At a women's conference I attended, I received a scripture card that said God was my advocate. I wasn't sure what that meant, so I did a little research on it. An advocate is defined as being a comforter, counselor, mediator and helper. There are several scriptures that tell us that Jesus is our advocate, here are a few.
Proverbs 18:10 "Let the Lord be your advocate. He has made your enemies your foot stool. He is your hiding place. He will direct your steps and protect you from trouble. Trust in Him. He is a strong tower run to Him and be safe".
Jesus tells us in John 14:26-27 "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do no let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid".
In 1 Timothy 2:5-6 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men".
I got the following from biblestudyguide.org - Jesus is our Advocate and mediator. Jesus is our Comforter and Helper in heaven, pleading our case before God, making intercession for us as our Advocate. Jesus' advocacy is only possible because He's also our mediator, our go-between, whereby we have peace with God, having been purified from our sins with His blood, in the covenant relationship He mediated on our behalf. Thanks be to Jesus Christ, without whom we'd have no chance of salvation.
Our God is so faithful, he loves us so much that he takes care of us in ways that we will never understand. He is there waiting for us to go to him, to seek counsel and to let him comfort us when we need it. He will guide us if we ask him, he will defend us and is always on our side. It is so reassuring to know that I can cry to him and talk to him when I am sad, mad, scared and heartbroken and he will comfort me.
When we feel there is no one else to turn to when we need someone, Jesus is there. He is always there wanting to give us what we need when we need it most. He can heal our broken hearts and help us to walk out of our brokenness. We can go to him and let him wrap his arms around us and pour his peace all over us.
He will fight for us. There is no enemy that can stand against us. It may seem that the enemy is winning, but we have already received our victory through Christ and he will not let us be defeated. God is bigger and he is for you and for me. I can't imagine a better advocate to have.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Being Obedient
I will admit that it is sometimes hard for me to be obedient. It wasn't always easy as a child to obey my parents or the adult in charge and sometimes it is hard as an adult. But God is calling us daily to be obedient to his will and his commands. Some things that I feel God has called me to are scary and cause me to step out of my comfort zone and it is a test of my faith whether I choose to obey or not. Sometimes he calls us to say yes and sometimes he calls us to say no to things.
I believe that we are all called for a purpose in this life and that we are to look to God to help us understand his purpose for us. In looking to God to lead us down his chosen path for us and to lead us in his will, we will be led in the way he wants us to go. We have all been given different talents and gifts, life experiences, personalities, testimonies and victories. I believe that God calls each of us at the appropriate time to use the things that we have been given to bring him glory and to save his people. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men" 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.
We have all heard our pastor or someone say "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called". I believe that is true and have witnessed it in my life as well as read about unlikely heroes stepping up in the bible. Some of the people that God chose to use in the bible look like odd choices, but he always supplies them with what they need. Let's look at Esther, no one could have imagined that she would become queen and through that end up saving her people. I love in Esther 4:14 when Mordecai says to her "and who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this". She was fearful, she could have been killed along with her people, but she followed the plan set before her and saved them all.
To be obedient is to obey, to be submissive to someone and to show behavior intended to please. I want to please God and walk in the way of his will for me. 1 John 5:3-4 "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith". It is scary to step out in faith and trust that God will supply us with what we need. But I do believe that if he brings you to it, he will see you through it! Sometimes to obey God is to say no to things brought your way. Just because it is a "God thing" doesn't always mean it is something you are to do. So there are times that in obeying God and his will, we have to step away from things or opportunities.
Writing and sharing this blog is a scary thing for me. I feel that many years ago God put a desire in my heart to write a book and I have been too afraid to move forward with that. In discussing this with some dear sisters, they suggested I start with a blog and see where that leads. So after that conversation and some prayer time, this blog began. It is big for me to put my heart and thoughts out there for all to see and to try not to worry about how I will be perceived. But my motto at this moment of time in my life is FAITH OVER FEAR! I have been afraid for so many years, afraid of what others think of me, afraid of failing, afraid of being a disappointment. I don't want to live in fear anymore, I want to live in freedom and know that I really can do all things through Christ who gives me strength as it says in Philippians 4:13.
So I will start listening more to the whispers that I hear in my spirit and the desires that God puts in my heart. I will pray that I can be a woman who walks boldly in faith and follows the path that God has set before me. I pray that I will be obedient and pleasing to my Heavenly Father and trust that he will provide me with all I need. I will be praying that for all of you as well, let's choose faith over fear.
We have all heard our pastor or someone say "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called". I believe that is true and have witnessed it in my life as well as read about unlikely heroes stepping up in the bible. Some of the people that God chose to use in the bible look like odd choices, but he always supplies them with what they need. Let's look at Esther, no one could have imagined that she would become queen and through that end up saving her people. I love in Esther 4:14 when Mordecai says to her "and who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this". She was fearful, she could have been killed along with her people, but she followed the plan set before her and saved them all.
To be obedient is to obey, to be submissive to someone and to show behavior intended to please. I want to please God and walk in the way of his will for me. 1 John 5:3-4 "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith". It is scary to step out in faith and trust that God will supply us with what we need. But I do believe that if he brings you to it, he will see you through it! Sometimes to obey God is to say no to things brought your way. Just because it is a "God thing" doesn't always mean it is something you are to do. So there are times that in obeying God and his will, we have to step away from things or opportunities.
Writing and sharing this blog is a scary thing for me. I feel that many years ago God put a desire in my heart to write a book and I have been too afraid to move forward with that. In discussing this with some dear sisters, they suggested I start with a blog and see where that leads. So after that conversation and some prayer time, this blog began. It is big for me to put my heart and thoughts out there for all to see and to try not to worry about how I will be perceived. But my motto at this moment of time in my life is FAITH OVER FEAR! I have been afraid for so many years, afraid of what others think of me, afraid of failing, afraid of being a disappointment. I don't want to live in fear anymore, I want to live in freedom and know that I really can do all things through Christ who gives me strength as it says in Philippians 4:13.
So I will start listening more to the whispers that I hear in my spirit and the desires that God puts in my heart. I will pray that I can be a woman who walks boldly in faith and follows the path that God has set before me. I pray that I will be obedient and pleasing to my Heavenly Father and trust that he will provide me with all I need. I will be praying that for all of you as well, let's choose faith over fear.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Married Helpmates
Are we being a helpmate to our spouse and partner in life or are we being a hindrance? Are we supporting our mate or are we causing conflict and holding them down? Proverbs 31:12 "She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life".
Our husbands need to feel encouraged by us and our words to them and about them. We should respect them and hold them up, be their cheerleader and assistant. Too many times I believe that our spouses can get put on the back burner behind ourselves, our kids, our jobs and even the ministries we are involved in. We have to remember that God comes first and our spouse comes second. Yes, we have stresses and get overwhelmed with our stuff and need help from our husbands as well. But the cool thing is that as I spoke of in my post on sowing and reaping, when you are giving with your spouse it comes back to you. When we put our spouse's needs ahead of our own and make them our priority, they will return that to us.
I want to make my husband's life easier, I don't want to be a burden to him or cause him stress. In doing this, I try not to bug him at work unless absolutely necessary because I know that he has a lot going on and I don't want to be an interruption when not needed. I try to handle things at home and with the kids and have dinner on the table when he gets home from work. These are small things, but things that I feel help my husband and lessen his load. In return, he insist doing things for me like cleaning the kitchen after dinner. He does this to bless me and help me even after he has put in a 10-11 hour day. He sits with our children to help them with homework, he works with them on projects and he goes in the yard to practice the sport of choice with them. My husband goes above and beyond to support me and that inspires me to give that support back to him.
Imagine how much more we can get done and how much happier we and our spouses would be if instead of taking score of who does what, we both went above and beyond in trying to bless and support each other. Instead of being resentful about what they don't do, try to be appreciative and thankful for what they do. Believe me, my husband does things that bug me and I do things that drive him a little crazy, but it is all about what we focus on.
I choose to focus on the amazing man that God blessed me with and how grateful I am to have this man as my husband and as a father to our children. Our men are under constant attack and pressures that we don't even know about or understand. They carry the weight of being the family provider, protector, leader....the MAN. I am sure that there are other things that I have no idea about because I am not a man. What I do know is that I pray that I will be the mate to my husband that he needs me to be and that he always knows I am on his side, on our side together with him. I pray that he feels to his core that I love him and support him and that he never feels less than because of me.
I am not a marriage expert by any means and I am not trying to tell anyone how to be with their spouse. I am just sharing what was on my heart today and hope that it will encourage us all as wives to bring our husbands good and not harm. Everyone's household runs differently and every family has ways that work for them. My main point is that it is always good to be reminded to be grateful and appreciative of what we have been given. I am forever thankful for my husband, he is a blessing to me. I can honestly say "I found him whom my soul loves" Songs of Solomon 3:4. On this day and everyday, I will lift my husband up in prayers and pray that I am the wife/helpmate that my husband needs.
Our husbands need to feel encouraged by us and our words to them and about them. We should respect them and hold them up, be their cheerleader and assistant. Too many times I believe that our spouses can get put on the back burner behind ourselves, our kids, our jobs and even the ministries we are involved in. We have to remember that God comes first and our spouse comes second. Yes, we have stresses and get overwhelmed with our stuff and need help from our husbands as well. But the cool thing is that as I spoke of in my post on sowing and reaping, when you are giving with your spouse it comes back to you. When we put our spouse's needs ahead of our own and make them our priority, they will return that to us.
I want to make my husband's life easier, I don't want to be a burden to him or cause him stress. In doing this, I try not to bug him at work unless absolutely necessary because I know that he has a lot going on and I don't want to be an interruption when not needed. I try to handle things at home and with the kids and have dinner on the table when he gets home from work. These are small things, but things that I feel help my husband and lessen his load. In return, he insist doing things for me like cleaning the kitchen after dinner. He does this to bless me and help me even after he has put in a 10-11 hour day. He sits with our children to help them with homework, he works with them on projects and he goes in the yard to practice the sport of choice with them. My husband goes above and beyond to support me and that inspires me to give that support back to him.
Imagine how much more we can get done and how much happier we and our spouses would be if instead of taking score of who does what, we both went above and beyond in trying to bless and support each other. Instead of being resentful about what they don't do, try to be appreciative and thankful for what they do. Believe me, my husband does things that bug me and I do things that drive him a little crazy, but it is all about what we focus on.
I choose to focus on the amazing man that God blessed me with and how grateful I am to have this man as my husband and as a father to our children. Our men are under constant attack and pressures that we don't even know about or understand. They carry the weight of being the family provider, protector, leader....the MAN. I am sure that there are other things that I have no idea about because I am not a man. What I do know is that I pray that I will be the mate to my husband that he needs me to be and that he always knows I am on his side, on our side together with him. I pray that he feels to his core that I love him and support him and that he never feels less than because of me.
I am not a marriage expert by any means and I am not trying to tell anyone how to be with their spouse. I am just sharing what was on my heart today and hope that it will encourage us all as wives to bring our husbands good and not harm. Everyone's household runs differently and every family has ways that work for them. My main point is that it is always good to be reminded to be grateful and appreciative of what we have been given. I am forever thankful for my husband, he is a blessing to me. I can honestly say "I found him whom my soul loves" Songs of Solomon 3:4. On this day and everyday, I will lift my husband up in prayers and pray that I am the wife/helpmate that my husband needs.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Gentleness
To be gentle means to be kind, tender and not harsh.It tells us in Philippians 4:5 "Let your gentleness be evident to all". I want to be a gentle person. I want to meet people with kindness, but I admit that I fall short in that area sometimes.
It seems that sometimes the ones that I love most are the ones who get the least from me. Am I alone in that? Please tell me that I am not the only one that feels I fall short in giving my loved ones the best of me.... I feel so bad when I give my family less than the gentle and kind side of me, when they get the frustrated and tired me. They are the ones that I want to treat the best and to be honest, that is not always what they get.
It isn't strange that sometimes we treat strangers better than we treat our own family or loved ones? I can be upset at my child or husband for something so miniscule and then a stranger does or says something rude, apologizes and all is well. Why do I do that? My family sees that! That is not what I want them to see, that I can forgive and forget a stranger's actions before I can do that for them. I want them to know and feel that I love them and that they are valuable to me. I want to teach my children to be gentle and gracious by my actions towards them and others, not give them mixed signals.
I have seen how true Proverbs 15:1 is when it tell us that "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger". If one person in a heated situation keeps their cool, it usually helps to dissipate the problem. However, if all parties are angry and argumentative, then things can heat up really fast. Have you noticed how someone can be so grumpy and if you are kind to them their attitude will change. It is really hard to be angry and mean to someone who is smiling and gentle back at you.
I have found that there are certain people I know that I have a hard time being gentle with. I am not mean to them, but just can't be relaxed and as open as I am to others. Those people can walk in a room and I tense up, this bothers me. I wish I understood why that is and what causes that. I don't have the answer to that, but I have decided that the best way for me to fix it is through prayer. I am committing to be in prayer this week for those people and for my heart towards them. I will also pray for God to make my heart softer and gentler towards them.
It is pretty clear how God wants us to be in Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you". That is the woman that I want to be, I want to see people through the eyes of Christ and love them as he loves us. I don't want a hard heart, I want a soft heart. And I want to be gentle to the ones I love, the ones I don't know and the ones that drive me crazy.
I am thankful that the Lord is an ever-loving God and doesn't give up on me. I pray that I can be as gracious and merciful to others as he is to me and to have a gentle and kind heart that is evident to all.
It seems that sometimes the ones that I love most are the ones who get the least from me. Am I alone in that? Please tell me that I am not the only one that feels I fall short in giving my loved ones the best of me.... I feel so bad when I give my family less than the gentle and kind side of me, when they get the frustrated and tired me. They are the ones that I want to treat the best and to be honest, that is not always what they get.
It isn't strange that sometimes we treat strangers better than we treat our own family or loved ones? I can be upset at my child or husband for something so miniscule and then a stranger does or says something rude, apologizes and all is well. Why do I do that? My family sees that! That is not what I want them to see, that I can forgive and forget a stranger's actions before I can do that for them. I want them to know and feel that I love them and that they are valuable to me. I want to teach my children to be gentle and gracious by my actions towards them and others, not give them mixed signals.
I have seen how true Proverbs 15:1 is when it tell us that "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger". If one person in a heated situation keeps their cool, it usually helps to dissipate the problem. However, if all parties are angry and argumentative, then things can heat up really fast. Have you noticed how someone can be so grumpy and if you are kind to them their attitude will change. It is really hard to be angry and mean to someone who is smiling and gentle back at you.
I have found that there are certain people I know that I have a hard time being gentle with. I am not mean to them, but just can't be relaxed and as open as I am to others. Those people can walk in a room and I tense up, this bothers me. I wish I understood why that is and what causes that. I don't have the answer to that, but I have decided that the best way for me to fix it is through prayer. I am committing to be in prayer this week for those people and for my heart towards them. I will also pray for God to make my heart softer and gentler towards them.
It is pretty clear how God wants us to be in Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you". That is the woman that I want to be, I want to see people through the eyes of Christ and love them as he loves us. I don't want a hard heart, I want a soft heart. And I want to be gentle to the ones I love, the ones I don't know and the ones that drive me crazy.
I am thankful that the Lord is an ever-loving God and doesn't give up on me. I pray that I can be as gracious and merciful to others as he is to me and to have a gentle and kind heart that is evident to all.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Overcomer
Mandisa's song Overcomer keeps popping in my head, especially the following words.
Everybody's been down
Hit the bottom, hit the ground
Oh, you're not alone
Just take a breath, don't forget
Hang on to His promises
He wants You to know
You're an overcomer
The same Man, the Great I am
The one who overcame death
Is living inside of You
So just hold tight, fix your eyes
On the one who holds your life
There's nothing He can't do
He's telling You
You're an overcomer.
It gives me such a peace filled spirit to know that I am an overcomer. How awesome is it that we don't have to stay where we were or who we have been?? We can all be overcomers through Christ and the grace and mercy that he offers us freely.
He doesn't want us carrying the heavy loads of our sin and past regrets. He wants us to give those burdens to him and be free. Jesus loves us so much that he carried our load for us and doesn't want us to suffer as he did, we just have to hand it over. It says in Ephesians 1:7 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace".
Once we lay our sin at God's feet and ask for forgiveness, he takes it from us and it is gone. I saw this quote the other day and it really hit home for me. "If you haven’t left your burden with the Lord after you have prayed, all you have done is griped." (Robert Morris) Do you keep the things that you have asked God to relieve you of? I know that I am guilty of that sometimes.
I pray that we will be the overcomers that God wants us to be and are no longer burdened by our heavy loads. I will close with this verse that I feel sums it up perfectly. Revelation 3:21 "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne".
Everybody's been down
Hit the bottom, hit the ground
Oh, you're not alone
Just take a breath, don't forget
Hang on to His promises
He wants You to know
You're an overcomer
The same Man, the Great I am
The one who overcame death
Is living inside of You
So just hold tight, fix your eyes
On the one who holds your life
There's nothing He can't do
He's telling You
You're an overcomer.
It gives me such a peace filled spirit to know that I am an overcomer. How awesome is it that we don't have to stay where we were or who we have been?? We can all be overcomers through Christ and the grace and mercy that he offers us freely.
He doesn't want us carrying the heavy loads of our sin and past regrets. He wants us to give those burdens to him and be free. Jesus loves us so much that he carried our load for us and doesn't want us to suffer as he did, we just have to hand it over. It says in Ephesians 1:7 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace".
Once we lay our sin at God's feet and ask for forgiveness, he takes it from us and it is gone. I saw this quote the other day and it really hit home for me. "If you haven’t left your burden with the Lord after you have prayed, all you have done is griped." (Robert Morris) Do you keep the things that you have asked God to relieve you of? I know that I am guilty of that sometimes.
I pray that we will be the overcomers that God wants us to be and are no longer burdened by our heavy loads. I will close with this verse that I feel sums it up perfectly. Revelation 3:21 "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne".
Friday, August 9, 2013
The Real Deal
In an act to accept my body and appreciate it for all it has done for me, I have begun to not get dressed right after my shower. Yes, you read that correctly, I stand there in all my nakedness while applying my makeup and fixing my hair. Now before you all become afraid that I am going to join a nudist colony, let me assure you that event is not EVER going happen! I am sharing this information with you because while doing this a thought occurred to me, this is me. This is the real me, uncovered with scars, stretchmarks, a little extra stuffing here and there, but overall I see a 40 something body with beautiful womanly curves that is strong and healthy. I want to be that real in all areas of my life, however I want that to be with clothes on!
What I am saying is that my heart and inner most thoughts are only known by myself and Jesus. Sure those who are close to me can see my heart through knowing me, along with my words and actions. But when I mess up by saying the wrong thing or doing something that causes someone hurt, others can't always see that my intentions were not that at all.
I screw up, we are not perfect people and that is the way God created us. The last thing that I want to do is hurt someone's feelings, especially those I love, but I do. And all that I can do in those times are to go to that person to apologize and ask them for forgiveness, ask for God's forgiveness and to forgive myself.
I want to be secure enough in who God created me to be that I can be my real self and not feel like I have to pretend to be someone I am not for people to accept me. God accepts me and knew exactly what he was doing when he created me and formed me in my Mother's womb. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, he tells me so in Psalm 139:14.
I believe that we are all created for certain purposes and to fill specific needs. I can minister to people about growing up in a broken home, going through divorces myself and how that affected me and my children, the heartbreak of having a loved one struggle with addictions, the struggles of raising children as a single parent and as a married parent. There are so many others things that I have been through in my life that I feel I can use to bring God glory and show the victories that have happened in my life. I feel like we go through the struggles in our lives to teach us to lean on God first and then to use our testimonies and victories to minister to others.
If we didn't have struggles and had all the answers why would we need God? I believe that he wants us to need him, he wants us to lean on him and he wants to give us what we need. Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". It really doesn't do anyone any good to pretend that we don't have problems in our lives and areas that we struggle. I think that it is easier to share ourselves with others and be honest with what is going on with us than it is to try to keep things hidden and inside.
We can't form deep relationships if we are not being open and letting others see the real us. I don't want surface friendships, I want deep honest true friendships. I want to be transparent to everyone who knows me so that they can see my heart and see Jesus shines all through me. I feel that we should be real and show our failures and flaws and to be accepting of others as they show us theirs. Are there some that will judge us, yes, but God is bigger and so is the work that he created in us. Let's live on faith and trust that God knew what he was doing when he created us and be the women/men that he designed us to be. To live boldly and freely.
Three things that I want to be said about me after I leave this world are, "She was a good and faithful servant, she loved and she was the real deal".
What I am saying is that my heart and inner most thoughts are only known by myself and Jesus. Sure those who are close to me can see my heart through knowing me, along with my words and actions. But when I mess up by saying the wrong thing or doing something that causes someone hurt, others can't always see that my intentions were not that at all.
I screw up, we are not perfect people and that is the way God created us. The last thing that I want to do is hurt someone's feelings, especially those I love, but I do. And all that I can do in those times are to go to that person to apologize and ask them for forgiveness, ask for God's forgiveness and to forgive myself.
I want to be secure enough in who God created me to be that I can be my real self and not feel like I have to pretend to be someone I am not for people to accept me. God accepts me and knew exactly what he was doing when he created me and formed me in my Mother's womb. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, he tells me so in Psalm 139:14.
I believe that we are all created for certain purposes and to fill specific needs. I can minister to people about growing up in a broken home, going through divorces myself and how that affected me and my children, the heartbreak of having a loved one struggle with addictions, the struggles of raising children as a single parent and as a married parent. There are so many others things that I have been through in my life that I feel I can use to bring God glory and show the victories that have happened in my life. I feel like we go through the struggles in our lives to teach us to lean on God first and then to use our testimonies and victories to minister to others.
If we didn't have struggles and had all the answers why would we need God? I believe that he wants us to need him, he wants us to lean on him and he wants to give us what we need. Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". It really doesn't do anyone any good to pretend that we don't have problems in our lives and areas that we struggle. I think that it is easier to share ourselves with others and be honest with what is going on with us than it is to try to keep things hidden and inside.
We can't form deep relationships if we are not being open and letting others see the real us. I don't want surface friendships, I want deep honest true friendships. I want to be transparent to everyone who knows me so that they can see my heart and see Jesus shines all through me. I feel that we should be real and show our failures and flaws and to be accepting of others as they show us theirs. Are there some that will judge us, yes, but God is bigger and so is the work that he created in us. Let's live on faith and trust that God knew what he was doing when he created us and be the women/men that he designed us to be. To live boldly and freely.
Three things that I want to be said about me after I leave this world are, "She was a good and faithful servant, she loved and she was the real deal".
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Gift of Children
When I was pregnant with my first child, I don't remember anyone explaining to me that there would be challenges ahead when that child got older. I don't recall them explaining to me that the child would have a personality and thoughts of his own that I would have to work with or try to work around. I do remember that I foolishly thought the most challenging parts of child raising would be potty training and keeping him clothed. I can say that 23 years later I know so much more about parenting, but I am also learning more everyday.
I can acknowledge that I was a challenging child. I was stubborn, strong-willed, a little crazy and a lot wild. I did not make it easy on my parents to raise me and set me on the right path. Through my actions and choices, I threw a lot of roadblocks in the path that they tried to set me on. However, I survived. The road has been bumpy and I have made a few u-turns, but I have learned a lot of life lessons. Those lessons help me now with my children that are in their own individual ways, doing the same to me as I did my parents.
Why should it surprise me that I have some children that have that same spirit that I do? Is it hereditary or environmental? I don't know the answers, but I do know that I am thankful for my faith and that I can lean on my Heavenly Father to guide me through the parenting challenges I face. Unfortunately, there is not a parent how to guide that you can turn to a certain page to solve the problem of the moment. But fortunately, we have a loving God that we can cry out to, lean on and trust that he will get us through.
We are told in Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight". I have learned to lean into God and ask him to lead me, give me clarity and wisdom in situations with my kids and to most of all protect them. I have to remind myself that my kids are really his kids, that I have been blessed to have for a moment in time.
I don't know why he chose me to raise these 4 particular children, but I do know that I am thankful that he did. Sometimes they bring me frustration and my heart hurts for them or because of them, but they each mostly bring me such blessings and joy. The love for my children is like no other love I know, I can't imagine how I could love them more or measure that love.
Maybe Jesus gave them to me so that I could get a taste of the love he has for me..... Whatever the reason and whatever the latest problem or issue that I have with one of my kids, I do know that I will praise him and be thankful that they are mine. "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O most High". Psalm 9: 1-2.
The world is changing so fast and is reaching for my children in different ways. As I begin to get scared and worry about my kids, I will remind myself to turn to Jesus. We can't always protect them and make them do what is right. What we can do is share our wisdom and our life experiences with them. Most importantly we can constantly pray over them and remember that our Heavenly Father has us all in the palms of his hand. Thank you Jesus!!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Encouragement
Encourage means to contribute to the progress or growth, to give hope or courage and to spur on. I want to mention how encouraged I feel by the support my friends have given me in starting this blog. The support you all gave me has truly blessed me and I appreciate each of you.
Sometimes it is so hard to feel in encouraged because the world tries to make everything a competition. I see it all around in magazines, on tv or even hear it in conversations, how to be the best at ____________. It seems we are all trying to be the best wife and mom, the best volunteer, the most organized, the greatest at whatever and it puts so much pressure on our spirits. I don't believe that we were made to compete with each other and try to "out-do" other people.
I believe that we are supposed to encourage each other and lift each other up. Competition makes me feel like I can't trust others, that I am on my own and that I can't show my hand or share my heart. It helps to isolate us because we feel that if we show weakness, the one or ones we are "competing" with will be able to take advantage of that weakness.
I don't want to compete with others, especially those that God specifically put in my life. I certainly don't want those people to feel that I am competing with them. I want to be a source of encouragement and support and I want to have that from those in my circle.
I love Romans 12. It describes spiritual acts of worship as well as how we should work together with others. We are not made the same, we all have special and unique talents that are to work together to serve God. We aren't supposed to compete over who is the better giver, leader and who does more serving. I believe we are to use our gifts and talents to work as one body to serve God and others.
The following scriptures stood out to me on this topic. Hebrews 3:13, "But encourage one another daily" and Romans 15:4-7 "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God".
I pray that we can all be a source of encouragement and be that spirit of unity. We are all of one body, formed to work together to bring good things to each other and lift one another up. I also pray that we can reach out to one another when we do need encouragement and that we will not let fear keep us isolated from our sisters and brothers in Christ. Another favorite scripture comes to mind, 2 Timothy 1:7 "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline".
Be encouraged friends, God is on your side and so am I!!
Sometimes it is so hard to feel in encouraged because the world tries to make everything a competition. I see it all around in magazines, on tv or even hear it in conversations, how to be the best at ____________. It seems we are all trying to be the best wife and mom, the best volunteer, the most organized, the greatest at whatever and it puts so much pressure on our spirits. I don't believe that we were made to compete with each other and try to "out-do" other people.
I believe that we are supposed to encourage each other and lift each other up. Competition makes me feel like I can't trust others, that I am on my own and that I can't show my hand or share my heart. It helps to isolate us because we feel that if we show weakness, the one or ones we are "competing" with will be able to take advantage of that weakness.
I don't want to compete with others, especially those that God specifically put in my life. I certainly don't want those people to feel that I am competing with them. I want to be a source of encouragement and support and I want to have that from those in my circle.
I love Romans 12. It describes spiritual acts of worship as well as how we should work together with others. We are not made the same, we all have special and unique talents that are to work together to serve God. We aren't supposed to compete over who is the better giver, leader and who does more serving. I believe we are to use our gifts and talents to work as one body to serve God and others.
The following scriptures stood out to me on this topic. Hebrews 3:13, "But encourage one another daily" and Romans 15:4-7 "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God".
I pray that we can all be a source of encouragement and be that spirit of unity. We are all of one body, formed to work together to bring good things to each other and lift one another up. I also pray that we can reach out to one another when we do need encouragement and that we will not let fear keep us isolated from our sisters and brothers in Christ. Another favorite scripture comes to mind, 2 Timothy 1:7 "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline".
Be encouraged friends, God is on your side and so am I!!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Restore
I was thinking of the word restore this morning and what being restored means through Christ. When I think of restore, I think of it as a reset of sorts. Like when I really understood and accepted God's grace and forgiveness for my sins, it felt like I was restored back to new. My spirit felt restored back to freedom in life without fear and insecurities. And also restored from being worn out and exhausted by life and all it throws at me. Basically my spirit felt at peace and refreshed.
I looked up the word restore and found these definitions: return to original condition, return to life, get or give new life or energy, and meaning to be refreshed.
These two verses explain a little of what I feel God wants me to think about the word restore. Psalm 51:12 says "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me". And in Psalm 23:3 "He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake".
These verses say to me that God wants us to be restored and energized. He wants to bring us new life, back to where we were before our sins and heart hurts. He doesn't want us worn down, He wants us to be free!
Thankfully, through Christ, I can find the reset button when I need it and be refreshed & restored. We can find those things when we spend time with God and reading in His word. He loves us more than we can imagine and wants us to be restored in him.
Do you need to find the reset button? Look to our Loving Father and cry out to HIM, he will answer you and give you what you need.
I looked up the word restore and found these definitions: return to original condition, return to life, get or give new life or energy, and meaning to be refreshed.
These two verses explain a little of what I feel God wants me to think about the word restore. Psalm 51:12 says "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me". And in Psalm 23:3 "He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake".
These verses say to me that God wants us to be restored and energized. He wants to bring us new life, back to where we were before our sins and heart hurts. He doesn't want us worn down, He wants us to be free!
Thankfully, through Christ, I can find the reset button when I need it and be refreshed & restored. We can find those things when we spend time with God and reading in His word. He loves us more than we can imagine and wants us to be restored in him.
Do you need to find the reset button? Look to our Loving Father and cry out to HIM, he will answer you and give you what you need.
Monday, August 5, 2013
21 Days of Prayer
Our church has started a new series on prayer and today begins 21 days of prayer. So I began today with a prayer from an open, joyful and thankful heart. I prayed for a light to my path and that I will be a God pleasing woman. I also want to be a prayerful woman that is consistent in talking to God.
I prayed for my husband to have discernment and wisdom, that he can prioritize his daily tasks. I also prayed that he can clearly see his steps ahead to make him efficient and productive at work and that on the weekends he can get rest.
I pray that my children can hear the voice of God and will learn to follow that voice to do the right things. And that they will have a strong confidence and security in who they are in the Lord.
I also prayed that we all go to God first when making decisions and choices and follow the plan and direction that He has for us. I hope that we shine the light of Jesus for everyone to see and that we will live out His will.
I looked up some verses regarding prayer and wanted to note the ones that stood out the most to me.
I will start with one of my favorites, 1 Thessalonians 15:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. Psalms 6:9
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me. Psalms 86:5-7
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:24-25
I prayed for my husband to have discernment and wisdom, that he can prioritize his daily tasks. I also prayed that he can clearly see his steps ahead to make him efficient and productive at work and that on the weekends he can get rest.
I pray that my children can hear the voice of God and will learn to follow that voice to do the right things. And that they will have a strong confidence and security in who they are in the Lord.
I also prayed that we all go to God first when making decisions and choices and follow the plan and direction that He has for us. I hope that we shine the light of Jesus for everyone to see and that we will live out His will.
I looked up some verses regarding prayer and wanted to note the ones that stood out the most to me.
I will start with one of my favorites, 1 Thessalonians 15:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. Psalms 6:9
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me. Psalms 86:5-7
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:24-25
To Sow and Reap
I was having a conversation with a friend on Friday about a book he is reading, Sparkling Gems by Rick Renner. This book breaks down Greek words in an attempt to make understanding the meaning of verses in the Bible easier. It picks certain words and verses each day to break down and works like a daily devotional.
The day's topic was on sowing and reaping. It described how we usually think of the following verse as talking about our finances. 2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. The author brought us to the idea that we sow and reap in all areas of our lives.
For instance, you sow anger then you usually reap anger back. Or you sow joy and you will reap joy back. These verses comes to mind, Job 4:8 As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it., Proverbs 11:18 The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. The definition of sow: to plant seed for growth especially by scattering or to set something in motion. The definition of reap: to get something as a result of something that you have done.
I have been really thinking about the sowing and reaping thing since this discussion on Friday and the fact that it really does apply to all areas of our lives. You sow the word into your spirit by reading God's word daily and spending time with Him, you reap a closer relationship with Him. You sow loving and caring for your husband, you reap your husband loving and caring for you.
It can also go to your relationship with other people and friends, you sow openness and trust into them and you will reap that back. You sow walls around your heart and you will reap bumping into walls put up by others. It applies to your children, parents, job and pretty much every area of your life.
I decided to really think about the thing that bothers me most in my life and see if I could make a correlation with it. That thing for me is my body and how I have disliked how I look and my weight/size for the last 14 or so years. I have tried so many diets and exercise plans and though they may work for a while, nothing has been long lasting. I feel that God has brought to my mind the fact that all these years I have sown into my spirit how much I hate my body and how I have found it disgusting to look at or for others to see. To be honest I have had people that I love say that they hate I have let my body get fat or are sad to see me this big, but by far my biggest critic and body hater champion is me.
When I dig deep it seems so sad and crazy to me that I would hate this body that has done so many miraculous things for me. I have carried and given birth to beautiful and healthy children. I am able to do whatever I want physically because I have all my limbs, senses and am a relatively healthy woman. I just happened upon this verse while doing my daily Bible reading last week and it is like a slap to my face. Ephesians 5:29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church, 30 for we are members of His body. It doesn't make sense for me to hate my body, a body that has really not done anything to harm me. The only real crime is that my body carries more weight on it than I want and because of that I have fat rolls and dimples in my thighs.
So could it be that I have being sowing a hate for my own body so long and am reaping back the thing that I hate most?? Can my body shed this extra weight and feel healthier if I begin to sow healthy, loving thoughts to myself instead?? I wonder these things, not as another attempt to lose fat and be a better size, but as an attempt to feel as one with my body and for it to feel healthier and lighter. I may never lose the 20-30 pounds that I want or to wear a size 6 or 8 again, my goal is to be okay with that. I am praying that I can accept and love my body where it is and for all it does for me. If weight comes off, that will be a bonus.
Now that I have had these ideas placed in me, I am now responsible for changing what I reap by changing what I sow. I am going to stop myself when I see that I am sowing negative thoughts towards myself and turn those thoughts to positive ones. I am going to sow time, patience, love and openness with my children. I am going to sow grace, mercy and understanding into to others. There are so many other things that I want to sow and that I hope to reap, but these are a good place to start.
What do you see in your life that you are reaping that you want to change? Can you start a list of changes that you need to make to what you sow on a daily basis? I believe that we can change our lives and the lives of those around us if we pay more attention to the basic principle of you reap what you sow.
I want to be a God pleaser!
I was reading Galations 1:10 this week and wanted to share what spoke to my heart. We as people can be impossible to please. It seems a lot of us try to be "people pleasers" and that truly should not be where our focus is and our goal.
We all screw up and are not perfect and because of that someone will always be disappointed or hurt by our actions and/or the action of others. I have found that when I let others down or hurt them it messes with my heart and my security. What I mean is that the guilt and/or shame of that action or words that I spoke that hurt another can fire up my insecurities and feelings of being a failure. You know that thought of "I always screw up" or "I never say or do the right things", they make me feel like worthless and I just want to wilt away. The devil loves nothing more than to pounce on those feelings and whisper lies to our spirits to try and make us believe all those things.
So in reading that scripture and really meditating on it, I realized that I will continue to say the wrong things and hurt people. I am not saying that we should not be concerned with people's feelings and not try to help others when needs arise. I am saying that we should look to the reason that we are doing what we do and make sure that our hearts are in the right place, the serving God place. The one we should try to please is the only one that truly loves us unconditionally, knows our hearts and created us to be the imperfect messes that we are. We should not be people pleasers, but should be God pleasers. People will let us down and we will let others down, but if our focus is on being pleasing to God, He will use all our actions for His purpose.
When we are real and transparent, screw ups and all, our hearts and our Jesus shine through. If we mess up, we should apologize to the person and to God and let it go so we can learn from it and move on. God doesn't want us to beat ourselves up and stay in our dark places, He wants us to boldly go where He leads us with the fearless security that He put in us.
I want to remember that God knows my heart and if I am walking the path that He has laid before me, I am headed the right way. So I pray that I will be a God pleaser and a bonus to that could just be that people are blessed by my actions and want to become a God pleaser too.
We all screw up and are not perfect and because of that someone will always be disappointed or hurt by our actions and/or the action of others. I have found that when I let others down or hurt them it messes with my heart and my security. What I mean is that the guilt and/or shame of that action or words that I spoke that hurt another can fire up my insecurities and feelings of being a failure. You know that thought of "I always screw up" or "I never say or do the right things", they make me feel like worthless and I just want to wilt away. The devil loves nothing more than to pounce on those feelings and whisper lies to our spirits to try and make us believe all those things.
So in reading that scripture and really meditating on it, I realized that I will continue to say the wrong things and hurt people. I am not saying that we should not be concerned with people's feelings and not try to help others when needs arise. I am saying that we should look to the reason that we are doing what we do and make sure that our hearts are in the right place, the serving God place. The one we should try to please is the only one that truly loves us unconditionally, knows our hearts and created us to be the imperfect messes that we are. We should not be people pleasers, but should be God pleasers. People will let us down and we will let others down, but if our focus is on being pleasing to God, He will use all our actions for His purpose.
When we are real and transparent, screw ups and all, our hearts and our Jesus shine through. If we mess up, we should apologize to the person and to God and let it go so we can learn from it and move on. God doesn't want us to beat ourselves up and stay in our dark places, He wants us to boldly go where He leads us with the fearless security that He put in us.
I want to remember that God knows my heart and if I am walking the path that He has laid before me, I am headed the right way. So I pray that I will be a God pleaser and a bonus to that could just be that people are blessed by my actions and want to become a God pleaser too.
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