12.31.13

Malachi 3:10-12 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. Then your nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight, "says the Lord of Heaven's Armies.
My Thoughts
I love these verses. Why? It is the one way that you can see what God will do in your life! It took us a while to get here! First we gave when we would go to Church on Sunday, we gave what we had, or thought that we could give up and still have what we wanted or needed. Then we gave ten percent of our bring home pay.... then one day when we had both been thinking on this giving thing Robby said we have to give a whole ten percent of all that we earn. I said, "I know I have been thinking about that!" Amazing things began to happen in our lives. We could see it. We had to be aware, but every time we talk about giving our ten percent, we get excited! God has protected our money like you can not imagine. We spend more than we ever have, yet we have more than we ever had. Do we still have to live within our means? Of course we do, that is what God expects. Romans 13:8 tells us to "Owe no one anything." Which to me means that I must live within my means. But if I live within my means and tithe, God takes care of the rest! Since we have started tithing it is not unusual for us to need something and find a check in the mail for almost exactly that amount.

If to give I hand to hold my money and have someone take it from my hand there would have been a point where I would have held a little tight to that money, having a hard time letting it go. Now, after seeing what God does when I give, I would instead have it laying in the palms of my hands, with my hands open wide. I love it now when they take up the offering at Church... dropping that envelope in the bag feels a deposit into our future. It makes me smile to give back to God. After all I am only giving God ten percent of what God gave me to begin with. God truly does bless the 90% when we give Him, His 10%.

If you have not learned to tithe, I encourage you to start out the new year making this your habit. God promises that if we do He will bless us! God keeps all of his promises!!



12.27.13

Zachariah 10:1-2 Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for he makes the storm clouds. And he will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture. Household gods give worthless advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep; they are attacked because they have so Shepard.

My Thoughts

God is who takes care of us. He can take care of us in any situation. He can make our money stretch, he can give our bodies abilities we didn't know they had. God can give us incredible knowledge where there was none. God can protect our homes in storms when all is destroyed around us. God is our provider in all things, when, WHEN we keep our eyes on Him. God will provide us with all of our needs when we love Him, and even bless us with things we didn't even know we wanted.

Here it tells us that "my people" are wandering like lost sheep. We tend to look out at the unsaved of the world and think that they are the problem. It would be easy if that were the case. But here it talks about "God's people" looking to the world for answers, for comfort, for provision. When we as God's people spend more time talking about the government and the stock market than we do God, we have lost our way. When we as God's people spend more time watching the news than reading our Bibles (me) then we, (I) have lost our way. When we as God's people spend more time talking about things like Obama Care then we do in prayer, we have lost our way. We, God's people, can make a difference, or we can play the blame game. The way we make a difference is by keeping our eyes, our words, our actions in line with God. Then God will take care of the economy, health care, our bank accounts, the food on our tables.

God's word talks about how God loves us all. God's word tells us that we can all be saved. Then God's word spends the rest of its print talking about how God's people need to act. It spends it's words telling the history of God's people turning from God to other things. God's word is talking to God's people most of the time...when it is not talking to God's people it is telling the rest of the world that Jesus loves them and they can be saved! We have the power to bring our nation back. We God's people! But we, God's people have to look different than the rest of the world. Not by criticizing the rest of the world, but by spending our time in prayer, in God's word, in love, in action. When we do this our crops get plenty of water, the right amount of sunshine, we keep out the weeds and our harvest is amazing. When we see something different happening in our world, we need to look at ourselves! We, I, myself is the only person I can change and when I change my life where it falls in line with God. The benefits that God will shower down on me will make others want what I have. We, God's people have the power of God on our side, IF we are doing what God ask of us.

I have grown so much, but I have so much growing to do! God has given me so many, many gifts these last four years and I can have more of His amazing blessings IF I continue to improve my life to align with His will. I must continue to grow! As God's people we can never accept where we are, we must always, always look to be better!

12.26.13

Psalm 144:1 Praise The Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.

My Thoughts
I have never really looked down at my hands and thought to praise God for what my hands can do! My granddaughter is 5 months old. she is constantly amazed at her hands! We are amazed when her little hands do something new! God put those abilities in Sweet Ripley's hands. God puts abilities in my hands. God puts abilities in your hands.

When I have suffered arthritis from Lupus in my hands I have been frustrated at what my hands could not do, but have not thought to be thankful for when my hands could write, sew,  solder, draw, load the dishwasher, open a jar, tie my shoes, pet my animals, apply makeup, turn the page of a book, type on my computer, scratch an itch? I am not sure that I have! I know that if I have they were fleeting moments of thankfulness. But every day, every waking hour of every day and even in my sleep, I use my hands.

Oh the things we should and can be thankful for if we only stop to think! Today and hopefully every day forward, I will never look at my hands the same again. Thank you God, for all my hands can do!

12.24.13

Zechariah 3:1-2 Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan was there at the angel's right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the Lord said to Satan, "I, the Lord reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire."

My Thoughts

As I read this, this morning, I thought of how all the things that Jeshua had done wrong were prompted by Satan, himself .... then Satan, himself stood and accused Jeshua! Satan does that to us all the time, He tells us to do something, that it is okay. Then the very minute we give in Satan tells us what a horrible person we are. Even after we have gone to God for forgiveness, Satan brings our sins up again and again and again. God does not do that He throws our sins into the sea of forgetfulness! God does not remember them to bring them up again!! God also tells us the truth from the beginning... God tells us right from wrong. God tells us that when we do good "this" will happen and if we do bad "this" will happen. With God we know the truth from the beginning.

The wonderful thing about God is how much He loves us... the verses just after this, just after God saves Jeshua from the fire, He has the angels take Jeshua's filthy clothing and He has Jeshua dressed in white, all clean like he had never even been near the fire much less snatched from it. That, my friend, is love.

As I wrote this morning, I thought too of how we as humans, bring up the past, we accuse others when our feelings are hurt. To be like God we need to throw the past into the sea of forgetfulness and move forward with people without accusing them of the past again and again. We need to give people new beginnings in our hearts. We need to remember when that feels impossible to do, God will send down His grace to help us. Our hearts don't need to be screaming, "look what you did!" Our hearts need to be saying, "I forgive."



12.21.13

Revelation 12:11a And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.

My Thoughts

We can never defeat Satan without Jesus dieing on the cross for our sins and us accepting that. But look here what is next they defeated Satan by their testimony!!  Our testimony gives us power over Satan. What God has done in our lives, and what God is doing in our lives has a might, mighty power when we live by God and when we share all that God has done in our lives.  Not only is it powerful to the people we share with, it is powerful to our lives as well. It is a reminder of where we were and where God put us.  When we tell "our story" we remember how far God has brought us.... and then we know how much further He can take us still.  Every time we tell our testimony it is one more arrow in the heart of Satan! Tell you story! 

12.20.13

Psalm 139:17-18 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They can not be numbered. I can't even count them; they out number the grains of sand. 

My Thoughts
I love this verse.to think that God thinks about me so often and thinks precious thoughts about me, about each of us, well it just makes my heart smile inside my chest.

Today as I read theses verses I thought about all the people around me, God thinks precious thoughts of them as well, and he thinks so many of them that they can't be counted. It made me acutely aware that all my thoughts of others should be precious thoughts. I should find precious things in the people a I meet.

You may say, "that is hard to do with some people!" I imagine that each of us have days where God has a time thinking precious thoughts of us too, yet He takes the time to find the precious things about each one of us. Next time I find myself with negative thoughts of people I will ask myself, what is precious about this person! If I have had three bad thoughts, I will do my best to remember to find six precious things.

Precious thoughts just may be my word for 2014! (Sheila Fritz)

11.18.13

Habakkuk 2:14 For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.  

My Thoughts
The more I read my Bible the more I come to believe that the earth, all the plants and animals and people and the earth itself are meant to praise God. When we as people don't rise up and praise God the earth rises up in a mighty way to make up for what we as people have not done. The earth says to us,"their is a wonderful, almighty God, praise Him." When we as people praise God we bring balance to the earth. As I wrote these words I thought of me what I get frustrated, my body tempt urge raises. I can feel it. What if  Global Warming is the earth being frustrated because we are not praising God enough? The earth showing us the Glory of God!

When I love my personal life out of a balance that makes God happy things in. Y life rise up against me. So in my mind it makes sense that if we as people are not balancing out all that God gives us with praise for him that the earth would be out of balance enough to raise up and praise God itself.

12.16.13

Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will raise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.

My Thoughts

We will fall sometimes and we will sit in darkness sometimes. Why? Because we are human and we do things that separate us from God. Because we live in this world where there are so many people separated from God, where Satan tries all the time to keep us from God. What matters is how we spend that time! When we fall God will pick us back up if we go to Him and ask for forgiveness. We may spend time suffering the consequences for what we have done, but God will help us get through them. When we are surrounded by darkness if we look to God to be our light, to guide us we will rise up out of the darkness like a mighty ship!

As I wrote this I was reminded of a movie, and I can't remember which one... I just remember a couple of soldiers backed into a corner with no chance, it looked like there was no hope at all. Then a fully armed helicopter rose up behind them as the stood on the edge of a cliff and fought their battle for them. When we keep our eyes on God in the mist of our great battles God will rise up behind us as mighty as the helicopter in that movie and fight our battle for us. We just have to keep our eyes on God at all times, even when we fall, even when we are surrounded by darkness. When we do we are never alone!!

12.15.13

Hosea 7:13a They look everywhere except to the Most High.


My Thoughts

How often do we do this? We do this all the time. We pop a pill for a headache, first thing, instead of sending up a prayer...then if it doesn't go away we send up a prayer. We open up a book for a good story, instead of opening up the Bible. We run to our friends when we have a problem then if the problem doesn't go away we beg God to help us. We grumble and complain to each other instead of telling God our troubles so that He can guide us to a solution. We shop to fill those empty places instead of spending time with God to fill those empty spaces. We spend money on things we don't really need then worry about money we don't have to cover our needs, instead of giving God back His ten percent so that He can give us what He promises, blessings shaken together, pressed down and running over. We make God our safety net without spending time to mend any places we have torn apart, instead of spending time with God and making Him our first line of defense so that we don't need a safety net.

We tend to look to the world, get so easily distracted by the world and take our eyes off of God. We forget that God holds all the answers. God gives us the answers along with a quiet in the storm of life.  We just have to stay focused on Him.  We tend to be like Peter and look at what we are doing instead of keeping our eyes on God.  We all look at Peter and know that he sank the minute he took His eyes off of Jesus, yet we do that all the time.  If our stories were written in God's word people would shake their heads at us too. 

The wonderful thing is this, when we find ourselves looking to the world we can call down God's grace to help us stay focused on God. 

12.14.13

Jonah 3:3-5 This time Jonah obeyed the Lord's command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.  On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds. "Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!" The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. 

My Thoughts

Most all of us have heard the story of Jonah... he did want to go to Nineveh and went the in the opposite direction... he was throw over the ship and swallowed by a whale... then he was spit out on the land...and finally he went to Nineveh.  Nineveh was an evil, evil city.  What God knew is that the people were ready to listen. It says here that the people of Nineveh believed God's message.  

There are so many things to learn from Jonah's story... but what I get from this story is that if God tells me to tell somebody about Him, He already knows that they are ready to hear.  He already knows that their hearts are open. I do not have to be afraid, I just have to be willing to do what God ask me to do.    

12.13.13

Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.  For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased."

My Thoughts
All my life I heard the phrase, "He just does as he pleases!" This was not a good thing, I never heard it said in a good light about anybody. My grandmother used it, my mom used it, my step-dad used it, my mother-in-law used it, her mother used it.  I have gotten in trouble as a child and it started out with, "Do you think it is okay to do as you please?"  So I had to stop myself and think about this verse to be able to see it in a good light, and I knew that I should see it in a good light. The Holy Spirit helped me!  I do love the Holy Spirit! And somehow I missed out on Him for years!!!

When I stopped to think about it I fist thought about the twenty-four elders sitting in Heaven saying this... it had to be only good.  The I re-phrased the "what you pleased" into "what pleases you" in my mind and re-read it to myself, out loud.  Listen, say it out loud even, "For you created all things, and they exist because you created what pleases you."  Then I thought, "Wow! God created me! He chose to make "me." It brought tears to my eyes!!  To think God, chose to make me.  The same God that makes beautiful sunsets and oceans and mountains.  The same God that can paint the sky and make it take my breath away, chose to make me! The same God that created the tulips that fill fields in the Netherlands, chose to make me.  And He chose to make YOU! How can I ever again think that I don't matter?

12.12.13

Psalm 131:1-2b Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself.

My Thoughts
We need to know God enough to trust Him. When we know God we can be calm and quiet... It is an amazing feeling to put something into God's hands and just trust Him to know. So May time we want to figure everything out...so many things are for God alone to know and this is a wonderful thing. To be able to sit back in the peace of knowing God knows and if we trust Him all will be taken care of, in the best way possible.

When we get busy trying to figure it all out we loose our focus on God, then we get confused and we get busy getting in God's way.  Nothing good comes from this! And it so much easier and peaceful to give things over to God, trust His answer and go about our day...joy can overtake us even in the hardest of situations when we learn to do this.

I pray for God's wonderful grace to help me do this more and more with each passing day. I too often get in the way of what God can do by not trusting in Him. When I do trust in Him amazing things happen in my life! I must remember these words!

12.11.13

Revelation 2:19 "I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I see you constant improvement in all these things." 

My Thoughts
I love this! Jesus sees what we do! Jesus notices our improvements! Jesus knows that we have to grow as Christians and He appreciates our growth! He sees what we have to endure and when we endure in faith He knows! When we get lost for a day or two but find our way back, He knows. We don't ever need to feel like what we do does not matter, Jesus tells us here that He sees! I love that!

12.10.13

Amos 3:3 Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction. 

My Thoughts
When I read this I thought, "Jesus said, 'Come follow me.'" Follow...when we agree to go with Jesus we agree to follow Him, no discuss with Him which direction we are going.  When we find ourselves lost and alone...it is because we stopped following.  Not because Jesus decided to go in a different direction and leave us behind.  The wonderful thing is that when we do find ourselves lost... Jesus will find us and bring us to the place in the road where we got lost.  

12.8.13

Hosea 10:1 How prosperous Israel is-- a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit. But the richer the people get, the more pagan altars they build. The more bountiful their harvest, the more beautiful their sacred pillars.



My Thoughts
I read this and thought of our country... of the huge difference in our lives just since I was a little girl. The even bigger difference in our lives since my parents were little. There was a time in America where mortgage had to be paid off in just 7 years. So you worked up to a larger house you didn't start with one. Or you lived most of your life in a paid for house. Look at the size of an average American home and how it has grown. Just look at the size of a closet when you were a child compared to the size of a closet today!! We keep thinking more is better.

I read this and my mind went to our trip to Auburn when John-Robert graduated this past year... we walked past statues of famous football players! Big statues. Yet our church buildings get simpler and simpler.
The more God gives us the more we think we deserve just for being! The more God gives us the more we pay for and idolize entertainment and it's figures.
If my house was as simple as the house I grew up in it would cost less to heat and cool...less to furnish...less to keep up. And I would have to own less because I would have less place to put what I owned. I would have more to give to others!
I believe that all that I have is a blessing from God! I do. But I also believe that when God blesses me with much, He expects much of me in return. I need to find that balance in life. We are getting better...but we have room for improvement. A change in our country begins with each one of us doing our part in loving God. Doing our part in putting God above all else in our lives. The richer we become the more humble we need to become. I fear that instead we have become like Israel, proud and fickle building pagan alters, forgetting God.
I imagine that if we were to fill up our churches just one week the way we fill up football stadiums..that we would see a difference in our nation. God would bless our effort...then if we did it yet again...the change would be even bigger. We need a revival...and those start in the hearts of each one of us. What we do, what we say, what we spend time doing, what we put first in our lives matters. Our one life does make a difference. I think that maybe the biggest lie that Satan tells each one of us is that what "we" do does no matter, because it matters so much!!
We can treat what we have as what it is, a gift from God. Or we can treat it as something we deserve just because. Which makes more sense? When I look around at all that I have.. it must be a gift! Now I need to treat it as such!

12.8.13

Hosea 8:4 The people have appointed kings without my consent, and princes without my knowledge.  By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold they have brought about their own destruction.

My Thoughts

This really stood out to me today!!  I thought of all the people we put in charge with our votes.  How often do we listen to the news media, the person running, our friends, social media to influence who that we vote for?  How often do we rely on our own "ability" to access a person's character... by the ads that they run.  How often do we do online research and just believe the first few things that we read?  We don't have to depend on any of that!  We shouldn't depend on any of that.  We each truly don't have a true way of knowing the people we put in office, well at least most of us don't. We just tend to believe what we hear and access the person through that point of view. And when we go about putting people into high positions in our country this way it must make God frown!  All we really need to do is go to God in prayer, then listen! Listen to what He tells us. We don't need to decide on which party we are for... or if somebody believes what we believe... we just need to ask God, then God will take care of our country.

We make it so complicated!  Satan gets involved and stirs the pot and stirs up the confusion!  But really it is simple, God knows!!  God always knows! And if we go to God in our decision making then God will take care of the rest! 

12.6.13

Psalm 125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. 

My Thoughts
This verse made me smile... with God I can endure!  He gives me His strength! I did think after a few minutes that, "It says here that I will not be defeated, so I can expect to go into battle."  I need to keep this verse with me...to remind me that staying close to God will keep me as secure as Mount Zion and I need to stay prepared for battle at all times...if I am prepared with God's word, God's love, God's grace then I can endure anything.

12.5.13

1 John 5:21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.

My Thoughts

I imagine that this would be different for each of us, or maybe much the same. I am trying to think of what it might be for me.  If I  am truthful and spend time recognizing this, I keep myself safe.  Or maybe I don't need to figure it out at all, so I won't be tempted in the least.  Maybe I need to pray to God each day to keep me safe from anything that could take God's place in my heart.   I am learning that when I keep God first that He lines other things up in my life in such perfect order.  It is when I depend on myself that I tend to get all tangled up in things that distract me way too much! I do need to keep my eye out for things that get in the way of my prayer life, or my Bible reading.  Sometime I feel that life just gets in the way...but that is when I am just too busy, too busy for my own good! 

12.4.13

Proverbs 29:2 When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.

My Thoughts

This took my breath away!  We ask so many questions of people running for office when we should only ask, "Do you know and love God?" Then maybe a few questions that show true faith. We should look in his/her background for acts of kindness, truth, love, fairness... we should find out if he/she has been just. Then if the answer is YES...we should vote YES.  You may say that we should then check into this person's policies... but there is no need... if we put a godly person into office, God will take care of the rest.  

12.3.13

1 John 2:27 But you have received the Holy Spirit and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true.  For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true--it is not a lie.  So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

My Thoughts

Forever I just didn't understand the Holy Spirit living inside of me, guiding me part of being a Christian.  And when I did it took me a while to know when He was guiding me...I had to learn to listen and know it was Him speaking.  Even now I have to remember to shut out everything else and listen.  Sometimes the more the Holy Spirit tries to guide me, the more Satan crowds my mind with things that sound okay to think of feel.  Sometimes the two are so close that either choice seems like it is okay.  Sometimes I choose wrong!  

What I am learning is that knowing the difference is where reading and learning my Bible comes in.  The Holy Spirit will not tell me to do something that goes against God's word.  I am learning to that sometimes I have to stop and call down God's grace to help me listen and to help me choose right from what I am feeling. I am also learning that Satan loves to use my emotions against me... telling me things like if I am hurt it is okay to pull away from those who hurt me.  Which sounds okay ... God doesn't want us hurt... but God's word tells me that I am to love those who hate me...I am to pray for them.  It tells me that it is easy to love those who love me! That is not walking away.  Even tho it feels like the right thing at the moment.  I am learning that the Holy Spirit lives deep withing my gut and that Satan wants to live deep within my head...and when I stop to listen I can even feel the difference of where that voice inside me is coming.  I am learning that Satan likes to produce anxiety and worry because anxiety and worry settle in your gut muffling the voice of the Holy Spirit.

But most importantly I am learning that God has my best interest in mind always and that the Holy Spirit inside of me can always hear God, the Holy Spirit is a part of God living in me...so I can't make a wrong decision when I listen to the Holy Spirit.  I am learning that my life is so much better when I hear the Holy Spirit on day one of a situation instead of day 3.  But I am also learning that I am learning and that I do eventually hear the Holy Spirit... so day 3 is better than day 30 or not hearing Him at all...I just have to keep moving forward...and hearing Him on day 2 will be progress!!  I am learning, and am very thankful that God sees my progress and knows that He is growing me. He forgives me when I mess up and celebrates my victories.  

I can look back and be sad for the "me" that didn't understand the Holy Spirit... but I would rather look forward to the "me" who knows the Holy Spirit even better than the "me" today.   

12.2.13

1 John 2:16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.



My Thoughts
I can read this and just say, "so true," but what I need to do is stop and think of how it really applies to my life. It is one of those times where I can grow if I stop and be totally honest with myself... and put it in my spirit how to deal with this in all my days to come.

I thought to myself, "How do I know the difference in having things that God has blessed me with?" The answer we really pretty simple... When I get something new that belongs in my life I feel at peace with it...it brings me a calm. It is always a more simple feeling of peaceful joy. It is never a "rush" when it belongs in my life. Then there are times when I buy something that feels like a rush...then when I get it home it is a bit of a let down. Sometime even more than a bit of a let down.

So I thought about the different things in my life that had come about in those different ways. And I could, when I stopped to look, see how the purchase felt different from the very beginning of the thought..and how if felt when I got it home ... and then again how if felt when I showed it to my friends and family. The purchase of a craving or desire came with an immediate, "I shouldn't buy this, but I want it feeling." Then it was followed by a bit of a let down when I got it home...and when I showed it off it was more of a na na na naaaa na feeling when I shared it with people. Even if I didn't want to or mean to feel that way, I could have that feeling. Then there was the long term feeling of the purchase where it never brings yous as much joy of happiness as it felt like it would. It just never looks quite right or fits quite right... it may not fit in the spot like you thought it would... but you notice it too late to take it back.. it is just never comfortable somehow.. if it is a piece of clothing or a pretty thing to sit around the house... it is never "just right" somehow.

Things that I have bought or acquired that were what I considered a gift from God felt different from the onset. When I made the purchase, I was more careful to consider how much money I was spending, if it was a good time to spend it, was it something I needed or would it really, really make me feel good in an every day way? Then there was the getting it home... that felt more like an, "Oh you belong here!" moment, a comfortable, ungreedy, it fits perfect moment. Then there is the show it to friends and family moment...which is more of a, "Oh look what I got!! I feel so blessed! I am so lucky to have this and I just had to share it with YOU." feeling. Those things that we get/purchase because they are a blessing stick with our hearts somehow. They can make you smile years and years later... you never want to get rid of them. It could be an old shirt that you have had for years that needs to be thrown away but feels so comforting... or a chair that sits "just right."

Have you ever tried to duplicate that "just right" shirt? You never can!! Why? I have become to believe after thinking on this verse and my life, that that just right shirt or that perfect quilt or best chair ever came with such peace that we feel it still each time we wrap ourselves in them. It something that we received as a gift from God without realizing it. It came into our lives in its perfect time. Not a must have craving...but it came with a warm peaceful joy! Because we waited on God's timing!

Those things we get that promise happiness in the store, then disappoint us even before we get home sometimes.. or maybe a week later...they were Satan's lie. They came with a promise at the beginning that couldn't be fulfilled at the end.

The things we get in God's timing come in gentle, and they feel right completely right! And the joy from them last and last and last...sometimes long after the item is worn out and gone.

Imagine how much our lives would change if we stop and take time to recognize everything we buy or do as a gift from God or a lie from Satan. We can tell the difference because it starts at the very beginning of the action... we just have to pause and reflect at the start! The thought makes me smile! I think of my closet being filled with things that God blessed me with...and each thing feeling like that perfect shirt... each room feeling like a safe haven from the world outside... each item feeling peaceful. When I think of it this way I think, "Why would I ever not wait on God?!?!"



12.1.13

1 John 1:5-7 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

My Thoughts

Do you know how we live in spiritual darkness? We don't take time to learn the truth, we don't take time to really get to know God by knowing everything there is to know about Him. For years I would go to church and listen and try to learn....but I would leave saying, "I don't get it?" I didn't always think this...but way too much of the time I did. Then I would go about trying to be good and failing horribly and missing out on that peace that passes all understanding that I would hear some people talk about. I would know that something was missing, but I was going to church!! I was trying the best that I knew at the time. What I didn't know was that I needed to pick up my Bible and start learning, letting God's word tell me exactly who God is. And that made all the difference! Do I still mess up? All the time...but now I know how to try to do better, now I know how to call down God's grace to help me do better next time. Now when God throws my sins into the Sea of Forgetfulness, because Jesus died for me...I can better leave them there and not be tormented by Satan because I messed up. And this allows me to be able to grow and move forward. Now I don't have to try so hard to live better, I just have to love God and He teaches me exactly how to live better.

The worst lies that we tell are the ones that we tell ourselves. And when we tell ourselves that we know God "enough" we can find ourselves in real trouble. For years I knew God "enough" but all along I knew something was still missing... I felt it deep in my being. It was that relationship with God that I was missing. I knew who God was but I didn't know God for myself. That makes all the difference.
We can't go about trusting what others tell us about who God is... we must pick up our Bibles and find out for ourselves. I use to say, I tired but I don't understand! But let me tell you God tells us that if we seek wisdom, wisdom will find us. What I have learned is that if I seek after God, He will give me understanding. But I must show myself faithful by doing the seeking.

The wonderful thing about God's amazing light is that it cast no shadows for us to hide in, or for us to get lost in. Sometimes that light reveals things we need to be rid of. But in a loving way that says, If you quit doing this, if you ask for forgiveness and do better, I will be able to bless you with this!" If we are hearing you are worthless, you are useless, you will never recover from what you have done! That is Satan taking what he told us was okay and using it against us. God does not do that, God says, "I love you... lets get rid of this sin... cast it out and forget about it... don't do it again so that life will be good... so that I can shower you with My blessings... and hey I will even give you My grace to help you do better!" And God so often does this with His word.

If you want that life changing experience with God.... read, read, read His word! I promise you if you seek Him and don't give up your life will change in amazing ways!!