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“The Partial Rest of the Story!!”

What about internal?

Last week I talked about distraction and the external damage that takes place.  “We can get distracted with life and quit exercising and before we know it our bodies are out of shape.  We can get distracted eating what looks appealing and the next thing we know we have some extra pounds that we are carrying around.”  What about the internal damage?  A lot of time what is going on inside can be what is coined a “silent killer”.

The reality is there are people that can eat all the junk, garbage food they want and never exercise and look slim and trim.  But they are a walking time bomb.  It is just a matter of time before everything is going to fall apart and when it does it is not going to be pretty.

Internal

When I went off the road last week my husband did not want me to drive the car.  He wasn’t sure how much damage there might be.  So I drove our van.  The van that is questionable.  We have been driving it with care for a while knowing that there is a questionable head casket.

I made it to work without a hitch.  After work, I headed to an appointment.  When I was heading home I notice a light that had come on the dash.  I call it a check engine light but technically there is another name for it.  I asked my husband if it had been on before now.  He thought it had but couldn’t remember for sure.  I didn’t think I saw it that morning but I wasn’t sure.  Thankfully, I made it home without a problem.

The next morning after the van had warmed up I went out to go to work.  When I got into the van the light was now blinking.  I told my husband so he checked a couple of fluids and said it should be fine.  He didn’t know why it was blinking but he told me to go ahead and go to work and hopefully everything would be fine.

When I got to the end of our driveway I just could not bring myself to drive it to work.  Because was worried,  I got out the book for the van and started to do some looking.  I didn’t want to be late to work so I called my dad and he took me.  On my way, I looked in the book some more and found that when the light was blinking you could lose power at any time and that you should take the vehicle in immediately.  I was glad I did not take the van.

External versus internal

In all appearances, everything looked okay on the outside of the van.  In fact, it looks quite nice.  But on the other hand, the car looked concerning to drive.  What the outside looks like maybe an eyesore but it doesn’t affect how the car runs.  Of course, there is the exception if you have had a major wreck it could have done internal damage.  But I am just talking about the looks.  We always buy used cars and yes we like it to look nice but what means most to us is how the internal parts are.

We can even go back to people.  The kinds of people you want to spend time with and be around are those that have good internal qualities.  If you are just looking for a person that is perfectly shaped and has great looks to be around you will probably be disappointed.  It may make you feel good to be seen with them, especially if they are popular. But what is their character like.  That means more than what they look like.  Many young people get caught up with wanting to be with the most popular and beautiful or handsome kids but a lot of times they are treated badly by them.

What about spiritually?

Can we, as a Christian, look good on the outside?  We come to church looking happy and everyone may think we are doing great.  We eat healthily, dress modestly, worship God, go to midweek service, involve ourselves in all the church activities, etc.  But the question would be what is going on inside.

There may be someone else that doesn’t look so good on the outside.  Maybe they don’t eat the way we think healthy eating requires, dress like we think a Christian should dress, come to midweek service, get involved with all the church activities, etc.  But they seem so on fire for the Lord and we don’t understand it.

So now we have the outside that looks good like my van does.  And we have those that look cosmetically bad like my car does.  But the question becomes what about the inside?  Just because someone looks cosmetically good does that mean he or she is in a saving relationship with Jesus?  And if someone looks cosmetically bad does that mean they do not have a saving relationship with Jesus?

The bottom line is what the cosmetic of my vehicle does not tell me what the true car condition is.  The same is true for people.  The cosmetic does not tell us the true heart condition.  God is working with each person and you do not know where they are in their journey and they could be in a better saving relationship with Jesus even though you are doing all the “right” things.

But Jesus said…

You may be saying, “But by their fruits, ye shall know them.”  Yes, this is true.  But we need to be very careful.  If we are sitting in the judgment seat we are already where God doesn’t want us to be and we are on dangerous ground.  As Jesus warned a few verses before, “Judge not that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (See Matthew 7).

We need to be examining ourselves and making sure that our hearts are where they should be.  If our hearts and not just our exterior are right with God we will look at people like Christ look at people.  And it will not be with a judgmental, critical attitude but with love and compassion.  We need to pray, love them, and be a living example.  It is easy to overlook our own faults as we look and dwell on others faults.

We cannot even be of service and help to others if what is on the outside does not match what is on the inside.  And we need to go to God in humility and let Him lead and guide us with how to reach those around us.  A moment of wrong actions can destroy a person for a lifetime.  That is why God has given us warning about us being on the judgment seat for others.  Self easily gets in the way.

Dear Father,

Please forgive us for not always representing You as we should.  Help us to make sure that we are not cosmetically following You but that our hearts are surrendered to You.  And that we are doing everything we do because of our love for You and what You have done for us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Make sure you are right with God today in every area of your life.  It is the heart condition that counts the most.  As your heart is right the works will follow.

Love you all.

What vehicle trouble have you had?  And what spiritual lesson came out of it?  Share below I would love to hear your story.

As a note, I still don’t have the outcome on my vehicles so I am still on this journey.  I don’t have the full rest of the story but someday soon.  And when I do I may share it with you.

 

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“Distractions Cause Damage!!”

Distractions!

We live in an overly complicated world.  There are distractions everywhere.  We can get distracted with life and quit exercising and before we know it our bodies are out of shape.  We can get distracted eating what looks appealing.  And the next thing we know we have some extra pounds that we are carrying around.

Most people think and worry about what things look like on the outside.  But the damage that happens on the inside is way more concerning.  What is on the outside is just a symptom of the root problem.  And until we see those visible symptoms we tend to ignore those things that are bringing a lot of harm to us.  It also comes so gradually that we tend to not focus on it until it is major and we realize if we don’t make a change it is going to be a life or death matter.

Damage

The other day there was some snow coming down on my way to work.  I was thinking that I should probably be more careful but since it was just starting to cover the road I thought it probably was not that bad yet.  The one thing that I had not taken into account was what the weather had been doing before there was a skiff of snow on the ground.

As I was heading down a hill that curves to the left as you go down, I did not go in a lower gear as I normally do.  And as I was going down I got distracted with something else along with my thoughts and I was going faster than I should have been.  I ended up not curving to the left but straight into the bank.  I was unable to back the vehicle out so I had to call my husband.

Help arrived

When my husband arrived he and my daughter got in front of the vehicle and started to push. By this time we had an audience.  All the little children that stand out for the bus had arrived and they were staring.  Soon there were some parents that showed up as well and were asking if we needed help.  How embarrassing!

Finally, my husband and daughter had me pushed out.  After the school bus passed by and all the children were loaded up and gone, I pulled the car across the road to a parking lot.  My husband came and looked things over.  Surprisingly the right side of the car that went into the bank the most appeared to have no damage but the left-hand side had enough damage he was afraid to have me drive it until he could check it out.  The left side already had damage from my father-in-law when he was driving it years ago so it had more weakness but also the chunks of snow appeared to be larger and harder than the ones that hit the right side.

Spiritual distractions

What about spiritually?  Do we realize how bad the road of life is?  Are we going through life carefully or are we being distracted?

We are living in a time in earth’s history like never before.  The “road” is getting more dangerous to travel.  It seems like things are okay and we go oblivious on our way not staying focused and “driving” to fast for the conditions.

We are so busy with work, the pleasures of this world, keeping the house in order, doing church duties (oh, but church those are good and right things, correct?), maybe staying fit and maybe even having “family” time that we forget the most important thing that keeps us on the “road”.  Here is the question, Are we on the right road?

Which road is right?

When my son heard which direction of our loop road I had been traveling on he let me know he never goes that way this time of year.  It is steep and more likely to be a problem in the winter time.  For me, I have traveled that road for more than 25 years and never had a problem.  But that day I was so distracted with my thoughts as well as looking away.   Looking away from your driving is hazardous.  I had already almost hit a deer because I was adjusting my heat.

You might say that we are living in the “winter” of this world’s history.  We don’t have time to be taking the wrong road.  We need to be taking the road that is safer, leading us to heaven rather than taking the road that leads to destruction.  “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it” Matthew 7:13, 14.

The most important

The first and most important thing in life is keeping our relationship with Christ.  The devil wants to keep us distracted by the things of this world that we forget our connection with Christ.  And he can keep us distracted even with good and right things.  But we have to make God our priority.  We need our priorities straight.

You may be asking but isn’t my family supposed to be my priority? There is a place for family but not before God.  “If any man come to me, and hate (love less) not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” Luke 14:26.  We need to love God above everything and everybody including ourselves.  He needs to be the priority in our lives.  And the reality is we cannot truly love others or ourselves without Jesus dwelling in our heart through His Holy Spirit.  Our own love is filled with selfishness.

Prioritize

Taking care of ourselves is a priority after God.  You may be saying,  “Isn’t that selfish?”  Making our priority God is taking care of ourselves first spiritually but we also should take care of our physical needs as well.  Many people will say I don’t have time to exercise or eat right because I am too busy trying to take care of everyone else.  Wrong thinking!  We cannot properly take care of others if our physical and spiritual life isn’t in order.

After our spiritual and physical has taken priority then our family comes next.  If you’re married your wife or husband is your next priority and then your children.  If you’re not married yet your parents and siblings are your next priority.  We have to keep our priorities in the right order.  Now we cannot neglect our family by saying that we are taking care of our spiritual and physical needs and we don’t have time for the family.  We have to cut things out of our lives so that we do have the time to do what God intends for our lives.  It starts by making a plan, making out a schedule, and following it.

Dear Father,

We need Your help in prioritizing our lives.  I know from experience that as I set my priorities to spend time with You and to take care of my body temple, that You want to dwell in, my time multiplies.  But I still struggle to trust You.  Give me Your strength and courage to follow Your ways.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Don’t let the things of this world distract you.  Make a commitment today to take the right road and to stay focused on the priorities.

Have you ever gone off the road?  What did you learn?  I would love to have you share below in the comments.

Stay tuned for my next blog to hear, as Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the story.”

 

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Maintenance Required!!

Maintenance!

There is really nothing in life that does not require maintenance.  If you want to keep your car in running order it requires maintenance.  Things in your home start going bad and it requires you to maintain it.  Some examples are if you want a toilet, sink, or lighting working properly. The other thing that we have to maintain is our body.  We can’t just go on with life as usual without maintenance.

For me, I fall into the latter category.  As a child, I got Scarlet Fever and Rheumatic Fever.   These brought damage to my immune system and my heart so I had to be more careful than others.  Then in 2008, I got Lyme disease and it did more damage to my body.  It has made it more of a struggle for my immune system.  So maintaining a healthy lifestyle has been a must.  But it also did damage to nerves and muscles that affect the right side of my body.  It totally deformed my body on the right side, which took therapy to get it back to some normalcy.  But it requires maintenance to keep the pain at a minimal.  It brought more damage to my heart so exercising is paramount.  And trying to have less stress is also helpful but seemingly impossible.

Requirements

With those that are generally healthy you can get away with a lot of things for a long while and it seems okay.  But it will eventually catch up with you in your older years.  For me, it is work to stay where I need to be.

For me, there are requirements if I want to stay in less pain and to be functional.  All my muscles have never been the same since I came down with Lyme.  But my right side is the worst.  The muscles stay very tight and easily pull things out of alignment.  So there are two things I need to do to get back to somewhat normal.  I need to go to a deep massage therapist who gets really deep into the muscles to try to loosen them.  Anything other than that will not get them to loosen up some.  Then I also need to go to a chiropractor (I have a great one)  and get an adjustment.  I do have to do these fairly often to maintain.  But because I want to save the money, I often don’t which causes me more discomfort.

Daily Routine

Once I am loosened and adjusted there is a daily routine that helps keep things where they should be for longer and that is exercise.  And I am not talking about just walking, although that is great and needed.  I am talking about muscle strengthening exercises.  I need to do weights and anything that will strengthen those muscles.  It does help make the adjustments and message last longer.   But I still have to get that maintenance every so often.

Our bodies are amazing!  Our spines have nerves running through them.  And it sends messages to the brain and the brain sends messages back.  Like if you poke your finger it travels to the brain.  Then a message is sent back to say that it is pain and what to do about it.  Wow!  And it happens in less than seconds.

Misaligned

Think about if your spine is misaligned.  What exactly will happen?  There are so many things that can go wrong.  The nerves that have certain jobs to do get crimped and those jobs are not done as they should be and things go wrong.

I understand that very much because of my own health.  When things are not aligned as they should be I feel the results.  I already have nerve damage from the Lyme and it increases the results when there is crimping of the nerves going on.

Example

I have a good example from my daughter.  Just before she was born I got into a rear-ending accident.  I was hit pretty hard and it took therapy for the damage that had been done. I was still receiving treatment when my daughter was born.

She had a problem right from the start that seemed really unbelievable to me.  I was nursing her but she was not pooping.  I finally took her into the doctor and he told me that I would need to use a depository to get her to poop.  He told me that this was a condition that some people have and that she would have to deal with constipation for the rest of her life.  I was really devastated with that but went forward and did what I had to do.

I was at one of my chiropractic treatments one day and somehow the subject got brought up about my daughter.  The gal told me to bring her in the next time and let her take a look at my daughter.  I did so and she did an adjustment in her hip area.  I was so amazed it took care of her problem and I no longer had to use a depository for her to poop.  The gal had me bring her in one more time and that was it.  I asked her how that would happen.  She told me that when a baby is born it can be rough on their bodies and sometimes misalignment takes place.

Due to my condition, I must have ongoing maintenance and I am so grateful that chiropractic and message are available to help me through my journey in life.  And as I exercise with walking and weight lifting I can help maintain my health so that I don’t need as much of the maintenance.

Thinking

But all this got me to thinking about my Christian walk.  The concept for our Christian walk is the same.  Lyme disease is not much different than sin. Lyme disease attacks the heart, mind, muscles, nerves, etc. And sin “disease” also attacks the heart, mind, muscles, nerves, etc.  I have to spend time in prayer and study of God’s Word to keep my spiritual muscles strong.  If I don’t do it every day my spiritual muscles start to get weak and I get misaligned with God.  When this happens things don’t go as well.

In order for me to get back in alignment, I need to go to the “Chiropractor” (God) and get an “adjustment” (forgiveness).  Sometimes if we have allowed ourselves to get too far those spiritual muscles have become so hard and stiff that it takes more than just a simple “adjustment”.  You really have to get in and get a “deep massage” (agonizing on your knees).  Sometimes we need God to dig deep into our lives and reveal to us those things that are causing the misalignment.  Our spiritual muscles have become so tight we can’t see why but God knows and can show us.  Just like a deep massage can be physically painful for a temporary time, when we go to God in need of a deep spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” it can be emotionally painful as we allow Him to show us why our spiritual muscles are so tight.

Just like if we try to exercise and lift weights when our body is misaligned it will do damage so spiritually if we try to get close to the Lord without first aligning ourselves with His will it will do spiritual damage.  It will make us feel like we are okay because we are doing the “works” but we are not.

Maintain

Once we have made things right with God we can maintain our connection by spending that time each day in prayer and the study of His Word.  So the question is do we still need to get a spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” if we are exercising and building our spiritual muscles every day?  I believe that we do.  I believe that now and then we need to go to God asking for Him to reveal to us ways that we can have a deeper relationship with Him.  He will give us a spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” that will give us an even deeper connection with Him.

I am grateful for His grace and mercy that does not reveal to us every aspect that we need to change in our lives all at once.  He brings things to us as we can handle them.  So now and then He does a “deep massage” and “adjustment” when He can see that we are ready.  So one time you may go to Him and He reveals nothing and the next time He does.  And you may wonder why He didn’t show you that the last time because it was in your life then too.  It is His grace and mercy.  He knows when the time is right to show us the changes that we need.

Dear Father,

Thank You so much for Your grace and mercy.  I am grateful that I can come to you for a spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” and I know that You will not give me more than I can handle.  It may seem, at times, that it is more than I can handle but I know that I can trust You and that You will walk through it with me, for which I am thankful.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

You can trust God with your life.  Go to Him today and allow Him to give you a spiritual “massage” and “adjustment” so that you can be fully aligned with Him.

Love you all.

Do you have an experience that you can share that would express God’s grace and mercy?  Share it below in the comments.

 

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“Get Rid of the Clutter?!!”

It’s hard to believe…

It is hard to believe that we are already in 2019.  Time has passed so quickly and now we have to get started writing a new year.  Just about the time I am doing well at remembering the correct year to write the year it changes again.

Most people make some kind of New Years resolution or change that they hope to keep.  It seems that it is not always easy to do.  One of mine has been to exercise more regularly.  Exercise is so important and the older I get the more I realize it.  I know that when I regularly do cardiovascular and aerobic exercise, which I do by getting on my treadmill and lifting weights, I create more energy, have less pain, and get more done in a day.  You may be thinking, “How can you get more done in the day?”  It is really simple.  If you feel better and your mind is clearer you can accomplish more in less time.  It’s amazing.

Clutter

The other area that I wanted to work toward is to de-clutter my home.  With me working part to full time and homeschooling, besides doing a home business and helping my husband with his businesses, things have gotten out of hand.

One of the excuses I have made for not exercising is that I can’t even get to my treadmill because stuff is in the way.  So I took some time off of work to work on de-cluttering.  Now that my kids are older there have been lots of things that I could take to a second-hand store or just put in the trash.  So I have ended up with several boxes of second-hand items and several bags of garbage and I am not even done yet.

What I have learned through this whole process is that it would be easier if a person de-cluttered more often.  Maybe make a commitment to do a little de-cluttering every day or once a week.  It is less overwhelming when it is done a little at a time than waiting years and then doing it.

Our lives

It made me start to think about our spiritual lives.  Do our spiritual lives ever get cluttered?  I believe we do.  And it is easy to keep ignoring it.  But as we ignore it, it gets harder to actually make changes because it looks and feels too hard to do.  And we also start to get comfortable with the clutter.  But we don’t need to get discouraged or have it feel as if it is impossible.

As I have been de-cluttering areas of my house I have gotten some help here and there from my family but most of the work has been done by me.  My daughter was going to help me and she did some but she ended up getting sick.  So the main bulk of everything I de-cluttered was left to me.

God is our helper

But in our Christian walk, it is not the same, “Praise the Lord!”  Although doing stuff ourselves may be hard but it seems easier and automatic.  Humanly speaking we want to be in control so it is hard for us to let go and let God.  But He is the One that does the bulk of the work if we allow Him, and we are just His helpers.  So what is our part compared to His?

1.  Be much in prayer.

We need to be in prayer each day.  Asking God for forgiveness, cleansing, and for Him to fill our lives with His Holy Spirit.  We need to ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth before picking up and studying God’s Word.

2.  Study God’s Word

We need to be in the word everyday.  As we are studying God’s Word He will show us areas in our lives that need to have a cleaning.  The great news is that He does the cleaning as we cooperate with Him.  Our job is to surrender each area of our lives to Him as He shows us.

3.  Memorize His Word

We need to hide God’s Word in our hearts.  If there is an area in our lives that we are struggling with we can find a verse that we can claim whenever we are tempted.  Believe me, the devil is not going to leave you alone.  But you can have peace in surrender.

Let God clean

When God shows you areas of your life that need cleaning surrender it to Him.  Ask Him to take away the desire, claim His promises, and let Him work.  One thing about God He is a thorough cleaner.  We don’t have to worry about any area being left no matter how deep it is buried.

It is not easy to allow God to do the cleaning because that means we have to die to self.  Self has to go.  But God can even help us get rid of self as well.

Dear Father,

I want to surrender every area of my life to You starting out this new year.  Give me the strength to allow You to work within my life.  I do want to be clean so that I can be ready for Your soon coming.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to God today and let Him thoroughly clean up your life.

Love you all.

Do you have a testimony about how God has helped you in the cleaning process?  I would love to hear it.  Write it below.  Also, do you have a favorite promise that you cling to in time of temptation?  Please share it.

 

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“It’s Over!!”

The New Year is coming!

It is hard to believe that another year has passed.  The year has gone so quickly that it feels like a dream.  How many of you are looking back at your year and wish things could have been different?  Maybe there are things that you have done or said you wish you could take back?  Or maybe you’re looking at the New Year thinking about what next goal you can set to try to achieve?

It seems like a lot of people have a New Years resolution.  And most of the time it doesn’t last for long.  It seems that the most popular resolutions are to eat better, exercise more, and lose weight.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with these resolutions.  I do have one for the coming year and that is to be more regular in my exercise.

Failure

What tends to happen is a person starts out well but they may eat something that is not healthy, or a day goes by without exercising and they give it all up because they failed once.  This is a problem.  When we fail we should not get discouraged and stop we should reset our goals and start again.  Every day is a new day and a fresh start.  We don’t have to live on yesterday’s mistakes or tomorrows goals we just live today.

Setting goals are well and good and we should do it because that is what keeps us motivated.  But don’t beat yourself up when you do fail, just get up and keep going.  I am going to give you some tips on setting goals and how to keep them.  Keeping your New Year’s resolutions is a choice every single moment, day, week, month, year.  But I believe that you cannot do it alone.

Get your priorities straight

There is a “must” in setting goals.  It starts with making a commitment to allow the Lord to lead in your life.  We are unable to stick to our commitments without the aid of God.  We may think we can and we may try.  But I can tell you by experience that it is way easier to have the Lord to depend on.

I know you have heard these excuses and have made them yourself.  “I don’t have time to exercise.”  “I didn’t have time to eat a decent meal I just had to grab it on the go.”  “I accidentally slept in.”  “The food looked so good I could not resist.”  “I can never lose this weight, it’s impossible.”  “I don’t have time to spend with God.”

Alarm clocks

You might be thinking, “What do alarm clocks have to do with New Year resolutions?”  Well, I believe that “alarm clocks” are the key to success when setting goals.  And I have the best “Alarm Clock” ever made and I want to share it with you.

When starting the New Year you have to get your priorities straight.  You have to make a commitment.  I believe to make your day, week, month, year successful you need to make a morning commitment.  It is important for you to get up in the morning so you want to make sure you set your “Alarm”.

The best Alarm that I have found is God.  I have found this to be so true in my life.  I ask the Lord to wake me in the morning and He does it faithfully every day.  And when He wakes me I am wide-awake.  Now, can I hit the snooze button on God?  Yes, I can and I have done it.  It usually comes in the form of, “I’ll just lay here and pray for a few minutes.” Or we make similar excuses.  Something that sounds so legit.  And without fail, I go back to sleep.  What is amazing to me is that when I wake up the next time I feel groggy and I don’t feel as good the rest of the day.  Make God your alarm clock.

Simple 30-minute startup

I want to give you a simple 30-minute startup that you can easily commit to doing every single day.  Upon rising:

  1. Get a large glass of water. For me, I like to drink a quart of warm water and drink it in a fairly short period of time.  It is a good cleanser first thing in the morning flushing toxins that have built through the night.  But you can choose how much water and what temperature you want.  I am not going to count this into your 30 minutes because this should not take long.  If you choose to heat your water you can lead into #2 while you are heating and drinking your water.
  2. Spend around 5 minutes in prayer and gratitude to God. I definitely spend more time in prayer than this but this is a great place to start.  We need to be grateful every day.  Our tendency is to look at the negatives in the past year.  Instead, look at what the Lord has done in your life, look at the positive.  As you start to be grateful you will see more and more positive things.
  3. Spend 10 minutes reading your Bible or your favorite book that draws you to God. Again I spend more time than 10 minutes.  And I have found that the Lord will wake me up in plenty of time to spend more time.  And He also multiplies the time.  He is so faithful.
  4. Spend 15 minutes in some form of exercise. I like walking.  Just try to pick something that you will do.  I have a treadmill and I like to get on it. One reason I like the treadmill is that I can listen to something while I do it.  So while I am on my treadmill I listen to the Bible on audio.  This is a good way to do two things at once.  I also have used this time to memorize Scripture or even spending more time in prayer.  After you exercise, make sure to get a glass of water in.

Now you can go on with your day, as usual, making sure that you have invited the Lord to attend you throughout the day.  I have found that not only is God a great wake up alarm but as I invite Him to accompany me throughout the day that He also sets off the “alarm” when I start to do something that is not in line with the commitments I have made.

You have it made

If God is reminding us of our commitments what is there to worry about?  I know that God is always faithful but my commitments can be like ropes of sand.  Knowing God will “alarm” me I don’t have to worry.  But I do need to make sure that when He does warn me that I listen and don’t hit the snooze button and go ahead and do my own thing.  God is always there we are the ones that walk away.

Dear Father,

Thank You for always being there for us.  Thank You that You are always willing to forgive.  Help us in this New Year to stay more committed and connected with You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Let God lead you in the commitments you make in this coming year.  And allow Him to help you stick to it.

Have you great New Year!  Love you all.

Have you asked God to wake you in the morning?  How has it worked for you? Comment below.

 

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“Alone For Christmas?!!”

Christmas!

What do you think of when you think of Christmas, family, friends, joy, gifts, and peace?  It seems that Christmas for a lot of people makes them warm inside.  The happiness of togetherness with family gathered around the Christmas tree can bring such a joyous feeling.  It seems that people are more courteous and cheerful during the Christmas season.  But the question comes; does everyone feel those warm feelings this time of year?  And the answer is no.

I know this year even for myself there are some sorrows.  It makes it harder to have the full joy of Christmas.  We would visit my father-in-law every Christmas and bring him a gift.  But he is no longer with us.  And I remember the year that we surprised my mom with my brother coming for Christmas.  But this will never be a possibility again.  Things change and sorrow comes into our lives.

Dread

It reminds me of my son.  He cut his leg and it required stitches.  We were told that he could remove the stitches in 14 days; the doctor wanted to be sure it had healed.  My son waited 16 days for good measure.  The next day, after he removed his stitches, he was playing soccer and someone kicked him right on his cut and it totally reopened.  He thought it was totally healed but when put under unfavorable conditions it reopened.

Some people dread this time of the year.  They have had lots of sorrows and abuses that lead to unhappiness when it comes to family.  There are some that seem to have received healing from hurt and pain but when it’s hit with the Christmas season wounds thought to be healed come wide open again.  A lot of times they are either alone or feel alone in a crowd.

Bring cheer

A lot of times we can feel so focused on our own family or our own sorrows we can forget those that may not have a pleasant day planned.  Can you imagine being alone for Christmas?  It’s just another day like any other, no family or friends to spend it with.  There are many that go through this each year.  Do you know someone you could bring cheer to?  I would encourage all of us to think about who we could include in our Christmas cheer that has no place to go.  And let’s change the memory of Christmas for them so that their wounds may fully heal.  Through my own sorrows one thing that I know, as I reach out to cheer others my sorrows diminish.

I remember one year our family invited an older couple to spend Christmas Eve with us.  We celebrate and open gifts on Christmas Eve and this was when our children were younger.  The older couple so thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was wonderful to bring a little joy and happiness into their lives.

Dear Father,

Lead each one of us to think of someone that will be alone for Christmas so that we can include them in our family gathering.  Help us to remember that when we do it unto the least of these we do it unto You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Invite someone today to spend Christmas with you.

Love you all and a Merry Christmas to you.

Do you have a story of inviting someone that would have been alone to join you for Christmas?  I would love to hear it.

 

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“It is Too Late!!!”

To Late!

What is the feeling you get when you realize that you are too late?  Maybe there are some things that you are late for that don’t really bother you, like being late to church or to an appointment.  But there are other things that you may have a sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize you did not make it, like your flight or maybe being late to work when you know it could mean you lose your job.

We are human and we can disappoint people many times because we are late or forget different things.  Maybe we forget an anniversary, birthday, or some special occasion.  Or maybe we miss or are late to a funeral, wedding, or something that means a lot to someone if we are there.  What would it be like if you are a bride or groom and you are late for your wedding?  There could be a lot of feelings like fear and anger.

What about God?

So what about God is He ever late?  In human thinking, I think we would all say at times, yes.  But when we go through a situation and we are able to look back most of the time we can see His leading and know that He is always right on time.

We have been in business for ourselves for close to 30 years in our area and it has not been the greatest since 2008.  After that time, we were not surviving and ended up in a lot of credit card debt.  For the last couple of years, we have not had money to pay our taxes so we have had to do an extension.

I finally went to work outside the home to try to help and we also started another business.  For our 2016 tax year, we had to extend and we filed in October of 2017.  We had some money we could send when we filed but we did not have the full amount.  We kept praying and asking for jobs with our new business because we knew if we just got one good job we could pay our taxes.  But it did not come.  Then one day we finally got a job.  It would be enough to pay our taxes but then there is a waiting game because we get paid from insurance companies.  God had it all under control because the check came like a day or two before the IRS bill.

God hurry up!

Have you ever felt frustrated with God about His timing?  I have been there multiple times and I know He is trying to teach me to trust Him.  And because I am failing He keeps bringing me around to the same trial again.  He wants me to trust Him no matter what happens.

Our taxes for 2017 were no different.  We had to extend and actually file in October.  I kept thinking I don’t have to worry because God has this, He will supply it when I need it.  But the time kept going by and no job to cover the taxes.  We filed in October of this year and were not even able to send money with the filing.  So we waited for the bill and the fine that would result.

And praise the Lord again we got a big job that would pay our taxes but there was a hitch.  The insurance company was not paying as quickly.  They were taking their time.  We had not received the tax bill yet but I knew it would be coming soon.  I started to get anxious and frustrated.  I failed to trust.

Soon the tax bill came and still no check.  I was like “Lord, why?”  My husband would call the company.  The person that writes the check is out of the office.  Or the most famous line of insurance company’s is “We are dropping it in the mail today.”  And then you call them a week later and they just dropped it in the mail yesterday.

I was rather fit to be tied at this point.  Knowing that a double fine was going to be happening if we did not get this check in the mail.  Yes, the check finally came.  It was going to be late so I tried to pay online but could not get it to work so we did second-day air to try and get it there on time and paid extra for it to happen.  Of course, it did not happen.  So it was late and yes we got more of a fine.

What is God trying to teach me?

So I start to question, what does God want to teach me through this whole experience.  I know that He wants me to trust Him through each circumstance.  A big thing that I am realizing is it is all His money.  If He wants to “waste” money on fines then it is really His business.

What I do is I start to look at all the things that I could use the money for, the bills that I could pay off so that we are closer to being out of debt, etc.  But God has other plans.  He wants to refine my character.  My money, time, family, debt, etc. all belong to Him and I need to let Him work out the details.  We have been following a plan to become debt free and I need to just give everything to Him and allow Him to keep it instead of continually taking it back.  The thing is that He always comes through.  It may seem late to me but His timing is never late.

I am sure I am not the only one that struggles with these issues.  I encourage you to trust Him fully.  And I can attest that God always comes through.  “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6, 7

Dear Father,

I know that You want to teach us to trust You.  Please forgive us where we have failed.  Give us the courage and strength to lay all in Your hands and to leave it there.  Thank You for Your love and patience with us.  Your love is way beyond our comprehension and we struggle with understanding it.  But we thank You for it.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Jesus today.  He loves you and wants the best for you.

Love you all.

Do you have an experience that you can look back and see the hand of God, even though when you were going through it you could not?  I would love you to share your experience below.

 

 

 

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“What is Whiter Than Snow?”

Snow!

I don’t know about you but I love this time of year to see all the beautiful snow that covers the earth.  Yes, there is a love-hate relationship with the snow because it takes so much work.  What I love about it is how it covers all the ugliness and makes everything look clean and white.

Although, if the truth is known, snow is rather deceiving.  It may look white but it is very dirty and unclean.  It amazes me that it even has a semblance of white when it gets to the ground.  But if you look at it really closely it is not really white.  It is absorbing all the toxins and dirt in the air.

This makes me think…

This makes me think of the Christian life.  We think that all the good things that we do are for the glory of God “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags…” Isaiah 64:6.  We may think that we look as “white as snow” but if we look a little deeper we can see all the dirt mixed in.  I think of that dirt as self-woven into the Christian life.

Whiter than snow

How many of you have studied a spider web?  It amazes me every time I look at one and study it.  Spider webs are so intricate.  It reminds me of the way a life of a Christian should be.  But we cannot weave a web that is that intricate or perfect.  We need to let God do the weaving.  As we draw near to God, humbling our hearts, He will draw near to us.  It is God that does the work in us, by us, and through us to the glory of His name.  But if we weave self into the web, the beautiful pattern that He can create will be spoiled.

Our part is to allow Him to do the work in our lives and to follow Him as He leads us.  God does not just want to make us as white as snow.  He wants to purge us with hyssop so that we can be clean: wash us and make us whiter than snow. (See Psalms 51:7)

When we try to do the work on our own the “snow” is polluted with the “toxins” of this world and self.  We need to let go and let God do the work in us and cooperate with Him.  It is our decision but it is His power.

Dear Father,

Forgive us for trying to do things on our own.  Please help us to surrender all to You and to cooperate with Your leading in our lives.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to God today and let Him “weave” your life to be like Him.  And then you will be whiter than snow.

Love you all!

What memories do you have about snow?  And what spiritual lesson have you learned?  I would love to hear your experience.

 

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“I’m Afraid!! What’s Next?”

Fear?

There is a lot of fear in our world today?  There is this fear of what is going to happen next?  And there is also the question; do I really need to be afraid?

When I was in the grocery store the other day I was talking with the cashier, which we have known for years.  I was telling her that I have a son in Africa right now and he will be coming back soon.  But then in January, he is going to India for 2 months.  She had a question for me and I can’t remember it exactly.  But she wanted to know how I could handle him being gone to those other countries.  She felt that I must be full of fear.  I have to say here that I am human and there are times the fear can start to grip me.   But what I told her is that I have to trust the Lord otherwise I couldn’t make it.

The reality is God loves my son way more than I ever could.  His goal is to bring about the Salvation of each soul and He allows only those things into each life that can bring them to the point of realizing their need of Him.  And once a person’s life is fully surrendered to Him it doesn’t matter what happens.  It doesn’t change the pain of losing a loved one if that were to happen but it can take away the sting.  So my prayer for my family is always the same.  “Bring into their life whatever it takes for their Salvation.”  And then I have to trust Him.

What’s Next?

There are so many things going on in our world today that can bring fear.  And it is not just in the political world it is also within the religious world as well.  Everyone has their own opinion of how things should be and how things should go and they are out trying to force their agenda.  And on top of that, they are angry with anyone that does not agree with their opinion.

So there is all this unrest and people fear what is going to happen next.  And is what happens next going to affect my family and me.  It seems so unsafe!

Now we are in this season of celebrating the best gift that was ever given to man but the focus is on fear for the future and self.  The focus is on what “my” agenda is about and I don’t care what I have to do or say to get what I want.  And amongst all this what is the truth.  Which news or social media post are you going to believe?  Is there a political party that you can trust?  Or how about a “religious” party?  Where do you put your trust?  And do you have have to fear about what is next?

What should we fear?

I don’t think we have anything to fear unless we forget how the Lord has led us in our past history.  There is something for us to fear but not what is going on politically or religiously.  “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” Matthew 10:28.  We need to fear anything or anyone that can destroy our spiritual connection with God.

We don’t need to fear what is happening we need to fear are we ready.  Are we ready for what?  Are we ready for what all this unrest is going to bring?  I believe what is taking place is signs that the time of the end is near and we are soon going to see Jesus coming in the clouds of Glory.  Do I know when? No, but we can know when it is near and I believe it is near.

The devil knows he has such a short time.  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8.  The devil doesn’t care how he devours us as long as he can keep our focus on everything except what our focus should be on.

I believe our biggest fear should be where and what our focus is on.  We can get so caught up in the religious and political problems that we let slide our own personal connection with God. Being right with God so we are ready when He comes is not based on whether someone else is doing the right things and having the right agenda.  We are only saved by our own choices.

What can we do?

So the question may arise, then what can or should we be doing?  We need to make sure that we are in God’s Word and being fully surrendered to His will for our lives.  Prayer needs to be a major part of our lives.  Praying not only for us but also for others.  We need to take our focus off of others and what they are doing right or wrong, in our opinion.  And keep our eyes focused on the One that came to save all men.

The church and the world are being shaken and who is going to be able to stand?  Only those that keep their eyes on Jesus and pray will be able to stand.  We need to “…weep between the porch and the altar, and…say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them:” Joel 2:17.

We need to be as Daniel as we pray.  He prayed for the sins of his people and he included himself (Read Daniel 9).  Often times we look at ourselves more righteous than someone else but the reality is we are all sinners saved by grace.  So when it comes to the church we need to be crying and sighing for the abominations, praying God to forgive us all and ask for His leading.

We need to be lifting up in prayer our spiritual and political leaders and then leave them to God to do His work.  When leaving them with God then we shall speak no evil thing of them or anyone else.

“If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” Ephesians 4:21-32.

Dear Father,

Your ways are beyond our human thinking and ways.  We need You!  Without You, we cannot do Your will.  Please forgive us where we have fallen short.  Give us the strength to do Your will.  Help us to not get caught up in the things of this world whether it be religious or political. And help us to keep our focus on what matters most, our connection with You.  The devil doesn’t care how he trips us up.  He just wants to get our focus off of You and onto something else so that we don’t see our own deficiencies.  Help us, Lord; we cannot do this without You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Keep God #1 in your life.  Surrender all your plans, thoughts, and ideas to Him today.

Love you all.

What keeps you from being afraid of what is coming next?  Please share below.

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“Today is Your Last Day!”

Your last day!

What if you were told that today was your last day to live?  What would become the most important things in your life?  Would you do things differently?  I think for most of us the answer would be “yes”.

I think we often get so caught up in our days that we forget how important we are to others and how important others are to us.  And when someone you know or even yourself goes through some hard times or facing death, it is a wake-up call.

An acquaintance

What has really gotten me thinking?  I have some dear friends who have a relative that I am acquainted with who has gone through a tragedy.  It was something so sudden that it was a shock.  This acquaintance could have died but after much time survived.  But still, it is going to be a long road to full recovery.

I’m sure that it has given the spouse a new perspective.  I don’t know them well so I don’t know what their family life is like.  But I do know that we all tend to get caught up in life and it is things like this that make us stop and question what are the most important things in life.

And what about the children?  How has this affected them?  When you realize that you may lose a parent your perspective of them suddenly changes.  You realize how much they mean to you and how much they have done for you.  Even if there have been mistakes made you start to realize you don’t want to lose them.

Perspective

I think tragedy suddenly makes a person’s perspective change.  What are the most important things in my life?  What can I change to make things better?  If this were my last day what would I really want to be doing?

Unfortunately, we all have to work and may not have the time with our spouse, children, parents, etc. that we really want to have.  But what can we do differently?  You can reprioritize your life.  Look at what is most important.  If you really look at your day you can probably find some time wasters.  Cut all the time wasters out.

Another thing that is so important is to take care of yourself.  You can’t be there for a parent, children, friends, etc. if you are not taking care of yourself.  Make sure you are living a B A L A N C E D life.  Bedtime, Aqua, Light, Air, Nutrition, Control, Exercise, and Dependence on God.  A lot of times we think we are only hurting ourselves when we fail to take care of us.  But that is far from the truth.  When we fail to take care of ourselves it affects all the people around us.  It may not seem like it at the time but when we become sick or even die it affects everyone we know.

Change

Just stop right now and be thankful for all those friends and loved ones you have around you. And then decide to make a change.  I would suggest you put your day before the Lord and ask Him to help you reprioritize.  Plug into place all the “must” things you have to do, like go to work, if you have a job outside the home.  And then prioritize all the rest of each day.  Make sure to include God in your decisions.

Dear Father,

Today I consecrate to You.  Help me not to calculate for the months and years ahead, I know these are not mine.  I know You have given me this day.  Focus my mind to see this day as if it was my last here on earth and to work during its hours for You.  I Lay all my plans before You to be carried out or given up as Your providence shall indicate.  Help me to accept Your plans instead of my own even though their acceptance requires the abandonment of cherished projects.  Through You, mold me more and more after Your divine example and give me the peace of God, which passeth all understanding keeping my heart and mind through Christ Jesus.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender each day to God.  Give your family an extra hug today because you never know when it may be the last one.

Love you all!

What has happened in your life that has given you a wake-up call?  Share your experience below.