THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS WHAT GOD SAYS NO MATTER HOW I FEEL….

Looking through past Journaling I ran across a page I am typing out and putting in my new file called…”preaching the Gospel to myself”.  It’s designed to reinforce the Truth to replace lies that come my way daily. 

As a Born Again Believer we have all the resources we need to live the Abundant Life successfully each day.  I am sharing it with you thinking you might want to put it somewhere where you can see it often or come back to this location it will be here…

Typed just as I had it in my journal 12/10/92 here it is:

 "Today my day feels like it is crumbling. The tasks at hand are screaming in my face, bills over due drowning us, domestic tasks staring at me waiting to be done, just normal everyday stress and my “Unique Flesh Patterns” are trying to make me regress back to lies I have believed all my life, such as “I am defeated”; “I can’t make it”; “my life is bad, no good” and finally “I AM JUST BAD AND I AM TO BLAME”.  The spiral of depression is overtaking me going down and down until I am buying into the lies…again.

BUT wait a minute STOP…. At this moment I am realizing what is going on under the radar.  I WILL take command of my thoughts!  I WILL change my thinking.

I CHANGE MY THINKING from “stinking thinking” to “a healthy mindset of the TRUTH”….

I claim that God created me. Christ is my life.  He has given me my life and I have a choice.  I can choose to live with a defeated attitude and in despair under these circumstances at hand... or... I can live above them in victory as He has provided.  The choice is mine…

I reinforced my thinking that day as I wrote this out in my Journal.  It was to keep near me and review.  It is copied from “Prayers That Avail Much” pg 38…

“ I am a Spirit, I have a Soul and I live in a Body.  My Spirit is the candle of the Lord. God is my Father, is guiding me in the way I should go in all the affairs of life.  He leads me by an inward witness.  The eyes of my understanding are being enlightened.  Wisdom is in my inward parts.  His love is perfected in me.  I have unction from the Holy One. 

I am becoming spirit-conscious.  I listen to the voice of my spirit and obey what my spirit tells me.  I let my spirit dominate me, for I walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.  I examine my leading in the light of His Word.  I trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding.  In all my ways I acknowledge Him and He directs my paths.  I walk in the light of God’s Word.

I will educate and train and develop my human spirit.  The Word of God shall not depart out of my mouth.  I meditate there in my day and night.  Therefore I shall make my way prosperous, and I will have good success in life.  I am a doer of the Word and put God’s Word first.  My spirit man is in the ascendancy..... I live in the Heavenlies with Him!

Scripture References:

I Thess. 5:23                           Job 38:36

Prov 20:27                              1 John 4:12

John 16:13                              1 John 2:20

Rom 8: 14-16                          Rom 9:1

John 3:6-7                               Rom 8:1

John 7:37-39                           Prov 3:5-6

Eph 5:18                                 Ps 119:105

Isa 48:17                                 Josh 1:8

Eph 1:18                                 James 1:22

1 Cor 1:30                               11 Cor 2:14

...AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE!!!......

YOU READY FOR SPRING? IT'S HERE....

MARCH 2Oth is HERE!!!  

Been out in my yard today making plans. Planning all kinds of planters to be filled and small manageable in the ground flower beds.  I got out in the yard today....GETTING READY FOR SPRING...... 

Used my new pair of Lopping Shears my husband bought me. He knows I love to go around and cut “odd and ugly” limbs off our trees as high as I can reach, I am 5’2 so that's now far.  My old shears were at least 20 years old.  Amazing how they have improved.

To celebrate Spring I had an idea.....
I noticed some Facebook friends posting pictures of flowers coming up in their yard and other places. I'm collecting them to post here.  Check back, I will keep adding them as they come in or I might even take a few myself....


Here's the first one I saw......

My friend Shelia's son took this in Asheville, NC

Oh how I love the first Daffodils of the year.....

These are going to be in my yard and blooming by mid summer I hope!

.........Have the Pear Trees been this pretty in your area? Riding around you can see them lining driveways in full bloom...beautiful!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Another friend posted this picture of a Retreat Center in England where he was attending a Retreat.  Heard they had a harsh winter I think this might have been a Spring picture in the past.....

Our friends Blake and Sandra shared this picture looks like Azalea's blooming in their yard already.

Walking out of the doctor's office the other day I looked down and there it was, every gardener's "hate to find".... the dreaded Dandelion.







This is the prettiest picture of a Garden display in a Wheel Barrow posted by Shelia...

This gave me the idea to look for more Wheel Barrow ideas, it's a great container for a planter.......

This Wheel barrow has been around for a long time.  Can't you imagine all the hauling it provided for someone for so many years.  It must go way back in time.  And now it has been retired but still able to "Bloom Where It Is Planted".....


This one looks like an old gentleman that has been restored and full of beautiful flowers for it to whole one more time.......

 
Looks like someone made a Wheel Barrow of their flowers and did a good job!!!....

       
  These are Cherry Trees in Japan must be a pretty sight!!!

Georgia's State Flower is the Dogwood.  Love riding the roads in the Spring in the mountains of North GA and see them showing up among the other trees with their white blooms this time of year....Ah! Spring...... 

And... what is Spring without the pretty colors of Tulips.  Once in Michigan we rounded a curve and there it was a field of Tulips!!! 

Walking around our property I noticed these little purple flowers blooming. Years ago, I planted just a little sprig here and there a friend gave me and now they are producing smiles of Spring everywhere!!!

                                                                    IT'S HERE!!!!!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at 1:14 a.m. EDT 

marks the vernal equinox, and official start of spring. 

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Here are pictures, collected some my friends posted and some of my "Spring Takes" for you to enjoy with me....

My good friend Linda took this beautiful picture of her house and she calls it "Spring in Atlanta at Grandmother's House" what a pretty picture of a person's home and she is pretty inside and out..

Our friend Delaney put this on Facebook today and said 'HELLO SPRING" she's always happy!

 

Jim and Donna's Flowering Cherry Tree is a pretty display this Spring in front of their house.....

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I could not quit taking pictures today of the most beautiful Jasmine vine growing on a trellis on the deck at our children's house. You will have to put up with me while you look at all these different views.....

  

There were bees all over the flowers I had to capture a few of them they seem to be wanting their picture taken.....

I'm glad I didn't get stung getting in their face to get a good picture.....

 

This is the last picture...but....we are in Atlanta for our grandson's birthday and other things going on, so while I am going about town maybe I will capture more of this year's Spring...check back later.....

We are home from our weekend in Atlanta had a nice stay at the Hampton Inn / Alpharetta and it was busting all over with Spring. Our schedule was so busy I only had time to take pictures outside our hotel but they were so beautiful with all the colors of pansies, azaleas and dogwoods in season....Take a look and enjoy!...

The Dogwoods were in full bloom I love them this time of year!

These little flowers seem to be left over from last year and I didn't want to leave them out...

 The azalea's were gorgeous!

The pansies were all colors the landscaper did a good job placing the colors to make a colorful bouquet in the beds...

These azalea's had large blooms made them look like orchids... 

So that's my takes hope they made you feel you were on my trip with me....

Got one more... our friend Jim Colwell just posted this Spring delight.  When I was young I called it the "Yellow Belle Brush" but the official name is Forsythia.....

Hope you are not getting bored with all my Spring pictures.  I have another friend who posted her flowers.... MG said, “Little beauties from our garden.” I'm enjoying seeing our friends enjoy Spring with me!!!

 

DON’T LIVE IN YOUR HEAD, IT’S A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD.....

This week I found myself living and acting off words in my head and it’s been repeated failure....“Mind Chatter”!  

Some words like, “you stupid thing why did you say that, can’t you get it right?”; or “ok you butted in and you weren’t invited, you’re bad!!!”; “you are a nobody and will never be good enough”.  


How about you? Have you had that happen? If not, you might, so I want to give you a "heads up" on what’s going on.  The only way the enemy can get us to live in defeat is to use our own voice in our head.  He uses first person pronouns like, “I” “my” and “you”.  So you better beware of it and know they are all lies. 
 
While my husband and I were watching a movie, this powerful phase came in my path like a strong clap of Thunder.  As I heard it, I told him to stop the movie and rewind it, then we both heard it.  I thought, this is no mistake it caught my attention,  I was suppose to hear it.  The actor said in a frustrated manner to his fellow actor, “Don’t live in your head, it’s a bad neighborhood”...now that’s the best advice I’ve heard in a long time and in a movie and it had my name all over it!...Who Knew!!!

I took that phase and “ran with it” having to use it the very next day.  Yes! that’s right, an incident happened between someone and myself, that could have been a real “train wreck”.  The thoughts of the event controlled my mind the whole day, until I remembered that phrase.  I put it through my grid system and “bookmarked” it, then put it into action and guess what....it worked!

I also had the words to a song come to mind that reminded me Jesus wants to be MY ALL IN ALL in every circumstance and not live in our mind.  It made me stop and think, when we have all that “mind clutter” going on, it will cause us NOT to be able to keep our mind on the One who really matters and have PEACE OF MIND. He wants us to live in peace with others and ourselves.  Living off past “junk thoughts” will keep us too busy.  It will wear you down until you believe a lie...so a good practice is to day, “Just Stop It” and get back on track with the Truth!....

Hope these words help you today.  While I was typing what was on my mind it helped me just reviewing my past week.  I was able to review yesterday and how the feeling of freedom is in my mind today.  I might just come back to this post later and read it again to remind me. 

 Let’s sit back and listen to this song thinking of the real Truth in the words......










 ........HE IS OUR ALL IN ALL!!!....

I’M JUST THANKFUL...WHAT ABOUT YOU?....

  
Woke up THANKFUL knowing I can't live this day BUT He can!.....

 Just thinking about be REDEEMED!.....

 

Today is a New Day!.....Just being able to wake up and have a day is more than I can wrap my head around....

Just think we get to experience breathing the air of this day.....

Look for beauty in everything....

 I'm thankful for my family and friends...

 Having trouble getting on board with me?  Let this song “jump start you!”......

FORGIVE AND LOVE WHO?...

Matthew 22:37-39 - Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."

How can you love someone else if you don't love yourself? Failing to apply this principle can cause a road block, hindering us from loving God and loving others.  If we love others under these conditions then I have to say, "poor neighbors!"


I know you are asking can I do this? Isn't this selfish? and even can cause us to become "All About Me"?  NO! That is not the case according to our above verse.  Love yourself so you can love your neighbor, how do you love yourself? Start by forgiving yourself.  How do you do that?  Would be good to start by getting to know you, really knowing you. By failing to get in connection with the core “you”, causes you to miss out on the real life that belongs to you.  You miss the development of the person God created and loves more than anything.  If this is so and it is, then knowing God loves me the One Who matters most, then why isn’t it possible for us to love and care in a healthy way?  Good question!  I'm assuming you get the point.  This is a good place to start teaching you how to begin getting to know you, why not start with your beginning......

My days of self-discovery began evolving when I turned 50.  Funny, I have a "love/hate" relationship with those "0" years.  When I reached this point in my life it was like God said, “OK, Mary your folder has come up and it is time to work on some things!”  It was at that time I realized I had no idea who I was or what I wanted.  It was as though I was in a crowd and whatever direction it was going that was the way I would go.  Stamped out just like them, no difference.  And I was bored with life and it was NOT working.   I read somewhere about how sad it is if we had a song in us and when we died the song was still in us….unsung!  I had a song that was wanting to get out….


After facing my "demons or dragons", whatever you want to call it, I was set free and I began to see others differently even those who had hurt me.  I can forgive because I have forgiven myself and it feels so good. 

I pray for you to make this discovery soon!  Life is too short to pass through this earth and not have a healthy care of oneself.  God didn't make a mistake when he created you, he created you for Himself so why would He make a mistake?  I get excited to think that one day He decided to have me and that includes you too.  "Yeah!" You might be saying, but you don't know how I got here, it doesn't matter what vehicle he used to get you here or the circumstances surrounding you.  You are here and it is up to you to discover what you are about and what difference you want to make on this earth.  A good start will be by having a date with YOU!  Forgive YOU, anybody else that may be on the list and even God . Take care of what is troubling you by getting your conscience clear and living with a clean slate.  

......Now that all that is out of the way, make a New Beginning by making a declaration of appreciation with a plan for a Life.....

 

........Now here's your formula:  
Forgive yourself, move on down the road of discovery watch out for someone you can show love to today.... and... Enjoy Life,  I am!!!.....