Hearing The Lord's Still Small Voice

I've had a rough week. Sitting down tonight reading devotionals to my kids God lead me to a devotion meant for me as well. He reminded me that in everything - good and bad- He is still working in my life for His good and intended purpose. My sister was in a really bad car accident Sunday night and doctors told her she shouldn't be alive,  I hurt my wrist a couple of weeks ago and I am on my own taking care of the kids for over a week and on top of that someone chose to vandalize my car by smearing chewing gum all over the side of it today! What more could go wrong? I pray nothing else!

 I was at my breaking point earlier today when I heard the Lord's still small voice whispering to me "Hey I'm still here with you, I'm still in control. Don't lose heart, I'm still right here." Thank you Lord for reminding me of Romans 8:28. You always know just what I need and I love you for that. Thank you for caring so thoughtfully of me. I don't deserve your goodness but I am thankful for it.

Romans 8:28:  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Forgiveness

At night either me or my husband will always read the kids a bedtime devotional before they go to sleep. The girls have a princess devotional Bible that they absolutely love :). It has really great lessons and devotions based on the scriptures. I was flipping through it looking for a story to read to them tonight and it was actually just as much of a lesson for me that it was for them! I love it when I'm going through something and I pick up the Bible to read it and it speaks directly to my heart. I just love it when God does that to me. It makes me feel so special and so cared for its absolutely amazing. Just the thought that God could take the time to say "hey I see you down there. I know you're sad and you've had a rough day but hey, I'm here and guess what? I still care for you". It almost brought tears to my eyes to feel His presence speaking to me. I always tell my daughters that they are God's little princesses and that they are special to the Lord. Well I have to remind myself that I too am God's princess and he cares for me just the same as he cares for my daughters. Maybe God just knew that I needed a hug today. Wow! Thank you Lord for loving me. Please give me the strength to forgive just as you forgave me.

Skillet Rebirthing video

This is a song about being born again. I know it's head banging hard rock but listen to the words :) This song makes me feel like I can do anything!!!!

Standing for Christ no matter what

We read a verse of scripture yesterday at church that really stood out to me.

It was Matthew 10:34-39 (ESV) which reads: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶  And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. ³⁷  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

  
v. 35- If someone that I love chooses not to Follow or believe in Christ, I have an obligation to the Lord NOT my family member to keep on following and loving Christ. God has to be more important to me than this person's opinion of me. 

v. 36 - This is hard because I do feel that I have family members who are hostile to the biblical principals that I choose to live by.  


v. 38- Taking my cross daily. What this means to me personally is that I have to leave the things of the world behind that I used to enjoy doing (that lead to death) and deny myself of these things so that I can live to please Christ.

This is major for me. In a society where everyone wants to "fit in" or be "liked by many", it can be hard to overcome the temptation to blend in with the world doing as they do. I've had a natural tendency to not want to rock the boat with my convictions on spiritual matters. The verse above tells me that I am making the right choices when I speak out against things that are wrong, regardless if it is concerning a family member, friend or anyone else. For the longest time I've kept quiet about things that have bothered me but I am saying no more to that!  


This verse talks about how the gospel of Christs' life divides and separates us. I've experienced this in my life as well. People think I'm strange because I choose not to listen to secular music, use profanity, lie, and basically sell my soul. I feel like I am at war constantly, and I know that I am spiritually without a doubt. I don't care anymore about being a people pleasing person. I care about what the Lord says and that 's the most important thing to me. I believe that people get offended when you live for Christ simply because it convicts them of the wrong that they are doing in their own lives. 

In Galatians 1:10 (ESV) Paul says "For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ". 

The bottom line for me is that I want to graciously live to please the Lord. I'm not on a quest to Bible bash or be "holier than thou" I just have the desire in my heart to please the Lord and that's what my focus is. I will not apologize for that nor compromise in any way by God's grace. I have to stand for Christ because there is no alternative! He is the way the truth and the life!! (John 14:6) To God and only God be the glory!!

Stress Stress Stress

We are surrounded by stressful things continually. God's Word tells us in John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me." But why is it continually so hard for us to trust in the Lord? I know many times this is a struggle for me more than I'd like it to be. Life is crazy for me and I don't see things easing up any time soon. I am going to have to rely on the Lord for strength. I've realized that I cannot make it without him. Shame on me for ever thinking I could!

My prayer today is that my faith will increase. I do feel this process happening inside my heart gradually. Just think about life for a minute. There are so many things that we do based on "Faith" that we don't even realize. We wake up in the morning and get ready for our day. Going out to our cars we have faith that they will start and that we'll get to our destination safely. We have faith that if we go to work our employers will pay us. We have faith that once that traffic light turns green its safe to proceed. I could go on. What I'm getting at is this question. Why is it that when the rubber meets the road in our physical lives we tend to trust ourselves more than we would ever trust the Lord with our lives?

There are so many things in my life that are uncertain at this very moment. I have taken on the task of pursuing my Masters Degree as a Physicians Assistant and I have no idea how it's all going to work out. I'm excited, a bit scared but mostly becoming more and more faithful. I know that in Hebrews 13 God's word tells me that he will never leave or forsake us and this is a great encouragement for me. This verse I'll hold onto as I let go of the stresses that seem to entangle so much of me. Thank you Lord for your Word!

Thank God it's Friday!!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18-

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

What a week this has been! My husband has been out of town for the past week and he flies back in tonight. It'll be so good to see him :) It's been somewhat of a stressful week for me. Sometimes kids can be a lot of work! Taking care of them on a daily basis is more work than people realize at times. Though by God's grace, I'm able to do a somewhat decent job of parenting :) Today as I searched through the Bible for encouragement I came across the verse above. God never promises us an easy life but in His Word He tells us that after we have endured and made it through this life, the reward is going to be priceless. This verse encouraged me because it gives me hope. If you don't have hope what do you have? God has been overwhelmingly good to me even with all of the challenges that life continues to throw at me. My challenge at times is being optimistic but by God's grace He's helping me to become increasingly grateful- not focusing on what I don't have but on what he has blessed me with. Thank you for a great week Lord. A week full of your grace and love showered upon my life. Thank you for providing me with every single thing I needed this week. You're the greatest friend a girl could ever hope for!

What? Who says I need God in my life?

God really has a way of getting my attention. I say this because we as people have the tendency to not bother with God until there's something to the effects of a dire emergency that demands our action. When you think about a relationship, no relationship functions well this way. Think about it. You're married and your husband/wife only gets to talk to you when you have a problem and need his or her help. Or you're in a relationship with someone and you feel that you don't really call them unless there is something you need. I think if we behaved like this with people we know, we'd probably cease to have any friends- any real friends that is. So why do I do this to God? Why do I wait and wait and wait until I am in a dire emergency situation, exhausted all of my options then think of God as my last resort? I think it's simple- human nature.

God my prayer today is that you will give me a deeper desire to love you and seek you with all that I have. I read a devotion the other day that spoke about us not loving the gift more than we love the "Giver". A scripture that comes to mind is the one about Paul and the thorn in his side (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Below). Think about how annoying that must have been. Paul recognized that the Lord had put the thorn there as a reminder for him not to become conceited. What a thought. I definitely have some thorns in my life and I am coming to the realization that God has them there for a reason- For my dependence on him and not myself. Lord as strange as this may seem I am grateful for the thorns in my life. Do I like them? Absolutely not. But if they bring me closer to you and my Lord Jesus Christ then I guess I'd better stay grounded in you :)


2 Cor. 12:7-9:
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.