Knowing When

"Dont talk to much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow." Proverbs 10:19

Knowing when to listen and when to speak is such a treasure we should all be in search for. 

Let's be listeners and discerners of the Spirit's leading. He will always let us know when it's time to turn off the flow. 

Jesus direct my speech today that it will be life giving. Prompt me at all times when to speak and when to remain silent. Amen

A Thankful Melody

May our lives be a thankful melody heard by all, for the goodness of Christ that lives within us.

Altar Sunday

"We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3

We can all relate to God's goodness, protection and presence. Let's offer the sweetest sound of worship, praise and thankfulness that will fill every inch of heaven. 

Jesus Makes All Things New

Isaiah has been restored!

Love, love that my baby loves God's Word so much. 

When Longing turns into Pleading and Interceding

I have this unexplainable desire to be in a state of worship that brings the presence of God so near to me I can't move. It's a longing for Him that will always be, until He takes me home.

Do you ever have that deep longing for His closeness?

So much so you want to feel Him breathe, hear the beat of His heart, and feel the warmth that radiates off of Him?

In these moments of deep longing, I know it is Him drawing me closer. It's Him reaching out and desiring to be with me, this moves me to tears every time. The Most Holy God desires to be with me.

His love is so binding, so powerful, so moving, so humbling, so filling. I can't ever get enough. I can never get close enough, at least the way my heart desires. But one day, one day I will. One day I will be in the direct presence of the Father. One day I will be complete, longing for nothing.

Yet in the midst of my deepest longing, I am suddenly interrupted by the overwhelming thought of those who have never experienced His love, His calling, His presence, yet they have all sensed at some point Him drawing them in, yet they ignore Him, they run from Him, they deny Him.

This thought makes the longing in my heart expand, deepen, even ache because of the loss. Lost lives perishing in a place where there is no love, only suffering.

Then I realize the greater purpose of why my heart longs for Him. Because I have realized what I have been saved from. I have been saved from the place of suffering, burning, and agony.

Yet so many have never realized this. So how can I through Christ tell others what He has done? How can I show them, explain to them what His death and blood has done for them?

How can I express the urgency of this before it's to late?

This brings me to a place where my longing turns into crying, pleading and interceding for the lost.

Jesus please show them what You came to save them from. Show them it exists and is real and if ignored will be their eternal forever home. Yet it's not home, it's torture, it's suffering, it's worse than anything they could ever imagine. Show them why You came and what You have done for them and what You are preparing for them, Heaven. The place where You dwell. The place where love abounds. The place where there is no hurt, no pain, no suffering, no sorrow, no longing; just peace, love, joy, and an overwhelming amount of goodness, beauty, and Jesus. 

Jesus may the existence of hell be so real it becomes life changing. Amen

Open The Eyes Of My Heart

No matter your earthly state, God can and will ALWAYS bring glory to His name. So much meaning in these words. This is such a powerful testament to how amazing our God is. 

Our Relationship

I always seem to be brought back to this particular passage, "Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Exodus 33:11

The more I understand the significance and importance of my relationship with Christ, the more I realize how important it is for me to invest in Him, like He does in me.

This will always be a relationship where His investment far outweighs mine. He is Perfect. He is Sovereign. He is the Creator, Holy and All-Knowing. His invest and love will always be greater, and I am ever so thankful for that. 

I desire with every ounce of me to invest in Him like He so desires. I want our relationship to be real, genuine and like no other relationship. I want to have those face to face meetings with Him like Moses did. 

I can sit here and type a million "I need to's" but I don't want my relationship with Him to be "Jesus "I need" to spend more time with You. "I need" to invest in us more. "I need" to talk to You more. "I need"to…

I want to be all in, completely and fully devoted, giving of myself at all times to honor and please Him. 

The Lord is showing me daily how important our relationship is, without Him nothing matters. 

Without Him, there is no joy, no hope, no laughter, no life, no healing, no purpose. 

Just yesterday, as I was driving home, the Lord revealed to me a greater sense of urgency to invest and commit more to our relationship. 

Jesus wants more from me; more attention, more time, more listening, more communicating, more trust. He wants that face to face meeting with me, daily, with no distractions, just pure undivided attention. 

Jesus could walk away from our relationship at any time. He has that power, authority and right. He doesn't have to be with me. But He chooses to. 

"I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn't chose me, I chose you." John 15:15-16

He chose me. I am chosen by the Most High. The King of Kings. The Lord of Lords. The Great I AM!

Through the Holy Spirit in me, I want to have such a thriving relationship with Christ that every time I leave His presence my face is glowing from being in His Holy Presence. 

"When Moses came down the mountain carrying the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn't aware that his face glowed because he had spoken to the Lord face to face. And when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses' face, they were afraid to come near him." Exodus 34:29-30

 

BAD GIRL!!!

When a four-legged creature does this

And this

And this

You get this reaction from your 7 year old, (All CAPS to express the loudness and frustration) 

"ZOEY MORGAN, NO MA'AM. THAT IS GOD'S WORD. YOU NEVER CHEW ON GOD'S WORD, IT IS HOLY! BAD GIRL! BAD GIRL!"

"Mama she ate Isaiah."

We can't bring ourselves to even throw it away. 

Stunted Growth

Your spiritual growth will be stunted, if you live in a state of comparison.

"Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else." Galatians 6:4

THREE THINGS

Three things to help heal a complainers heart.

1. Joy
2. Prayer
3. Thankfulness

"Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Altar Sunday

Go to the altar expecting God to do something amazing, mighty and bold. 

Then watch as He does.  

Expect It then Live It

When is the last time you woke up and expected God to do something completely unexpected and life changing through you?

Let that day be today. Look for Jesus in a way you never have. Expect to be used and changed for His glory, like you never have.

Live your faith boldly and in such a way it catches the attention of others.

"God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3:20-21

Endless

When you allow the Word of God to become alive within you, your opportunities, abilities, and joy will be endless. 

Dare to live bodly. 

Lasting Success

True success is not measured off of worldly performance, rather off of fruit produced.

In the end, worldly success will not be able to withstand the fire, but true success, that produces Godly fruit, will remain forever.

"Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed."  Joshua 1:7-8

Seeing Him Through Them

His sweet little hand reaches out to find mine. He grabs hold and whispers, "Mommy I will protect you."

His compassion overwhelms me. 

Through him, I get glimpses of Him. 

He looks at me through the phone and and without a word being said, I see the need his little heart has. The need for his mama. The need to be right next to me. No one else will suffice. His little voice cracks as he says, "Mommy I miss you." 

And I, I try to stay strong, encouraging, and remind him it's only a little longer. But longer to him feels like an eternity. Especially at 5!

His longing for me, reminds me of my longing for more of Him.

The way they love. The way they need. The way their little hearts express themselves, all reminders of the way I need Jesus. 

Be An Imitator

Be an imitator of Christ...

In your speech

In your thoughts

In your action and reactions

In every ounce of your being...imitate Him! 

"Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God." Ephesians 5:1-2 

L-A-Z-Y

"Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich." Proverbs 10:4

To be lazy is to be unwilling to work or use energy.

As I meditated on this passage and the definition of lazy, I was really taken back, by the overwhelming conviction I had in my heart regarding this.

I have really been praying to be a better steward with my time. I want to use my time wisely and in a manner that is productive and useful for the Lord.

But I can't do that if I am being lazy.

I can't be unwilling to work or use energy…

As a child of God
As a wife
As a mom
As a teacher
In our home
In my speech
In my thoughts
As a servant
As a business owner
Or with the blessings and gifts God has given me.

So how does one overcome being lazy and use their time wisely?  For me it's by removing the things that encourage laziness.

T.V.
Staying up to late
Eating bad
Stress
Being self-focused (This is a huge one. the more I focus on myself the more I waste time being productive for the Lord. If I think of Christ first and then others, I will desire to do more for Him and them, then tend to my flesh.)

This is not an easy thing, but one that must be chosen daily, second by second.

Jesus help me to be the best steward with this amazing gift of time. Amen

Altar Sunday

Rather than run to the altar to lay your burdens down, run to the altar to lift your praises and thankfulness up.

Not only will it honor Him, but it will lift you up. It will take your focus off of self, and put your focus on Him. The place your focus should be already.

If Your Looking To Change

If your looking to change, to grow, to become new, better, pure, and to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Dive head first into the book of Proverbs; but be warned, it is not to be taken lightly, it is extremely convicting and not for the tenderhearted only searching for feel good advice.

Rather it is for the seeker who seeks to become wise.

It is for those who seek to live godly lives. It is not to be used for retaliation towards another, but to change the one reading and studying it.

It is to be used for growth, insight, understanding, knowledge, and wisdom.

The Book of Proverbs is to teach us wisdom and discipline. It is written to give us instruction in discipline, good conduct, and doing what is right, just and fair.

The benefits weaved all throughout it are life-changing, life-shaping, and rewarding.

"Take my words to heart. Follow my instructions and you will live. Learn to be wise and develop good judgement. Don't forget or turn away from my words. Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do! And whatever else you do, get good judgement. If you prize wisdom, she will exalt you. Embrace her and she will honor you. She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown." Proverbs 4:4-9

The Ripple Effect

There are two chooses we can make, both of which will have a ripple effect on the lives of others.

1. We can choose Wisdom, which sends a ripple effect of purity, peace loving, gentleness, selflessness, mercy, good deeds, sincerity, and shows no partiality to whom it can effect.

2. We can choose foolishness, which sends a ripple effect of hurt, anger, jealousy, pride, greed, bitterness, adultery, lust, hate, selfishness, pain, and discontentment.

There is a positive and negative effect, or two types of yeast.

The Negative Yeast

"But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others-a little yeast spreads quickly through the whole batch of dough!" Galatians 5:9 

The Positive Yeast

"Jesus also used this illustration: The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast used by a woman making bread. Even though she used a large amount of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough." Matthew 13:33