The Husband was driving me nuts this morning. Of course, I love him, of course I appreciate him, but lets be real, he's a man, and men get on my nerves from time to time LOL. All his little idiosyncrasies were really getting to me. As I was pining over all the things that drive me nuts about him, God let me to this devotional..and once you read it, clearly you will understand, God has a sense of humor.
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/girlfriends/
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
TRUST ME..
These words are comforting, but at the same time, frustrating. Along my walk with God, He has uttered these words in my ear so many times. I find them comforting because it reminds me He is in control, but at the same time that phrase frustrates me because it seems to be the general answer to all my prayers (can I get an amen). However, I had a revelation the other day.
First let me set it up for you. A few nights ago I had some trouble sleeping. Some things were weighing heavily on my mind. As I began to focus on God and pray, He said those ever so lovely words (a little sarcasm? yes) "Trust Me." Grrrrrrrrr. Seriously Jesus?! I'm struggling here and you're gonna say that?! I longed for a better response, but any time I hear God's voice, it seems satisfying enough. Soon after, I fell asleep.
The following day, I thought about what God said to me. I really tried to hold onto it as those things that were weighing so heavily on my mind the night before entered my mind.
As all of this was going on in my mind, I was making my son food to eat. He was crawling around on the floor and he was getting fussy while he waited. At one point, he made his way to the kitchen, looked directly at me, and made one of his "Hurry up, Mom!" kind of grunts. I looked back at him while making his food and without even thinking about it, replied, "You're ok for a few more minutes, trust me." I stopped dead in my tracks. Did I really just say those words?!
I took a step back and thought about it all. I had so easily told Caleb to 'trust me,' like it was nothing. The way I said it was so nonchalant, because I knew he would, in fact, be fine. I said it with confidence the same way I would say the sky is blue and the grass is green.
Then, I thought about how God must have said it to me the night before. He told me, 'trust Me,' just as confident as I did because He knew I would fine, even though at the time, I didn't think I was going to make it through the night without having a break down.
As I thought about it some more, I discovered that I told my son to 'trust me' because I could see the future (well kind of). I knew that nothing bad was going to happen if he waited a few more minutes for his food. He wouldn't die of starvation, he wouldn't suffer, he'd make it out alive. That's the same way God saw me the night before as I was agonizing over the things in my head. I was 'fussing' just like my son, thinking I couldn't go on anymore without a divine intervention and God, ever so confidently, said, "trust me," because He knew I'd be okay in the end.
It has been so neat to get a glimpse of how God sees us when I see my son. What a miracle!
First let me set it up for you. A few nights ago I had some trouble sleeping. Some things were weighing heavily on my mind. As I began to focus on God and pray, He said those ever so lovely words (a little sarcasm? yes) "Trust Me." Grrrrrrrrr. Seriously Jesus?! I'm struggling here and you're gonna say that?! I longed for a better response, but any time I hear God's voice, it seems satisfying enough. Soon after, I fell asleep.
The following day, I thought about what God said to me. I really tried to hold onto it as those things that were weighing so heavily on my mind the night before entered my mind.
As all of this was going on in my mind, I was making my son food to eat. He was crawling around on the floor and he was getting fussy while he waited. At one point, he made his way to the kitchen, looked directly at me, and made one of his "Hurry up, Mom!" kind of grunts. I looked back at him while making his food and without even thinking about it, replied, "You're ok for a few more minutes, trust me." I stopped dead in my tracks. Did I really just say those words?!
I took a step back and thought about it all. I had so easily told Caleb to 'trust me,' like it was nothing. The way I said it was so nonchalant, because I knew he would, in fact, be fine. I said it with confidence the same way I would say the sky is blue and the grass is green.
Then, I thought about how God must have said it to me the night before. He told me, 'trust Me,' just as confident as I did because He knew I would fine, even though at the time, I didn't think I was going to make it through the night without having a break down.
As I thought about it some more, I discovered that I told my son to 'trust me' because I could see the future (well kind of). I knew that nothing bad was going to happen if he waited a few more minutes for his food. He wouldn't die of starvation, he wouldn't suffer, he'd make it out alive. That's the same way God saw me the night before as I was agonizing over the things in my head. I was 'fussing' just like my son, thinking I couldn't go on anymore without a divine intervention and God, ever so confidently, said, "trust me," because He knew I'd be okay in the end.
It has been so neat to get a glimpse of how God sees us when I see my son. What a miracle!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Lesnar vs. Obama
Excuse me for keeping this short and to the point, but I spent a lot of time blogging yesterday and I just don't have that kind of time every day. Forgive me if this doesn't make sense because I am trying to make it quick.
Ever since I made a vow to become spiritually and physically 'healthy,' I've felt attacked. I can't get into details because it's deep, but it's certainly real. Anyway, yesterday as I was reading in Mark chapter 3, my bible had a very LONG foot note about the important emphasis on a lot of Jesus' life being spent casting out demons. It is a very real thing that Satan has a lot of leeway here on earth. Just as God can affect our actions, Satan can do the same, as well as afflicting us in different areas of our lives. The foot note discusses the power and authority we have over Satan and every evil work, just like Jesus did when He was here on earth. I know this is something we all know, but sometimes we forget (i know i forgot).
We must be confident (and I am talking to myself) in our power over Satan. We must truly believe that a simple utterance of Jesus' name causes Satan to flee from us. We have to be confident in that. We have to fight him with confidence and remind ourselves we are better and stronger than him because we have Jesus, the ultimate fighter (think Brock Lesnar against..oh I dont know...Obama..).
We've got the power people...don't forget it!
Ever since I made a vow to become spiritually and physically 'healthy,' I've felt attacked. I can't get into details because it's deep, but it's certainly real. Anyway, yesterday as I was reading in Mark chapter 3, my bible had a very LONG foot note about the important emphasis on a lot of Jesus' life being spent casting out demons. It is a very real thing that Satan has a lot of leeway here on earth. Just as God can affect our actions, Satan can do the same, as well as afflicting us in different areas of our lives. The foot note discusses the power and authority we have over Satan and every evil work, just like Jesus did when He was here on earth. I know this is something we all know, but sometimes we forget (i know i forgot).
We must be confident (and I am talking to myself) in our power over Satan. We must truly believe that a simple utterance of Jesus' name causes Satan to flee from us. We have to be confident in that. We have to fight him with confidence and remind ourselves we are better and stronger than him because we have Jesus, the ultimate fighter (think Brock Lesnar against..oh I dont know...Obama..).
We've got the power people...don't forget it!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Seeing God in the Little Things and Psalm 23
Two days ago, my husband and I decided to do some remodeling. We mounted our TV on the wall so our 9 month old son could have more space to crawl around. We got rid of our entertainment center and our coffee table and my husband built shelves along our mantle for storage. We already have a book shelf in our living room and since we were removing 'clutter' to create more space for our son, I decided to see if I could get rid of some the 'junk' on our shelf (of course, only to make room for more 'junk'). As I was cleaning, I saw this book on our shelf someone gave me about a year and a half ago. I read the first two chapters in the book, found it intriguing, but put it down and never picked it back up. I have my reasons on why I haven't picked it back up and, but they aren't important. Anyway, I thought for a moment as I stared at the book shelf about throwing this book away. I have my reasons for wanting to throw it away as well, but they aren't important either.
As I stared at the book for about 20 seconds, I convinced myself that the book was part of God's Word (it was a book on Psalm 23) and that it might come in handy one day even though at the moment I really wanted to get rid of it. So, I left the book alone and continued cleaning.
That was two days ago.
Yesterday, even though it was a very busy day, I decided to go for a run on the treadmill while Caleb was napping. I was eager to work out again since I had taken some time off due to the holiday season and to listen to worship music on my iPod since I had taken a vacation from Jesus over the holiday break (I know this is a pathetic excuse, but we got so busy doing dinners and lunches and functions, that I literally only read once or twice the entire week my husband was home from work).
Anyway, I hop on the treadmill and I start jogging while getting my fill of worship music for the day. If you know me then you know I do enjoy jogging (on most days) because it gives me the opportunity to chat with Jesus, plus I feel great when I'm done. My time 'chatting' with Jesus usually just consists of me rambling on and on about my life. But I have to admit that I have my most revealing 'God moments' while on the treadmill. For some reason, I'm totally open and vulnerable (so weird, I know).
Anyway, I felt God show me it was time to get 'spiritually healthy.' I recently made a vow (partly due to the new year) to get physically healthy. I haven't had the best eating habits and I am concerned that my son will mimic my poor relationship with food. So I made a vow to get healthy, but God showed me that to be 'physically healthy' I need to be 'spiritually healthy' and that once I'm 'spiritually healthy' everything else will fall into place.
I took this revelation I had on the treadmill seriously and made a vow that I would not only aim to become physically healthy, but more importantly, to become spiritually healthy as well.
Keep in mind, I am still on the treadmill at this point and I am still 'chatting' with Jesus. I'm reviewing my goals for my physical and spiritual health, when God reminds me of something.
A long long LONG time ago someone gave me this CD. On it was a testimony about a woman who was kidnapped by a criminal (I can't remember exactly what type of criminal he was). This criminal randomly chose this woman to kidnap (there was no reason other than she was in the wrong place at the wrong time). However, while in the car with this man, the woman started telling her kidnapper about Jesus and His saving grace. I don't remember all the details specifically, but I do remember a few things. One, the man/criminal ended up getting saved and turned his life over to Jesus. Second, the woman gives all the credit to God. She said that at that point in her life, she was so filled with the Holy Spirit that if this event had happened at any other time, she may have not survived simply because her human nature would have taken over and she would crumbled in fear. As she describe how filled she was, she used the phrase, "my cup runneth over," which got me thinking.
I had heard this phrase before in a song, but I couldn't remember the title. As I pondered the phrase over and over, I decided it would be best to do some research. I felt that there was a reason God was reminding me of this. So I finished jogging, did some stretching, and started my research.
I Google'd the phrase 'my cup runneth over' and found some weird 70's love song (LOL). That certainly wasn't what I was looking for. I searched YouTube a bit, but failed in my attempt to locate the song I was looking for. So, I decided to Google the phrase plus'in scripture.' The first few hits were in Hebrews, but I wasn't feeling like that was it. I kept scrolling. Then, I saw something in Psalm, so I clicked the link. In Psalm 23:5 it says, "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." As I glanced over the verse and it's surrounding verses, I noticed the the very first verse in Psalm 23 which is, "The Lord is my shepherd..." Immediately it hit me. THAT BOOK! That book that I had completely forgotten about for a year and half, but then I saw it the day before, that I almost threw out, but randomly decided to keep it, "just in case" I needed to reference it for something! I couldn't believe it. I had to chuckle to myself because I knew it was all God. I knew it was God who, out of all the books and mess on the shelf, made that book stand out to me. It reminded me of how God is in the littlest things in life...like when you're cleaning and you randomly recognize something you haven't recognized in a long time. There's a purpose in that. The littlest, random things.
Moving on to more important things: as I continued my research on Psalm 23:5, I found that the phrase, 'my cup overflows,' refers to a shepherd's cup which actually holds about 30-40 gallons of water. It is an 'abundant drink.' A drink that supplies all needs and then some. It also refers to the idea that the Holy Spirit fills our cup to sustain us and then some.
After concluding my research, I decided I want my cup to overflow. I want my cup overflowing with the Holy Spirit. I want it to overflow so much that it becomes contagious, that it spreads like wildfire. I want my cup to so overflowing that my every day is spent focusing on God and none other than God. I want my cup so overflowing that my ordinary days become extra ordinary. Speaking of...
After God revealed all this to me, I read a devotional about Stephen who was an ordinary man that did extra ordinary things. And again I say, God is in the little things.
#lovin'Jesus
As I stared at the book for about 20 seconds, I convinced myself that the book was part of God's Word (it was a book on Psalm 23) and that it might come in handy one day even though at the moment I really wanted to get rid of it. So, I left the book alone and continued cleaning.
That was two days ago.
Yesterday, even though it was a very busy day, I decided to go for a run on the treadmill while Caleb was napping. I was eager to work out again since I had taken some time off due to the holiday season and to listen to worship music on my iPod since I had taken a vacation from Jesus over the holiday break (I know this is a pathetic excuse, but we got so busy doing dinners and lunches and functions, that I literally only read once or twice the entire week my husband was home from work).
Anyway, I hop on the treadmill and I start jogging while getting my fill of worship music for the day. If you know me then you know I do enjoy jogging (on most days) because it gives me the opportunity to chat with Jesus, plus I feel great when I'm done. My time 'chatting' with Jesus usually just consists of me rambling on and on about my life. But I have to admit that I have my most revealing 'God moments' while on the treadmill. For some reason, I'm totally open and vulnerable (so weird, I know).
Anyway, I felt God show me it was time to get 'spiritually healthy.' I recently made a vow (partly due to the new year) to get physically healthy. I haven't had the best eating habits and I am concerned that my son will mimic my poor relationship with food. So I made a vow to get healthy, but God showed me that to be 'physically healthy' I need to be 'spiritually healthy' and that once I'm 'spiritually healthy' everything else will fall into place.
I took this revelation I had on the treadmill seriously and made a vow that I would not only aim to become physically healthy, but more importantly, to become spiritually healthy as well.
Keep in mind, I am still on the treadmill at this point and I am still 'chatting' with Jesus. I'm reviewing my goals for my physical and spiritual health, when God reminds me of something.
A long long LONG time ago someone gave me this CD. On it was a testimony about a woman who was kidnapped by a criminal (I can't remember exactly what type of criminal he was). This criminal randomly chose this woman to kidnap (there was no reason other than she was in the wrong place at the wrong time). However, while in the car with this man, the woman started telling her kidnapper about Jesus and His saving grace. I don't remember all the details specifically, but I do remember a few things. One, the man/criminal ended up getting saved and turned his life over to Jesus. Second, the woman gives all the credit to God. She said that at that point in her life, she was so filled with the Holy Spirit that if this event had happened at any other time, she may have not survived simply because her human nature would have taken over and she would crumbled in fear. As she describe how filled she was, she used the phrase, "my cup runneth over," which got me thinking.
I had heard this phrase before in a song, but I couldn't remember the title. As I pondered the phrase over and over, I decided it would be best to do some research. I felt that there was a reason God was reminding me of this. So I finished jogging, did some stretching, and started my research.
I Google'd the phrase 'my cup runneth over' and found some weird 70's love song (LOL). That certainly wasn't what I was looking for. I searched YouTube a bit, but failed in my attempt to locate the song I was looking for. So, I decided to Google the phrase plus'in scripture.' The first few hits were in Hebrews, but I wasn't feeling like that was it. I kept scrolling. Then, I saw something in Psalm, so I clicked the link. In Psalm 23:5 it says, "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." As I glanced over the verse and it's surrounding verses, I noticed the the very first verse in Psalm 23 which is, "The Lord is my shepherd..." Immediately it hit me. THAT BOOK! That book that I had completely forgotten about for a year and half, but then I saw it the day before, that I almost threw out, but randomly decided to keep it, "just in case" I needed to reference it for something! I couldn't believe it. I had to chuckle to myself because I knew it was all God. I knew it was God who, out of all the books and mess on the shelf, made that book stand out to me. It reminded me of how God is in the littlest things in life...like when you're cleaning and you randomly recognize something you haven't recognized in a long time. There's a purpose in that. The littlest, random things.
Moving on to more important things: as I continued my research on Psalm 23:5, I found that the phrase, 'my cup overflows,' refers to a shepherd's cup which actually holds about 30-40 gallons of water. It is an 'abundant drink.' A drink that supplies all needs and then some. It also refers to the idea that the Holy Spirit fills our cup to sustain us and then some.
After concluding my research, I decided I want my cup to overflow. I want my cup overflowing with the Holy Spirit. I want it to overflow so much that it becomes contagious, that it spreads like wildfire. I want my cup to so overflowing that my every day is spent focusing on God and none other than God. I want my cup so overflowing that my ordinary days become extra ordinary. Speaking of...
After God revealed all this to me, I read a devotional about Stephen who was an ordinary man that did extra ordinary things. And again I say, God is in the little things.
#lovin'Jesus
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