Abide

 On December 30th, a friend posted her Word of the Year for 2020. It was a vision board and opened my eyes to more that I probably wanted to admit. I spent the next few days mulling over if I should do a word of the year. What did I get in my email - "What's your word of the year? and a swift kick of why I needed one. TO KEEP ME FOCUSED ON MY GOALS AND ACTIONS. Oh boy howdy was that a rude awakening. I hadn't done more that glance at the list...I didn't even know what I needed to focus on other than FOCUSing. Then God said WRITE.. okay can I get a little more direction?  Open your heart and let my words come through...Yes Sir - Obedience is the word isn't it...YES. But not just obedience but sharing, helping, loving, growing. It wasn't just to journal or spend time focused on Obedience but by looking at each word on the list, by reading what God says about it and reflecting on each word. 

We will begin in alphabetic order on the list - ABIDE. According to our friends at Webster's dictionary,  the definition of abide (transitive verb)

1

a

: to bear patiently : TOLERATEcannot abide such bigotsb: to endure without yielding : WITHSTANDabide the onrush of the enemy

2

: to wait for : AWAITI will abide the coming of my lord.— Alfred Tennyson

3

: to accept without objectionwill abide your decision

Synonyms

dwell, 

hang around, 

remain, 

stay, 

stick around, 

tarry

Do you feel the Holy Spirit's hot breath of conviction down the back of your neck yet? I do. I have chosen to abide when it suits me and not when God called for me to tolerate (not of other's sins but of our differences), to withstand (focus outward instead of inward), to WAIT, to accept with out objection (What was he or she thinking?)

John 15:3-5

King James Version

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

I pray that 2021 brings you closer to God and bringing forth much fruit to serve His kingdom.

Love to you all!

 

That AH-HA Moment

On Wednesday nights at Church (Mountain Springs Baptist Church, Cabot, AR), we have been studying Jesus Among Secular Gods by Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale.
Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale defend the absolute claims of Christ against modern belief in the "secular gods" of atheism, scientism, relativism, and more. The rise of these secular gods presents the most serious challenge to the absolute claims of Christ since the founding of Christianity itself. The Christian worldview has not only been devalued and dismissed by modern culture, but its believers are openly ridiculed as irrelevant. In JESUS AMONG SECULAR GODS, Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale challenge the popular "isms" of the day, skillfully pointing out the fallacies in their claims and presenting compelling evidence for revealed absolute truth as found in Jesus. This book is fresh, insightful, and important, and faces head on today's most urgent challenges to Christian faith. It will help seekers to explore the claims of Christ and will provide Christians with the knowledge to articulate why they believe that Jesus stands tall above all other gods.(Google Books)

We just finished up Humanism. OH MY how God opened my eyes and ears! All the nights and days I spent crying and fretting over my purpose, my worth, my reason because I was more focused on my job, a guy, and a number of other things that didn't fill me with joy because they were always changing. People let me down - hurt me and I was focused on pleasing them - making them happy at my expense. Focused on pets - they can't save me or fix my problems either but I still thought they were more important than God. Focused on Family - OH BOY - while I love my family, they didn't bring EVERLASTING UNSPEAKABLE JOY, NEVER ENDING, RECKLESS LOVE!

For years I thought I understood, I thought I was doing good. Without a moral compass, how can I do good? I can claim to be a Christian but did my walk really show that? No...not when I was focused on "I am capable of being in control. I know the difference in right and wrong. I am following so-so's example. I, I, I, I...."  Thank you God for showing me that I have purpose, reason, dignity, unity, and many other intrinsic values. Thank you God for growing me and showing me that I was still a sinner and how YOU still searched for me.

I pray that God continues to help me remove these strongholds and opens ways for me to continue to bless others. I pray for all my friends and families no matter what their circumstances are that God will open their eyes and ears to His True Love!

Responsibilities

Why do we fret about some responsibilities when life gets in our way but others we neglect DAILY?

Do we worry that disappointing our friends and family is more important than disappointing God? Usually we do.

What do we do when we find that we have neglected these duties? That's usually when Satan and his demons whisper in our ear and we begin feeling ashamed, we feel judged, we feel rejected. We continue to hide away, running away from the love of God instead of running to Him.

When we feel overwhelmed by everyday life, do we search for rest in God?

I pray that your responsibilities are not overwhelming you and pushing you away from God. I pray that you find rest and peace in God's arms. Much love to you all!

Unwrapped

Do you like to give gifts? Do you like to watch the face of those unwrapping them? I do like both of these but I HATE WRAPPING the gifts up. I am one to use gift bags, and pre-printed boxes so that I don't have to wrap.
There is one gift you can give that you don't have to wrap. The gift of eternal life! It is amazing to know that this gift was given to us - unwrapped with the exception of the swaddling clothes He was wrapped in at birth and the funeral cloth that was wrapped before they laid in the tomb that didn't hold HIM.
How much love that was shown us because we were not worthy of this gift. How can we not share this love with others?
I pray that you are blessed with the grace of His love! I pray you let it shine in your life.
Much love to all!

Being Present

How often do you answer "I'm here" when someone asks you how you are doing? Are you really "Here" as in PRESENT in that moment or are you "Here" as in just breathing in that moment? 

Do your lines in your live overlap? When do you stop being a mother and start being a wife? What about being a friend and being a co-worker? What about being an employee and being a spouse?  What about being a Christian and living in the world?  Are these lines so blurry that even you can't tell?

If you can't separate the lines, how will others be able to see these different "hats" you might wear? Is that the only hat they see?

I want you to think about what others see even if those others are toddlers and parents. How transparent are you with your "friends" on Facebook? Do they see your lines? Do they know on which side you stand? 

I took a day off from Facebook yesterday and didn't answer many posts. It was a good day. Yes, I missed my friends that I chat with but I enjoyed being in my moment. 

I pray that today and the days to come that you find your moment. Find yourself stopping in that moment and just breathing in God's love for you! 

Much love to you all!

Who am I

Who am I that You are mindful of me?
That You hear me when I call
Is it true that You are thinking of me?
How you Love me
It's Amazing

Who am I that You are mindful of me?
That You hear me when I call
Is it true that You are thinking of me?

How you Love me
It's Amazing

I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend

Lyrics from I am Friend of God by Phillips Craig & Dean.

Showing out!

Last night was our first full night diving into Without Rival! God showed up and showed out like ALWAYS!

I want you to ask yourself - WHO are you? Can you answer it with out identifying with your career or job?

God is amazing and he never forsakes any of HIS children!  

May today find you blessed and full of HIS favor! Praying for all of those in trials and seasons that you are finding overwhelming and unbearable. Do not give up! Much love to you all!