELP SOMEONE, SACRIFICE YOUR SELFISHNESS!

1. Romans 12:1 (NLT) “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

2. Luke 9:23 (NLT) “Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

3. Luke 12:30 (NLT) “These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.”

4. Matthew 10:38-39 (MSG) “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.”

5. James 4:7 (NLT) “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

6. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMP) “14 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

7. 2 Corinthians 4:5 (NLV) “5 We do not preach about ourselves. We preach Christ Jesus the Lord. We are your servants because of Jesus.”

8. Joshua 1:8 (NLT) “8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

All of the answers to this question, and any other question can be found in the word of God. It is our instruction manual, our tangible guide on earth to lead us in righteousness; it is a visible manifestation of our invisible God. I challenge you today to look at your life and take an honest self-appraisal. Where are the areas of distraction that need to be surrendered to God? What areas are hindering you from freedom in Jesus? Pray and ask God to reveal these shortcomings. Rebuke the devil and stand firm in the word of God. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you strength to overcome distraction. It will likely not be an instantaneous change, but when our fallacy is brought to light it begins the healing process and revelation to avoid falling in the trap again.

Miranda Embry

Devotional: The Serenity Prayer

This prayer is near and dear to my heart. For those of you who have read my bio, you know that I have battled addiction. The serenity prayer was something that I was taught early on in sobriety and it helped me to gain my footing back into prayer. For a long time I only knew the first two verses, but when I learned the whole prayer it became one of those life changing affirmations, it became a part of me and it still is today.

We can take a lot from this prayer and as you read it I hope it will minister to you the way that it has to me. As you read it today, really consider each verse; determine how it applies to your life and ask God to move. My favorite saying: “Prayer Changes Things.” Enjoy!

GOD, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,

Courage to change the
things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this
sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make
all things right if I
surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy
in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next.

Amen

Miranda Embry

Sneak Peek into eBook in the works!

I am in the process of writing my first book and thought I would share a sneak peek on this page. It is a 31 day reading plan based on Proverbs that will cover a chapter, a key scripture study, an action item, and a prayer each day.

I am hoping to have this released by Christmas!

Here is a tiny piece of the work in progress. This has not been edited and is still raw but I wanted to share with you all regardless!

Daily Study

Proverbs 1:7 (NLT) “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

What does it mean to fear the Lord? Aren’t we taught as Christians not to have fear but instead to have faith in the Lord? Yes we are; but this is a different type of fear. This fear is not one of terror but of love, respect, appreciation and reverence towards God. It is absolutely necessary to have this fear if we are going to grow in wisdom and understanding. This reverent fear of our Lord is the very foundation of the ability to understand spiritual principles and divine revelation. A spiritual principle may be something as simple as understanding how a parable that Jesus taught relates to us as a Christian. For instance, when Jesus is sharing about the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, to the unsaved this would seem foolish and they would likely miss the point or derive from it something other than what Jesus intended. The word of God tells us that unless you have the Spirit of God in you it is not possible to understand the truths that are revealed through the word of God (1 Cor. 2:14). These truths are necessary to move from knowledge to wisdom.

Miranda Embry

Devotional on Showing Love to Others:

As I was getting my boys ready for school this morning my oldest son reminded me that we needed to pray. We pray every morning before the boys get on the school bus.

One of the things we always ask for is for others to see Jesus in us. My younger son asked me today why I always pray for that.   And I thought for a brief moment “God give me the words to explain this.” The bible commands us to live a godly life.

I quickly grabbed my bible and read Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

I explained to my boys that for them, that could mean simply being nice to fellow student that is not in the “in” crowd, helping out a teacher or peer, or just simply just letting someone know that you care about what’s going on in their life. As the boys were leaving I gave them a challenge. Start a conversation with someone that you have never spoken to… and let them know you care.

Let that be our challenge not only today, but every day.   Go speak to that co- worker that is typically rude and seems always in a bad mood.   Let them know you care. You may be the only bright light in their life.   Love others that seem unlovable.   Jesus loves everyone… even though we don’t deserve His love.

My prayer for you today is let others see Jesus in everything you do.   You never know whose life you just might change.

Celena Keel

Bible Study: Shine Bright

I found this awesome site yesterday when I did not have my paper bible handy, that every time you refresh the page it gives you a random bible verse; the techy “pray and flip” method (dailyverses.net/random-bible-verse)! Today my verse was Luke 8:16- No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house; what an awesome way to start the day!

As soon as I read this verse I was inspired by it as a topic for today. That precious light of God that comes from having a relationship with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit is in each of us on the day of salvation. It is our duty as Christians to let that light shine bright! Matthew 5:16 says-“ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”; these words were spoken by Jesus Himself!

So just what does it mean to let your light shine bright? This light we are referencing is Jesus and Jesus is life. John 8:12- Then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Walking in the light is walking in the life that Jesus died for us to have, it is the shining of our faith to a hurt and dying world, and it is our witness to righteousness. Our light is the new life of a Christian. Ephesians 5:8-10 is the perfect example of what it means to have the light of Christ: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth—discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.” You will know when your light is shining bright because the fruits of a life lived in the Spirit will be evident in your life. Refer back to verse 9 of Ephesians 5: “goodness, righteousness and truth”; these are a product of being children of light. To take it further let’s read Galatians 5:22-23- “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Our understanding of spiritual truth comes from continued perseverance in our faith and the more we grow the more will be revealed. We will all struggle (Romans 8:23- For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard) but our struggles do not hide this light. Our light is hidden when we are not seeking the Lord, growing in our faith, reading-praying-praising. If we are actively seeking Him there is no way that our light can be hidden!

This light, this life that is pleasing to the Lord and reflects His ways are critically important as a Christian. We may be the only bible some people see and our lives are to reflect Jesus. We are called to be Christ-like. We are called to a Great Commission (Matthew 28:19a- Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations…) and part of this process is allowing the light of Jesus shine bright.

Miranda Embry

This Little Light Of Mine Hymn

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Won’t let Satan blow it out.

I’m gonna let it shine.

Won’t let Satan blow it out.

I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Let it shine til Jesus comes.

I’m gonna let it shine.

Let it shine til Jesus comes.

I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel – NO!

I’m gonna let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel – NO!

I’m gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Let it shine over the whole wide world,

I’m gonna let it shine.

Let it shine over the whole wide world,

I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

NOTE: This is a mini-study on basic principles, more in-depth studies geared to mature Christians are available upon request

Devontional on the Mind of Christ

In 1 Corinthians 2:16 we are told that we have the mind of Christ, so what does it mean for us?

In the passage 1 Corinthians chapter 2, the reference is the ability to translate and apply spiritual principles as a spiritual being, which is what we are upon salvation. We are given the Holy Spirit to guide us in this life and to help us live the way that Jesus has called us to. So how do we know we have the mind of Christ? More and more as we read the word and pray principles and truths will be revealed to us. We will be able to take a parable of the farmer who sows and reaps and reference this in our daily living to situations; we can gain insight into what running the race from scripture means in our own life and what race this is really speaking about. Our eyes are opened and we can see…

As we go about our day-to-day we will begin to respond to situations differently, view circumstances in a different light, essentially we will begin thinking like Jesus. I am reminded of the phrase “WWJD” when I think about what it means to have the mind of Christ. To me that is it in a nutshell; what would Jesus do? Marital problems- let me turn to the mind of Christ in me and ask what would Jesus do. Financial problems- what would Jesus do? The more I grow in my walk with Him, the easier it is for me to answer that question and more often than not I don’t even have to ask, since the mind of Christ is being used on a daily basis my actions line up with His ways automatically.

So my challenge to you today: in each situation you may face ask yourself “what would Jesus do?” Think about your responses, actions, words, reactions and ask if they line up with the mind of Christ. The Holy Spirit will guide and direct us if we will allow Him to.

Miranda Embry

A Devotional on THE ATTACK!

It is an amazing thing when I am drowning…

Problem after problem, emotion after emotion, day after day; the more junk I have on my shoulders the closer I am to actualizing a vision that God has purposed in my life! Of course, I do not see it as such in the midst. I see my depression, my failures, and my flaws. I see my weakness and my struggles; I see every area that I am lacking in. When these areas are the forefront it is because I have stopped seeing what God is doing, has done, and what He wants to do.

I have been overwhelmed with I-SELF-MEisms lately. Walking in the viewpoint of my lack has been the focal point of my day to day. Why? Because I am not doing enough of what God is calling me to do in order to keep my viewpoint on what He wants to do. Are you struggling? Are you battling depression or emotional turmoil? Have worry, stress, and apathy set in where joy and zealousness used to be? The answer is so simple to clear away the wreckage- pray, read, do.

The word of God tells us that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). Call to Him, tell Him what battles are raging, acknowledge that you have fallen short, and turn away. We are told that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, but that with Jesus we have abundant life (John 10:10). When dealing with this junk, is this the abundant life Jesus came to give us? NO! So what do we do? Submit to God, rebuke the devil and he must flee (James 4:7)! Submit through prayer, submit through praise, submit through the study of His word- in doing these simple things, he will flee.

It has to be an intentional choice to submit to God and to, in essence, get over ourselves… It’s not all about me, it’s about Him. When I can get honest enough to ask forgiveness for letting it become about me to the point of going off track into the I-SELF-MEisms I can then learn from it and move on to where God wants me to be.

Don’t get stuck in a rut today, chances are if you feel like life is dumping on you there is a greater purpose in the works and we just have to stand firm in the word of God to see us through it as victors versus victims.

Miranda Embry