To Get a "God-focus," Sometimes, We Just Need to Look UP

It is so easy to get caught up in our lives. We focus on what is going on with “me,” what is going on around us, and we get this vision that never sees outside of its own circle of life.

It’s kind of like a kaleidoscope. We only see the same colors of our lives, over and over again. Sometimes in different doses or orders – but the same colors.

I catch myself, sometimes. I catch myself getting stuck in a routine, or being immersed in my own thoughts. I remind myself that I need fresh perspective.

In these moments, I look up.  For me, when I do this, my perspective on life and what was currently tumbling around in my head, usually shifts with clarity. I feel calmer. I feel more focused.  I see things through a different lense instead of that same kaleidoscope of colors. All because I took a few minutes to look up and see things from God’s perspective… instead of just my own.  My thoughts turn to Him, instead of keeping them on myself. I feel HIS presence and His strength.

When I look up, I long to be with my Lord. To talk to Him. To hug Him. To see His eyes land on me and look on me with gentleness – knowing I’m struggling to do my best for Him here…. to BE my best for Him here.

Oh how often we keep our eyes looking down, instead of lifting them up! We are consumed with what is going on in our own little world. We keep our eyes down on our problems, our surroundings, and ourselves. That focus is on what is temporal here on earth – instead of what is eternal – up there in Heaven.

All it takes is a second. One second to turn our gazes upwards to the skies and the heavens. To be reminded. To be restored. All it takes is that simple effort on our parts, to get a God-focus on what is going on in our lives. To get the direction and inspiration our hearts long for.

We don’t have to stay buried in our list of “to-do’s,” or anything else in our lives. We can get clarity and peace. We just need to look up.

God's Fingerprints

So often, I ask God for the ability to clearly see Him at work in my life. I want to clearly see Him personally communicating with me. I want to feel like He is a personal God – not just KNOW that He is a personal God.

I’ve seen how easy it is to “forget” His goodness in the land of blessings. I’ve felt how easy it is to feel distant from Him, when I am not intentionally seeking Him out.

I hate that void. That sense of quiet – with no word or indication from Him.

So I choose to rehearse in my mind and heart, how He has shown me He exists.

When I start to have doubts, I remind myself of how He has appeared to me in the form of leaving His fingerprints (and love for me) all over a situation. I tell Him ‘thank you’, for things He’s done for me, years ago! Because I don’t want to forget. I don’t want to forget His faithfulness, and I don’t want to forget how it feels to catch just a glimpse of who He is. I don’t want to forget how it feels to know He is near.

And trust me, HE IS NEAR.

I do forget, however, and I do doubt, unfortunately.

So, I begin again. I remind myself. I seek Him out. I get intentional. And there He is – where He’s been all along. WITH ME.

When I choose to look – I see Him.

When I choose to listen – I hear Him.

His touch, His fingerprints are all over my life. And I feel His love. I see His power. I know His glory.  In these moments, I wish I could always stay. For nothing has ever moved or touched me deeper.

Something To Ponder

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart….” Luke 2:19

When I read my Bible or when I sit in church service and hear God speaking personally to my heart…. I’ve noticed something. I’ve noticed how easy it is to leave that moment in time and continue on with my day – my life. It’s like, “Wow, that was good – now it’s time to get on with my agenda!”

But when I take the time to truly let something God is saying to me, soak into my heart and soul – those are the times where I truly grow. 

The key is in taking the time to ponder over what has been revealed to us. Whether it’s a Bible verse that is relevant, a Bible Study lesson that strikes a chord, or a sermon that is conveniently aimed at what we are feeling or experiencing; we need to take the time to ponder those lessons and think about why it is that God wants to share them with us.

If I listen, but don’t absorb – I don’t gain much. 

If I ponder, absorb, and let God’s messages to me permeate my life – I gain a lot.

It doesn’t matter how many Bible Studies we go to or how often we attend church. It doesn’t matter how many verses we know if they don’t go from our head to our heart and we have the spirit to apply them.  Going through actions isn’t enough. We need to ponder and invest our hearts and minds into truly hearing what God wants to tell us.

I have been guilty of going through the motions so many times. Putting in the time, getting the job done and then moving on to what I really want to do without truly absorbing. The times I have pondered on something, are the times that I’ve really seen God work in my heart and life. He’s moved me. 

I want God to work in my life. I want Him to use me. Move me. Thrill me. Speak to me. In order for that to happen, I need to take a little extra time for Him. To ponder what He’s telling me so that I won’t miss something really big. His Words really are treasures. Just waiting to shine.

You Can Wake Up, Feeling Loved For

It was just another Friday, not that long ago.  I woke up, grabbed my phone and was preparing to scroll through Facebook, before I took my daughter to school.

I got that little alert noise at that exact moment. Someone was on periscope. I went to check it out, and it was a lady. She was praying. Praying over us. Praying over us, as writers.

I closed my eyes and let her words pray over me. And it felt so good. It felt so right to start my day that way. I thought, “How wonderful it would be, to wake up every morning, and have someone pray over you!”

I continued on with my morning, and as I was coming home from taking my daughter to school, I was listening to Christian radio. Thinking again, how this just added to the previous prayer in starting my day right. Jeremy Camp was on, singing about the power that we have through God. As if God were reminding me.

Then, it happened. As I was driving, I looked up into the sky, because the sun was coming out. And I saw it.

A cloud – in the shape of a heart. I kid you not.  It was as if God was telling me, “I love you.”

I got tears in my eyes. I grabbed my phone and waited to turn into my neighborhood, so I could pull over and take a picture. It was only about a minute away. I looked up again as I turned into my neighborhood, and that heart cloud was gone.

God placed it there for my eyes alone.  For me. Personally. No one else.  And once I saw it and felt His love, it was gone.

What a different way to start my day! What a PERFECT way to start my day. With HIM.

How often I neglect Him. How often, I start my day with my own thoughts and agenda. No prayer. No Bible Verse. No Christian music. NO GOD.

Oh, what I miss out on!

If only we could all wake up feeling loved for, as I did on that Friday morning. I wish that for all of us.

You Don't Need To Pray About Everything

“I’ll pray about it and then get back to you.”

“I need to pray about it, first.”

These are things we hear when we ask someone to make a commitment. These are things we say.

Sometimes, these words are the exact right approach and answer.  We should pray about big commitments on our time, or lengthy commitments. We should pray about something that we are not quite sure if God has called us to do, or not. We should pray when we feel unsettled about saying ‘yes,’ and we should pray when God has specifically placed something on our heart – but it hasn’t come about.

Prayer is important. It’s powerful.

But there are times when we don’t really need to pray first.

There are times when we know we should say ‘yes.’ However hesitant we may be, we know God is asking it of us.

There are times, when we can fill a need. We have the gift needed, the money needed, or the tools needed. There is no need to pray. There is simply a need to jump in with action and give of ourselves on behalf of the Lord.

I think we shouldn’t delay doing good things at times. We don’t need to pray about giving a hungry person food. We don’t need to pray about letting a hurting person come over to talk. We don’t need to pray about whether or not we should send someone an encouraging note.

We should.

There are things that we should quickly and heartily do in life – without having to pray about them, first. We should be generous people, gentle people, loving, kind, and caring.  If we have something to give, something to help someone else, we should give it. Quickly. Lovingly.

Prayer is an important part of our lives; there is no doubt. But sometimes we can use it simply as an excuse to delay doing something that we need to do.

Loving others is a command. There is no need to pray about that. So if we have a chance to show that love – we should immediately step in without any doubts.

Without any prayer.

I Owe Him My Life

I know that God is always watching over me. I KNOW that He knows the very details of my life.

My life is a record of it.

When I was 5 years old, He sent His angels to protect me as I drove across the street in my big wheel, without looking for cars. I nearly got hit. I still remember my sister yelling, and me, looking right at the grill of that car.

When I was probably – oh – 9 years old or so? I almost drowned. God once again, scooped down to save me.

When I was in my early 20’s, I ignored my instincts and got out of my truck to grab my mail as I drove home to my apartment complex. There was no one around but a man at a phone booth. I got out anyways. He grabbed my behind. I’m lucky he didn’t do more. For God was looking out for me, once again.

When I was a young mom, my girls were arguing in the car one day and I got angry at them. I swerved to pull over to the side of the road, but in my anger, turned my car too hard. I almost lost complete control as we swerved from side to side, turned all the way around and then careened to the side of the road. It’s amazing we didn’t flip. And I would have had to live with that for the rest of my life. (Ask my girls. They still remember how terrified they were.) God was there for me.

He has a pattern of being there. He sees. Always. He knows. Always.

Whether it’s my own mistakes, or the actions from others – my God is always looking out for me. He has His angels on guard for me every second.

I know this – because I can look back and see how I was spared. Protected. Shielded. LOVED.

I know I will have to go through hard things in life. Just because I have been rescued so many times, doesn’t mean I will be able to avoid the challenging and hurtful things in life altogether.  And I accept that. I don’t welcome it, but I accept it.

I love my God. My Lord. I owe Him my life. Literally.

How about you?

Sometimes You Don't Need a Plan

I’m a planner, married to a spontaneous man. It’s made for some exciting years. Ha ha – But, seriously, I don’t always do well with issues in life that feel out of control. Whether that’s as a wife or a mama, or just an individual, I like to come up with ways to handle it. Even better, I like to know how I will handle things BEFORE they come up.

But “life” doesn’t always obey MY rules.

Life likes to throw me curve balls. It comes up with scenarios that I couldn’t possibly have dreamt about. Life is smart. Life is always changing. And life is a challenge.

I saw a quote on Facebook recently that said, “You don’t always need a plan.  Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.” (Goodvibe.co)

And I thought – “This is SOO true!”  Because there are things in my life that I stress and fret over. I try to come up with ways in which to handle them, when in reality, there may be no perfect solution.  Sometimes I don’t need to come up with a plan. I just need to trust God as I put it all in His hands.

If only I could dictate how my life would go. If only I could funnel and channel things down the paths I think they should go in. But I can’t. And I shouldn’t. I know that I wouldn’t learn or grow if I managed everything into comfortable zones for myself. I know that sometimes the best lessons are learned in the hardest battles.

Do I REALLY trust my God? When I kneel and pray so earnestly that it feels like my heart will bleed…. Do I trust Him to do the right thing with that? Do I trust Him to lead me and guide me in wisdom, discernment, and to give me peace as He does? Because if I do, then there is no need for a game plan. The only plan I need, is to pray, listen for Him to speak to me in return, and obey.

I may try to come up with my own plan of attack to things in life – but sometimes there IS no plan of attack. There is simply faith.  And as I apply the faith that I claim in my heart, I can sit back and watch God work. And feel deeply loved.

Sometimes Our Hearts Go Off Course

Sometimes our heart goes off course.  We start on a mission, ministry, or goal and it can be pure. It’s good. God may have called us or led us to that thing, purpose, or vision.

Then, somewhere along the way, that pureness is lost. We aren’t following God’s calling anymore. We aren’t listening to His whispers. We listen only to our own voice, or those who feed into us with things we want to hear.

We get lost along the way and we don’t even know it.

So many things in life are like this. We get tainted by our own ‘press.’ We get filled with our own success. We get lost in the details of the plan and forget the meaning and purpose of what the plan originally was.

Our hearts go off course.

It’s so important to have accountability in our lives. People who won’t just tell us what we want to hear, but people who are honest with us in a gracious and loving way. We need people who have wisdom and discernment – and those who are honest.

We also need to remember we aren’t the boss. We like to think we’re in control, but we’re not. There is a higher power who dictates where we go, when we go, how we go, and when we get there! He can strip us away from that dream just as easily as He gave it to us.

Just because we are gifted in something, doesn’t mean we are pure in using that giftedness.

Just because we were called to something, doesn’t mean our hearts are humble in achieving that calling.

We need to analyze our motivation and our intent on a regular basis in order to keep our heart on the right track. We will only accomplish what God wants us to accomplish and touch hearts in the way He wants them touched, if we allow our hearts to stay on the course that He wants them on. Sometimes we may feel rerouted from original goals. Sometimes we may feel like we are stuck in our tracks and not moving anywhere at all. But we are right where we’re supposed to be if we continue to let God do the leading and guiding.

It only feels right, to be on the right course. We usually internally know when we’ve veered off, but we can do a lot to protect ourselves before we even get to that point. Take the stand today to put boundaries in place, so that you can be right where you flourish and are used the most….

I Am a Reflection

It seems like lately the subject of whether or not certain things are “ok” in the life of a Christian has been coming to the table fairly regularly. I’ve seen them discussed by others, and observed people take one side or the other.

Whether or not some of these things are suitable for a Christian to do or not – is a very hot topic. Someone will always feel excluded if one person says it’s wrong and they, personally, partake in that action. They will immediately feel defensive. Someone else will always be interpreted as ‘judgmental’ simply because they think something is wrong. It can be a tricky thing to discuss.

I can hear some people say, “Well, that’s why I stay away from subjects like that!” But that doesn’t always work either. I believe that God asks us to stand up for what is right. So that means that we sometimes have to take the side of unpopular opinion in order to take GOD’S SIDE.

A lot of these ‘hot button’ issues revolve around things like alcohol, tattoos, gambling, smoking, ‘white lies,’ or swearing.

This is where I stand on these issues and others that might come up.

For me, I want to always remember that I am a reflection of my Lord God Almighty. It is HIM, whom I serve. I don’t serve the world. I don’t have to someday account to the world. But I do, to my Lord.  If someone sees alcohol in my fridge and it in turn causes them to question my beliefs, my Christian walk, and my faith – then to me, and for me, that is wrong, because I don’t want to ever be the cause for someone else to stumble. I don’t want to be the hindrance to someone else’s faith.

Being a believer means I’m held to a higher standard whether I like it or not. It means that someone is always watching me. Watching to see if I’m really different. Watching to see when I will mess up. Watching to see if I can stay true to what I say I believe when temptation comes, when trials come, or when disappointment comes. 

So, yes. Some things may not be a sin in and of themselves. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to take part in them.

1 Corinthians 10:23

“I have the right to do anything,” you say – but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” – but not everything is constructive.”

Not everything is beneficial. And not everything is constructive.  That’s what it comes down to for me. I don’t need to partake. I don’t want to partake. For I am a reflection. A reflection of my Lord.

Sometimes I Forget To Pray

I want to be as ‘real’ and ‘authentic’ as I possibly can while I walk this earth. I want others to feel love, encouragement, and warmth in my presence. I want them to enjoy laughing with me, and feel safe crying.

I strive for these things. I believe they are the character traits that my Lord has. Character traits that He’d want me to walk out.

But let’s face it; I am so imperfect. I screw up, and feel like slapping myself on the head over the ease into which I slipped into an area, that is not an area that helps me be the kind of person I want to be.

I know the habits that should be a part of my life. I know the people that I should surround myself with. I know how I should behave.  Yet, sometimes, sometimes, I just neglect the very things that would help me be a better, more faithful, “me.”

Sometimes, I forget to pray. I try to handle a situation myself first before I remember to ask God to intervene.

Sometimes, I don’t read the Bible. I’d rather watch the news, get on the computer, or fiddle with my Iphone, than read the great wisdom, peace, and direction that God has sitting there at my fingertips.

Sometimes, I sleep in and I don’t go to church. I may have been up too late, or I just don’t feel like going. So I don’t.

Sometimes, I prefer to listen to my ‘pop’ music, rather than my ‘praise’ music. It’s usually more danceable.

I am human. Just as you are. None of these things are horrible sins. In fact, I think God expects me to forget to pray, read His Word, or go to church at times. I think He KNOWS that the music, books, and movies of this world will entice me.

And sometimes, sometimes, it’s simply ok to just enjoy this life that He’s given us. It’s ok to enjoy hanging out with good friends until late at night. It’s ok to struggle in our own skin to try and solve an issue – because then we are reminded how much we need to rely on God! It’s ok to sleep in sometimes and not go to church. (Even God needed rest when He walked on this earth). Rest is important. As long as that ‘sleeping in’ doesn’t become a habit more important than being a part of a local church body where we can be encouraged, ministered to, and fellowship with other believers.

It’s ok. Sometimes.

But if I want to be as ‘real’ and ‘authentic’ as I possibly can? If I want to love, be loved, encourage, be encouraged, and have others in my life to laugh and cry with…. I need to do those things that I “sometimes” forget.

For they are food and water to the heart and soul of a Christian. I can’t grow without them. I can’t BE the kind of person I want to be in my own strength, in my own will, and on my own terms. Well, maybe, sometimes I can – but not indefinitely. I need God speaking into my life through His Bible, His church, His music, and His whispers in prayer time, for those character traits to permanently take root in my life.

I have to be intentional.

I have to prioritize.

So, sometimes? Sometimes I might forget to pray, and it’s ok.  As long as that “sometimes,” never turns into “all the time.” And that is a slippery slope to watch out for.

That's What Love Is All About

God has answered some pretty big prayers in my life. He has been so faithful to me. I’m always so humbled and blessed when I realize that something I’ve prayed and asked Him for, for years, has finally come to pass in a most perfect way.

I love those moments. I feel so close to God, so in love with Him and His ways.

There is something inside of me, though, that even though I’ve earnestly asked God for something…. There is something inside of me that often feels that I don’t deserve that ‘most perfect’ answer. I often feel like there must be a ‘catch’ somewhere.

I have (many times) gone days, weeks, or even months after a beautiful blessing of answered prayer, and found that something has happened that is a challenge, or an obstacle. I’ve often paused, stopped, and wondered to God, “Is this my sacrifice?” I think that because He gave me something good, I must sacrifice something somewhere along the way.

I know this is flawed thinking.

Oftentimes, God DOES indeed ask us to sacrifice something in order to take us somewhere.  But just as often, He gives us blessings just because He loves us. We, in our imperfect state, need to know that there is nothing we need to reciprocate on our part. We simply need to accept His love and blessings, be thankful, and tell others of what He has done.

That’s it.

Accept His goodness. Accept His love. It’s free. And it’s for us.

It’s hard for me to overcome my thinking at times that I must give something up in order to get a request fulfilled by my Lord. But that’s just not the case.

We ARE undeserving of His great love. That’s what makes it so wonderful. To be loved that much is an awesome, amazing thing. And God wants to shower us with that love so we can share it with others and they too, can feel it.

So the next time you go to God in prayer asking Him for something in earnest, remember He just may answer you with a beautiful blessing. And you don’t have to do anything to earn it. It’s there for you to take and cherish. Because that’s what love is all about.

Unwanted

Oh, feelings of inadequacy! You came to us uninvited.

Fear that swept in like a tidal wave and stole our joy, you too, showed up uninvited.

Worrisome and blue thoughts – we never asked you to stop by – or to stay a long while.

Loneliness, we’re sure you picked the wrong house. For we only sought friends to stop by.

You were all uninvited. And yet, we let you stay. We believed the lies you whispered to us. We let you turn our heads away from the content, trusting, and courageous thoughts that we were having before you rang our doorbell.

We shouldn’t have let them enter. But we did. And now we don’t know how to get them to leave.

Those unwelcome and unwanted visitors that steal away the truths that God has handed to us. Those truths of being valued, wanted, delighted in, and handed strength to. The unwelcome visitors are so loud and ‘in-our-face’ that we have no room left to remember the faithful friends we already had with us.

That’s satan for ya. He loves to come in when we think the ground is solid and sweep it out from under us.

We all have dealt with those uninvited guests in our lives. We ALL have struggles with them  - some of us deal with all of them at once, while others deal with one or two at a time. But they get around. They like to visit and invade our homes and our hearts.

It’s time that we take our hearts and our minds back. It’s time to let these unwelcome feelings and thoughts know that it’s time for them to leave.

Usher them out the door. Hang out a ‘no soliciting’ sign and be on the watch – always. Know when you are vulnerable to unwelcome visitors stopping by. Don’t open the door to them.

We have a shield that we can use to protect us.

We have wisdom to help guide us.

We have strength to help arm us for the battle.

We have joy to help heal us from the wounds that are left behind on our battle-scarred bodies.

We have these tools at our fingertips in God’s Word. He’s given it to us to help us keep those walls of protection up. To know when an unfriendly visitor is disguised as a friendly one. But we have to listen to Him. We have to speak to Him. We have to read the words He’s spoken to us.

Otherwise we are left out in the open – vulnerable. Unprotected. Unarmed. And scared.

Friend, you are not in this battle of life alone. Whether it’s an emotional, spiritual, or physical battle. It can be fought and it can be won. There are others out there fighting the good fight just like you.  They can help you. Encourage you. Love on you and strengthen you.

You don’t have to be a victim anymore. You don’t have to sit there and let the unwanted take over your life.

Nor do I.

Satan would like us to think we have no choice. We’re stuck. But we’re not. God wants us to be victorious.

So let’s fight! Fight hard! Fight for your own life, your own worthiness, and your own mind. No one should have to live their life with unwanted guests stealing their inheritance.

Not you. And not me.

Are We Afraid God Won't Say 'Yes?'

I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I don’t pray big enough. I’m too realistic, too conservative.

I’ve always been a dreamer but somehow over the course of my lifetime, I grew to be practical, as well. Maybe it’s the “mom” in me. The moment my children came into this world, I was very cognizant of life and all the realities it brings with it.

Yes, in my prayer life, I often ask God for things. If we’re honest, I think most of us ask Him for more than we thank Him for. But, in my asking, I don’t find that I’m often audacious with my requests. I don’t ask for much. I don’t often choose to ask Him for something that would overwhelm me or blow my off of my feet.

Why? Am I afraid that God won’t say ‘yes?’

I want to dream big dreams. I want to throw my wishes out to God and see Him do above and beyond all that I could think or ask! I want to see His power at work. In my life. In my kids’ lives.

So, I’ve decided I don’t pray big enough.  I’m not bold enough and I haven’t dreamt enough for myself, or my family in a long time.

It’s about time I start. It’s about time I change that.

How about you? Are you an audacious pray(er) or are you “safe” in your prayers? Do you ask for patience as you deal with an illness, or do you ask for healing? Do you pray big prayers for your children?

Let’s start abandoning our practical side when it comes time to pray. Let’s truly throw our dreams at the Lord and see what glorious things He can do!

He might just be waiting for us to ask!

For He Loved Me

“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.”
Psalms 44:3

…”For you loved them.”

That last line just brought such warmth to my heart and a sweet smile to my lips. It was a good reminder to me of all the spiritual battles I have fought in life. Or thought “I” fought in life.

So many times we think it’s us doing the battle. We think we are wielding this sword and fighting on a daily basis whatever it is that has been placed in front of us. But it’s not our swords or our arms that bring us victory. No – it’s God. It’s HIS arm, HIS hand, and the light of HIS face that brings about victory…not anything we did. Not that we prayed mightily enough, were good enough, were strong enough, or that we were blessed enough. No, it is simply because God loves us.

Sometimes truths so simple are the hardest to take in. We think there must be more. But there’s not. God does things for us simply because He loves us and He desires to bless us.

Yes, I believe He wants us to get on our knees and pray. I believe He wants us to use what tools He’s given us in our faith, but those are more for our own growth and walk than they are for results, really.

Anytime I think I’ve done something enough; if I would just fast more often or pray harder – then the focus is on “me” and what I can do – not one what my God can do.

It’s good just to remember that it is not by might but by God’s that wins battles.

For He loved me.

Sometimes We Need To Be Stirred

We don’t always get what we want in life.  But maybe, we do get what we need…..

Sometimes, maybe we go through chaos for awhile in life, so that we can be stirred from having complacency in the calm of it.

I can see how whirlwinds of challenges swirled around me at certain times in life. I don’t think they happened because I was doing necessarily anything wrong before they arrived, but that maybe my heart needed to be stirred. Maybe I needed to understand and empathize with others more – after going through certain struggles. Maybe I needed to develop and grow more spiritually. Maybe I needed some humbling.

Each situation has been different. Each one – so very personal.

God says that we will be sifted like wheat. We can’t expect a loving Father to leave us alone in our pride, our lukewarm living, or our ignorance. He has plans for each one of us. He sees who we can be.

So, sometimes, we need to be stirred up a little.

Or a lot.

I dread going through these seasons. I should count it a joy that my Lord loves me that much. That He loves me so much that He can’t let me go down a path that isn’t full of Him or full of all that He can show me.  But, I’m human. And I dread the personal hurts that come with these times. I hate the stretching done on my character, and I feel so beat up at times, wondering if my own stamina can last.

And yet – I like who I am more this year, than last year. I love who I’m becoming more, as I grow. And that’s not because of anything I’ve done. It’s because of what I’ve gone through in life. It’s because of the stirring in my heart, soul, and circumstances. It’s because of tilting my head up and lending an ear to what God might be trying to say to me.

So – in the midst of the stirring – it’s never fun. But the feeling of BEING stirred and knowing your are more aware, more beautiful, and more complete because of it?

Priceless.

Do So Even More

1 Thessalonians 4:1 “Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God – as you are doing – do so even more.”

As I was reading this verse for a Bible Study recently, the last few words of it really jumped out at me.

DO SO EVEN MORE.

We are all at different stages and phases in our walk with the Lord. Some of us are mature believers while others are babies in the faith.  Some of us were blessed to be raised in Christian homes, while others came from very volatile and dysfunctional backgrounds.

Yet we are all on the same page when it comes to what God asks of us. 

Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, however we are obeying and growing in Him – we are to do MORE.

I like that. For it reminds me that I’m not on better ground than someone else. God still knows that I have room to improve. He knows what areas I’m weak in, what areas I’ve been neglecting, and He knows what needs work.  We never get to a point in our faith where we can say, “I’ve arrived. I’ve done the work that needs to be done, now I’ll work on someone else.” No! We always have work that can be improved upon in our own souls and lives.

It is between us and God what areas we need to focus some attention on in our lives. Is it the way in which we speak? Is it how we dress? Is it how little we get into His Word and spend time alone with Him? Do we need to confess hidden sins in our life? Adjust our attitudes? Do we struggle with selfishness? How about our finances? Are we wise or wasteful with our money? Are we respectful to those in our families and in our neighborhoods or workplace? Are we controlling? Unforgiving?

You see – there are SO many areas in a life that needs work. For each one of us, our weaknesses and struggles are different. We all have room to DO MORE. Even for those of us who are walking and pleasing the Lord – we are to DO SO EVEN MORE.

Let those words sit on your heart today as I let them sit on mine. Let them sink in.

What is one area in your life where you can DO SO EVEN MORE?

Then do so. More. Turn what was once a weakness into a strength. Then attack another area and do so even more with that area too.

He is the potter and we are the clay. We are being molded and shaped each day into something more beautiful and perfect. We are cheating ourselves to only do ‘just enough.’

Do MORE.

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

“May the odds be ever in your favor.”   That is a quote from the movie, “The Hunger Games.”  It’s a quote that says so much and can be applied to our life as a Christian. Once you have Jesus in your heart, the odds ARE in your favor.

It doesn’t always feel that way though. It doesn’t feel like the odds are in our favor when we are hit with challenge after challenge in a short time frame. It doesn’t feel like the odds are in our favor, when we always seem to be struggling with our finances, our friendships (or lack thereof), or our health.

But they are.

It occurred to me, that every time I sit in church, I’m stacking the odds in my favor.  Every time I open my Bible, participate in a Bible Study, listen to Christian music, or PRAY…. The odds are in my favor. For, Satan doesn’t like it when I do those things. Especially when he’s been on the attack in my life. And believe me, he IS on the attack in our lives!

So I can claim victory. Each time I kneel on my knees in prayer, or seek God out – even if it’s in a Christian self-help book – I can claim victory over Satan. For he doesn’t want me to do those things. And if he wins any mileage in my life, it will be to get me to stop doing those things.

The odds ARE in our favor. But we have to acknowledge them. We have to let the power that God has given us through other Godly people, church, prayer, His Word, and music; we have to allow room for access to those things in our lives.

They are our fuel. They are our joy. They are our peace, healing, direction, and strength.

Let us seek them out. Let us depend on them, enjoy them, use them, and be thankful for them. They are our weapons against the evil one who DOES seek to destroy everything that has any meaning to us in our lives. Especially our purpose, faith, and calling.

The odds are already stacked in our favor if we believe in the Lord and call Him our Savior. But let’s start thriving instead of merely getting by with those odds. Let’s wield the weapons that have been given us and be strengthened daily by them.

Go to church. Read God’s Word. Listen to that Christian radio station. Join that Bible Study. And pray. PRAY all the time. And not only know that the odds are in your favor – but truly feel it.