Day 155 – Be an Individual!

Today’s Reading: Psalm 72 – 74

“But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Psalm 73:2-3.

My husband is constantly saying to me that there is no one like me.

We laugh that God truly made me different than any other person in the creation. But even while being different I still fall prey to the world. It is by no means the worlds fault if I make a decision to follow the wrong person or walk down the wrong path. I’m the one that allows my feet to stumble and almost succumb to Satan’s schemes.

Didn’t your mom or dad ever say to you, “if all your friends jump off a cliff are you going to jump with them?” This is what we do when we follow the patterns of this world.

We are each created different and for a specific purpose. We are specifically chosen to be an example. We should stick out like a beautiful wild flower in the middle of a dessert, instead of a grain of sand around a prickly cactus.

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

So the next time your friends or family or classmates or co-workers are trying to get you to do what you know isn’t right, don’t let your feet stumble, do what Christ would do so they can see Christ in you.

Hebrews 12:1-3 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Day 154 – Turn the Talk of the Town into the Conversion conversation.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 69 – 71

“I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.” Psalm 69:12.

Have you ever felt like all eyes were on you, every hand to the mouth was covering a whisper about your name? I’ve been there, done that, and felt the fury and shame.

When I first returned to church after God had completely changed my life, my past definitely preceded my “presence”. I could see the eyes of judgement in the congregation. Then when my son passed away I could hear the whispers as I walked in the room, I could see the eyes, a little different this time, just watching and waiting for my every move.

I’m not alone, there are many judging eyes. Our head plays tricks on us, and the Devil tries to deceive us into believing we aren’t welcome, we need to go home, no one should judge us. It’s a bunch of hypocrisy, right?!

BUT GOD…… But God wants you in church. He wants you in community; everyone has a past, everyone in that congregation is a sinner. The past that proceeds us is a proclamation of our transformation. It’s the story He’s given us. The LORD wants them to see you, to talk and whisper so you can declare His Goodness with your Victory.

Don’t let your drug-induced years, your marital status, your party-girl lifestyle, your abused childhood, your abortion, or anything else hinder you from claiming your renewed future. Let your shame be erased by the victory you claim. And let the eyes and the mouths of your accusers be amazed at the transformation they see.

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Through this, the changes that others see in you, their faith will grow and you will notice their hands will turn to hugs, their eyes become sincere, and their talk turn to praises of the Glory that Shines forth from your life. They will accept all of you….your past, your “presence” and your future.

Day 153 – Whatever God brings us to, He will bring us through.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 66 – 68

Psalm 66:10-12 “For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.”

God loves us more than our human, finite mind will ever understand. With this love He promises to never harm us, leave us, or forsake us.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

However, even in His love The Lord will bring us to trials and through trials to build us up and strengthen us.

James 1:2-4, 12 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

God will use each trial for a bigger and better purpose.

Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

It’s no shock that I have faced my fair share of trials in this life. Each trial, situation, or circumstance has been difficult, but with God at my side they’ve been overcome.

The toughest of all times is when I feel oppressed. Those are the hours, days, weeks, or months that Satan gets a hold of me and puts me in a state of confusion and frustration. In these moments where my Spirit is Heavy and my jaw feels tight and my head swims with emotions, I am founded in God’s love, surrounded by His protection, and encouraged by His truth.

During these times, I do the only thing I KNOW to do, I seek Him with all of my heart; I pray, I read His Word, I journal my thoughts, and I communicate with the someone full of Wisdom (most recently my Husband). He places all of these weapons around us for our biggest spiritual battles so that we can claim Victory!

Day 152 – Thank God for a New Day.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 63 – 65

Psalm 65:5-8 “You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas,the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.”

Every morning, as I wonder through the den to wake my children from their night of slumber, I pull back the drapes to reveal the morning light. I stand in awe giving thanks to God for such a beautiful picture he has created in frontlets of my eyes. Sunlight pierces through the fresh dew of the trees and off the blades of grass.

Everything stands still as He awakens the day, what a glorious moment to be alive.

Even the mornings that burst forth with drops of rain, bring Joy to my heart as it comes in due time for watering the earth and providing for all of our needs.

Psalm 65:9-10 “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.”

Every morning is a new day for His creation to be Glorified. Even when we don’t give thanks for the Goodness, beauty, and tranquility He has provided, His creation professes His Name.

Psalm 65:11-13 “You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.”

He has chosen us to be near to Him, to dwell in His creation, to be a witness to all He has done. We shouldn’t just be satisfied with what He has provided, we should be overjoyed that He has chosen to Give all of this to us.

Psalm 65:4 “Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.”

Awake with Joy each New Day and sleep with Peace at the end of the Night!

Day 151 – Lead me home Lord, Lead me Home.

Today’s Reading Psalm 60 – 62

“From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.” Psalm 61:2-3.

Hidden in His arms is where I long to be, away from the evil, and closer to Thee. You are my rock and my strong tower; Calling out to you at any time and any hour.

My foes seek me in the deepest of dreams, always prowling in the night, hiding in the darkness it seems. Yet the light fills my dreams from the refuge up above, built in towers of power and walls of pure love.

The Victor is Christ, the war already won, so evil must leave and we will abide with the Son. In the darkness evil is destined to roam, but to me oh my LORD, lead me Home, lead me Home.

——At different times in my life, I’ve suffered with very dark and deep dreams. They wake me in the middle of the night, tossing and turning, something so far from my normal sleep pattern. I can completely sense Satan trying to attack me as I rest because he is unable to get to me during the light of day. That’s what he does, he attacks us where he knows we are weak. However, Our God is not just the God of our awake hours, He is also LORD of our rest. He is just as strong a rock for us as we sleep; He is our refuge, our strong tower, and our resting place.

When these times occur, I call out to the Lord and tell Satan to get back and out of my dreams. As I wake, in the morning, I pray over my dreams and trust that God will take care of them and free me from their bondage.

God hears our cries at all hours and will give us rest from our enemies. He has promised to lead us to the rock that is found on high and will make sure we don’t stumble or fall. Where is the enemy attacking you now? If he’s not, he will! But the Lord will hear your pleas. God will first lead us to safety and at the end of time, He will lead us Home.

Day 150 – In the darkest hour, in the deepest dreams, I spread my arms and fly with wings.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 55 – 59

Psalm 55:5-8 “Fear and trembling have beset me;horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far awayand stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter,far from the tempest and storm.”

One of my favorite movies of all times is “Forrest Gump”. Forrest’s best friend, Jenny, had a hard life. Her father would beat her daily, and one day as she was running from the beating through the high cover crop in the fields she prayed, “Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far. Far Far away from here.” Jenny was in darkness, the only way she thought she’d be able to get any rest was to fly away.

Do you ever feel like this? Like there’s nothing else we can do, we just want to gain wings like a bird and fly away.

Ever since I was a young child I’ve always loved the thought of flying away. Even as I would dream at night in the most horrifying dreams before anyone could get me I would spread out my arms and fly away to safety. Not only would God protect me on earth with this feeling of flight but He would also do it in my dreams. The only problem is sometimes when I’m wanting to fly away from my problems because I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel or I’m feeling suffocated, I need to just wait on Him to deliver me.

Thankfully God has blessed me with a man that can keep me grounded in these moments. He reminds me that constantly running will tire me out. When we allow God to guide us we will know when to fly and when to pray in the cover crop.

Psalm 56:13 “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,that I may walk before God in the light of life.”

We can be like a beautiful butterfly, and in our moments of darkness we grow great strength in our wings. Once we burst through the darkness we can choose to fly or choose to rest on the flowers, and even better we can fly away always knowing how to get home.

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like Eagles;” Isaiah 40:31a.

Let your wings Glorify God, not fly from His blessings.

Day 149 – It’s never to late to purge the past.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 51 – 54

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10.

Even though I’ve had a relationship with the Lord since my youth, it has taken a lifetime for God to work out my salvation and He and I are still working at it. But as of 19 years ago, the struggle was real with the sins of my past.

One day I took a rock(a BIG rock), I wrote those sins and struggles on it, I prayed for God to release me of them, and I threw that rock in water never to see it again.

God had already cleansed my heart and put a new spirit within me, but I needed to release the memories of the sins that held me back. With writing out the sins and struggles, He allowed me to look at my past and remember what brought me joy – my family and friends – and purged what held me back. His renewed Joy propelled me forward.

As I think of my past, I now see the joy that God gave me with great friends and family, and the blessing He’s given me by allowing me to Shine for Him.

When’s the last time you asked God to cleanse you of your sins? Or to be more frank, have you ever asked God to cleanse you of specific sins from your past? These things can weigh you down!

Do you deal with regret? Do you struggle with a heavy Spirit? Are you having a hard time hearing from God? Maybe there’s some baggage in the way.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:11-13.

That which is weighing you down is past sins. We may not sin like this anymore, but we never really dealt with the sin either.

But as Christ continues to do a work in our heart and the Holy Spirit continues to nudge us forward, this burden will come to light so we can let it go and be made light by Christ and Shine like the “Son” Himself.

Day 148 – As we look back at our day, how have we chosen to order our way?

Today’s Reading: Psalm 47 – 50

“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” Psalm 50:23

The choices we make each day, each moment, speak loudly to the world around us. They can either declare the Goodness of God or turn others away from God. I’m the moment, we may think, what does this choice really matter?! But when we look back at our life after we arrive at a place and wonder how we got there, we can see how each little choice had a big affect on the outcome.

Yet, when we take notice of our choices and begin to place the pieces differently than they fell, picking up some, placing broken pieces together, a masterpiece can be created, and God can be Glorified.

If we stop looking at our mess as a mess and start recognizing the gifts of grace God has provided in the midst, we can thank him for that which He created. We can thank him for the gifts he’s given us and look for ways to use them for good.

See, we all have gifts and if we use them for His Glory and His Purpose, Jesus will magnify them and Him. It all depends on how we use what He gives us, how we work the gift or suppress it. Using what He gives us for His Good, ordering our ways according to His Ways, is like a sacrificial offering of thanks for what He has created.

Day 147 – In Christ Alone.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 44 – 46

“For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever.” Psalms 44:6-8.

Most of my life I’ve tried to take all of my problems along with everyone else’s into my own hands. It was exhausting!

I thought of myself as so much bigger and stronger than I actually was. But when I laid my life down and gave God the reigns, I no longer had to try because with God all things were possible. (Make sure to note, all was possible when I gave Him the reigns.)

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

I no longer had to depend on my own strength, or try and figure out how I was going to fix a problem. Now I knew I could put my trust completely in Him and He would provide for all my needs, even the small ones.

What are you going through right now? Have you gotten to the point where you’ve tried everything that you knew to try, but now you’re to tired to try anymore?

Just this morning I prayed, “Lord, I don’t know what to do, I need you to take this for me.”

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble.”

Your problem may not be fixed in a minute, just wait, be still, God will always be Glorified, In Christ Alone!

Psalm 46:10 “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;I will be exalted among the nations,I will be exalted in the earth.”

Day 146 – All I need is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 41 – 43

“As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1.

Everyone has some type of morning ritual. My desire is to be early to bed and early to rise because I’m so excited about getting to my new day.

Why?

Partly because I’m so thankful His mercies are new every morning, but mostly because my morning starts off with a hot cup of coffee, a nice quiet space, my Bible, and long conversations with God. I honestly enjoy nothing more and if I had it my way, I’d do this all day…watch our retirement, I’m getting wild!

Occasionally I’ll be longing so much for more time with God that I’ve been caught under my desk praying, wondering off for a prayer around the field, or jumping into my car just to be alone and see what God has to say.

I guess I had spent enough time during my teen years going in the opposite direction of God that when He caught ahold of me, I’ve never been quite able to get enough.

In the Summer of 1999, I needed God so badly that I was ready for Him to just take me home to Eternity, but He had other plans.

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” Psalm 42:2.

The Lord filled my hunger and quenched my thirst on a road in Gainesville, Florida. I was like the woman at the well and he promised me living water.

John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

My days are not pretty if I don’t have my time with Jesus. It’s like a marathon runner with no water or electrolytes after the run, they are mentally and physically exhausted and their body is all tight and their head pounding. They long for hydration and I long for Jesus.

Everyone is born with a hole in their heart just the size of Jesus, and until you are willing to have Faith in Him you will thirst, but when you accept Him you will thirst no more and just long for his presence everyday.