Revelation | Heaven Sent Sentiments

Tag: Revelation
- Fear Not
  
  Posted at 8:50 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on June 5, 2018
                Several people I know have had challenging, fearful situations lately. Job loss, health problems, disabilities, and family emergencies are some of the difficulties they have faced. Fear can easily take root when we are dealing with a case of the “unknowns”. “What if I can’t find another job?” “What if I need surgery?” “What if…?” One of things fear forces us to do is to decide to either put our faith in action according to God’s promises or regard the scripture as simply words on paper, “simply repeating what God says” (Chambers, June 4th).
  
                  Hebrews 13: 5b-6
  
  “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'” So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'” (NIV).
  
  In my daily devotional by Oswald Chamber’s, “My Utmost For His Highest,” I was reading today, June 5th, about God’s Assurance:
  
                  “The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God’s assurance to us. What are you fearing? Whatever it may be, you are not a coward about it–you are determined to face it, yet you still have a feeling of fear. Take hold of the Father’s assurance and then say with strong courage, “I will not fear.” It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in our way, because “he himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you…'” (Chamber’s).
  
  I was in a situation last week where several difficult hardships were happening and I felt fear start bubbling up inside of me. For a short time, I found myself getting caught up in the “what if’s?” I decided, at that moment, not to go down that road because I have gone that way too many times before. God has been working hard to break that stronghold in me and through His grace and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I am getting better at “catching” myself before that happens.
  
  Two things help me move my fear to faith in action:
  
  1)            I pray out loud for as long as it takes– boldly, courageously, and full of faith. Even if I do not feel strong initially, I keep praying out loud until the fear is gone and faith prevails. I repeat this cycle as needed, and believe me, sometimes that is several times a day! Amen!!
  
  2)            I play my favorite Christian music and sing loud, sometimes off-key, and declare boldly the truth of Jesus. And yes, I move to the music. I cannot stand still when the spirit moves me! So, if you ever see me bopping around my house, singing loudly to Casting Crowns, you know the Holy Spirit is coming alive in me to conquer the fear that the enemy is trying to have take root in me.
  
  Do you have an action or a go-to prayer that helps you the most when you feel doubt or fear creeping into your life? The most important thing we can do is start putting our faith in action. Like anything, it may take practice until it becomes a habit. Our natural, sinful tendencies want to take over and allow us to worry because it is what we may be used to doing. I see “faith” as a muscle that will only grow when used or exercised. Begin in baby steps or jump right in to the biggest fear you are facing right now, but start now. Remember who holds you by the right hand and will never leave you nor forsake you: God.
  
                  Deuteronomy 31:6
  
  “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (NIV).
  
  Remember, FearisaLiar  by Zach Williams
  
  May God bless you!
  
  – Shanon
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  Posted in God at Work | 1 Comment | Tagged bible, blessings, Christian blogger, freedom, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, life changing, love, No fear, obedience, ordained, perseverance, Revelation, savior
- God’s Perfect Timing
  
  Posted at 1:52 AM by Shanon Crenshaw, on May 18, 2018
  Staring out over the sea of black graduation caps, my eyes filled with tears and my heart filled with joy. I realized God’s perfect will and timing brought me here–to this moment. Last year, on May 13th, I graduated from SNHU with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing. On that day, God truly gave me the desire of my heart (Psalm 37:4b). Please understand, I’m not sharing this with you in regard to worldly/prideful standards. This is a story of what God has done through me and in me.
  
  Right after I graduated high school I had a ten-year plan: graduate college, start a “real” job, and then get married around thirty-ish. I had it all figured out. What I didn’t know that graduation night was how drastic my world was about to change.
  
  Within two months of my high school graduation, my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Three months later, at the age of thirty-nine, she was gone. I had just started my first semester of college when she was diagnosed and, of my four classes, I was barely passing one of them. I was literally in survival mode at that time. Existing, but exhausted. Devastated, but putting one foot in front of the other.
  
  God was with me. I knew it, but it felt like He was an arm’s length away. What I realize now is that He never moved. I will never leave you nor forsake you (Joshua 1:5b). I did.
  
  Obviously that ten-year plan was a distant memory. At that point, I was on the day-to-day plan. The meaning of life had changed so much because of my mother’s death. Trivial, small things didn’t matter. Lasting, relational treasures were very important to me.
  
  God knew what I needed in my life and five months after my mom died, I met my future husband Steve. Right from the moment I met him I knew there was something very special about him. Talking and hanging out with him was so easy, as though I had known him for a very long time. God answered my prayer for my future husband. Thank God, it was on His time frame and not my ten-year plan.
  
  Two years after we met, Steve and I were married. Yes, we were very young. In fact, we were the same age our oldest daughter is now, 21. We settled into married life; working and moving to new places when my husband was promoted in his job. Still stuck in our old ways, of having it all figured out, we decided to give the eight year plan a try. We wanted to start a family, in several years, around the age of thirty. This way we have time to grow as a couple, travel, grow roots in a solid neighborhood…guess what?! God had His own plan for us.
  
  Three years into our marriage, I came down with a flu that was lasting several weeks. I couldn’t shake it. Talking to my sister one day she asked, “Could you be pregnant?” “Nah, we decided to wait a few more years…remember?” Wait…I wasn’t feeling well. However, we were using every precaution known to man to not get pregnant. Could I be?
  
  I was twenty-four when I was staring with disbelief and shock at the plus sign on my pregnancy test. My heart skipped a beat in delight for a moment until sheer terror took over as I thought of all the medicine I had consumed over the last week or two for my flu!! As soon as I could, I saw a doctor to confirm my wonderful news and settle my fears concerning the meds I had taken. God had indeed blessed us with a baby. Much to my surprise, I was a full two months pregnant with my daughter before I knew I was pregnant. God knew just what our family needed, and she was right on time. His time.
  
  My college dreams moved to the back of my mind. I shared with my husband early on in our relationship of my desire to be a stay at home mom. Even before she was born, my husband started working a few extra hours a week at another job to make that happen. What a blessing and an amazing provider he is to our family. We scrimped, saved, and worked hard to make it happen. God provided everything to once again give me my heart’s desire. My legacy is my family, and experiencing my mother’s short time on this earth, I wanted to make the most of every moment!
  
  Several years later, we decided to have another baby. Now. Our daughter had started kindergarten and we were READY! Cue the crickets chirping and silence…for two looonnngg years. Do you think we figured it out yet? Nope?! Let’s say it all together now, “it’s all in His timing.” We, finally, resigned it all to God and prayed. When our oldest daughter was eight and a half years old, God blessed our family with another daughter. Two blessings, straight from above, that I would not change in any way–especially God’s perfect timing.
  
                  God blessed us tremendously during those early years. Our days were filled with Him, volunteering in the classroom, and homework. As time went on, I fit in college classes here and there while my daughters were in school.
  
  Several years into my studies, God placed the idea to write on my heart. This could only have come from him because I would never have come up with this idea myself. Like I mentioned in a previous blog, God slowly watered the seed of writing He had placed on my heart. Over the course of a few years, He encouraged me to keep a journal, write, and read. I devoured the Word, devotional’s, and Christian books. I also applied and got accepted into SNHU’s English and Creative Writing Bachelor’s degree program. Through hard work, perseverance, and a whole lot of Jesus’ I graduated in the class of 2017.
  
  The beautiful thing is,  I can see from my high school graduation night, He knew what the desires of my heart would be and He wove them through the tragedy and heartaches He knew I would be going through. I needed to be faithful to Him and He took care of me, in His perfect and beautiful timing.
  
  Is there a specific time in your life where you can look back and see God’s perfect will and timing through all of it?
  
  ~ Shanon
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  Posted in Answered Prayers, God at Work | 4 Comments | Tagged Christian blogger, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, obedience, pain, perseverance, reflection, Revelation, spiritual, writing
- Obedience and Faith in Action
  
  Posted at 8:43 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on May 4, 2018
  Shout out to Grandma Marji, Happy Birthday!! May 1st was her birthday and I sure do miss her wisdom and our very long phone conversations! I imagine her sitting on the golden steps of her mansion, healed from all the world’s afflictions, with the saints gathered all around her as she shares her story. “When I wake up in the Land of Glory, With the saints I will tell my story, There will be one name that I proclaim…” (Big Daddy Weave). Love you Grandma and we cherish your sweet memory. 🙂
  
  ***
  
                  It’s May!! The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and new growth can be seen everywhere you look, including here. Over the next few weeks my blog will be evolving–becoming more interactive and conversational. Still figuring it all out, but as you recall from my last post, “No Condemnation Construction Zone,” I am being changed from the inside out (painful, but soo good for me!) so it will be reflected here. On board? Good! Glad to have all of you coming along side me!
  
  ***
  
                  I started writing this post on the first of May, as you may have guessed from what is written above. I was several paragraphs into a message about world values compared to God’s values and I stalled. Nothing. Not one more word came to mind. I prayed for guidance from the holy spirit. I stepped away from my desk and took a break. I tried to look at other resources to gain insight and inspiration. No matter what I did I could not continue with what I had started. At this point, the best thing to do is let it go and come back to it.
  
  ***
  
                  Today, while I was reading my daily devotional, “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers, I felt compelled to read a day ahead. God spoke to me in a powerful way in the May 5th devotion:
  
                  “If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, he would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence on Him will be the very moment that the spirit of God will exhibit His power” (Chambers).
  
  The moment I read this I felt convicted and felt a strong need to be in prayer, and in complete surrender to God. My doubt is not in being obedient to God, it is the stumbling blocks that I am allowing to get in the way of complete surrender. In all honesty, I am broken. My natural tendency is to be shy, introverted, and to myself. In large groups, especially around people I don’t know, it may take awhile for me to warm up. I don’t put myself out there easy. My personality seems to be the opposite of what a blogger should be, at least that is what I believe.
  
  This is where my stumbling blocks come in–it is not natural for me to talk about myself, be on social media, or to encourage others to read what I have written. However, I feel as though I should do some of these things and then, when I do, I question my motives–because I feel uncomfortable. Boy, the enemy loves that!! Then I get off balance and question what God is doing in my life, “that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account” (Chambers). God knows me and all of my shy/awkward tendencies. Yet here I am, pouring out my heart to the world and sharing all of my brokenness. Praise God that He alone knows my heart and how much I desire to do His will. At least I am in good company. One of my favorite books of the bible is Hebrews, especially Chapter 11, which I call “the hall of faith.” All the people featured in this chapter had enduring faith in God and relied on His promises. However, many of them initially questioned what God was speaking into their lives.
  
  1) Moses doubted the way he could speak (Exodus 4:10) and was concerned about conveying God’s message so God allowed his brother, Aaron to be his spokesman. “He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say” (Exodus 4:16 NLT). The power of God was unleashed when he stepped out in faith and relied on the promises of God. Not only was Moses the author of the Pentateuch, he set the Exodus in motion. Obedience and faith in action!!
  
  2) Sarah and Abraham laughed at God’s promise that they would give birth to a son in their old age. Abraham and Sarah had been faithful to God in the past, but this revelation brought about by three visitors, was almost too much for them to believe. One of the visitors, speaking to Abraham said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah will have a son!” (Genesis 18:10 NLT). With the birth of his son Isaac, Abraham’s faith in God grew so much that he was willing to sacrifice his promised son if God asked. Obedience and faith in action!!
  
  Those are just two of the amazing members of the hall of faith, and I encourage you to read the whole chapter. It is all very inspiring and profound! God knew all of their concerns, limitations, everything about them, and called them to do mighty things for His kingdom. Faithfulness, obedience, and faith in action. I am so very thankful that the holy spirit called a halt to what I had began writing this week. I needed this breakthrough and the time I spent with God this morning. While I was in prayer, God also reminded me of something my Pastor Mike shared during his sermon last Sunday, “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that being uncomfortable is being out of the will of God” (Sumner family Church). Between my blog last week and what I am writing this week, God has blessed me in so many ways and showed me how much I need Him and I am right where He wants me to be, flaws and all. Thank you Jesus, for all that You do and all that You are!
  
  I would love to hear your story. Have you ever been where I am? What scriptures motivated you the most?
  
  ~Shanon
  
  I love, love this song. We sang it in church last Sunday. I think of those who have gone to heaven before me, and I think of the day when I meet Jesus face-to-face and tell My story. Big Daddy Weave, “Th e Only Name (Yours Will Be.)
  
  ***
  
  Big Daddy Weave. “The Only Name (Yours Will Be). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ETEv-NWpc
  
  Chambers, Oswald. “My Utmost for His Highest.” Discovery House. Updated edition, 1992.
  
  New Living Translation (NLT)
  
  Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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  Posted in Conviction, God at Work, Reflections/Stillness | 5 Comments | Tagged bible, blessing, blessings, Christian blogger, God, heaven, Hebrews, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Made new, obedience, reflection, Revelation, spiritual
- Mercies in Disguise
  
  Posted at 3:30 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on April 20, 2018
  Crimson, gold, and orange leaves swirled through the tires of my Jeep on a cold November morning as I made my way to church. While listening to the radio, and wrapped in the warmth of my car, God gave me a revelation on answered prayer. What if where we are right now (or where our loved ones are right now) IS the answer to our (your) prayers? In essence, God may be allowing circumstances to happen. This answer may look like many things:
  
  * the stillness and silence of God
  
  * a difficult boss
  
  * a hard teacher
  
  * prison time
  
  * hitting rock bottom in an addiction
  
  We need to rest in God’s timing and know that He is at work. Are we doing what we need to do while we wait? Praying, believing, seeking, praising, having faith. The “difficulty” that is being experienced may be the breakthrough needed for an answer to your prayer. God can and may use trials to build up your faith, answer different prayers, open doors, and perform miracles. Difficult and desperate times also “force” us down on our knees, arms stretched wide, with a willing heart and a need for dependence on God like we have never experienced before. The Apostle Paul spoke of grace through trials in 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 (NIV):
  
  ⁹But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
  
  ***
  
  This revelation brought to mind a circumstance I have been praying for: confidence for my daughter Savannah as she begins her journey in middle school. If I speak of God’s will and I am praying for Savannah to have confidence, then I have to trust God and what He is doing in her life. She is having a difficult time in English right now and “doesn’t like” the format of the class. I can remember feeling the same way in some classes when I was younger, but it was through those teachers and classes that I learned and grew the most. I am really trying hard to step back and see her struggles as an answered prayer from God, to give her confidence in her abilities and the tools to face challenges head on. It is a fine line to help , for sure– and I admit I have crossed the line and helped in some ways too much. But, now that God has given me this revelation about answered prayers, I am praying for more of His guidance and discernment on how to help, when to help, and when to back off completely. I see that she has always belonged to Him, and He has entrusted me with her. He knows her story and I do not want to alter or change the plan or growth He has for her life.
  
  Moving forward, I believe that God will always answer my prayers (in His time), and I need to see each test, triumph, difficulty, or blessing as a part of God’s plan for all of those He brings into my life. I do not want to take the lesson away. Have faith that God has heard your prayer and believe He is at work. Today.
  
  ***
  
  I would love to share an excerpt from a favorite song of mine, “Blessings” By Laura Story.
  
  What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
  Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
  What if trials of this life
  The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
  Are your mercies in disguise
  
  To hear the whole song by Laura Story, tap the link, Blessings
  
  Love you guys!!! All the GLORY to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
  
  Laura Story. “Blessings.” AZlyrics. https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/laurastory/blessings.html
  
  New International Version (NIV)
  
  Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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  Posted in A-Ha Moments, Answered Prayers | 0 Comments | Tagged blessings, Christian blogger, heaven, Jesus, Revelation

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Shanon Crenshaw

God is first and foremost in my life. I LOVE: my husband Steve, daughters Suzanne and Savannah, my AMAZING family and friends, the majestic beauty of the Pacific Northwest, traveling and camping, a GREAT cup of coffee with my morning devotionals, and my Sumner Family Church family. :)

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Heaven Sent Sentiments

Tag: Revelation

Fear Not

Posted at 8:50 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on June 5, 2018

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God’s Perfect Timing

Posted at 1:52 AM by Shanon Crenshaw, on May 18, 2018

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Obedience and Faith in Action

Posted at 8:43 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on May 4, 2018

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Mercies in Disguise

Posted at 3:30 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on April 20, 2018

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Shanon Crenshaw

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