~ Standing on the Word of God ~

"I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you."

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NLT)

It's time for the children of God to make a stand on His Word! My heart is grieved over the continual hardness of heart in our nation but to see Christians cower back and ignore the evilness in front of us is even more disturbing.

Decide today whom you will serve!

“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me."

Matthew 12:30 (NLT)

~ Read With a Passion ~

I sat in my quiet little spot at the bookstore/coffee house last week just so excited that I had about two hours of uninterrupted time in the Word. It was one of those days when I had several things to keep me in town but there was a nice long break in between appointments where I had a couple of hours of “free” time. Yes, “free” time! What is that you ask?

Well, I had to look up the definition as well because “free” time doesn’t come by my way very often. Haha! Anyway, two hours to do what I wanted to do!

Even though the store was quite busy, I nestled myself at a quiet table, opened my Bible, and bowed my head to thank my sweet Lord for that precious time.  As I lifted my head and glanced around the room, my heart was drawn to the people sitting all around me. After all, it was a bookstore so everyone had chosen their reading material as they sat and sipped their iced beverages. Most people were catching up on the gossip magazines. You know the magazines that are laced with who is cheating on who? who has the best celebrity beach body?, what fashion do you need to wear to be “hip”?...you know the reading material that really feeds your mind. Lol!

But a short moment later, my focus was drawn to a little lady in the corner with a stack of books on her table. She had a book in her hand and she was reading so intently that she was even making strong facial expressions and hand gestures with her free hand. She would laugh, she would speak aloud when she agreed with what she had just read, and she, at one time, even began to cry.  Wow! What in the world was she reading? It must have been powerful to get that kind of reaction out of her in a public place. Well, I couldn’t tell because it was in Spanish so that remains a mystery to me but she was so engrossed in that book and passionate about its message.

That spoke volumes to me!  Reading evokes so many emotions in us. Have you ever read a book that you just couldn’t put down, a book that you kept talking about for days? I have! The written word can be such a powerful thing. But today, my heart was stirred about that amazing Book I had in my very hands!

I quickly bowed my head again and asked God to prepare my heart as I opened His Word. No other book can ever be as powerful or life altering as God’s Holy Word.  After all, no other book was written under the direct inspiration of God’s mighty hand and I was about to dig my heart and soul in!  I prayed that God would give me the passion and excitement as I read the beautiful promises He wrote for me. I prayed that my heart would be stirred in such a way that I would leave that bookstore with a renewed passion to tell others about Him.

Oh, the precious Word of God! Life altering, divinely inspired, full of grace and truth! 

Read the Word today!  Pick up those beautiful pages of scripture and read what God has for YOU!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

“Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18

~ It's a New Day ~

"Because of the Lord ’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him."

Lamentations 3:22-24 (HCSB)

Hallelujah! I serve a God of new beginnings and He is my portion!

What is holding you back from living the abundant life God has for you? Throw off the sin, guilt, and shame and let God be your portion! Put your hope in Him alone for His mercies are new every day! He is faithful! He is just! He is LOVE! 

~ The Journey ~

A sign of true growth in Christ is NOT worrying about what others think about the decisions you make because they have not walked your journey. 

True growth in Christ IS realizing that God understands your heart and delights in your obedience to Him because He walked the journey with you! 

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

~ All For Him ~

Today I'm thankful that my life doesn't revolve around the vast amount of troubled news stories or what other people say or do. My life is surrendered to the One and only Savior of the universe and it is through HIM I place my trust. It is through HIM I have strength. It is through HIM I have peace and it is through HIM I will live this life He has blessed me with! 

Where He sends...I will go, what He says...I will do, and where He leads...I will follow!

This life = ALL for HIM!

"But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone."

Psalms 33:11, 20-22 (NLT)

~ He Loves Me ~

The Creator of the universe....the God of creation, sent his ONE and ONLY Son down to this crazy, messed up earth to die a very painful and agonizing death on cruel cross for an ordinary girl from North Carolina who is a sinner and makes a total mess of things sometimes.

Why???

Because He loves her that much!

Wow! What an incredibly humbling reality this morning! He took my sin and filth and died for ME! I don't deserve his grace but it's never ending. I don't deserve his love but He loves me anyway. I don't deserve heaven for all eternity with Him but He's preparing my place even now!

And you know what??

He did that for YOU too!!!

Today, I have a heart overflowing in gratitude for the huge sacrifice for me and I look forward to the day when my Jesus returns to take me HOME! In my Father's arms to rest for all eternity......

But until then....I serve and love him with all my heart and will proclaim his message for all the world to hear! Hallelujah!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16 (NIV)

~ Tact ~

Studying through the book of Daniel and seeing how he portrayed such wisdom and tact in terrible circumstances. "Tact" is defined by Merriam Webster as "delicate and considerate perception of what is appropriate."



I love what Beth Moore says about tact...


"We could all use an extra dose...but no one more than Christians. Not because we're worse than everyone else but because so much is at stake!"

 

Wow! So true! We can't let our emotions get the best of us and risk the reputation of Christ!

~ It's Not About Me ~

I have seen this sign, in some form, everywhere I have been the last few days. Unfortunately, this is the mentality and why our world is so messed up. 

Shouldn't we desire to do what makes God happy and live a life of holiness?

"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God... God’s will is for you to be holy,"

1 Thessalonians 4:1, 3 (NLT)

~ Shop Till You Drop ~

Our sister shopping trips are not for the faint of heart! Some people just can't hang with us! Haha!

~ My God and Me ~

Spending my first waking breaths out on the balcony of our condo enjoying the view and the breeze but mostly enjoying the sweet sweet fellowship that I love with my Savior! There is nothing like waking up knowing that the God of the universe pauses just to spend time with me! Even more than that....He longs to spend that time with me...His child! Wow!

In the quietness of this morning I praise him! Not because of things He has done but because He is God! I enjoy our intimate fellowship! There are so many things that God reveals to me during these quiet moments. These are moments when I bare my soul and allow His Spirit to move and work in my life. These are moments for growth and nourishment to face the world around me. These are moments when God places His fatherly arms around me and encourages me to keep pressing on in this daily battle called life. 

"Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart."

Psalms 51:6 (ESV)

These are moments that cannot be held with anyone else.

My God and me!

So I will long for each morning in this secret place with my God and I will rest in his mighty shadow!

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

Psalms 91:1 (NKJV)

~ Surrender ~

Over the last three weeks since preschool dismissed for the summer, I have been on a whirlwind of a journey. I have seen God's hand move in such mighty ways that I just stand in awe of Him! 

Each morning as I start my day with Christ, his sweet whispers comfort my soul. There in the stillness of the mornings He speaks to me and guides me in His ways. Some of those ways, however, are met with resistance on my part (just keeping it real here). When I remember that being a child of God comes with great power, I also understand the reality that that power also comes with great responsibility. That is where resistance is met! Sometimes God calls us into journeys that seem frightening because it may take us out of our comfort zone, sometimes those journeys call us to do things that may take more time than we want to give, and sometimes we just flat out want to be rebellious and say "no". Well, in keeping it real, I have been all three of those scenarios. 

Those sweet whispers from God in the mornings have been met with my not-so-willing attitude at some points but as I read through the pages of scripture and continually lay down my selfishness, God meets me in ways I could not fathom. To surrender my ways to the Savior of the world sounds like an easy path but my flesh and sinful nature sometimes thinks my ways are better. Oh, how wrong I am! When I raise my hands in utter abandon and surrender my ways to the ways of my Master, I see mountains moved, I see impossible possible, and I see His mighty plan unfold in glorious ways! Hallelujah!

Though I've been extremely busy over the last few weeks, I wouldn't trade a second of it. I am amazed at the work of my God and I count it all honor to be a part of His plan. Where He leads, I will follow!

I am so grateful that He took this ordinary NC girl to do HIS extraordinary work in His kingdom! Now that, my friends, is a true miracle! 

What has He called you to do? Let me urge you today to surrender to His call! Take it from this simple Jesus girl who makes a mess of things sometimes. If God has called you to it, He will see you through it and will equip you with all you need to accomplish HIS plan! He will turn your mess into a beautiful message that brings glory and honor to His great name! All it takes is SURRENDER! 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me."

Matthew 16:24 (NLT)

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:6 (NASB)

Summer Bible Study ~ Daniel

In preparation of my upcoming summer Bible study on Daniel, I began reading this precious book this morning. Oh, how the anticipation is growing! I can feel the Spirit moving already and preparing my heart for all the He has in store!

Bible study for me is not just about gaining knowledge. Anybody can read and have knowledge. Satan, himself, even knows what the Bible says. Bible study for me is about coming before God open and fully surrendered, receiving His Word into my soul as it penetrates and moves, and then taking the life-changing impact it has and moving forward in obedience to God and sharing it with the world! It is THAT important!

Just reading through the first couple of chapters, I see Daniel's resolve to be obedient to God in the midst of such an ungodly culture. He was a man of deep devotion to God and a man of integrity. He was a man that recognized the sovereignty of God and placed his security in that sovereignty. I cannot wait to go further, to dig deeper in the Word. We are in such ungodly times and we are going to make decisions that can either glorify God or grieve His heart.

I want to be a woman that is resolved in her obedience to Christ. I want to be a woman so in tune to the heart of God that my heart beats in sync with His. I want to be a woman that sees the world through the eyes of Christ so that I can love and minister. I want to be a woman of integrity. I want to be a woman that places her security in the sovereignty of God!

Oh, what a journey this is going to be!

Ladies, there is still room in this study if you want to join me. Praying this morning, I know there are a few of you that are "on the fence" about joining and maybe just need that little nudge of encouragement to commit. Please know that you have been prayed for today. Say "yes" to God and join me for a life-changing time in God's Word! Contact me for directions!!!

"Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

Daniel 2:20-23 (NLT)