Before There Was You

It was after midnight and the last thing on hubby’s mind was talking.  Say a prayer, kiss-kiss, turn out the light and nighty-night was all he wanted to do. 

I realized that my timing wasn’t exactly what I’d call convenient, but I wanted his thoughts on something that I had been thinking about for several days. Right now I can envision the married men reading this bobbing their heads up and down, agreeing that their wives ask thought provoking questions when they’re about to shut off the light for the night. 

He sat on the edge of the bed trying to be attentive to what I had to say.  After repeating myself and rewording what I was trying to convey, my husband began to talk … and talk and talk he did.   

By now we could see daylight peeking through the top of the curtains.  Our hearts were amazed with the wonder of it all.  What was on God’s mind before there was you? 

Welcome new friends this week from:

See if your city/state/country made the list. 

New on DFB – Médéa, Médéa Province, Algeria; Burnt Church, NB & Prince George, BC, Canada; Peyia, Paphos District, Cyprus; Kolding, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark; Suva, Central Division, Fiji; Havant & London, England, United Kingdom; Rio Grande, Río Grande, Puerto Rico; Moldova; Poland; Austria. 

USA – Zion, AR; Blanca, CO; Cape Coral, FL; Bourbonnais, Moline, Rock Island, Coyne Center, Edgington, Sherrard,  & Illinois City, IL; Muscatine & Davenport, IA; Essex, Forest Hill & Pikesville, MD; Cedar Springs & Wyoming, MI; Smithfield, NC; Mercersburg, PA; The Colony & La Feria, TX; ; Oshkosh, WI. 

I am so thankful for your visit and hope that you come back each week to participate in the weekly challenges.  Join us in our new series as we spend time in the study of Daily Favor Relationships.

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Before You Were Born 

There’s a line in the Christian movie “Facing the Giants” that always makes me weepy eyed whenever I hear it.  The couple is disheartened because nothing seems to be going their way, especially when it came to conceiving a child. 

With tears in her eyes Shannen Fields who plays the coach’s wife Brooke Taylor, responds to her husband when they were discussing the subject of children. She looks up at Grant and in a soft spoken voice says, 

“I’m still clinging to a hope that one day we’ll have children.

I imagine them running in this house.

I hear them playing in the backyard … or …

Running to our bed in a thunderstorm.

I think about reading them stories and teaching them songs.

And I just keep thinking …

How can I miss someone so much that I have never met?”  

Every time I hear those words it reminds me of the wonder of mankind and what in the eternal past made God decide the timing of creation.  The lines from the story in the film depict the heart of God wherein before we were born He already loved us.  In His world, a relationship with the race of man (male and female) was already formed, it just hadn’t been “made”.

When we see the anticipation of parents in waiting, it’s easy to imagine how they love their child before it has come into existence.  If we can picture that kind of love, why is it so hard for us to conceive that this emotion came from the Creator Himself?

Marvelous You

In my time here on earth I’ve been called some “creative things” including, “you’re something else” or “you’re a piece of work” and they weren’t referring to my good qualities.  No one has ever declared that I am marvelous or wonderful (except Maggs maybe), yet the psalmist understood how special we are in the very creation of our being.

^“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.”

(Psalm 139:14-16 NKJV) 

King David in scriptures praised God because he was fearfully and wonderfully made with distinction to be set apart to have fellowship with Jehovah the Creator.  He was “made” on purpose, with a purpose and for a purpose.  

If you interpreted this incorrectly it could sound like the author was bragging, because he was referring to himself as a marvelous work.  That was the farthest thing from his mind, when in fact he was in awe of how marvelous the creation of man really is. 

David was a creation to stand in awe of and be astonished in reverence of the Divine One for what He had done.  God in His extraordinary power beyond our comprehension, had chosen to make man “marvelous” distinguishing mankind to be different than anything that ever was or will be. 

He recognized that his frame literally meant “substance” or “very substance” referring to “matter” as in living cells. God by design skillfully took the dust or parts of the earth and saw what He wanted to create before the process ever took place. 

My husband has said that I see something in its completed state before I ever start a project. I already know what I want to design, gather the contents needed for it and then set my hands in action until it is finished.  We have that ability because we inherited that skill from our Creator. 

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.”

(Psalm 139:16 NKJV) 

In Psalm 139:16 the word substance is translated from the Hebrew word embryo, “my substance yet unformed”.  Before one marvelous embryontic cell of yours was formed, God already knew your name, what you would become, how many days were carved out for you, and which path would lead to favor in your future.

Do You Understand? God Already Loves You 

Before Adam or any person was born God already loved them and planned to show His favor to each person’s individual needs and desires.  Everything God does is driven by His unending love for us.  His love is unique and individualized loving us fully as we need to be loved. 

“Your hands have made me and fashioned me;

Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.”

(Psalm 119:73 NKJV) 

Do you understand that “man” was created by God, for God so that we could have a relationship with Him? 

^“For by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”  (Colossians 1:16 NKJV) 

Man came into existence through God’s son Jesus Christ for Jesus.  He is the One who blessed us with favor saying, His creation was not only good as He called everything else He made, but that we are “very good.”

“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31 NKJV) 

We are “good” not because of anything we did or could do, but because God said we were.  He liked and was pleased with His work.   

^“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

 (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV) 

In Jeremiah 1:5 the Bible tells us that before we were born God formed us, knew us, sanctified and ordained us to carry out His plan.   

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.

Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV) 

His favor allows us to “carry out” what we were ordained to do, which is good works.  From the beginning we were created good to do good; and God has never altered His plans for His creation. 

For Jeremiah it was that he was to be a prophet to the nation of Israel, but for some it may be a president, caregiver, teacher, bus driver or whatever.  

Love Has a Plan 

What we know is that God’s plans are grand, good and full of hope because He loves us.  If Jesus planned things for our future doesn’t that mean that He intended to stay in the relationship?  I know that if I had an elaborate plan I certainly would want to make sure it succeeded, so I’d stick around for all the details until the end. 

“I say this because I know what I have planned for you,” says the Lord.  “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you.

 I plan to give you hope and a good future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 ICB) 

God has plans for us as He did Adam before he was born.  He loves watching us move toward our calling as our relationship with Him develops.

I have to admit that sometimes I am confused about God’s love based on my own distant relationship with my father.  God’s love is not like the emotional love we feel or don’t feel.  His love for us isn’t influenced by our behavior, deeds, looks or personality.

Paul explained God’s love to Timothy when he said,

“God is the One who has saved us and called us with a Holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace (favor) which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began or we were made/formed.” (2 Timothy 1:9 emphasis mine)

God loves us because it brings Him pleasure and that’s it. It pleases Him to love and show favor without us doing anything to deserve it.

Before There Was You, He Knew You

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.

Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV) 

Before “man” was physically formed God knew his identity which means God knew everything about you that was ever to be known.  He knew everything about you before your parents ever thought about having you. 

He protected and monitored your mother’s womb to make sure you arrived on this planet to fulfill your destiny.  You were born to be His child forever.

Before there was you, God knew, wanted and ordained you before you were an embryo. Here are nine reasons why you were born. This is what He says:

ü You had to be born and aren’t a mistake. 

ü You were set apart and I put My mark on you for Myself. 

ü You were meant to be different for My purpose, so it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. 

ü You were created to be you and not the “image” of anyone else but Me. 

ü Your fingerprints are unique because that’s the way I distinctly made you, and no one else has your prints but you by My design. 

ü Your hairs are more than counted they are numbered like the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore. I know when number 7,531 has fallen off your head because I put it there. 

ü You were not created to die, but live eternally with Me. 

ü You had My blessing from the beginning of creation to succeed and prosper.

ü You are so important to Me that before you were created I made provision to get you back into My life by coming to Earth to save you. 

Planned Parenthood

There was a time that I questioned why I was ever born, because I never felt I fit in anywhere.  The Holy Spirit whispered that my mother was a vessel to get me here and it’s the same for all of us.

The devil doesn’t want us to know how special and favored we are by God. He will set traps to derail us from reaching our assigned agenda from the Lord.  If God’s children never realize that His favor was ours from creation, we will never receive the full blessing He spoke on us from before we were born.

Don’t forget, God is your creator who loves and adores you. He wasn’t clinging to hope that one day He’d have children, like that couple in the movie.  God planned for each of His relationships.

It isn’t by chance you are here. He planned and designed you from the beginning to bring Him pleasure long before you were ever born. Nothing moves His heart more than YOU! 

Think on This Challenge: 

Did you wonder what prompted my husband into our all night talk?  I’ll ask you the same thing I asked him and see if it doesn’t challenge your thinking. 

I asked my husband to think back on his earliest memories that didn’t involve smells (because they trigger most of our past thoughts).  I already knew that he had one from before the age of two having to do with his bottle. 

Our think on this challenge is to try and recall the first person we had a relationship with as a child.  That is, the first person you remember having a conversation with in life. 

I know that for some of you this will be tough as it was for me because they may not be pleasant, but how we form relationships is based on those we had from our past.  

How did your understanding of relationships develop and who played a part in them?  My first recollection of conversations was with adults.  I was the age of four years old; one was good and the other very bad.  Both have affected the way I form relationships. 

It wasn’t until I accepted that God favored me that I changed the way I saw myself.  Before I was born He really wanted and loved me.  

Upon birth when I was in an incubator without my parents to love and hold me, He was there with His shield surrounding me with His favor.  (Psalm 5:12)

As an adult He meets me in the prayer closet, shows up when I need Him and always welcomes my fellowship.  He never tires of me no matter what I bring to Him, because He loved me before there was a “me” to be loved. 

He feels the same about you. Before there was “you” in the flesh, God chose to bless and favor you. You were planned from the start.  

His provision was that goodness and mercy (unmerited favor) would follow you all the days of your life, and that you would dwell in His Garden of Favor house forever. (Psalm 23:6)   

I Knew You Before I Formed You In Your Mother's Womb

If this article has encouraged or helped you, please consider sharing it by using the social media icons provided at the end of this post. 

Until next time, God’s favor was from the beginning! 

“From creation I blessed you with favor.”

Jesus Christ 

*Unless noted, the names in articles are changed to protect the individual(s) privacy. 

Note: Emphasis is given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and is not to take away from the inspirited Word of God. 

When used, the words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we give him no place in our lives.

Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness. 

What’s New This Week: Click on the links below.

Before You Were Born by Nancy White Carlstrom

Celebration of life taken from Psalm 139 

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As always, all proceeds from this site go to Christian charity.

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Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.  Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the Savior. 

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Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.

Scripture references provided by Bible Gateway in the New King James Bible Version or as noted.

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Image:  Man Sitting   Brooke Taylor Facing the Giants  Psalm 139:14  Jeremiah 29:11  Jeremiah 1:5  Challenge  God Favors Me

Before There Was You, Daily Favor Relationships, Daily Favor Blog, Favored1, Favor of God, Planned Parenthood, Children, Christian Living, Creation, Weekly Challenge, Nancy White Carlstrom

The Language Game

It was while we were on the beaches of Acapulco, Mexico where I had my first encounter of a real language barrier.

When we are on vacations or business trips it is our custom to try new things.  So we decided to go parasailing. 

Making our way to the beach we found the place where we could do this.  Both of us were so excited and then I was given the disheartening news … you cannot try this.

According to the instructor my arms weren’t long enough to reach back to pull the cord for the chute to open for landing.  My husband was going to back out, but I convinced him he should still go while I watched from the beach.  It didn’t take too much persuading to get him to agree.

Watching him being pulled out over water and then ascend was amazing.  In a few moments all I could see was this tiny bird like creature flying out of my sight.  Well, that’s all it took for the locals to see I was alone on the beach.

I remembered all the rules and instructions about keeping my valuables hidden, so I tucked them under the towel where I sat.  Before I knew it a band of women had surrounded me and pulled me to my feet.

As they were shuffling me off I grabbed my stuff and kept looking at the sky to see if my husband was anywhere in sight.  There he was off flying around waving bye and I was being kidnapped.

Welcome new friends this week from:

California!  People must be sharing the challenge and invited more friends to join us.  Thank you!

Keep our Christian friends in Russia and the Ukraine in prayer this week as you pray for all the followers of Daily Favor.

Don’t miss out on this week’s challenge (below).  Q & A Section

There he was. I could see he was about to make a landing back on the beach as they escorted me into a hut like structure.  He quickly dropped his gear and ran to catch up with me.  It was too late.

By the time he found me inside I was covered from head to toe with layers of material that represented some type of garment.  My arms were extended out like they were fitting me for the costume ball. I must have looked ridiculous to him, however he didn’t say anything but began to rescue me from all the merchants. 

He unraveled me (literally) and took off one article at a time and handed them back to the sellers.  Each vendor shouted out a price and stated that I looked good in their garment.  Nothing shook him, but they backed off when he began to speak to them in their language.  Four years of Spanish paid off; thank you Mrs. Coulter. They took off the rest of the items from my person, but did manage to make one sale.

So what got me into so much trouble? It was playing their language game … I didn’t know the rules or speak their language.

 

Learning the Language

Understanding that language is essential in learning and without it we simply cannot co-exist, Melanie Hendrick set out to change the world.  With several degrees and high ranking positions she developed a program that would give people the opportunity to learn a language at an affordable price.



Melanie Hendrick

After teaching in several environments in Bilingual Education (ESL) Melanie began tutoring in the subjects of Math, Science and Language Arts, which would eventually turn into the massive traveling program called L.C. Language Complete.  Here she would bring the language worlds together.

Of course this works for people who are willing to learn a language for the sake of conversation and understanding.  I could have used Melanie’s method that day on the beach in Acapulco.

What about those who don’t want to interface with you … in other words, they really don’t care if you know their language?  Even worse, they intentionally put a road-block up when you try to get in on a conversation.  I know some people who do this, do you?

Learn more about Melanie’s program here: L.C. Language Complete or Language Complete Interview

 

Secret Language Game

It’s funny how language is the key to so many things, both good and bad.  Understanding language is what helps bring people and cultures together and without it you can only do so much.

Although I don’t have any children of my own, I am not unaware of the language games children play to keep adults in the dark to their conversations.  In high school my boyfriend (now my husband) and I made up all sorts of words to create our own secret language.  Nobody else knew what we were saying.  Eventually we stopped doing it because we didn’t want to be cussing in another language since we really didn’t know what the words meant, if anything.

Young kids on the other hand are more inventive and have created the most amazing secret languages with codes that most parents haven’t cracked.

The technical term(s) is that of ludling or argot oral speech, which is a way of manipulating words so that it cannot be comprehended or understood by the other person.  We may know them as speaking gibberish or pig Latin, but it is much more involved than just changing a few letters.

Do you know that I’ve found over 90 various forms of common secret languages games?  I wanted to give you a few examples of these if you spoke English, so you could see how complex they are to most of us.

If you spoke the secret language of Aigy Paigy (or Haigy Paigy) you would add the letters “aig or eig” making a word such as “hello” into “haigellaigo.”

If you wanted to say hello in Jaredian you simply reverse the word and replace letters and combinations.  It would look like “olleh”.

OK, want something a bit harder? For an English teacher this one really gets me.  “Anyone up for tennis?” in Inflationary English becomes (how they can say this is beyond me) “Anytwo up five elevennis?”  This version was actually used in a comedy routine of Victor Borge’s.

Probably one of the most fun secret languages to use would be the “izzy” form, where words like Merry Christmas become the coded “Mizzlery Christmaslizzes.” Keeping up language barriers is how many kids cope with reality and they usually outgrow it if it doesn’t involve a psychological reasoning behind it. (See Language Game Wikipedia)

Language in Code

In my studies on language barriers I discovered some fascinating things.  According to the latest findings there are approximately 7,000 coherent languages in the world, and most have been translated into part of the Bible.  That’s astonishing.

If you were interested in purchasing a book or product about language games you would have to thumb through 27, 597 listings to find the right item you wanted. 

Are you "game?" (I know I shouldn't have gone there, but it was too easy.)

Another product of the language games are books that want us to believe that the entire Bible is nothing more than codes in Hebrew or Greek to confuse the reader of its true meaning.

Michael Drosnin is one of those authors who wrote a book called The Bible Code, in 1997.  His research has convinced him that the Bible may indeed be true since many events did happen as it was told in the scriptures thousands of years after it was originally written.  Thus proven through letter codes.

Part of the language game that is said to have happened during the pre-Christ era, was due to the interpretation or conversion of words from various cultures that did not translate correctly.

 

 “A little plain talk never hurt anybody.”

Sheriff Andy Taylor

 

Language in Translation

If you were to be a fly on a wall of any church you could hear what all the buzzing is about over Bible translations.  I don’t want to get anyone upset, but if you knew the history of the Bibles and their translations you might end up changing how you feel concerning this topic.

Contrary to what you may believe, the King James Bible 1611 version is not the first version of the Bible and even if it were, it’s not a reason to have a war over language.

Author Gail Riplinger tried to prove the precision and power of the KJV making it the superior version of scriptures over all others in her book, The Language of the King James Bible.  Obviously, this isn't my main point either.

When I refer to the Language Game concerning our walk for this inward journey to Jesus, I’m not referring to one translation over another like stated in some books.  (The Language of the King James Bible: An Introduction - Professor Tim Connell)

Learn the New Language Game

So what’s the big fuss over all the language stuff?  What do language games have to do with our progression on this journey? 

We are at week 13 already (1/4th through the year) and should have seen some changes being made in our behavior, thinking and expectations as believers.

In prayer the Lord revealed to me that there was a major communications problem between Heaven and earth when it comes to having our requests being answered.  A language barrier is holding up prayers.

When we receive Christ as our Savior the Bible says that we have been made brand NEW creations, and the old creation is gone.  It’s easy being transformed in some areas, but for many changing the way we converse hasn’t changed very much. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It's not just foul language or spouting off at the mouth because we get angry.  God is grieved when we speak things that are contrary to what His Word says.  Our relationship with God will not and cannot grow if we don't know or understand the language of Heaven or have a passion for it.

Sure we tell people we’re Christians and continue talking like the world does showing no signs of transformation as KING’s kids.  If all things are new, that should include our language and what comes out of our mouths.

Children of the King

In all my years of teaching there is one thing most former students always remember, and that is the weekly sayings.  Each week for extra credit I would write a quote, saying or something different on the chalkboard.

This saying along with their proper heading that included their name, subject, etc. had to be written on every paper they submitted to me. They were so intent on the sayings that sometimes they forgot to put their names.

At the end of the year they had finals in each subject.  I would attach a paper with forty lines (for the forty weeks of school) on it for them to write down as many sayings as they could remember.  Would you believe that one girl (Shannon) remembered over 30 of them!

Out of all my classes throughout the years one saying has remained on top in their memory:

Children of the KING should use the language of the Court.

What exactly does that mean?  For those who weren’t saved, it meant they needed to clean up their talk basically.  It was different for Christians, because there is a New Heavenly Language they needed to learn that Jesus spoke. 

Our earthly language should reflect KING Jesus' language that He uses in the Courts of Heaven.

 

This Week's Challenge:

Learn the Believer’s Language

Last week we were to find out something new about the character of Jesus.  In your private seeking you might have come across the way He talked to people, family and the Heavenly Father. 

This week we’re going to change how we view language on all levels of communication.

Put off thinking along the lines of different dialects, secret languages, codes, translations or name calling and focus only on KINGDOM Language.

Wrong court Sis!

First: Stop name calling.   I’m not suggesting that you are to become the dull person on the block, but be mindful of what you are saying.

"Let this mind – Christ’s mind, be in you which was also in Him." (Philippians 2:5 NKJV) 



If you have kids, don’t let them call one another names either. 

Second: Stop cussing. Take a Bible check on what exactly should you call the person who just took your parking space or cut you off in traffic.

Yes as God’s children we are to be more colorful than the world and bring light into it, but I’m pretty sure you won’t find some of the words you’ve been using as part of the OK list of things to say.  I'm still researching the phrase "Sucker Brat!"

Of course after making your "No Joy Suckers Allowed Here" sign from 2 weeks ago you aren't having any of these issues, right?

Third: Memorize that saying I've taught my kids. Speak what the Bible says about you or your situation.  It’s this simple.  One might say they are poor.  Scripture says you are rich.  If your body says you are weak, tell yourself, "I've got a new language dictionary called the Word of God that says I am strong."

Let God’s Word be our new life language that we declare daily. No matter what language game we’ve played over the years, it’s time to learn the language of KING Jesus and only speak what is spoken in His Courts.

Children of the KING should use the language of the Court.

  

We Are Children Of The King- Jeff Hamlin (Hosanna! Music)

Until next time, there is favor in the KING’s Court.

What's New this week:

Children of the King Children’s Book

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Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.  Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more information on becoming a child of the Savior.

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