Day 55 – My God is BIG Enough to make the Sun Stand Still and the Earth Shake. He gives and He takes away. But above ALL He loves me and is with me ALWAYS, to the End of the Line.

Today’s Reading: Joshua 8 – 10

Joshua 10:14 “There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”

On this day, 12 years ago, time stood still. A life was born because of God’s perfect Will! A battle was forged from his first breath; because Satan knew then that this child was blessed. The angel that protected him kissed his sweet little head, and whispered, for you and this world your Savior has bled. The mark on his head remained a reminder of God’s Son, for the battle would continue but the war was already won! Hayden Emmanuel, you should name him, whispered God to his mom, for I will always be with you even when he is gone. He’ll bring life to this earth with his contagious smile; so hold tightly to each memory for you only have him for a little while. His love will be football, fishing and golf; but also his family, his friends….AND Captain America, God coughed. Don’t hold to tightly to his little hand; soon I’ll be calling him home and away from this land. You didn’t know this when I gave him to you, that I needed him more in Heaven for my Glory to shine through. So look for the Sun and rainbow each February on the 24th Day; for He may be with Me in Heaven but in your heart, always, we both shall stay. Happy Birthday sweet Hayden, 4 years you had breath; but for Eternity because of you, each soul you touched and loved will be Blessed! ❤️💙😇

Day 54 – When at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up, but try again.

Today’s Reading: Joshua 5 – 7

Joshua 6:4-5 “Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”

Many times it is the Lord’s plan to strengthen us and drive the Fear of Him into others when He makes us wait for the Victory in the war. The victory is always set to Glorify Him.

The Israelites had to march around Jericho once a day until the 7th day when they had to march 7 times around the city. On the 7th trip around the wall they yelled with assured victory and blew the victory horn until the walls fell.

God may just be doing the same with you. If at this time the door closes in front of you, cancer comes back…again, another month passed trying for a baby, another miscarriage, another tragedy, or still not enough funds in the bank account, think about how He will be Glorified when the Victory comes! Don’t give up! Keep walking around that wall! Blow the Horn of assured Victory, and win the Race! He is with you in the same way He was with the Israelites.

What is your Jericho? How will He conquer it through you? Every day I pray a couple of the same prayers, the same prayers I’ve been praying for at least 12 years. These specific prayers are my March around Jericho, these prayers are praying the walls down around people I love. Have I seen the walls fall yet? No, but I’m not giving up and every once and a blue moon I see the wall begin to crack.

Day 53 – No matter what your past may hold, the plans of your future are held in the hands of God.

Today’s reading: Joshua 2:1-4:24.

Joshua 2:1 “And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.”

Rahab had a dirty past, she was known as a prostitute in her community, but God had a different view of her and different plans for her future. He got a hold of her heart and cleansed her of her past for He wanted to use her for something HUGE.

Rahab’s faith in the Lord enabled her to save the lives of the Israelite spies and in return they promised to save the lives of Rahab and her family. This lineage would eventually bear the likes of King David and much later our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

See, God can use whoever He chooses whenever He chooses to bring about whatever He chooses. Our past doesn’t define us because our future is Held by the Lord. My past alone is more than colorful, but I know He is using my future to Glorify Him. Don’t let your past hold you back from a relationship with the Lord. Who knows if He isn’t wanting to now use you for such a time as this.

(The photo above is a tapestry of Hayden’s shirts, shorts, swimsuits, and blankets. Each one a great memory of who He was. His past alone led Him to a great future where His life is now Glorifying our Great God.)

***This week’s posts are dedicated to the Memory of Sweet Hayden Boy. We will celebrate the day God brought Him into this world on Thursday.***

Day 52 – No matter how deep, how long, or how wide the river may be, when the Lord commands you to cross, don’t forget He will go before you.

Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 31 – Joshua 1

Deuteronomy 31:3 “The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken.”

After 40 years wandering through the wilderness, the Israelites are now prepared to cross over the Jordan and into the Promised Land. Moses, 120 years old and at the end of His life, begins to sing blessings over the Israelite people as a reminder to never forget the Lord when they inherit the wonderful gifts and promises of the Canaanite land. Moses handed all authority over to Joshua and went on top of Mount Nebo to look into the Promised Land and pass on to Heaven as the Israelites passed over the river to Canaan.

However, at the same time, the people of Israel looked at the River and saw all the difficulties and trials in their path. God told them over and over again to be strong and courageous, do not fear, for He would go before them and with them as they cross the River and conquer the land.

We all have rivers in our life as we seek out the promised land. We need to remind ourselves God has done this before, He has walked this way, and He’s with us now. We are to be strong and courageous like Joshua, and Be ready to cross the River, bearing our cross as we do. For every trial we come to He is our shield and our help, we shouldn’t turn to the left or the right looking for another way, we must forge ahead. What river do you need to cross to get to your promised land? Be strong and courageous, do not fear, for the Lord will be with you, going before you and behind you!

Day 51 – See, it all comes down to this….it is our choice whether we receive life, death, good or evil. He has set them all before us, and the decision we make to either love and follow Him with all our heart or turn away from Him and follow the world will guide our future, our blessings and our curses.

Todays Reading : Deuteronomy 26 – 30

Deuteronomy 30:15-16 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.”

Over the past 6 months God has been stretching me with the demands of working on our family farm and becoming extremely involved in my children’s activities and school, specifically driving them here and there and everywhere. Honestly, I don’t know which is more exhausting! But God has seen me through both and blessed each one tremendously.

You see, He only reveals to us what we need to know and how it all turns out is a secret He keeps. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29

However, He promises if we follow His commandments He will surely bless us and not curse us. And God has given this same covenant to all who are willing to listen to Him and obey Him and love Him with all of their heart, soul, and mind. He will lead us through every wilderness not allowing us to get worn out, but instead strengthening us for the future. Everything we need to know and speak is right here…in our heart….from His Word…found in His great Book.

Let me encourage you today, no matter if you follow these readings, keep reading! I am! “But the Word is very near to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” Deuteronomy 30:14 And I’m also praying and meditating on what He has for me. If you need an extra prayer, let me know. I promise to lift you up to the Lord because YOU are also one of God’s great plans for me at this time!

Day 50 – Do to others as God has done for you.

Todays Reading: Deuteronomy 23 – 25

“You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widows garment in pledge, but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.” Deuteronomy 24:17-18

We’ve all heard the saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you,” but God wants us to do for others because of what He has DONE for us. Sometimes it’s hard to do for others because we have a hard time thinking that they would ever do the same in return, but God has already done so much for us.

Just think of Jesus, the Son of God…beaten, carrying the cross that he would eventually be NAILED to, nails being hammered into his hands and feet, being spit on, screamed at, mocked, and stabbed through with a sword so his blood would pour out. God allowed all of this to happen so that YOU would be saved.

Since God has saved us through His Son, not for any reason but LOVE, can’t we love others, those unlike ourselves. He wants us to show love and justice to those who look different than we do, who have more and less than we do, who are alone or abandoned, who are fleeing for safety and a different life, and our own enemies. God desires for all of His people, ALL of us who are CALLED BY HIS NAME, to love ALL, so that ALL will see and know Him through our love.

It may seem like a crazy notion, to love like this, but He already did it for us, so why shouldn’t we do this for Him?!

Day 49 – When the battle ahead looks Greater than you can handle, do not be afraid, God is with you and for you, and will give you the Victory!

Todays Reading: Deuteronomy 20 – 22

“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt…..for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.” Deuteronomy 20:1,4

We all have battles before us and some look achievable, but for the most part, the majority seem like mountains in the way of our progress.

For the Israelites, they were going into new territory, and there were people there that were bigger than them, stronger than them, and more qualified than them. Their call from God to go into the land seemed like a task they would end up failing or potentially losing their own life. But God, He said, Do NOT be Afraid, I will be with you, and I will GIVE you Victory. So the Israelites went into battle because they trusted the God that they had seen work for them and go with them before. Now, there were still some, a few, who were afraid, and he gave them an out. He said to those that were afraid, Stay home, don’t get in the way of those that are confident, don’t deter those that are willing to stand up for my cause, go home.

“Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.” Deuteronomy 20:8b

I’m sure there is a battle ahead of you today. Quite possibly you are in it right now. When I was younger, I used to head on battles with no fear, but as I got older, I watched as fear slowly crept in. Much of this fear was from wanting to please others, and Fear is what caused me to not fulfill some of the calls God had for my life. It was the thoughts of others who saw the battle and were afraid for me or envious of the call God had given me. But God gives each of us our own call, one is not greater than another, just different, and I let that STOP me. However, God’s been teaching me as of lately, that when there’s a battle ahead of me: I can stay confident, I can March ahead, I have no reason to fear the thoughts of others. If He has called me, He will fight with me and for me, and Give me the victory. And God will do this for you too!

Do not be afraid of the battle ahead, step forward with confidence and watch as He gives you victory.

Day 48 – Dear Lord, Please Help me to Remember…..

Todays Reading: Deuteronomy 17 -19

Deuteronomy 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— ”

I’m no prophet and I’m definitely no queen, but for some reason the Lord continues to raise me up for certain positions and into certain places where I feel completely unsure of myself.

To be really real, for most of my life I’ve felt completely incapable, unqualified, and insufficient. I want to always please others and never feel like I’m enough or doing enough…I’m just being real. But in all of this I completely Trust Him! Every day I must make decisions, plan new things, access finances and futures, speak His truth, guide others to Him, and put my best foot forward to be a Light.

Each day is filled with a question of my ability, But each day I filter everything I do through His ability. Like the prophets and the Kings of Israel, I must remind myself over and over again that God has prepared me and raised me up for such a time as this. No matter how I look on the outside or the confidence I may show, on the inside I feel about as big as a mouse, and all that confidence is absolutely, 100 percent, from the Lord.

As I look back at this picture from years ago, I’m encouraged today that the way the Lord went before me then, He will go before me again, just like He always does. He is my rock! Lord, Please help me to always Remember.

Day 47 – See a Need….Fill a Need!

Todays Reading: Deuteronomy 14 – 16

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”

People all around you are going through some kind of hard time.

Maybe you are going through a hard time as we speak.

Over the past 15 years, Brett and I have had our fair share of hard times, whether it be financial, miscarriage, 7 months of bed rest, or the loss of a child. But through all of these hard times our brothers and sisters around us have stepped in and helped us.

These have been selfless acts of love that we will cherish for eternity.

We can’t let those around us struggle through, we must be there for them and give each of them what they are in need of. I completely understand not enabling someone, but if someone has fallen on hard times, it’s not always enabling.

In this particular passage, Moses is talking with the Israelites about when a neighbor falls on times where they can’t even afford food to eat or blankets to warm them, but others in the community provide for everything they need.

It is always more joyful to give than to receive, that’s why even when we had very little, we would go out of our way to give back, even when we lost our own child I would mourn over the loss of a friend.

My heart always loves more as I give more, so when there is a need I desire to fill it…how about you?

Day 46 – Keeping His Word constantly before you will take evil thoughts captive to His Grace.

Todays Reading: Deuteronomy 11 – 13

Deuteronomy 11:18 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”

I wish that I could say the thoughts that pop into my mind are always filled with love and grace, BUT sadly they’re not. However, even when I’m deeply offended and on the verge of anger, my thoughts are taken captive before I say anything because of the Words that have been tucked into my heart over time.

His Word covers my thoughts like a blanket covers your bed while you sleep on a cold night. It wraps up your body and brings it to a warm cozy feeling. It’s still cold outside the blanket, but within the blanket there is peace.

Scripture can fill our minds in that same way, taking away the bad thoughts and giving us the ability to think more clearly. Evil thoughts are very human, but if we constantly keep His Word before us, guarding our hearts and mind, He will take our thoughts captive and set us free with His thoughts instead.

I’m definitely NOT PERFECT, but with His help and His word, I am kept from succumbing to the evil of the world. That is why I constantly study His Word, reading the scriptures everyday, because it is like a sword that can fight off the war.

If you are keeping up with me daily, reading God’s Word, I promise, it will begin to take your thoughts captive too.