Devo Day EIGHT...My Reflections...

February 9, 2011
There are a few things that I’ve learned through all of this….
1.The Lord’s timing is not our timing. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are REALLY NOT OUR THOUGHTS! (Jeremiah)


It’s not about the perfect fast, or the our “right timing”, but about the bigger picture. God has a plan for us and we cannot fathom it all. It’s just too great and too much for us to handle. Max lucado described it perfectly in this quote “Our hearts are like a Dixie cup and God is Niagra Falls”..God is just bigger and greater than we can literally handle….wow.


2. The Lord is calling His people to step up to the plate and really live those “balls to the wall” radical lives for Jesus. I saw how many distractions I was allowing to hinder me and how things that I once thought I “needed” were just distractions. That’s the enemy’s game…to keep us busy with the things that do not matter in the light of eternity….why does he do that?...because he is a hater. Remember this: Misery loves company.


3.God wants us to develop Character. Character that can go against the norm of this world and be a TRUE REBEL and go against the grain of this world…to be the change the world needs…like Jesus was.


4.He wants us to develop our faith. He wants us to know that “We have not because we ask not”…we need to remember that we serve the almighty himself and he CAN do ANYTHING better than we can ever hope or ask (Ephesians 3:20)…and all we need is to just believe and ask and declare in faith and not be deterred by thoughts of “ but what if God says no..” I say.. think about this…what if He says yes?...crazy! haha and remember that while living our lives for Christ we WILL be tested and attacked and that through all of that we need to develop that faith that is needed to withstand trials (Psalm 40)


5.And my personal favorite…I was reminded again of how powerful the tool of prayer is…That is they greatest offense tool the Lord has given us….We need to tap that power that God has given us, be diligent with it and we will see how powerful and CRAZY GOOD and SICK NASTY it really is.


At the end of the day all that matters is your heart…and how bad you want what God has for you. My brother so beautifully said in his reflections…(I’m paraphrasing) “This fast is the sort of thing that changes us. We cannot stay the same..we don’t wanna stay the same." It’s these experiences that the Lord uses to make beautiful things out of us…all for His glory. People should be able to look at us and say “how did you do that?!..or how did you succeed in that?!...you’re not good enough, your not qualified enough” and we should be able to say “you’re right I’m not good enough!! I don’t know enough!! But I got caught up in the grace of God and it has taken me further than what I ever imagined!”
So, my prayer is that we mediate on and be filled with the things in (Philippians 4:1-9) and not only that but that we continue to grow and change and be molded by Him, so that with each passing day we are more and more in His Likeness…until the day He says “Well done my child…enter in and rest”


So, until the next one…
I couldn’t have said it better myself…In the words of Paul to the Philippians: “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished…” (Philippians 1:6)


Be blessed y’all. Let’s do this! XOXO

Devo Day FIVE

February 6, 2011
Morning y'all..hope you all are on your way to get your grub on at church with the Lord. Today's morning devo is short and sweet. Well I'll try to make it that way...lol....When life gets you down and the devil just wont let you forget your past mistakes..just take a look at the cross and remember that God chose in his awesomeness to forgive and forget. There is no sin so black that the blood of Jesus cannot cover. When we choose to not forget it hinders us...just like David wrote is Psalms 32:3...so let go and let God do what He does best...forgive and forget (Isaiah 43:25) and when we do we will hear those sweet sounds of deliverance. Psalm 32:7. You are forgiven in Christ so stop calling God a liar by not beliving and living it! Be blessed y'all because you are! Xoxo

Devo Day THREE

February 4, 2011
(HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG BROTHER ALEX!)
Good morning my lovely people of God...I hope this third edition of the morning Muse finds you well ;) I find myself looking forward to the nightly devos to see what the Lord is showing us. I couldn't help but laugh as I re-read last nights devo about prayer. In the words of my big bro Mando: "There is No coincidence with God!" Just last night the Lord woke me up to pray for a friend and speak to her...in the middle of th night! I thought it was crazy but the Lord burdened my heart and I was able to see the fruit of that immediatly...crazy! God is super sick nasty with it! PTL!! With that said I leave with you a quote by Samuel Chadwick "The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayer-less religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." There power in prayer...let us stand in the gap for the lost and hurting just as Moses did for his people when they had turned their backs on God.(Psalm 106:21-29,39-45) and also rejoice in His faithfulness when we heed to His calling. (Psalm 107:1-6) Peace! love ya guys!

Narnian Thoughts

Last weekend I went to the movies and saw part three of

The Chronicles of Narnia: The voyage of the Dawn Treader

The whole movie was awesome. I even cried.

There were two quotes from the movie(among the many many many great ones) that really resonated with me.

The first one was from a little mouse by the name of Reepicheep.  He was talking to a boy named Eustace who was having a difficult time in believing Narnia was real.

“We have nothing if not belief” -Reepicheep

There’s a lot of truth to that.  Without belief we don't have faith  Without faith we don’t have hope. Without either- we have nothing.  They are all interconnected and intertwined.  We cannot fully have one without the other. 



King Caspian (far right)

The second quote was said by King Caspian at the end of the movie when he was reflecting at the end of his “voyage” right in front of Asland country. (Asland Country is what I believe to be is C.S. Lewis’s version of heaven in the World of Narnia.) Caspian asked Asland if his father was in there and Asland responded that he could only find that our for himself by entering. But he advised him that if he entered he could never return. In the rush of emotion of knowing that he could see his father, King Caspian turned and started to walk to enter Ashland’s country but then stopped himself and thought for a moment. and then with tears in his eyes he said:

 “I’ve focused on what was taken, rather than what was given. I was given a kingdom”- Caspian

In king Caspian’s case he was longing to see his father, and was even willing to leave it all to satisfy that desire to see him but then he realized how that would only benefit himself. He realized that for the greater good he must stay and be King to his people-he was given a kingdom.

WOW! Yeah that stuck with me. Wow, so many times as believers we focus on all the things that we had in the “good” times of life and we forget the promise that God has given us when the going gets tough. He gave us His kingdom to be enjoyed with Him. He is sharing HIS kingdom with us because He loves us that much! Not because we deserve it but because of His grace...wow. I think sometimes we forget to look at all that we gain in Christ rather then what we “lose”. Many times that happens to us when we feel alone  because we’ve been ostracized by family and or friends for believing in Christ. But with God there’s always a silver lining…We are never alone. We must be faithful in our walk and believe that God will be with us ‘till the end when He says “Well done my child. Enter in and rest”

"Though my father and mother forsake me,

the LORD will receive me.

 Teach me your way, LORD;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations.

 I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD." - Psalm 27:10-14

God is always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He gave us His only son-He gave us Himself.

Reasons To Be Thankful

In the spirit of thanksgiving and all that it means; I wanted to share with you a devotional by Greg Laurie that I read this week that really touched my heart.   May it speak to you and touch your heart as it did mine.  We have much to be thankful for...even for the little things :)  I pray that you and yours have a
 Happy Thanksgiving! God bless!!!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

— Psalm 107:1

It seems as though merchants really don't know what to do with Thanksgiving. They market Halloween and Christmas and make a lot of money off these holidays. But they don't really know what to do with Thanksgiving, which is really very spiritual in its origins. It was designated by President George Washington in 1789 as a national day for giving thanks to God.

In the midst of all our feasting, it is very easy to forget about the one we are celebrating. Sometimes we even forget to give thanks altogether. You might be thinking, Well, I don't have a lot to give thanks for. Maybe you are having financial troubles or health problems. Maybe there is conflict in your family. But we need to put things into perspective. As someone wrote,

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world. If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthy.

There is a lot to give thanks for. And the primary reason we were put on this earth as human beings is to glorify God and to give Him thanks.

Cielo

Musical Muse: Phil Wickham - Cielo

This is one of my new favorite songs of his.  There's just something about it that takes me to another place.  It makes me think about the glorious day when God comes back for us and we enter His presence.  How exciting!! :D  Makes me think how trivial everything of this world really is in comparison to God...wow.  Can you imagine?...if this is a human singing just imagine how beautiful the angels must sound...wow.  Enjoy! God bless!!

"Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth;

Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.

Sing to the LORD with the harp,

With the harp and the sound of a psalm,

With trumpets and the sound of a horn
Shout joyfully before the LORD, the King."- Psalm 98:4-6

I'm walking through the bright white gates

Breathing in and out your grace

All around me melodies rise

That echo with the joy inside

So I start to sing

But I can't sing loud enough

I can't sing loud enough

When I'm singing for You my God

I can't sing loud enough

I can't sing loud enough

When I'm singing for You my God

With a thunder roll and a brilliant light

Your glory boasts and the heavens shine

The saints and angels stand in awe

Captured by the beauty of it all

So I fall to my knees

But I can't bow low enough

I can't bow low enough

At the vision of You my God

I can't bow low enough

I can't bow low enough

At the vision of You my God

I can't hold it all inside

I'm reaching for the One who brought me out of death and into life

But I can't lift my hands high enough

Life my hands high enough

When I'm reaching for You my God

I can't lift my hands high enough

Life my hands high enough

When I'm reaching for You my God

Oh I'm reaching for You my God
I'm reaching for You

I'm reaching for You

I'm reaching for You my God

Give God What's Right Not What's Left

Hi Guys! So I know I've been sort of slacking on blogging. I feel badly about that but I've realized something...I can't wait for the time to appear but I must MAKE the time.  There will always be things in the way that will seem "urgent" and/or "important" that will in essence distract me.

(Luke 9:23) Following the Lord is a daily responsibility which involves the subordination of my desires and will to His. For this is to take place effectively, we need daily time with Him, waiting at His thrown.

The Lord has really been speaking a lot to me lately and I feel as though I should share but I warn you this might seem random and all over the place...lol.

I'm always kind of scared to do that because...I guess in essence it shows my weakness..(and I really hate to be looked at as weak....not that I feel I should be or am "Super woman"..it's just a thing I have...I'm not entirely sure why)...but I've learned that in my weakness He is strong....
I really understand  now that now..In my weakness God's strength is made strong...wow.  It shows us how much greater and grander the Lord.  Once again the Lord showed me that for those who love Him...everything stems from Him and for his Glory....Think about that...everything.  The good and the "bad".  Nothing comes to pass in this life with out it passing by God first.  If it happens...good or bad...It's because He allowed it to.  To help us grow in our walk with Him, to draw us nearer...but most importantly of all it's for Him to be glorified.(Romans 8:28) But anyways..getting back to what I was saying...
I've been feeling lately like there is no time for anything.  In this race we call life (especially this day in age) it seems as though there are not enough hours in the day to do all that is needed, wanted, or expected of us.  Many times I've gone to bed feeling overstimulated and exhausted by life in general.  I would wait until the end of the day to "spend time" with God because that's the time I had "made".  But in analyzing it now; I wasn't really making that time with God.  I was actually giving him what was left of my day not what was right.  Many times I would fall asleep and wake up the following day feeling like I had cheated the Lord in someway because I couldn't even stay awake for ten minutes reading his word at night.  My day would be filled with getting "urgent" and/or "important" things done but never really feeling like I was accomplishing anything.  There was never enough time.  Always rushing, Always racing.  After a while I started to realize my neglect of spending quality time with God was effecting my state of mind.  In essence I was starting to starve spiritually and I was was dying inside.

In my realization of this I wanted to feel some relief from the craziness of life.  I realized I must decide what is truly essential in life and what is not.  I always use to use the excuse that "If I didn't have to work...I would "find" the time"...ha! Lies!! I know this because on days that I would stay home I would still fill my day with other "important" things like laundry or cleaning or whatever else needed to get done in the house.  This happened repeatedly.  So who was I fooling ? No one but me. Yes, they were necessary things or chores (in it of themselves)but were they imperative or urgent? Certainly not.  Our time In prayer, reading his word, fellowship, etc with God..above all else is important.  It's literary your water for life...your bread..your manna from God.  It will sustain you all the days of your life.

(Mathew 6:11) It shows our need of God's sustenance is daily as is also our need of prayer for God's supply.

So, here's what I learned...

Things that we see as urgent are not necessarily important.  Things that are important are not always urgent.

SELAH!  THINK ABOUT THAT!  PONDER ON THAT!

(Psalm 68:19) God is committed to our care, deliverance and direction (1 Peter 5:6-7) He is our burden bearer, but our need is to learn to take our burdens to the Lord daily.

Ask the Lord to prioritize your day.  Let Him lead you in all you do and you will start to see what "time stealer's/wasters" you've been paying way too much attention to and seemed "urgent" but in actuality weren't.  Remember that the enemy's entire game is to distract us as believers.
.

(Proverbs 8:34) In humble submission to His sovereign purpose; blessing is promised to those who listen but the listening that leads to blessing is a daily matter of waiting on the Lord as our master and Provider.


God Bless!! :)

Psalm 63

I really wasn't  feeling like myself the other day.  I'm feeling better now I think somtimes we forget God has a way better view of the life's bigger picture than we ever will.  I think this can be especially difficult for us when we find ourselves walking in what feels like a barron dessert where we think that God doesn't hear us or has given us the cold shoulder.  As I was reading the word the other day I was reminded that He is with us no matter what and if He doesn't answer it doesn't mean that he has forsaken us or given the cold shoulder.  As I read I was reminded that it means He is working. He has a plan for me and I musn't focus on the barroness of the here and now based soley on what I can see but remember that my hope comes from Him and only Him. He has a plan for me.  He has a plan for each of us and I need to just keep my eyes on Him and He will lead me out of that dessert.   I pray it blesses your heart as it did mine.


Psalm 63:1-11 A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

"O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him"

While I'm Waiting

Musical Muse: 

"While I'm Waiting" By John Waller

I keep listening to this over and over...hoping and trusting in God.

Praying and holding on to this with every fiber of my being...

"Be still, and know that I am God. 

I will be honored by every nation.

I will be honored throughout the world"- Psalm 46:10

 and 

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." - Ephesians 3:20 & 21

Because He knows...and I just have to do my part.

Life On A Starbucks Cup

"For You created my inmost being; You knited me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." - Psalm 139:13-16

How awesome is it to know that God has a plan for our lives...He made us with a purpose to fufill.  We each have a different purpose that He gave to each of us individualy, that only we can accomplish.  No one else in the world can fufill what God had ordained you to do!  How awesome is it to know that the creater of the universe can look upon us, and have that attention to detail!  He created the heavens and the earth and yet He loves us so much that He created us individually with great significance and purpose.  So even if you don't see it or understand it; God loves you and thinks you are special. :D

 "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. - "Ecclesiastes 11:5

Love this verse:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:11 &12

Psalm 40

I really wasn't planning on blogging today but the Lord had something else in mind.  It's funny because I woke up today the lyric from the song by Hillsong "Jesus the lover of My soul"(Listen Here)...I kept singing the part that says ''Jesus, the Lover of my soul, Jesus I will never let you go...you've taken me fromt the miry clay and set my feet upon the rock..."  I really didn't think much of it as I, more often than not, wake up with a song in my head.  (I know I've said it before but I really do feel sometimes that my brain is a juke box that just won't turn off...lol.) Anyways...lately I've been spending some time in the book of Psalms.  I've been feeling really encouraged in my walk with the Lord as I read the different triumphs and struggles that King David had in his walk with the Lord as he trusted in the Lord and reminded me to continue do so as well.  Even when it seems impossible.  I came across Psalm 40 this morning and I couldn't help but laugh because I could see that what I was reading was clearly greatly influemtial in the writing of the song that I had stuck in my head! The Lord put it in my heart as a reminder of the promises He's given me.  All I need do it is to wait patiently and trust in him.

"I waited patiently for the LORD;And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD."- Psalms 40:1-3


Read the whole chapter :) It's an absolutely beautiful piece of writing.  You can see how king David felt even with the powerful status that he had as king of Isreal.  He gives ALL the praise to the Lord for everything that he has and everything that the Lord has done for him and Everything that the Lord will do....think about it...evertyhing that the Lord will do...wow. Another reminder that the best is yet to come! How great is it to have that kind of faith in the Lord. To know and believe that He will take care of us regardless of what we do or comes our way... He is the absolute lover of our soul, our saviour, and precious friend.

I called, You Answered and came to my Rescue!

Musical Muse: Hillsong United - Came To My Rescue

I thought this song would be fitting since my last post was about calling on God.

Enjoy! This song is awesome! :) God bless!

"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliever him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My Salvation."- Psalm 91:15-16

Hope. He IS Coming For Me.

Musical Muse : “C.S. Lewis Song” By Brooke Fraser

I’ve had this song in my head for a looong time (along with what seems like a million others) I feel like my brain’s a jukebox sometimes…lol. Anyways…

I always wondered how the title of this song applied to this song ‘till now. I did a little “googling” (it's funny how that’s become a verb now) action and found that the first verse of the song is a close paraphrase of a C.S. Lewis quote from the book Mere Christianity.

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

This is the whole premise of the song. That we live in this world but we are not made for this world so we will hope and wait for the day of the Lord, which we are at the dawn of. I haven’t read the book personally but it’s on my list for sure now as this song is very dear to me. I feel this song embodies the way I feel lately. It absolutely hits the nail on the head for me. I feel as though the more I seek God the more I want to continue to know Him and seek Him. It expresses how one longs to be with the Lord, how nothing in the world satisfies, and how nothing can or will ever fill us like the Lord can. What a day that day will be; when Hope comes for me. :)

‘’I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope’’– Psalms 130:5

So, I exhort you to: “Taste and See the Lord is Good’’– Psalms 34:8. What have you got to lose? I assure you you’ll never be the same.

Hope it touches your heart as much as it did mine. You can follow along with the lyrics below if your not familiar with the song. God Bless :)

C.S. Lewis Song Lyrics
If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared

[Chorus]
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found?
On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
‘Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
and avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

[CHORUS]

[BRIDGE]
For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know You
Hope is coming for me
Hope is coming for me
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming

[CHORUS]