A Womans Heart

“A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.”
― Maya Angelou

This is one of my most favorite quotes..because there is so much truth to it. When a woman gives her heart to God she experiences the true meaning of love and companionship. He teaches us the standard at which we should hold every man that wants a piece of our heart. When we are hidden in Him only the men that seek God can truly appreciate how valuable a womans love is. Today we are all so quick to give our hearts to any guy that we are attracted to without asking ourselves if they are willing to work for it and treat it with the care that God intends for it to be treated. If we fix our eyes on Him and trust Him, He will equip us with the wisdom to know.

Luke 7:47

"She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal the gratitude is minimal." MSG

Sometimes the bigger the screw up the harder it is to forgive ourselves. We are our worst critic when it comes to messing up big time. Then when we surrender to God and allow him to cleanse us and forgive us, we experience His perfect grace. With Gods forgiveness we realize how big our screw ups were and how big His grace is. To be forgiven of the big things often makes us more grateful for the grace of God. If we are "good" in our minds and God forgives us, we tend to brush it off as no big deal cause the sin to us is not huge. God loves to show us how much he loves us no matter the mistakes and screw ups we have made. When we feel as though God could never love us or forgive what we have done...he steps in with his unfailing love and erases our slate. Then we experience the true gratitude that comes with forgiveness.

Matthew 6:25

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

As the holiday season approaches so does the stress. The need to get things done, gifts bought, decorations up, tasks done that need to be finished, etc....that I feel we lose sight of the season. This is the season of the most miraculous birth that ever took place. Not just a birth of a child but our Saviour. We lose so much of our lives to worry...then when we are at times worry free we worry that we should be worried about something..I read somewhere that psychologists use reverse psychology when dealing with anxiety...they tell their patients to pick a certain time of day to designate to worrying...instead of worrying all the time..they can only worry for that period of time. This supposedly frees the mind to focus on more important things. This allows for proper focus on tasks that deserve our full attention. Same goes for this holiday...instead of worrying excessively about how to get everything done, making everyone happy, and all other daily stressors...remember that Jesus was born...God was planning our salvation and carrying out the plan to save us..So take time...set back and reflect on what is a joyous time of year and thank God for saving us and being the maker of our future. He is in control so cast all worries on him and enjoy the season.

Isaiah 61:10-11

"I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul. He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of rigteousness, as a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For the Earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, so the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display for nations." MSG

I was reading this scripture today and often times if I have trouble understanding it specifically I will look at other versions such as The Message. I really liked this interpretation.
It pretty much says that God doesn't do anything halfway....He likes to show off =) He likes beautiful things and to transform ugly into beauty. When we see drab, dirty, filthy garments...He takes those away and clothes us with beautiful robes of righteousness and salvation...How great is that? And if thats not enough he shows it off to the entire world. He doesn't do anything halfway.
This also made me realize that in everything we do we need to go all out...don't become lazy...but do everything with everything we have and make it shine so people will know God is behind it.

Starting Over

Nothing like getting a second chance....a do-over...or simply a fresh start..  In Lamenations 3:21-23 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have Hope: Because the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
God tells us he is faithful to us...he never leaves..in him we have hope and his compassion is new every morning!! He gives us second chances =) Another way I look at this too is letting go of things that are hindering your life...sometimes we need to just start over..what ends up happening is when we give up those things...new things are able to come into our lives that are far better than the other.

Psalm 27:4-5

"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me and set me high on a rock.

If we draw near to God and dwell in his presence he will keep us safe...He will rescue us in our time of troubles and set us on high...How great is that =) Love this verse

“You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It wont happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ‘I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.”
― Joel Osteen
 Probably one of the hardest yet very true realities. There are a lot of times in our lives when we have to just move on...let things go that are hindering our lives and trust that God is in control no matter the situation. We cant make people act a certain way, cause a situation to turn out the way we planned, or make the sunrise for that matter....we just have to trust that God knows whats best and can do all things. When we realize this...then we open the door for good things that God has for us. So even though it may be a lil rough right now...ur blessing is right around the corner =)

"I encourage you to believe for things that are so big that they take God’s favor, blessings and divine intervention to make them a reality." Joel Osteen

I love that Joel is so encouraging. We often times don't believe that God will do the little stuff in our lives let alone the things we feel are unreachable. But believing that God can and will do the impossible takes FAITH. If we have faith that he will move mountains God will move mountains. I am more excited today than ever that those mountains will be moved in the areas of my life. I have had to let a lot of things goooo....and in letting those things go I can allow God to move in those areas. Those things were hindering Gods best for my life. Now I can start anew and allow God fulfill the desires he has placed in my heart! =))

As C.S. Lewi explained, there are two kinds of people in the end...those who say to the Father,"thy will be done," or those to whom the Father says,"thy will be done."

There is so much truth to this. Often times we want what God wants but we want what we want more....and then we rationalize it in our heads to make ourselves feel it is what God wants. We need to put all feelings, peoples advice, and our flesh to the side and allow the Holy Spirit full reign over our lives. God is there to guide us but if we choose to make our own decisions and not to follow him then he will allow us to do that. But we will also suffer the consequences of our actions. Not saying that we cant ask for forgiveness and follow God but we have to be willing to lay it all down.

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

We are Gods masterpieces =) That is awesome if you really think about it. He could create anything he wanted and he made us his masterpiece. Makes me want to stand up straighter and fix up a lil bit =) but whats so great is that he loves us just as we are. We are all beautiful in his eyes. He loves our imperfections. All those things about us that other people find annoying....he loves. He also laid out a plan for each of our lives and gives us the blueprint (the Word) all we have to do is build it!! Cherish it and love one another as he loves us. Sounds pretty simple right? I still manage to mess it up... but thats when he steps in as daddy and picks me up and sets me back on his path. He is forever forgiving and readily offering his grace. He knows we are going to mess up...we aren't perfect..but he is quick to forgive. Makes me wonder why people resist that kind of love. I never want to be without him a day in my life. He is and always will be the one who holds my heart.

Nahum 1:7

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him."

Trust...Trust...Trust....seems to be a common theme in the scriptures...I guess God knew we would have trouble with this one =) I know I have..I still have waves that come but I have learned to speak Gods word against it when it rears its ugly head. If we would just follow his word and not question it we wouldnt have as many issues as we do. But we allow our emotions to get in the way and that turns in to questioning Gods will and then we end up messing everything up because we allowed our flesh to get between us and God. Sometimes we try to fix the problems ourselves because we don't like the way God fixes it. This leads us on a path of destruction that God ends up having to make a detour back to the path he had us on in the first place. Whats so wonderful though is that God is always there with an outstretched arm to pick us up and put us right back on track. He is faithful, loves unconditionally, and has our very best interest at heart. All we have to do is follow his Word, allow the Holy Spirit full reign, and love Jesus with all our hearts.

Romans 5:5

"And hope does not put us to shame because Gods love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

This scripture wowed me when I read it....the more I read it the bigger the impact on me. I was thinking about the rejection blog I did a while back because rejection has been on my heart lately. I never really thought about it til now and have realized the impact it has on a person. Rejection packs a punch that only God can shield. Rejection is the root to a lot of unhappiness. The result of rejection is the inability to recieve love from others and the inability to communicate love back to them. I mean think about it....our hearts are guarded....we get sick and tired of being torn down that we end up trying to beat the other person to the punch and rejecting them first. It becomes a war of who can get who first before we get had ourselves. We are then unable to love people the way God commanded us to Love....with divine love. Divine love is putting others before ourselves. Loving without condition. Loving in spite of how the other person makes us feel. Unselfishly...We must allow the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and then through building Godly character we are able to outsource divine love to people. In order for God to heal our hearts we must start with forgiveness...when we forgive it releases the hold rejection has. When the hold is gone God can start mending our hearts...mending relationships...then when our hearts are whole we can start loving with our whole heart...when we love with our whole heart we then experience divine love..I dont know about anyone else but I want to experience that. I want to love people without condition and be loved that way also..So...start asking God to change you...ask forgiveness and offer forgiveness...mend relationships and Love with your whole mended heart =)

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

I have really been trusting in him with all my heart. I thought I was before but I would trust him during the morning and then by mid afternoon all of those doubts would start to creep in...I'd try to rationalize the stuff in my head and then I would be right back at square one. After I watched Joel Osteen one morning...he was talking about trusting God with all your heart, praying for favor in those areas, and then having faith that God would provide. So I started doing that. I wake up in the morning, I pray, and I tell God that he knows my needs, my path he has laid out for me, and the desires of my heart cause he placed them there..Anytime those feelings start to creep in I repeat those to God...and he always comforts me. I know he knows whats best for me so I trust in him to provide and bring nothing but the very best in my life. So now I don't worry about those things. He knows what he's doing and we get in trouble when we start leaning on our own understanding. He is bigger than any circumstance and will bring forth his ultimate best!!

Food for thought =)

Sorry I missed my blog last night... I think the mere exhaustion caught up with me!! I have had a lot of things on my mind lately. One of the things I have been thinking about is the food we eat. Almost every person I encounter has the same ailments....high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, heartburn etc....I started thinking...God created us...thus he must have created us to survive disease or at least be able to ward off disease. Mom shared a scripture with me on Sunday that really confirmed my thoughts with scripture...Daniel 1:8 says,
"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your^[a] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
 ¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” ¹⁴ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
 ¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. ¹⁶ So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
So it was confirmed to me that God created all these wonderful foods of the earth for us to make us strong and able to ward of disease. All these diseases that people have today are all diet related. It is a known fact that cholesterol can only be obtained in animal based products...what causes heart disease...cholesterol. Cholesterol cannot be obtained in vegetables or fruits.. I just found it interesting that God reinterates that we need to be conscious of what we eat. Not saying that everyone should go vegetarian but be aware of how much bad food we eat. Because we can prevent and reverse disease. Just a thought!!

Psalm 61:2

"From the ends of the Earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

There are things that happen in life that you just have to take a pause and wonder "WHY?" Why did this happen, why did I get sick, why did a loved one die, etc...Everyone has those moments. One thing that is of upmost importance is to trust God. Bad things happen....its called evil..God is not evil. He loves us. He wants us to be living in his blessings. Whenever your heart is so broken that you feel it can't possibly recover...pick up the pieces and crawl to the rock. God will be your strength. He will lift you up in your darkest hour. He wants to be your shield. He wants to pour out his blessing on your life and be your light in the dark. Cry out to him and allow him to set you on high.

Exodus 34:10

"Then the Lord said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all you people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world.The people you live among will see how awesome is the work the I, the Lord, will do for you."

I was watching Joel Osteen this afternoon and he was talking about how God always does greater things in our future than he has done in our pasts. To rise every morning and declare his favor over our lives. This is so true. God will bring forth amazing things in our lives, things we would not believe if someone told us. All we have to do is have faith in him and declare it in our lives.

In Ephesians 2:4 "Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by GRACE you have been saved."

We are not deserving of anything but God, because he loves us so much, wants to pour out his blessings on our lives. He wants to bring forth the impossible so we will know with Him ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE...So declare his favor and that his blessings will exceed the blessings of your past!!

Granny =)

Spent the day today celebrating my Granny Opals' 94th birthday. It is so amazing to me how well she is doing. She still has a great sense of humor and a sparkle in her eye. I remember as a kid wanting to pratically move in with her. When our family would go visit her I would run and jump in her bed and pretend to be asleep so mom and dad would let me stay...it never worked. I was thinking about her life today (the part I know since I've been alive) and the one thing that comes to my mind is "servant." She, as long as I've known her, has served people. From watching her numerous grandkids, to pratically raising others, to cooking meals everytime we came over. She has always put others needs before her own. She never thought twice about it. It was just her nature to put others first. She has a tremendously kind spirit and is a joy to be near. I know that God is proud of her. She has served him all her life. I hope to one day have people look back on my life and look at it the same. I want to be known as a servant. She has touched my life without even realizing it. She has truly lived her 94 yrs making sure others felt loved. So I wanted to dedicate this blog to one amazing, beautiful, and most loving grandmother....Opal.

Luke 7:13

"When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."

This was Jesus showing compassion to a woman whose son had died and they were having his funeral. He saw her broken heart. She probably had already lost all hope and didn't know that Jesus had even seen her. Jesus heard her cry and had compassion for her in her lowest time. I have not been to that low but I know there are people that have. Jesus sees all our hurt and wants to have compassion on us. He wants to mend our hearts from all the pain and afflictions. We may feel like Jesus isn't even looking at our situation but he is. He sees all our pain. He wants to be our deliverer. It reminded me of that song "my deliverer is coming, my deliverer is standing by." He is standing by waiting to catch us, heal us, and carry us. Have you ever had your kids say I love you this much and they hold out their arms as wide as they can? Imagine God saying it and stretching out his arms as wide as he can...its almost unimaginable how far his arms can reach. But he loves us that much.

Ecclesiastes 7:8

"The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride."

I read this at first and did not quite get it but I re-read it and then it hit me...When we start a journey that the Lord leads us on the beginning is sometimes rough...tough decisions, outcomes, and a testing of faith usually. When things don't go our way...pride sets in. "I don't need them or this situation." You start rationalizing with the flesh instead of listening to the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we veer off course because the end result is not happening in our time. We want the end NOW...but what I realized and keep telling myself is this...if we allow God to work, have patience and faith that he knows best...the end will be sweeter than we imagined. I have been struggling with this in a certain area of my life but lately I have just thanked God for knowing what I need now and in the future and trusting Him to bring it to pass. He will always do what he promises and whats best. I love that he is in control of everything so I don't have to worry about anything!

Deuteronomy 11:22-25

"If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow- love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him. Then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours; Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebenon, and from the Euphrates river to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go."
Gods promises to us if we only love him, obey him, and hold fast to him. I really needed this today.

Discouragement

Oh I was reading the Bible tonight and this really stuck out to me...
Jeremiah 15:18 "Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?"

The Lord said, "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to these people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will not overcome you, For I am with you to rescue and save you."

Have you ever or even now had a wound in your heart from someone or something? An aching from a broken relationship, rejection, or failure? Have you cried out to God in agony for him to rescue you and you still feel that the wound just won't heal? God says if you repent...and this means really repent for your role in it (this could be just mere unforgiveness in your heart towards the person) then he will rescue you and save you. He will heal those wounds, he will carry those burdens, and he will save you. We want God to take hurt away immediately but usually what keeps us from attaining relief is the unforgiveness and inability on our part to repent. I know what your thinking cause I have had the same thoughts before...THEY did this to me...I didn't ask for it so why should I forgive them? Well its as simple as this....until you forgive that person God can't forgive you. He can't help your heart to heal until he has full access to it. If you have one ounce of bitterness towards that person then he doesn't have your whole heart. Until you lay it down fully and allow him to pick it up your heart will always ache. It will remain broken. Then it begins to eat at you like a cancer and totally change you. I know this because I have experienced it...It is so hard to forgive someone we feel is undeserving but what we have to remember is God forgives us and not one of us is deserving. He even gave his only son as a sacrifice in order to forgive our sins. You can forgive...and when you fully forgive...you will fully be healed....

Romans 15:5-6

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

God is all about unity. We must first be united with Him and have a relationship with Him then once we make God our number one we can develop relationships that will unite us with other people. Without God first we are unable to love another person the way they should be loved. We have to become selfless instead of selfish. And with these relationships we are able to glorify God with unity. Matthew 18:20 says, "where there are two or more gathered in my name there am I with them. God loves unity. Thats why he made 2 of everything...and why he loves families. We are meant to be united. Even in the church..we are to be united in worship, prayer,and teachings.
Have a relationship with God and he will show you how to have relationships with others...and with those relationships God will be glorified =)

Isaiah 61:2

"To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn."

This is the year for rebuilding, comfort of the brokenhearted, and a year of praising God for all the good he has done and continues to do. He wants to go ahead of us and light our path and trample our enemies. He wants to give us messages of Joy instead of doom. So wake up with thanks in your heart and praise on your lips that our God is in control.

Psalm 17:7

"Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes."

God shows us his great love by his grace and saves us by his grace. I have found out here lately that not all people are out for your good. There are some people that relish in the disappointment of others, jealousy is their main agenda, and they think only of themselves. Our job in these situations is to react in love. Be kind. Show them the nature of Jesus through our reactions. Take refuge under Gods wing. Let him deal with their hearts and just forgive them. We get into trouble when we think we can change people. It isn't our job to change them its Gods. It is our job to ask God to change us and to help us react in love. I know sometimes its easier said than done but thats when we have to humble ourselves and just let it go. Give it to God...and know that he will take care of us.

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans."

I remember when I was in my first few years of college I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to major in. One thing I always said I would never be is a nurse. After I had taken every prerequisite course I could before I had to declare a major, I had to decide what to do..My mother suggested that I "just" apply to the RN program to see if I get in....I soooo did not want to but I did to appease her. Low and behold I got a phone call that I was in...I really was happy and apprehensive all at the same time..here if I went ahead with this I would potentially put all this work into it for something I would hate doing. I did it anyway...I ended up loving it..I worked in the OR for years and thats where I decided I wanted to pursue the CRNA profession. I had no idea how I would accomplish this with 2 small kids but I took one day at a time and one goal at a time. Here I am now in my almost last year =) of CRNA school. The point to this whole story is this...God had and has a plan for my life and yours. I couldn't see past my nose but God sees everything. He knew where to establish me in every aspect...form the OR to the ICU to the school. He knew what was best for me. I have committed my way to him and I still know that everywhere he sends me I will get the experience I need to be successful in this new profession. I trust him to bring about in my life the best for my life. I may question sometimes and thats ok because we are human and can't understand everything but I know that if i continue to commit my way to him I will come into the blessings he has for me. So commit your way to him, give him your all, lay every aspect of your life down and let Him pick it up and do whats best for you. I guarentee you will never regret it.

Like Water off a Ducks Back =)

Proverbs 12:16
"Fools show their annoyance at once but the prudent overlook an insult."

Been lovin me some Proverbs this week. So many lessons that make a whole lot of sense but we seem to convienently overlook them. This was another struggle of mine...shocker..you all get to find out about a lot of my short comings. How many times a day do we have confrontations with people...how many times do we let people or situations stress us out...oh man I used to a lot...Just driving down the road...the person in front of me never knew how to drive in my opinion..either they were slow as grandpa on a Sunday drive or were a maniac cause they were going to fast...you all can relate I know. I used to react immediately to every situation. I stayed stressed out!! I remember God humbling me one day real quick..I was on my way to class in Harrogate. I was at my exit on the interstate and the light to turn was green...so I was flying to make the light. Well the car in front of me was stopped at a green light!! I was getting so mad that the car would not go...I remember totally bad mouthing her in my mind..I even honked the horn...when she finally turned I saw the reason she had stopped...it wasn't cause she wasn't paying attention..it wasn't cause she was on the phone...it was because she had stopped to give money to a homeless person on the side of the road =( I felt like a big loser...I remember knowing that was God saying....you need to calm down.!!! She was actually doing something God would want her to do and I was being horrible..I remember repenting immediately..The point to this rant is that if we overreact to every situation immediately we are only harming ourselves and displeasing God. Let the little stuff roll off your back...most of the time we blow it up way bigger than it is anyways. Be a servant...react in love..and let God humble us. You will find that you will be more happy than ever before. I am...and I'm not just saying that...I truly am the happiest I have ever been in my life..and its all because I am allowing God full control over my life. I am seeking him daily and have laid down my life for him to do his will in and through it. I love him wholeheartedly and want to please him wholeheartedly!!

Compassion

Psalm 51:1
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions."
Compassion....This was on my mind today. Especially in the field where you deal with people on a daily basis its hard to have compassion in certain circumstances. I have really been feeling compassion towards people. Its not our job to judge the decisions of others but if we would show people compassion then they will see Jesus nature through us. Jesus showed compassion all throughout the scriptures. He didn't heal the blind, sick, or people from the dead that "deserved" it..He had compassion on the people that didn't deserve it. He died for us all....and all of us are undeseving but he had compassion for us. People just need someone to show love to them. People respond to love. People do not respond to judgemental people or holier than thou...Love one another and practice showing compassion like Jesus would.

Choosing your words wisely =)

Proverbs 10:21
"The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense."

I have learned the hard way about putting my foot in my mouth so to speak. There was a time (I know this is a shocker =) ) that I really didn't care what came out of my mouth. I felt everyone was entitled to my opinion =) and then later regreted what I had said. I really never put much thought into if my words lifted people up or if they tore them down. God has really dealt with me in this area. I have to pause now and examine whether or not my words are Godly and encouraging. Even how I address my kids....we all go through stressors in life and the attitude/tone we take with our children can mean the difference in whether they feel loved or like an inconvienance. I want my kids to feel like they brighten my day just by getting to talk to them. A wise person is slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to anger. I never want to tear someone down with my words...there is no excuse because we choose our words. We can choose not to say them and choose to keep our trap shut =) Our words can kill us. Negativity, strife, contention, and selfishness can slowly eat away at our relationships, cause stress, and most of all displease God. Choose your words wisely, listen, and encourage people you encounter. It has done wonders for me. I am not stressed...I am probably the happiest I have ever been in my life and its all because of my relationship with Jesus. I want people to know that he is the absolute center of my life and the reason I have changed.

Psalm 36:7-9

"How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see the light."

Being in the midst of Jesus is the best place we can be. Everything of God is good. He loves us with a love that no human can comprehend. He is our strength and our refuge...nothing can harm us when we are on his path. The devil will try to devour us and make us feel alone but we are safe in Jesus. Jesus is our light in the darkness and our eyes in the fog. With Jesus we have eternal life and are heirs to the Son...How can we go wrong placing our trust in Jesus? We can't....let him carry your load and trust in him to work all things for his glory =)

The Nature of Jesus

The past few Sundays Brent has been teaching about the nature of Jesus. Jesus is many things, loving, kind, forgiving etc...this Sunday was about Jesus the servant. When we think about Jesus we think about his people serving him but Jesus serves us also...not by doing what we say but by hearing our cries, washing our feet, and most of all...dying for each one of us. Jesus didn't deserve to die but he died to serve as a sacrifice for our sins. Some of the scriptures Brent shared was Phillipians 2:5-8, " In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a SERVANT, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death---even death on a cross."
Jesus is Lord and yet he humbled himself and became a servant...to offer himself as a sacrifice for you, me and all human beings.
Luke 24:27 says, "For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? But I am among you as one who serves."
John 13:8 says, " No, said Peter, You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
John 13:13-17 says,"You call me teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash anothers feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
Our ultimate goal should be to take on the nature of Jesus. To allow the Holy Spirit to teach us to serve one another. It can be through many forms not just in acts but even in private by praying for people etc...I want Jesus to look at me and say, "well done my good and faithful servant."
Work on my heart father that I will be a servant...that my nature will be like yours. That I will humble myself and serve. 
Great Service....

Luke 1:45

"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her."

Faith seems to be the common theme throughout the scriptures. God loves our faith in him that he will fulfill his promises to us. We get into trouble when we look to other people to fulfill us instead of trusting God to do that. I am the worst one for that. I thought people would make me happy...but I realized that people come and go, they hurt you, love comes and goes, and happiness is fleeting....but God is faithful. God cares for us unconditionally. I want God to look at me and see my faith in him. I want to be blessed cause I love and trust him wholeheartedly. So know that God will do what he promises...He will be there when no one else is...and He will bless you for believing he will fulfill his word!

Romans 6:14

"For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law but under grace."

In the new covenant with God, we are not under the old covenant but we are under Gods grace. When God sent Jesus to die for our sins, we were immediately saved by grace. "Where sin abounded in the heart, grace did much more abound."  Grace is all that Jesus has done for us and continues to do for us and in us. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Grace is the gift of the new covenant with God. It is through the holy spirit that we experience all the good that God has for our lives. In His grace we have new hope. We know that God has taken our sin and made us new. It is through his grace that we are able to fully be free from the bondage of sin. Every mistake, every wrong turn, every poor judgement, and every sin is redeemed by Gods grace and Jesus love for us. God wants us to be blessed in our lives. He wants to fulfill all our needs and to show us that there is hope for the future. He wants to take all the mistakes of the past and turn them into treasures for the future. All we have to do is accept his grace and allow the holy spirit to work in us and through us and then we will live in abundance.

Gods Promises

I have been reading another good book called, "Gods promises Our benefits." It is all  about the covenant that God has made with us. In one part of the book it says, "Beware that your earnest Bible study, excellent books, or beloved teachers do not take the place of the Holy Spirit! Pray daily, perserveringly, and believingly for His teaching."
This is so true. We get so caught up in interpretations, teachings, and preachings that we don't listen to the holy spirit. We take other peoples interpretations as truth instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to work on our individual hearts. Don't rely on others for what God wants for your life... rely on God to reveal that to you himself.

Psalm 139:17-18

"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand. And when I wake up, you are still with me.

Its such a great feeling knowing that God constantly thinks about me! I am always on his mind and so are you... We are his most prized possessions! He never leaves our side and always has our future in mind. He wants whats best for us and blesses us daily. How can we not serve and love him with all our heart? I will always love him with all my heart =)

Advocacy

Job 16:19 "Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high."

I don't know about anyone else but I am glad God is my advocate. When I feel down or feel that nothing seems to be going my way I know that absolutely, God has my back. He always looks out for me and has my best interest at heart. He loves me no matter what. I really have been homesick here lately and its been hard to be away but I know that God has created this path for me and he puts me exactly where I need to be to gain the experience and knowledge to succeed. So I just need to thank him and be grateful he is in control and my advocate =)

Proverbs 23:19

"Listen, my son and be wise and set your heart on the right path."

I liked this verse when I read it because it is so easy to set out on the right path that God has for you but it is also very easy to be lured off that path. Having wisdom, asking for wisdom, and praying every step of the way will keep us on that path. Its also very easy for us to want something so bad that we think we can take a detour and then get back on the path without consequences. What ends up happening is that the detour is so full of rocks, bumps, and potholes that we end up needing to be pulled out of them. Our God is faithful to pull us out of them and to put us back on his path but if we would just trust him and stay right by his side we could avoid a lot of heartache. So use your map (Bible) and keep your eye on the prize...Jesus!

Mark 10:15-16

"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not recieve the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the childrenin his arms, put his hand on them and blessed them.

Children depend on their parents for everything. They need them to meet all their needs and keep them safe. Children also are very trusting and look at everyday situations with vulnerability. Adults tend to pick apart everything and weigh pros and cons. Our hearts have grown hard over the years from hurt and disappointment.We do not trust people and try to rationalize circumstances. God wants to be our daddy! He wants us to come to him and depend on him to meet all needs. He wants us to maintain the vulnerablity of a child. To look at situations with a positive attitude. He wants us to have a relationship with him and allow him to work out every aspect of our lives.

I was reminded of when I was a little girl and my mom got saved. We started attending a non-dnomination church. My mom was raised southern baptist and her brother had questioned her decision to attend this church. I was about 3years old at the time and barely remember this conversation. But as I listened to them discuss this I chimed in with my 3yr old wisdom and said to my uncle, "You know why I go to church? Because its the Lords house!" At three years old I didn't understand religion. All I understood was that I wanted to go to church because it was Gods house. I think about that now and know that is exactly why we go to church. To fellowship and be in Gods house. I also remember at 8 years old God was very real to me. I remember playing outside and singing to him and talking to him as if he was my best friend. He was and still is my best friend and my father. I think back at those times and remember I trusted him whole heartedly and knew there wasn't nothing to big for him. I want that back. I don't want my heart to be hardened or to rationalize or fix anything myself. I want to be that 3 yr old that knew her daddy could handle everything. So think back to when you were a child and try to approach your relationship with God like a child longing for a daddy.

Matthew 19:26

"Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

There are lots of times I have looked at situaions and thought...there is no way that will work out. I was looking at those situations with my human eyes when I should be looking at them through Gods eyes. Nothing is impossible for our God. Its when we put our hands in it and try to work things out ourselves that we end up messing everything up. If we will just allow him to work in us, through us, and for us we will see the blessings he has in store for us. Instead of doubt have faith that He is in control and let him work out all the details!

Psalms

The whole book of Psalm is about David in his time of loneliness and fear for his life when hiding from King Saul. In this darkest time for David is when he cried out to God and was the closest to him. The very first verse of Psalm David wrote, "Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
The best place to start when we are at our lowest and can't seem to find our way is crying out to God. Totally relinquesing every aspect of our life. Then remember Gods faithfulness, love, and mercy like David did. Ask God to show you his love, mercy, and faithfulness. Verbalize your fears to God. Talk to him and tell him every thought. He knows them anyway. We can't hid anything from Him. Then pray that Gods will be done in your life and worship him whole heartedly. And then set back and enjoy Gods blessings and thank him daily for all the blessings you already have. Psalm is considered a love song to God because in our time of need and when we cry out for him it is music to his ears. He wants to be our comforter, our deliverer, and our refuge. He takes pleasure in being our father. All we have to do in return is love him and know that he is OUR GOD =)

"If you know you have to wait anyway, why not make a decision to enjoy your life while you’re waiting? Why not be happy while God is in the process of changing things? After all, there’s nothing we can really do to make it happen any faster. We might as well relax and enjoy our lives, knowing that at the appointed time God is going to bring his plan to pass."
— Joel Osteen
I loved this because I am an instant gratification person. I think God is teaching me patience =) Its so easy to get caught up in the future and always wanting better than we have. But why can't we just relax and enjoy all the blessings he has given us. Good health, family, home, children, etc...why are we always wanting more more more? We need to learn to just enjoy each day that he has given us and be happy that he is in control!

Unconditional Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move a mountains, but do not have love, I AM NOTHING. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
This scripture really stuck out to me. When people think of love they usually think of the feeling not the giving. When we start dating someone, get married or become friends our first thought is usually, "How does this person make me feel?" In the beginning it's usually pretty great. We go out of our way to make the other person think we are their ideal person. We love what they love and go out of our way to make them feel special. As time goes on and they start not being the exact person we want them to be, we "fall out of love" with them. Love however, is a choice not a feeling. We have to choose to love them even when we feel they don't deserve it. We have to choose to make people feel special even when we don't get that in return. We have to choose to stand by them when they mess up or betray our trust. I'm not saying its easy but it is a choice. Because if we don't love...then what we say, do, or give up is for nothing. So think of how you can make the people you say you love...feel loved. Ask yourself if I am loving these people with real love. Am I willing to love unconditionally...and most of all...ask God to help you love them like he loves them because true love is seeing people through his eyes and loving them with his love.

Unity

Psalm 133:1
"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity."

How do we achieve unity? First our hearts have to be united with God and his will. If we are not united with God we have no foundation.
How do we achieve unity?
Colossians 3:14 says, "And over all these virtues put on LOVE, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Love binds all virtues...love is the key ingredient in unity. If we love one another we make His joy complete. Phillipians 2:1-2 says, "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being UNITED with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion then make my joy complete by being like-minded having the same love, being one in spirit and one in mind."
We have to give up our selfishness and react in Love. If everyone would react in humility towards one another and value each other above themselves unbelievers would see Jesus through us. We would be a witness with actions and not by denomination. God gives us clear instructions in his Word to help us succeed and live fulfilling lives but we often can't see past ourselves to follow it. Romans 15:6 says if we are ONE mind and ONE voice then we Glorify GOD!
So love God above all else, be united with his spirit, and unite your actions with his word and we will glorify HIM =)

Psalm 86:11-12

"Teach me your way ,O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

Learning is a never ending process...trust me I know. But what we sometimes fail to realize is that God is a never ending learning process. He is teaching us everyday but it is up to us to learn and follow his path. If we stay in his truth we will walk straight into the goodness he has for us. The road is not smooth but usually bumpy and with lots of twists but if we seek him whole heartedly he will sheild us. So walk with him, talk with him and praise him....and you reap the fruit.

Gods Promises

My Sunday usually consists of the same thing. Mom wakes me up early cause if she's up then everyone should be too =), I have my coffee, and I watch Joel Osteen before I get ready to go to church. Today Joel was talking about God fulfilling his promises to us even when we give up or don't believe. He places those promises in our hearts. So after I watched Joel I was reading the bible and looked up what God says about his promises. This is what I found and its so amazing how God confirms everything through his Word.

Joshua 23:14
"Now I am about to go the way of all the Earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

NOT ONE HAS FAILED!!! Because God does not fail!! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He never fails us. We can count on his promises.

Jeremiah 31:33
"This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I WILL BE THEIR GOD and THEY WILL BE MY PEOPLE."

Luke 1:45
"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her."

God fulfills his promises he makes, he never fails, he does what he says he is going to do, and we can't stop him. All he asks of us is to allow him full reign in our lives, trust in that he knows and wants the absolute best for us, and he wants us as we are. He has an outstretched arm... not a fist. He loves us more than anyone can.

Psalm 73:26 says, "My flesh and my heart may fail but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
1 John 3:20 says, "If our hearts condemn us we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."

Mark 11:25 Resentment

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins."

This has been an issue for me recently. Resentment. Its hard for me to admit to myself but... it is what it is. I have had resentment and I need to let it go because if I don't then I only harm myself. So today I let it go. I no longer hold resentment in my heart. I will not allow this to have any part in my life.
Jesus wants us to forgive so he can forgive us. God can not bless us if we have resentment in our hearts and it only hurts the one with the resentment. I am so glad that God doesnt give up on us. He is still there no matter what. His grace is always sufficient.

Rejection

One thing every human being has in common is at some point in their life they have experienced rejection. Could've been a minor rejection like someone not making the team in school to a major rejection like from a parent not loving their child. Everyone of us has experienced rejection. What floored me was the fact that Jesus experienced it also. Not just from people but from God also. This rejection is told in Matthew 27:45-51.
"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling to Elijah." Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him." And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The Earth shook and the rocks split."
This was the first time the Son of God prayed and God did not answer him. Why? Cause Jesus was identified with our sin. God had to turn his head and his ears away from Jesus in order for the ultimate sacrifice to be made for his people to be saved. This amazes me when I think about what that means. The same rejection we have faced or felt....Jesus felt. Jesus in the last hour thought that his Father had forsaken him.. How many times in our lives have we felt that God has forsaken us. How many angry prayers have we prayed when something bad happens. We always blame God for forsaking us. But the rejection that Jesus endured was so that God could turn rejection into ACCEPTANCE....If not for that rejection we would not be accepted and forgiven. God wants to do that in our lives. He wants to take all the rejections we have endured and accept us for who we are. He wants us to know when no one else wants us...He does. He wants every flaw, every imperfection, and every bad choice we have made so when he turns those bare branches into fruit producing, we will know his love for us is endless.

Trusting in the Lord

I have been reading a book by Beth Moore called, "A woman and her God." In one part of the book it talks about learning to trust in God in the different stages of life. So I looked up all the verses in the Bible that tells what God says about trusting in him. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." All your heart, not half or a little bit!! And lean not on your own understanding! I have trouble with this. If I don't understand why something happened I try to rationalize it in my mind when I need to pray and wait. Proverbs 28:25, "The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the lord will prosper." Isaiah 26:4, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself is the Rock eternal. Psalm 37:3, "Trust in the Lord and do good,; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." Psalm 125:1, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever." Jeremiah 17:7, "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him."
These are just a glimpse in what the Word says about trusting in him and its a lot. God is very adament about trusting in him and casting all your cares on him. So trust in the Lord your God and let him take care of the rest =) As women we are natural worriers and have a hard time leaning on anyone, but God wants to take care of us so we don't have to worry. Lean on him and trust him...he will be faithful to complete his work!

Hebrews 11:6

"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is rewarder of those who seek Him."
What is so wonderful is that God wants to have a relationship with us. All we have to do is believe in Him, have faith in Him, and seek him daily. If you start a new relationship with a person you tend to spend all your time finding everything out about that person, you want to spend every waking minute with them, you want to make them happy, and you enjoy being with them. That's how we should be with God. The one who loves us more than anyone can. Who loves us unconditionally like no one else is capable of. Who has all our best interests at heart and who expects nothing but your heart in return. Who wrote a whole book about his love for us and all we have to do is read it =) So seek Him daily through prayer, worship, and His word. Love him like He loves you!

Attitude Romans 15:5

"May the God who gives you endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had."

Attitude.....hmmm...Sometimes its the hardest thing to tame when it comes to dealing with people. Your attitude can make or break you in most instances. Sometimes it is really trying to be nice to someone that has taken everything from you except your birthday. I pray daily that God will give me the attitude he wants me to have and also put his hand over my mouth =) A lot of times though, even when the other persons attitude is awful, you can ward off problems by approaching the situation with a good attitude. It sorta throws the other person off and allows God to deal with the situation. We can do all things through Christ that strengthens us if we give him the opportunity. So we need to react in Love even when we feel like they deserve way less cause God will bless us for it.
Another instance is with your spouse and kids. The people we have the worst attitudes with are the ones we love the most. God wants us to approach our loved ones with a servents heart. Ask yourself, "what can I do to make my spouse or children know I love them?" "what attitude will show them they mean more to me than myself?" "What can I do for them today?"If you do, you will find that not only will they approach you with the same attitude but God will bless you for it.

He works all things for Good =)

Sunday at church my pastor Brent told us a story about a man that would travel to Amsterdam to witness to people by handing out new testament Bibles to the druggies. One day a man asked if he could have a Bible,  not to read but he liked it cause the pages were good for rolling joints. The man thought for a moment then gave him a Bible under one condition. Before he ripped the pages out and rolled a joint he had to promise to read the page. The man agreed and went on his way. A few months later the man ran into the druggie but to his surprise, the man was saved. The man asked the former druggie what changed him. The man proceeded to tell him that he smoked Matthew, Mark, and Luke but when he got to John, John smoked him.
What I took from that was a couple things....the first was that the guy did not judge the druggie. Even though he knew what he was going to use the Bible for he knew that Gods word had power. The fact that the man trusted God to use it for good and He did. Sometimes we are just a vehicle for God. He can use anything for his perfect will. Its not our job to lecture, judge, or look down on people cause that just hinders what God is trying to do. He loves us all and no matter how messed up we are or how good we think we are. So trust God to work all things for good and do what he asks of us which is to Love one another as he loves us.

Romans 8:28

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

We all make mistakes. We all have times when we wish we could have a "do over." I know I do. I have made my fair share of screw ups in my day that I would give anything to go back and do it differently. I had asked Gods forgiveness over and over but still felt I wasnt forgiven. It took a long time but God showed me that it wasn't that He hadn't forgiven me, it was that I wasn't forgiving myself. I felt that I was unworthy of his forgiveness even though I knew what his word said. He showed me that even though the sins I had committed were horrible, thats why he gave his Son. Jesus died a horrible death so we would be able to lay all our sins at the foot of the cross and leave them there. What is consistent in his word is his Grace. His Grace allows us to take those mistakes and turn them into good for his name sake. There are numerous people in the Bible that made huge mistakes that God turned into good. God likes for us to prevent these sins before they occur but He also is quick to forgive us when we fall short. Although I wish I had never committed those sins, I now know that I never want to go through those things again. I am maturing in being the woman, mother, and companion that God is calling me to be. I will always strive to be a woman of integrity and to please God in every aspect of my life.

Proverbs 31:30

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

I know a lot of people who can charm their way out of any situation. I was one of them. But one thing I have realized is that those abilities, although good for the moment, don't last. I do not want to be known for charm, beauty, or any other worldy attribute. I want to be known for my relationship with Jesus. A while back I took a really hard look at my life and asked myself....do people see Jesus through my actions and attitude? Do they see me as a Godly example? I didn't like the answer. It was a big fat NO. Over the years I was not a Godly woman. I chose a path of pure destruction and knew every step of the way. I chose to keep God at arms length cause I knew that I was not pleasing him and I didn't want to feel convicted. What I did realize is that there is no happiness outside of him. Everything fell apart. I was miserable. It wasn't until I was soo tired of being out of his will that I cried out to him to change me. I knew what it felt like to be in his will and out of his will and being out of it was a place I never want to be again. The great thing about Jesus is his unfailing love for us. No matter the mess we get ourselves in he is right there to pick us up and dust off the dirt. We can be the worst of the worst and he will always love and forgive us if we ask him to. So from that moment on I rededicated my life to him and here I am now. I hope people see him through me and I want to always be right by his side. I want to be a woman who fears him and known for loving him whole-heartedly.

James 1:2-4

"Consider it all joy, my brethern, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

I need to read this verse daily =) Sometimes the endurance is the hardest part. Like running a marathon..could you run a marathon if you didn't know how long it was or how tough it would be? What if the only guarentee was that you would be stronger? That's what faith is...its the sustaining power that fuels our endurance. And with endurance comes growth and maturity that will allow us to handle situations the way God wants us to handle them. Without allowing feelings or selfishness to rule. So God wants us to rejoice in tough times and praise him through it because when we give him glory we will see glory in the end result!

Fear

"When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our God. When safety becomes our God, we worshp the risk free life. Can the safety lover do anything great? Can the risk-averse accomplish noble deeds? For God? For others? NO! The fear filled cannot love deeply. Love is risky. They cannot give to the poor. Benevolence has no guarentee of return. The fear-filled cannot dream wildly.What if their dreams sputter and fall from the sky? The worship of safety emasculates greatness. No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear."

Max Lucado

I've been reading this book by Max Lucado and this stuck out to me. Fear can be a persons way of making sure nothing ever goes wrong in their life and a way of protecting oneself from vulnerability. "fears main goal is to keep you from God's plan for your life." Max Lucado

Better than a Hallelujah

"We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah"
Amy Grant
I love this song because no matter what has gone wrong or how low I feel, I know I can cry to Jesus and its music to him. He loves to rescue us in our worst of times and show how much he loves us. In the times of trials when all we have left is the energy to completely and humbly call for his comfort, he is always right there waiting to scoop us under his wing and love us regardless of the mess we are in.

Psalm 37:4-5

"Delight yourself in the Lord; and He WILL give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in HIM, and He WILL do it."

My sister Michelle gave me a 16month planner as a gift the other day and it's also a compilation of the book of Psalms. Each day there is a new verse. It really touched my heart because its exactly the amount of time I have til graduation, ending just a couple weeks after. So after seeing the very first verse, Psalm 37:4-5, I really felt that not only was this a personal gift from my wonderful sissy but a gift from God. So I prayed and told God that I will dedicate this span of time to him. I know he has my whole life but I felt that this was a time frame to really seek him and to make certain the desires of my heart meet the desires of his. I made a commitment to trust in him to put those desires there and to commit my ways to him. I know that this will be a time of growth and a renewing of my spirit. MY eyes are locked on him and I can't wait to see the end result. Because what God speaks, he will do. His word is set! I also vow to be a woman of faith. I know the things he has spoke and shown me and I have had a really trying time just trusting fully but from this day forward I will put every ounce of faith in those promises. My God is faithful =)

Isaiah 40:31

"Yet those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."

Hurry up and wait. In our day of instant gratification we want God to act immediately. If we are in the midst of trials in our life that makes us the least bit uncomfortable we become restless and discouraged. If we allow God to work in us and through us we will find that when God does move it will be better than we imagined. God takes this time to mold us and shape us into the person we need to be. If we don't allow him to work out all the kinks then we will not be well equipped to face tribulations. This is a struggle of mine. I know what God says, but its hard for me to wait. I know though that he is bigger than any circumstance and when he speaks its as good as done. So I will continue to wait and allow him to work out all the kinks cause I have faith that his word is in the works.

Mark 5:28

"For she thought, if I just touch His garments, I will get well."

Faith....How many times do we claim to have faith that God knows what he's doing, that he has our best interest at heart, and that he will follow through with his word. The lady in the scripture knew that all she had to do was come into his presence and she would be healed. Her faith, Jesus said, had healed her. "Daughter your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from suffering."
She didn't try to pay Jesus, she didn't have anything to offer, but yet she knew she had faith. This speaks volumes to me. Sometimes all we have left to offer Jesus is ourselves and thats all he has asked of us. To give him our very being and have faith that he will provide our every need.
Are you facing a mountain that looks to big for you to overcome? It is too big for us alone but we need to tell our mountain how big our God is. He wants to show us he can move mountains if we just cry out to him. We also must allow God to work in his timing also. Our time table is not Gods time table. He works behind the scenes when we feel he's let go of us.
Look at the story of Lazarus. His sisters called out to Jesus to heal Lazarus. They waited but Jesus had not come. We all know that Lazarus died and his sisters lost all faith. Can you blame them? He was dead and had already started the decaying process. Jesus knew....and this always gives me chills...that if he healed Lazarus immediately on all of their timing, the glory of the miracle would not be known. He waited til he was stinking and beyond the ability of the human mind to even comprehend that he would or could be healed. It was at that point that faith was all they had. What did the sister say to Jesus when she saw him? She said to him, Lord if you had been here my brother would still be alive. She had lost all faith cause Jesus did not perform in her timing. and Jesus replied, did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? Chills again....Even after all hope was lost Jesus stepped in and performed his miracles. To this day having faith in Jesus Christ that he will perform his word and move mountains can be seen in this story. Although we may not see him working,, he is working!! Allow him to perform in his timing and you will see miracles above and beyond what your human mind could comprehend!!!
Father, I ask that even though we may not know your working, that we will have faith that you are working for our good. I ask that we will allow you to perform in your timing in Jesus name!! Amen

Phillipians 3:13-14

"I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Shewww a big slap in the face this morning. I allowed myself to get caught up in the past when I shouldve been reaching for what God has in store for my future. When you give it all to God to do his perfect will....leave it there. When we put our hand in things we only mess up what God has worked so hard to build. All I know is that our God puts desires in our hearts and he wants to fulfill those if we would just allow him to do so.

Ephesians 4:2

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Humble- means not proud or arrogant but modest

Gentle-mild in temperment or behavior, kind and tender

Patient- state of endurance under difficult circumstances

Bearing-attitudes toward others

Love-  virtue representing all human kindness

To me this scripture really hit home when I really studied the words and their meanings. How awesome would all our relationships be if we lived by these simple words. If all our attitudes reflected these simple actions. Thats what Christ is with us and thats why he wants us to resemble him by treating people with love, patience, and gentleness.

Ok I want everyone to take one day and treat every person you encounter with these actions. Instead of being quick to anger, be patient and kind, greet everyone with a kind word and see where you are at the end of the day =)

Joel 2:13

"Return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love."

How many times have you felt unworthy of Gods love and grace? I have a ton. Sometimes I would think there is no way God could still love me after things I had done. But what I found was that God poured out his love even more for me. We believe in Jesus dying for our sins but often times we still feel that certain sins are to big for even God to show us grace. But God is faithful, slow to anger and compassionate. He loves us beyond any human comprehension. He wants the absolute best for us not matter the shape we are in. He sent his only Son to show the greatest act of love that could ever be shown.. Think about it..could you sacrifice, watch your only child be beaten and tortured to save people just in your community? Even if they bad mouthed you and hated you? GOD DID =) and all he wants in return is to live in your heart and for you to love him and know he is GOD.

Jeremiah 29: 11-13

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

This scripture is one I read over and over. It has brought me through a lot of struggles I've had in my life. How many times do we second guess that God has our best interest at heart. He knows every desire of our hearts because HE places them there. Our job is to allow him full control in every area not just ones we pick for him.

I remember saying I would never be a nurse..I saw what my mother had to endure and I absolutely did not want to go through that. But God had a different plan. I look back at every step I had to face and know now that God had it all mapped out. Every job I've had, training, education, etc.. has lead me to where I am right now. In the field that I love..Even though I complained half the time about struggles i endured, God still new best and always will and continued to have my best interest at heart. He can turn any situation into something far better than we could fathom with our human minds.

Welcome

Okay this is my very first experience with a blog but I am going to give it a shot..I wanted to start this blog in hopes that people will participate in a daily devotional. I will post everyday, a bible verse, topic, or word and I hope people will participate and share their thoughts on each subject.

First (and most important) subject.....Jesus

What does Jesus mean to you? How has he changed your life? or anything else you would like to share.

I'll go first...Merciful, Grace, unconditional Love, sacrifice, almighty, loving father. He has never left my side even when I deserved to be left. I never want to be apart from him.