What a great verse to start with as we move forward in our daily STRATEGY of reclaiming all God has prepared us for:)
In order to Lay Up His Word in my heart, I must KNOW His Word.
Heavenly Father, grow the desire in my heart to DAILY “Lay up” your Word in my heart…that it would fall off my tongue before anything else.
I think I’ll make a KEY CHAIN tag!
Blessings,
I’ve had the opportunity to watch the movie “War Room” for a second time, and I find myself, once again, deeply impacted by the important and powerful message the Kendrick brothers have delivered to a world in need.
If you walk away from the movie with anything less than a desire to stand up and fight for the life God designed us to have, you have missed the heart of the story.
Below are a few quotes from the movie:
“War has been part of humanity in every age…There always seems to be something to fight for. Very few of us know how to fight the right way or understand who we are really fighting against. We need to have the right [plan] and resources because victories don’t come by accident.”
“Good Intentions Without A Good Strategy Leads To Poor Results”
We MUST have a plan! Without one, we will loose the fight…& the fight is not against man.
Put on the Whole Armor of God…
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. -Ephesians 6
We can hear the Word of God and gain knowledge, but until we actually treat it like a VERB (through obedience) we will not see the fruit we desire in our lives.
I pray that the “plan” outlined above, might be an encouragement to you.
Don’t start your day without a strategy… your enemy has one.
Get out your sword (which is the Word of God) and fight for LIFE.
Elizabeth: I don’t have time to pray that much every day.
Miss Clara: But you apparently have time to fight losing battles with your husband?
“Pray and ask God to do what only He can do and then get out of the way so He can do it.”
-Miss Clara
We are all Warriors:)
DOODLE 101 / THE SEA
I’m feeling quite spoiled, I’m on a girls getaway…walking the beaches of Marco Island, Florida.
It is usually a family destination…one that brings us together for holidays, weddings, and extended family time. It was my Mother “in love’s” favorite place, and I miss her so much, though I feel closer to her here.
As we walk the sandy beach, I find it impossible to ignore the Glory of God as we look toward the vastness of the sea and the intricate detail of the of shells at our feet. What a creative an astounding God we have!
My friend, picked up this “vertebrae like” tube, and inside each pocket, found tiny little conch shells. What?
A little about this interesting find…
Mating and egg laying occur during the spring and fall migration. Internally fertilized eggs are surrounded by a transparent mass of albumen, a gel-like material, and are laid in protective flat, rounded egg capsules joined to form a paper-like chain of egg cases, commonly called a “Mermaid’s Necklace”. On average each capsule contains 0-99 eggs, with most strings having 40-160 capsules. After laying their egg cases, female knobbed whelk will bury one end of the egg case into the substrate, thus providing an anchor for the developing fertilized eggs and preventing the string of egg cases from washing ashore where it would dehydrate. Fertilized eggs emerge as juvenile knobbed whelks approximately 4 mm in length. CRAZY!
How can we deny our great God, when we can see miracles like these all around us?
& don’t get me started on the sandollar!
This passage in Isaiah is reminding us that as the vast waters cover the depth of the sea – the knowledge of The Lord will spread like deep, flowing waters, until the earth shall be persuaded and covered with it.
One day we will have a correct understanding of the existence, perfections, plans, and authority of our God.
But for now, I can’t help but believe, for all I see.
so grateful.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” -Ephesians 2:19-22
…But, there is so much being torn down…division among Nations, Cities, Neighbor’s, Churches, & Families.
TOGETHER, we are meant to be a dwelling place for our God…a structure that is constructed by the Master Builder.
& Christ is our Cornerstone.
(The cornerstone (or foundation stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.)
So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
Isaiah 28:16,17
This sinner is grateful that our loving God does not THROW the first stone…
Instead, He uses it for building!
He reaches out to touch the leper…loving those the world has cast aside.
Father God, fill us with love, wisdom, and a supernatural perspective so that we can put down our rocks.
Open the doors of our churches and our hearts to love all people… Every life is worth saving.
I was so lost…but the good Shepherd called me back to His fold.
I am Grateful.
The above lyrics come from a song that was sung at my wedding.
At the age of 20, these words touched me deeply (and they still do)….I longed for this way of life, yet my selfish attempts to acquire it, brought me the opposite of all my desires. Oh, what a very long time it would take for me to allow God to do the weeding required, to see beyond the forest of lies that had grown over my heart.
The lie that I’ll never be good enough.
The lie that I need to work harder to get others to love me, and even then, I can never do enough.
The lie that my husband could rescue me from myself, and my circumstances.
The lie that I was deserving
The lie that when people misunderstood me or hurt me, they meant to….because they didn’t love me.
Things said and done to me, became my identity…LIE
MY IDENTITY IS IN CHRIST
&
God meets all our needs beyond all expectations and beyond any measure.
Getting back to Proverbs…
For those of you who are married, (Or desire to be one day) I hope you will take a few minutes to listen to this song.
I think you’ll “experience” the sweet blessing it could BE, if we allowed The Lord to grow us towards this good purpose, as women of faith falling under our creator’s authority.
Instead of of constantly taking the wheel from my husband, Lord, please draw me to pray over him…
Remind me Father, that I am responsible for my own spiritual health…not my husbands.
Through Your power and love, I can be this Proverbs woman.
I know that you have created me to be his helpmate, and he is to be my protector, loving me as Christ loves the church.
Can it be in my surrender to you in this, you will bless our home with unity and joy, rooted in LOVE…
like nothing I can attain for myself?
Draw me to Yourself Lord, that You would be my first love.
Everything else will fall into place.
For my Birthday, my sweet husband bought me a new toy. He researched it all before even talking to me about it….so very thoughtful! I didn’t even know I needed one…The iPad Pro with it’s amazing pencil.
The people who create these tools are thinkers so far beyond this total right brainer, but boy am I grateful that the Lord created each of us in such a unique way!
I am learning an app called Procreate. There is so much to uncover, and it’s mind boggling how much this little $5 app can do! I am thankful for the many artists out there, who post information and app tutorials on YouTube! It’s how I learn most everything these days:)
A feature that I’ve just discovered, is one that video tapes your drawing process, which is CRAZY FUN!
I’m thinking I might post a few to see if they are helpful to any of you:) Here’s my first one!
What do you think?!!
Blessing to you this Sunday,
“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature.”
-Luke 8:14 (NIV)
“Some other seeds fell where thorn bushes grew up and choked the plants”
-Luke 8:7 (CEV)
If we are always “listening” to something else, when God “calls” the circuits are going to be busy.
We all get distracted by the LOUD noise of the world. It’s a constant fight to stay focused. The enemy uses this tactic to keep us too busy to even think about the Lord. If you’ve never read C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do!
It paints a very real picture of this daily battle that catches us off guard and unaware and prevents our ears from being open to hear the Holy Spirit guide us.
What are some practical ways we can keep our circuits open?
-Limit time on the computer each day with intentional alternatives to pursue God instead
-Family Bible Journaling time!
-Before dinner…try collecting all phones in a basket until family time is over, use this time to practice family prayer and devotions
-Instead of giving kids under 18 a “smart phone” get them a flip phone…no internet:)
( I know a dad who did this himself, in order to be more present with his family!)
-Exchange 1 hr. of TV with “quiet time”
-Get rid of some “channels” by getting rid of cable or satellite
-Remember the 3 P’s…Pause, Pray & then Proceed:)
Make God your “first call”
How do you keep your circuits open?
Blessings,
1Arthouse 