Welcome, thanks for stopping by. This is a place to share what's going on in life. I hope to share something that might help and encourage you. If you want to jump start me with a thought or question please do. I want you to feel at home when you visit, taking with you some nuggets of truth to use as you go on your way, as you live out your life as it unfolds!
I don’t usually re-post daily devotionals I receive in my mail each morning, but this one today really spoke to me. It got my attention, causing me to think you might need it too, right?
It will be something I will want to come back and read right here to remind me to “STOP IT”!
I have the tendency to pick up a “Spirit of Dread” that creeps over me from time to time, before I know it. It can be like living in a PRISON and not knowing it, it's crazy!
Usually when our schedule gets tight with back to back projects causing me to give up some of “my time”....oh my!..... or.... circumstances bearing down on me, it sneaks around with it's attack.
It takes hours and even days, in the past, to recognize something is going on in my mind. In the future this will be a good tool to stop and read to remember what this "Friday Max Lacado's Devo" post says. I encourage you to do the same. Here it is this is RICH STUFF!.......
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
"Are you hoping that a change in circumstances will bring a change in your attitude? If so, you are in prison, and you need to learn a secret of traveling light. What you have in your Shepherd is greater than what you don’t have in life. May I meddle for a moment? What is the one thing separating you from joy? How do you fill in this blank: “I will be happy when ________________”? When I am healed. When I am promoted. When I am married. When I am single. When I am rich. How would you finish that statement? Now, with your answer firmly in mind, answer this. If your ship never comes in, if your dream never comes true, if the situation never changes, could you be happy? If not, then you are sleeping in the cold cell of discontent. You are in prison. And you need to know what you have in your Shepherd. You have a God who hears you, the power of love behind you, the Holy Spirit within you, and all of heaven ahead of you. If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. You have everything you need."
Today I’m wondering about the power of prayer and how important it is. Giving our deepest concerns to Father puts our needs into His Big Hand and out of ours. As we trust Him in His Sovereignty to work things out in our lives and others, WE ARE NOT MOVED as I wrote about in the last post.
Lately there seems to be so many people hurting, as friends and family share prayer request. Listening to the hurt and pain in their lives, I hurt with them. If not careful, it can make you feel so burdened until you remember He is there/here and wants to carry it for us and for those we are praying them through.
The simple person that I am as I have mentioned needed a way to remind me to give "Things" to God. So I have use a good exercise I practiced over the years it really does remind me to give things that come my way to God. I call it my "GOD BAG", I keep it in my closet to see it everyday......
Here's what you do. Find you a bag, I got mind at The Dollar Store, write on the outside..."MY GOD BAG". Inside place a pen or pencil with a note pad. When you have a need, give it to God by writing it out on a note and place it in the bag....DONE! He has it now it is not yours. You are only asked to Trust Him now with the things that are on your heart....
Look with me at some of my notes I have inside for encouragement. Some are comments I heard or verses Holy Spirit put before me....
Romans 8:34 “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
Prayer is communicating with God, He wants you to pray about what matters to you.
Pray with gut level honesty. God wants that level of conversation with us.
Exodus 5:23-27 "The Message says.... Moses led Israel from the Red Sea on to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days through the wilderness without finding any water. They got to Marah, but they couldn't drink the water at Marah; it was bitter. That's why they called the place Marah (Bitter). And the people complained to Moses, "So what are we supposed to drink?" So Moses cried out in prayer to God. God pointed him to a stick of wood. Moses threw it into the water and the water turned sweet. That's the place where God set up rules and procedures; that's where he started testing them. God said, 'If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won't strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer.' They came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They set up camp there by the water."
Be authentic in prayer, be honest with God.
Matt 6:5-7 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
God wants to be part of your everyday life...
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Someone said one time, “I never pray longer than 20 min. And I never go longer than 20 min without praying.”
Pray and allow God to answer. Good to learn how to sit quietly and listen for Him.
The hardest Discipline to practice is to "Wait"...
Our motives matter...
James 4:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Proverbs 16:2 - “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD."
Here are more verses that bring encouragement concerning prayer....
Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in
their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the
storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were
glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired
haven
Matthew 7:7 ”Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Mark 9:29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I
will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me
anything in my name, I will do it
Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all outside, and
knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha,
arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.
Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the
Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with
all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Philippians 4:6-7do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you sick? Let him
call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save
the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has
committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one
another and pray for one another,that you may be healed. The prayer of a
righteous person has great power as it is working.
Call Out To Him and Listen to what He says...
Prayer is our way to communicate to Father. He wants to hear us Call out to Him. When we are in a spot with no where to go Call out to Him He will answer. I like the Devotional book “Jesus Calling” Sara Young wrote it with the thought of Calling out the name of Jesus. Since I have read it for a year, I have begun to practice “Jesus Calling”. There have been many times when I felt helpless and thinking I would not make it I called out the name “Jesus” and I felt His presence what a wonderful feeling to know we will never be alone He is There!!!
NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME.......was reminded of this from my friend Betsi Calhoun she said in a post: “What a blessing it is each Wednesday morning to have so many precious teens from the public school come together to pray and be challenged from God's Holy Word! This morning 24 of us were inspired and challenged by Peter Verkaik, missionary to Nigeria. WOW! What a blessing from Acts chapter 20, verse 24! "None of these things move me . . "
(by the way, I know Peter Verkaik and his sweet wife Betty. I know what opposition they face every day as they serve in that country. He is serving his Calling, telling the Truth of Jesus, so I know first hand his life speaks. I know others who are in countries right now facing the same things Faithfully...)
What he was telling those teens that morning, as Betsi said, interested me in my walk today. I think maybe you could use this today too...
“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself,[a] so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God”
One of the reasons we allow our circumstances to move us is sometimes we allow things to become “all about us” we have this little circle we live in seeing life in our own perspective. Let’s break out of that world and see what it is like living like Paul says here....
God gave us in His Word the life of Paul as an example of how the Christian Life is to be lived. So, when you read about Paul you see a man who has determined to live his life in the Lord Jesus Christ.
One day on the Damascus Road, Jesus confronted him in his sin. Paul repented of his sin, opened his heart to the Lord Jesus, and at that point in time life became a great adventure for him.
He then likened life as being in a RACE when he said, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Life for Paul was like being in a BATTLE when he said, "I have fought a good fight."
Life for Paul became a sacred TRUST as he said, "I have been committed with the precious treasure of the gospel, and my job is to deposit that sacred commitment into the hearts and lives of every person with whom I come in contact."
Paul’s life shows us what it means to live with “Christ as Life”, as he was on his way to the city of Jerusalem where there is an atmosphere of uncertainty about his journey. His circumstances were real complicated at this particular time. He had a sense of what his future held, and it was not good.
Even though he knew this, he stood firm in his determination. In the midst of all the turmoil, Paul says in verse 24, "But none of these things moved me." WOW what a statement with all the circumstances swirling around him. That is the attitude of the person who had found Life in his Savior. He was NOT living his life as “All about ME!” Paul did not care what was going on around him, it didn’t matter. He didn’t care about the opposition he would experience in the future. His position in life was “Regardless of what others may do, none of these things move me”. And he stood on this Truth.... Psalms 16:8, "I have set the Lord always before my face, because the Lord is at my right hand. I shall not be moved."
This was on my heart today as I was wondering what you are facing today. I've heard from different ones things that lay heavy on their heart as they face challenges and I know you are too where ever you are...
I want to see you live RUNNING THE RACE.....WINNING!
I want to see you FACE YOUR BATTLE.... WINNING!
I want to see you TRUST IN YOUR SAVIOR WHO HAS WON LIFE FOR YOU!!!
Live as Paul did keeping his eyes on the goal set before him....look up and off of those things around you and say, .....NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME!!!
In the last post I mentioned this year is a Leap Year, yes we will have a Feb 29th this year. You might be asking “What is Leap Year and why every 4 years”?
Leap year happens because the Earth doesn't take exactly 365 days to orbit the sun, but instead very close to 365.25 days. Every four years, an extra day is inserted to keep the seasons in position. If we didn't, the seasons would creep backwards through the year. That adjustment is also not perfect, so century years not divisible by 400 are not leap years. Leap years were first instituted by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE, and the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria helped him invent it.
Ever wondered what does one do if they are born on Feb 29th? Here is the answer just to file away if you are interested. You are legally allowed to change your birthday to the 28th of Feb. or the 1st of March.
But, technically speaking, your birthday is once every four years.
If you want to speak absolutely technical, you were born every year on the extra 6 hours the world receives when completing the full resolution of the sun. Every year has an extra 6 hours. Hence why they combined the whole 6 hours every four years and created an extra day during a leap year. Leap referring to the leap the extra day gives the world. It resettles back to the position it was at the start of the four year period.
So there you have it!
One more thing...what are you going to do with this extra day? Start planning now for it to happen next month it will be here before you know it....
Here’s 29 IDEAS:
1. Stay in the bed that day and don’t even get up until the next day, that would not be me I think I would miss something.
2. Put all those pictures you have into frames. You’ve put it off long enough. 3. Grill up the biggest steak you can find. 4. Go for a walk … in that wooded area behind your neighbor’s house. 5. Find a creek and play in it. (Don’t do this barefooted, please.) 6. Count how many days until the end of the year and plan one thing for each of those days. 7. Create and name your own sandwich. 8. Take your mate shopping for no reason. If you don’t have a mate, take a best friend. If you don’t have a best friend … well, I don’t know what to tell you. 9. Plan that trip you’ve been meaning to take to visit old friends. 10. Go to the nearest college campus and act like a student. If you already are a college student, walk around campus acting like a professor. A snooty professor. 11. Build your own raised-bed garden. 12. Get your hair styled so your friends won’t recognize you. 13. Toss a water balloon high into the air and try to catch it without breaking it. 14. Go fishing. You could be the next Bassmaster. Create and name your own drink. It could take some experimentation, so prepare wisely. Get up one hour earlier than normal. If you get up at 4 a.m., go to bed one hour later than normal. 17. Ride your bike to work or the store or wherever you want. If you don’t have a bike, buy one, then ride it. 18 - Rent the movie Leap Year, watch it on the 29th and if there’s someone you are waiting on to ask you to marry you that is the day you can ask him hope it goes well with the right answer you’re looking for.
19 - 29 I’m out of ideas you can make your own!
Have little ones? Check out some neat games here at http://www.blogher.com/leap-year-games
Having a Leap Year Birthday party? http://leapyearday.com/content/kids-leap-day-birthday-party-planner
Are you asking if I am bored? No! things like this interest me! I like researching for you and me so check back soon for something more life meaning if it matters to ya!!!...
“We were not made to be something, we were made to contain someone”...PAUL ANDERSON ---WALSH
That’s right we can have a YEAR OF SUCCESS! That quote says we Contain the Son of God in the form of Holy Spirit. What a great Truth, but some of us are struggling running around TRYING TO GET IN A ROOM WE ARE ALREADY IN!!!
Since this is the Truth, wouldn’t you think we could go ahead and live that way? So what are you thinking right now? Are you saying, “I do, but I don’t, then I do, but then I don’t, or are you saying.... Uh...which day?” Yeah, that’s what I thought. Aren’t you ready to give it up?.....
Starting the New Year with a Brand New Slate IS THE TIME...
Here’s some help, looking at some verses will help reinforce Who We Are In Christ. The Word of God gives Truth to Stand on. Reviewing them through out the year will develop Spiritual Backbone as you walk in the Truth.....
Someone once said this thought about the work of Holy Spirit in our lives "Holy Spirit does not condemn us of sin, He convicts of us of Who We
Are, saying "what you are doing is not acting like Who You Are and it
does not look good on you". He will be our guide as we put each foot in front of the other...
The key to living a Successful Christian Life is to go ahead put “your foot in the water” by Faith and see the water part. Live Like "Who You Are", or might I say, Live Like Whose You Are and live Alive in Christ how much better can it get...WOW!!! Let’s go do it.....
WHO I AM.....
Matt. 5:13 I am the salt of the earth.
Matt. 5:14 I am the light of the world
John 1:12 I am a child of God (part of His family). (see Rom. 8:16)
John 15:1, 5 I am part of the true vine, a channel (branch) of His (Christ’s) life.
John 15:15 I am Christ’s friend.
John 15:16 I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit.
Acts 1:8 I am a personal witness of Christ for Christ.
Rom. 6:18 I am a slave of righteousness.
Rom. 6:22 I am enslaved to God.
Rom. 8:14, 15 I am a son of God (God is my “daddy” so to speak). (see Gal. 3:26/4:6)
Rom. 8:17 I am a joint-heir with Christ sharing His inheritance with Him.
I Cor. 3:16/6:19 I am a temple (home) of God. His Spirit (His life) dwells in me.
I Cor. 6:17 I am joined (united) to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.
I Cor. 12:27 I am a member (part) of Christ’s body. (see Eph. 5:30)
II Cor. 5:17 I am a new creation (new person)
II Cor. 5:18, 19 I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation.
Gal. 3:26, 28 I am a son of God and one in Christ.
Gal. 4:6, 7 I am an heir of God since I am a son of God.
Eph. 1:1 I am a saint. (See: I Cor. 1:2; Phil.1:1;Col. 1:2)
Eph. 2:10 I am God’s workmanship (handiwork) created (born anew) in Christ to
do His work that He planned beforehand that I should do.
Eph. 2:19 I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s people in His family.
Eph. 3:1; 4:1 I am a prisoner of Christ.
Eph. 4:24 I am righteous and holy.
Phil. 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven and seated in heaven right now (see Eph. 2:6)
Col. 3:3 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Col. 3:4 I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life.
Col. 3:12 I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved.
I Thes. 1:4 I am chosen and dearly loved by God.
I Thes. 5:5 I am a son of light and not of darkness.
Heb. 3:1 I am a holy brother, partaker of a heavenly calling.
Heb. 3:14 I am a partaker of Christ… I share in His life.
I Pet. 2:5 I am one of God’s living stones and am being built up (in Christ) as a
spiritual house.
I Pet. 2:9, 10 I am a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s
own possession to proclaim the excellencies of Him.
I Pet. 2:11 I am an alien and stranger to this world I temporarily live in.
I Pet. 5:8 I am an enemy of the devil.
I John 3:1, 2 I am now a child of God. I will resemble Christ when He returns.
I John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one (the devil) can’t touch me.
Psalm 23 & 100 I am a sheep of His pasture. Therefore, I have everything I need.
.... listen to the song again, read the words on this list, let them sink in. Get excited about Who You Are !!!
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”
Read this quote the other day, I liked it. Our new year is beginning don’t you love New Beginnings...and this year is a Leap Year.....
Our new year is a good time to make plans for cleaning out and planning for 2012. Got an email this morning from my friend Sandra, saying she’s cleaning out “stuff” today planning for a yard sale in early Spring. Wish I could go to it and see what I might “want” she will have for sale....”NO!!! I DON’T” just say “STOP IT” I don’t “NEED” anything else! I am talking about “getting rid” here, so...“moving right along”.....
Let’s see, what are some things that could use some inventory? Businesses take inventory every year to see where they are and what they need to do in the future to better themselves. I think we could do the same thing to make everything work better in Spirit, Soul and Body, don’t you?
A place to start will be to have a plan as you decide to have a quality life in this next year. A few areas to look at and in no particular order, would be as follows ....
Health - take a look at what our body needs to function at top quality. Right Fuel, Proper Rest and Excerise unique to you, we are all different. You might have heard me say this before, it is SO important that we know ourselves, then we will know what we need to function at our best. Slow down and start listening to your body it will tell you something you need to hear. BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU! A good quote by Dr Oz proves this point about eating smart. He said, “The number one reason Americans are heavy: The brain, very smartly, wants nutrition. But the average American is eating empty calories. So you finish that 2,000 calories and your brain says, Keep going until you get nutrients.”
Finances - Where are you spending your money? and how can you control it instead of it controlling you? What are you saving for the future? What are you giving, once heard this said, “we give and get and give then get to give to get and on and on” Thanks Joy Norton for one day sharing that Truth!!! If you need advice check out http://www.ronblue.com/ have heard good things about this ministry that would love to help.
Spiritual Growth - This will be an on going process as we develop our relationship with Father/Son and Holy Spirit. You want to be with someone when you have a relationship with them. As you get to Know Him you will hear His voice because you have spent time with Him in Study, Prayer in both talking to Him TRUSTING Him with your concerns and just sitting in His presence and quietly listening. As you grow live out your life daily this year as Christ as Your Life! I will be posting more about this relationship, I promise because I want to grow in this relationship and I want you to also...
Family - Time invested with family is time well spent! Some of us might live miles or even not in the same country because of work or ministry but there are so many ways we can visit via internet and the Lost Art of Writing Letters! We can give our time and our family knows we care like nothing else we can do. Enjoy them is a number one priority.
There's so many areas we could list but trying to keep it short and simple, I just listed four you can add your own. Make goals for these four things, it will bring the results we are looking for.
Reach for the stars this coming year and do your best to stretch to the limit. Where is your limit? Can you set it beyond what you expect, think BIG? It sure feels good when we finish well, that's what we can do in 2012....
......The future looks so bright we will have to wear sunglasses as the saying going....Let’s get started..........
We now have a clean slate for another year... In this year of 2012 how will you fill in the days?
I want to claim Truth Statements to live by....
"THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS WHAT GOD SAYS NO MATTER HOW I FEEL".....
Some verses that come to mind to live by this year.....
2 Cor 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Isaiah 43:19 "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I
am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."
2 Tim 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
Proverbs 3:5&6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."
A friend on Facebook just posted this and I love it, great verse to go here!!!
This thought came across my path with a Truth about Paul....
"The goal of Paul's life was "that I may know Him" (Philippians 3:10)
Want to be WISE? "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16). We need to study this one often!
