The Starving Orphans...

Clayton saw pictures of hungry kids, and that started a candid conversation about the kids around the world who have nothing to eat. He was struck with compassion and he said he wanted to give them some of our food. I'm not sure what action we will take in the future, but I know there are so many valid organizations that supply food to hungry children such as Compassion International, Feed the Hungry, & World Vision. I have many friends ministering to the lost and have ways to send supplies to the orphans, so that is another option. Of course, adoption is never far from our hearts and minds. What can you do?
James 1:27, Matthew 25:40.

Only Grace

Impatient again with my children today, I confessed my failure to God and with heartfelt tears, went an asked for forgiveness from each of my kids. They were super quick to forgive and express their love this frazzled Mamma. I know God forgave even more quickly. The more I fail, repent, and am forgiven, I realize if it were not for grace, I'd be without hope. I was studying The Lord's Prayer recently and was struck by Jesus' words: "Forgive us as we have forgiven..." We don't want God to forgive us as we have forgiven others, do we!? We want MORE grace extended to us than that. We want God's favor, but our flesh wants to hold a grudge towards an old wound or hurt. My prayer is to choose to quickly forgive when offenses come, since the Bible says it is impossible that offenses won't come. (Luke 17:1) I have been thankful for recent reconciliation in my life, and hope to learn how to better extend grace when needed. I am realizing that forgiveness is not a process. It's a choice. I certainly am far from perfect, but then, I don't claim to be perfect...

Grace Excerpts

All who embrace grace become "free indeed." Free from what? Free from oneself. Free from guilt and shame. Free from the tyranny of others' opinions, expectations, and demands. Free to obey. Free to love. Free to forgive others as well as myself. Free to allow others to be who they are ­ different from me! Free to live beyond the limitations of human effort. Free to serve and glorify Christ.

Because of grace we have been freed from sin, from its slavery, its bondage in our attitude, in our urges, and in our actions. But having been freed and now living by grace, we can actually go too far, set aside all self-control, and take our liberty to such an extreme that we again serve sin. But that isn't liberty at all, that's license. And knowing of that possibility, many opt for legalism lest they be tempted to live irresponsibly. Bad choice!

Freedom is frightening. There are people who want to be told what to do and when ­ how to believe and why. And the result is tragic ­ perpetual adolescence.

You can't be afraid of the heights if you're going to walk on the tightrope of grace. But at the same time you have to watch out for the strong gusts of wind that will occasionally blow like mad.

~Grace Awakening
Charles (Chuck) Swindoll

Prov. 31 Devotional

To the right of this post is the "button" for Prov.31 Devotional. This is today's post, since I didn't have time to do a Friday Focus last week. October 3, 2011 The Trust Factor Alison Strobel She Reads Featured Author

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Yesterday I went into a job interview—junior high substitute teacher; how brave am I? When I walked out of it, I had a whole new calling.

Thing is, I don’t want a new calling. I like the ones I’ve been living with—wife, mom, novelist, children’s author. I didn’t think God had anything else up His sleeve, and I was okay with that. I’m not a big fan of change.

The man interviewing me told me he has a gift of discernment. Then he did something I’ve never seen or experienced: he spoke a word over me.

This kind of thing didn’t happen in the church in which I was raised. To me, a gift of discernment meant having a reliable sense about whether or not someone’s teaching was biblical, or if someone was telling the truth. It didn’t mean God could give someone else a glimpse into His plans for me. Yet what this man told me fit, like the one missing puzzle piece, into the changes I’ve been going through lately on both a personal and a professional level. As he spoke, I knew that what he was saying was truly from the Lord.

But I didn’t leave his office glowing with excitement. In fact, I wasn’t excited at all about what he told me, despite the fact that it spoke directly to my heart. It would require that I open my hands and release things I’ve been holding too tightly. And I’ll be honest, part of me really doesn’t want to.

I like my life just as it is. Remember, God, how I’m not a fan of change—even when it means seeing another dream realized?

The bottom line is this: I struggle with trusting God.

In my novel Composing Amelia, Amelia struggles with the same thing. She’d rather stay with what is familiar than trust God to give her a calling she’ll love but can’t envision right now.

I don’t want to be like Amelia. I don’t want to be short-sighted, dubious of God’s desire or ability to bless me, or resistant to the future He has for me. But my lack of trust, fear of the unknown, and reluctance to give up my comfortable life are threatening to hold me back from obeying Him. And that’s definitely not good.

So I have a choice to make. Will I believe that God’s plans are better than my own? Will I risk stepping out of my comfort zone? Do I believe the growing pains I’ll face will be worth the blessings that will come? Do I trust God to really take care of me? Or am I going to cower beneath my desk with my fingers in my ears and pretend like yesterday’s meeting never happened?

What about you? What changes is God nudging you towards that have you digging in your heels and tightening your grip on whatever you know you need to release? Do you believe the rewards are worth the pain? Or that God’s perfect plan is worth leaving your complacency and comfort behind?

Do you trust Him? Or are you hiding and hoping He passes you by?

The unknown is scary. But ultimately—for me anyway—it’s scarier to think of what I might miss if I don’t let go. And so I say a prayer, open my hands, and peer beyond the edge of what I know, into the vast expanse of the future where a giant question mark dominates the landscape. Do you see it, too?

Today let’s choose to trust God and not require that we like or even understand what He is calling us to do. Let’s submit to Him, believing that the path He calls us to take will always be worth the change, worth the risk, worth the effort, simply because He has chosen it for us.

Dear Lord, I praise You for Your love and for Your desire to see me grow. I thank You for the promise in Scripture that You are always with us, every step of the way, regardless of whether or not we see or feel You there. Forgive my uncertainty and doubts about the future, and give me the strength to take the next step You are directing me to take. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:

Take time this week to memorize one of the power verses below, and spend some time journaling or praying about a situation in your life to which you can apply it.

Reflections:
Where is God calling me to step out of my comfort zone? What is holding me back?

What would help me take that first step? Some accountability? Marking a day on my calendar on which to start? Determine what will help, and commit to it this week.

Power Verses:
Psalm 9:9-10, “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” (NIV)

Psalm 56:3-4a, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.” (NIV)

Fake vs. Authentic

Have you ever eaten "cheese product"??? It looks like cheese, and is sold in the cheese department. It even is used the same as cheese, but it IS NOT CHEESE! The cost difference of fake cheese is a very different than real cheese, isn't it? Same with butter vs margarine, chocolate milk vs. chocolate flavored drinks, and so many other things marketed. We can acquire a taste for the cheaper products, but you get what you pay for. There are rarely the same health benefits in the fake as their are the genuine food source.
The same goes for those who claim to be Christ-like, but do not have a passionate, vibrant relationship with Jesus. They may say a lot of good things, do many things to try to prove that they are holy, but when it boils down to it, even the unsaved are accustomed to following guidelines on speech and dress code and conduct for their jobs. Authentic Christians realize that "doing" is not "being". Being authentic means being real, trustworthy, genuine, as opposed to copied, and/or fake. What are some ways people are fake vs. authentic?
(Matthew 5:47) If you are only kind to those who are your friends (or the people who talk, dress, talk like you), how different is that from the world?
~"Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God knows of us." -Paine.
(Matthew 6:2-4) When you give to someone in need, why call it out and/or bring attention to it? Jesus said said doing that will give you ONLY an earthly rewards. It's so fake and distasteful.
(Matthew 6:5-6) Do you pray differently when someone may hear you? Do you talk, act, dress, respond, joke, ____________ differently when certain people are around!? I'm definitely talking to myself as well. None of us are going to get this right every time.
In Matthew 5:48 Jesus says, "Be perfect as I am perfect." You say, I can't be perfect- I'm human. And Jesus says, "Exactly!" YOU can't be, but in ME (Jesus) is perfection, and when a holy God looks at you, He sees MY blood applied. NOTHING you have or ever could do."

Religions in general create ways for their followers to conform to a certain guideline. Different guidelines for different religions. Being in personal fellowship with Jesus breaks those chains of religion and makes all things new. People who are false, phony, gossip-y, critical, fault-finding, people who don't want to change- don't keep company with people like this. It is not to say we shouldn't pray for them nor should we be fake or unfriendly. Get around authentic people. People who love Jesus and His love shines from every part of their character.

Being Holy-Spirit led, being in The Word of God, and daily communication with Jesus breaks the powers of the spirit of religion and the many ways the devil would like to get our eyes off Jesus and onto ourselves and each other. The world may not understand, but Titus 3:3-5 says, "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." There is hope and power in trusting our faith in a God who loves us more than we could ever comprehend.
A fake is not always easy to spot. That is why people spend their money on knock-offs rather than the brand names in fashion. It is not our job to try to "spot" human fakes, but it is our job to work on the areas in our heart that God reveals as fake and become the authentic vessel He desires us to be!

Brief Friday Focus

I have too much on my to-do list to do a long Friday Focus this week.
The video below made sit up and remember...being busy is no excuse for "cropping" Jesus out of our day. He is better at guiding our lives than we could ever pretend to be, so why is control such a hard thing to let go???
It's all or nothing and He wants to be in control of our lives since He knows best for us.

Mark 12:30, Jesus said, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. "

Our Depravity

Total depravity has been on my mind a lot lately. The idea that we were born with an absolute inability to make ourselves good before God- is staggering. When we truly understand the gospel that mankind had no way to be righteous, so Jesus took on our sin, and not just the "sin" of all the world, but He saw the individual sins that I would commit, and bore it all on the cross. What a crushing weight! There is still no good of our own that makes us righteous. We are still utterly dependent on the undeserved grace of Christ. Isn't it absurd that the Creator of everything would take the time to know His creation!? We must constantly remember this because when we even begin to feel pretty good about ourselves or what we have accomplished, the realization of our depravity should bring us back to humility and to our knees. We fall so short of the Lord's holiness, and that is why we must live our lives as continual worship to One who made us.

Psalm 8:4 "What is mankind, that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?"
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Worth Fighting For

In attending a friend's wedding last Saturday and preparing to do music for another friend tomorrow, this song (below) keeps playing over and over in my mind from the Fireproof movie. So many love-struck couples go into marriage thinking "Happily Ever After", but have you ever thought about the fact: there is NO WAY Cinderella and Prince Charming actually lived happily ever after with the backgrounds that they had!? He was rich and spoiled with everything at his fingertips from birth. Cinderella on the other hand, had to work so hard for everything she had and accomplished. You do not live go into those circumstances without communication issues and a bit if not a lot, of culture shock. Married couples have to work hard on the union they've committed to, and CHOOSE to love, respect, obey and cherish each other, even when the other person is unlovable, disrespectful etc. Marriage is a picture of how Jesus love His church. (Ephesians 5:25) He loves and forgives over and over and over each time we hurt Him, and even when we "fall in love" with something other than Him, He takes us back and loves us more than we could ever comprehend or deserve.
"Love is not a fight, but it's something worth fighting for."

Not Just the Word, but the God of the Word

God longs for His Word to become as important to us as the food we take the time to eat....and it's not even that we are just in love with the Word, but the God of the Word...the Redeemer, & the Holy Spirit who is the One who puts the edge on the Word, making it alive and active. (Hebrews 4:12) Let me know, where have you been reading? How is it changing you?

I have been reading through Isaiah, and LOVING it!!! I'm almost to the end, and I wish there were more chapters left in this rich book of prophecies of the Savior to come.
These people (in Isaiah) had no way to know or relate to what some of those prophecies meant, but I'm so glad they are there for us now! Just think of the things we don't understand or know how to walk out now, but it is all meaningful for those younger and are following on behind us. (Isaiah 55:8-13)

⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹² "For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Friday Focus

The Prayer that Changed My Life Guest Post: Wendy Pope (Proverbs 31 Ministries)

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

Twenty-two thousand women sat on the edge of their seats as the teacher standing center stage asked, “Do you want to have an insatiable love for Jesus?” Her words hung in the air. Then she answered, “Pray to. If you want an insatiable love for Jesus, then pray to.”

Scrambling to find my pen and struggling to spell the word insatiable, I wrote these simple yet powerful words in my conference notebook. The words stung my heart. As they fell from her lips, I knew this was a love for Jesus I did not have.

What I did have was church membership, a lot of church service, and some love. While Jesus was my Savior, something was missing.

I realized I had asked Jesus to be my Savior but not allowed Him to be my Lord. I loved Him for what He did but not for who He was. At age 34, I wanted to cry out this “pray to” prayer. But I wondered, “What must God think of me?”

Service to Him had been my life. Dedication to my church was paramount. But love? How could I not really love Jesus? Certainly He would be disinclined to hear such an elementary prayer from a grown woman who’d been a Christian much of her life.

My thoughts were misguided. It was a prayer God wanted to answer immeasurably more than I could think or imagine. He wanted me to have an insatiable love for Him!

The speaker’s challenge that day became a lifestyle of prayer for me. Over time the emptiness in my heart was filled with a love for Jesus I had never known. My heart not only praised Him for what He had done in my life, but now loved Him for who He was: my Lord.

My obedience and service started to flow from a heart of love instead of duty. Lies that once shaped my life and negative feelings about myself where shattered by the honesty and power of His Word. The security of knowing Him as Lord gave me what I had been looking for my whole life. I found freedom in knowing who I am and courage to live like it’s true.

The promise and power of today’s key verse proved faithful in my life, changing me forever. Today, I want to challenge and invite you the same. Do you want to love Jesus with an insatiable love?

If you want to, then pray to.

Humble yourself before the Lord and ask Him to help you love Him. He will give you immeasurably more than you can imagine. Over time the emptiness in your heart will be filled with a love for Jesus you have never known. Your heart will praise Him for what He has done and for who He is—your Lord. If you want to, pray to.

Dear Lord, I want to love You with an insatiable love. Answer my prayer immeasurably more than I can think of or imagine. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Application Steps:
Commit to “pray to.” Pray the “pray to” prayer until you begin to experience Him every day. Journal the changes God is makes in you life.

Reflections:
What is the Lord teaching me through today’s devotion?

How will I respond to this “pray to” challenge?

Power Verses:
Psalm 54:2, “Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth.” (NIV 1984)

Psalm 69:13, “But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.” (NIV)

Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (NIV)

© 2011 by Wendy Pope. All rights reserved.

God Strong, Army Strong

http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/community/webcasts/2010/0707
It can be challenging to be a military wife. We have to run the household and take care of the children while our husbands are away for weeks to months at a time. But we don't have to be an army of one...This link (webcast) is a great encouragement from Focus on the family for other fellow military wives.
I love being an Army wife, however it obviously has its hardships just like anyone else in the center of God's leading. I certainly am thankful to have these kinds of resources to use in times of struggle!

You Are Not Good Enough

That's why they call it grace. You can do nothing for Jesus to love you more than He already does! He loves you more than you can comprehend. Romans 5

A Quiet Heart

I am in a Nancy Leigh DeMoss study called "How to have a quiet heart." I invite you to read what she has to say here. There are several parts to the lesson, and I have gleaned so much already. If you could describe most of our lives as women, you would not describe most of us as having a quiet heart. We tend to be frazzled, frenetic, frantic, frustrated, fragile, and maybe a few other adjectives thrown in there that you can think of...

Read and memorize Psalms 131. It's just 3 verses, "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and forever."

This is the passage Nancy refers to over and over. The passage doesn't seem to applicable when you first read it, but this study will forever change the way you view this chapter!

Purpose

We were created to glorify God. What is the purpose of life? It is to glorify God. God created us for His own Glory. Talking about mankind in the book of Isaiah, God says about us,
"whom I created for my glory" - Isaiah 43:7
Many people look a life-time for their "calling or purpose", indicating that they believe it's something "big or unusual", when God is giving opportunity after opportunity to have us live our purpose each and every day!!! Walking in those moments of glorifying God on a daily basis, lead us into whatever greater purpose He may have for us. Trying to skip those daily moments and jumping into the spotlight will never get us to that place of peaceful rest we all seek for.

Many well-meaning Christians believe it is righteous to pray for God to pour out His anointing on their lives, when this still has the underlying factor of "me, my" life...when really, our sole purpose is to glorify the Lord whether we ever get the glory for anything in this short life. John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease." We should rather pray, "God YOU be glorified in every thing I do today. I know I can do nothing to make you love me more than you already do, so YOU be seen in me."
1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." You will get praise somewhere, would you rather have it here or there...???

What Does Worship Look Like?

I've been thinking about the different ways people think of "worship." Many automatically think to a certain "style" of meeting or song style, but true worship is not about a song tempo, lyrics or even style of service at all.
God has been teaching me a lot lately about a lifestyle of worship to Him alone. It's easy for people to get caught up in busyness and schedules and not take specific time for worship. I'm not talking about just prayer and time in The Word. Those should not be negotiable in the life of a Christian. A spiritual mentor of Andy's talked to him about a daily "3-prong approach" that needs to happen every day to stay in fellowship with Christ.
~Specific time in God's Word is so necessary and we often think of that as so elementary that everyone already knows that, but we need reminders of how important it is. Hebrews 4:12 says that "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The Word is active, but it is the Holy Spirit inside believers that puts the edge on the Word of God. When people read the Bible but do not feel like they "got anything out of it", it may mean 2 things: that either the Holy Spirit is not inside them, breathing and piercing or that there may be some area of disobedience that has not yet been dealt with. God is not going to show new light when there is areas that have been illuminated that have been disregarded...which leads to the next of the 3-prong approach: prayer.
~Specific time in prayer is as vital to the Christian as breath to any living being! We of course, can pray anytime, anywhere, but when we get into a habit of "praying on the go", we convey the message that "I just don't have the time to get alone with you, God." Someone recently challenged me to even posture myself in prayer (kneeling). This again is something that I already knew, but did not always do. I can tell you it makes a big difference to posture yourself in prayer and leave the distractions behind. Ephesians 3:14 says that "I bow my knees before The Father." Philippians 2:10 says that "at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow," so why not do it here on earth in our daily routine? I confess, there are days when prayer-time at the kitchen sink, in the car & in the shower is what happens, but I do cherish those days when daily distractions are stripped away, and it's just me and God, no dirty dishes or otherwise.
Something that we often pray is, "God, we want to know you more..." and that is good, because we do, but is very humbling and vulnerable to pray, "God, I want you to know me." Allowing God to shine His search light into the hidden crevices of our minds and hearts is as freeing as it is humbling. None of us, if honest with ourselves, would want the tape of our every thought played over a screen for all the world to see, but that will happen one day, and it would be much better to have an audience of One see it all now than everyone on judgment day. Pray daily for God to show you what you cannot see. You don't know what you don't know.
A tip to keep ourselves in healthy prayer is this acronym I came across: ACTS(S)
A-Adoration- Start prayer time with adoring God for WHO He is, not what He has done. In this time, we can pray to each person of the Trinity and adore Him for His holiness, love, justice, kindness, faithfulness, mercy & grace...
C-Confession- Be honest before God...He knows it all anyway. "God, I confess, I have not been consistent with my children, I have not shared your love with anyone this week...." etc.
T- Thanksgiving- Thanking God for all that He has done and will do. (this is different than adoration!)
S- Supplication- needs, requests
S-Silence- allowing the Holy Spirit to speak, guide, reveal etc.
I have found that this helps me to look past myself and my own little world to what is truly important in prayer.
~3rd approach to worship is worship itself. This can be done with wholesome worship music, but not necessarily music alone. Music is one way to get into the spirit of worship, but so can a walk through nature, taking the time to focus on God's handiwork.
A life of worship is a lifestyle. Have you even wondered when people say that something pertains to their "spiritual life"..., what other part of life do they have??? For the Christian, everything about life is our spiritual life. We have no other life to live. This is the one that must count for Christ. We were put on this earth for the sole purpose to glorify and worship the King of Kings. John 17:1-5