Life Experience - Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

My life is not what I thought it would be. Like many people, I tend to be paralyzed by the myriad of choices in front of me rather than rejoicing in my freedom to take just about any idea and run with it. The only thing I have ever been / am sure of is that I want to serve the Lord and bring Him glory each day. For so long, I let Satan, the father of lies and confusion, twist this desire with guilt, fear, and a lot of my own misunderstanding about who God is and what He wants from me.

As wonderful as wise counsel is, only experience can truly teach you how faithful, loving, gracious, and sovereign the Lord really is. When I graduated from college, I felt like I was walking toward the edge of a cliff into the abyss below. As I look back on the 5 years since then, I would not trade a day for any other life I could have possibly imagined (or feared). I could not be more grateful for the LIFE He has given me. I've learned that I really am continually walking toward the edge, but rather than walking out beyond His grasp, I'm merely walking toward the edge of my own understanding. The mysterious, glorious truth is that with each step forward the Lord extends this edge just that much further beneath my feet.

God is God and that is more than enough for Him to be ever worthy of my praise, but when I look back on the entirety of my relatively short life thus far, I can also see the abundance of experience which has taught me just how deserving He is of all my praise, trust and obedience.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

G.P.S. - God's Positioning System

What is Patience

Moms I Admire

Precious Valentine

"Roses are red,

violets are blue,

your love for the Lord is contagious -

it's true."

That was my valentine from Sarah & Eric. Not only is it such a nice warm fuzzy, but it's truly how I want to be remembered. If nothing else, I want to be a woman after God's own heart.

Home group was a blast tonight. The mystery dinner was delicious and gestures was hilarious! The Lord has truly blessed me with an over abundance of love and community.

Present with the Lord

31But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." (Matthew 22:31-32)

He IS the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These men are dead, but He is still in relationship with them. They are absent from us, from this earth, but somewhere they are present with the Lord. To be dead is to present with the Lord. Praise Jesus!

6So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

Spiritual Attack

That's what this crush is - a spiritual attack.

I have no reason to feel this way, nor do I want to feel this way. These feelings are not from the Lord. Satan on the other hand, loves to discourage and distract believers.

I shouldn't be surprised. Leaving my comfort zone not only leaves me vulnerable to others, but to the evil one as well. The higher I exalt Christ, the better target I become. God has created me to be a wife for someone, someone whose burden for His kingdom mirrors my own. Satan would like me to believe that God has forgotten me or that there must be something wrong with me because he isn't interested. Or worse yet that I'm confused about the burden God has given me. These are all lies from the Father of Lies and yet I'm more likely to be upset with the Lord than to stand firm and place the blame where it truly belongs.

This is a spirtual attack and the Lord has given me every piece of armour I need to stand firm until He grants me victory.

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ( Ephesians 6:10-12)

8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:8-10)

Running Out of Excuses

The Lord is just determined to pull me out of my comfort zone and I'm finally seeing the blessing in letting Him do this. I went to the House again tonight. I haven't been feeling well, so I probably wouldn't have gone except I'd already agreed to give Charitie a ride. And then Nehemiah calls me about going, which is great because I was totally gonna call him. It looks like I'm not the only one being called out of her comfort zone.

We talked about how to be a blessing to others:

1) Over tipping (20%)
2) Being in the Word so that we are given the strength and the blessing to do this. I've really been convicted about this lately. Even if I have to leave the house early or come home later after work (there are just too many distractions here or my bed is too comfy).
3) I've given a dollar which I must give away to someone in need.

I also went to afterhouse at the Magley's. Again I was tempted not to go. I needed to take Charitie home (she was grounded) and I'd never been there before and didn't have directions. Well, after I got gas it was only 9:30 and since I have GPS and a WABC directory I had no real reason not to go. After all, I'm certainly not going to get to know people better by going home (I'm the only one who lives here).

It really is about showing up, reaching out, and trusting the Lord to do the rest.

Do I have to do everything? No. Do I have to be everything to everyone? No. Do I need to go where the Spirit leads? Yes. Do I over think things and read too much into everything? Yes. Do I serve (and serve with) a most gracious and loving Heavenly Father who has only my best interest and the interest of others at heart? ABSOLUTELY, NO QUESTION ABOUT IT!

DeeDee @ Taco Bell

Before I forget. I met DeeDee at Taco Bell this afternoon. She invited me to Sunday night church at 40th St. & Monte Vista (I've already forgotten the name of the church). I was catching up on my one year bible reading. I saw her as I was about to leave. I asked God to let me know if He wanted me to talk to her. She actually spoke to me first. She asked if I got my studying done. I told her that I was reading the Bible in one year and even showed her the one-year Bible I have and the ESV study bible I had with me.

Immersed In the Gospel

Whenever I read texts from Oswald Chambers or books such as Pilgrim's Progress, I'm amazed at how well these writings from over a century ago speak so well about man's current condition. There truly is "nothing new under the sun" and no temptation which is not "common to all mankind". Both man and Christ are the same as they were 2000 years ago. How has man not grown in Christ in the last 2000 years? We've had this long to study Him, to know Him, and yet we have not moved an inch! Is it because we refuse to be immersed in the gospel? Is it because instead of plunging even deeper, each generation moves even closer back to shore? Is it because we've dulled our taste buds for the holiness of Christ and instead of craving more, we're satisfied with less?

Now That's Romantic

Commitment means looking past the 3 billion other women in the world and zooming in on one person — studying her, knowing her, and learning to love her deeply while she goes through the same process with you. - Steve Waters, Boundless webzine

Silly Moses

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

Exodus 3: 1-4, 7 & 10 (NIV)

God had just appeared to Moses and spoken to him audibly and told him how He was going to use him to free the Israelites and yet Moses was actually concerned about his own qualifications to accomplish such a task

Hello! God himself just spoke to you, but you don't think He's capable of using you to free the Israelites, oh ye of little faith!

The silliest thing is that I can see this so clearly in Moses life and yet I am so often guilty of the same faithless thoughts.