How do You Manage to Stay Sane?

How do you manage to stay sane when it seems there is so much going on around you?

Great question! You have to PRAY and RELY on God. There are so many components to peace! But I can assure you that you cannot have peace if you don't first submit those issues or concerns to God and leave them there. We serve an awesome God who wants to take care of us. He wants to show us that we can rest in Him.

This summer has been a testing one for me. I have been learning to take God at His word. When I talk to others about faith it is always so easy to tell them what it is. But I can't honestly tell you a moment other than believing God for an acceptance letter for college (feels like forever ago) that I had to really wait on God...until now. I constantly tell myself to look through my spiritual eyes. I constantly tell myself that my turn is coming. I constantly tell myself that everything happens in God's timing.

You would think I was good to go huh? I have to admit that it is a process. I have to remind myself everyday that God has the best intentions in mind for me (Jeremiah 29:11), he has my future all planned out. I don't have to doubt Him. It's easy to do on a good day when people aren't asking you, "What's next?" or "How's the job hunt going?" But what happens when people start asking you questions? What do you say then?

I have been encouraged by one of my spiritual mothers to speak life! To claim the promises of God over my life. The promises can be found in God's word. He has given us so many promises! But we must proclaim them over our lives and trust in them. Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the Lord. 'And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (NLT) Whatever we can imagine for God to do in our lives is nothing in comparison to what He can and will do!

I take joy in scriptures those I have included in this blog. They show that God cannot be put in a box. We can paint a picture of how we want God to solve our problems, but really we do not control what He does. Ephesians 3:20 "God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." (MSG) So when I'm having a hard time trusting God I revisit this scripture, which is one of my favorites! It let's me know that I have to stop telling God what I need and how to do it. Philippians 4:6 tells us to pray about everything and worry about nothing; to tell God what we need and thank Him for what He's done. Notice it didn't say anything about telling God how to fulfill our needs. So stop the worrying. It will work out, in God's timing and more importantly how He's planned it.

Lastly, one of our elders shared this with us on Sunday and I saved the nugget. Don't pray about something and keep asking for it. Pray for it once, and every time you pray after that to thank God for doing it. If it's healing you need, thank Him for your healing. If it's a job, thank Him for your job! Start to profess those things that be NOT as though they WERE. I promise you'll see the change!

Be Encouraged,

God's Servant 

How He Loves

God is just so awesome! I've read many of the Psalms and looked at how God's love is described. But it didn't quite hit me until I read Psalms 139.

When I was thinking about all that God does for me it was just mind blowing. He knew me way before I was here! Even in the midst of my formation in my mother's womb He already knew what I looked like and how I would change as I grew older. There isn't a single detail about our lives that God doesn't know. But most of all He knew that I would be born into sin, and that I would go years enjoying sin more than being in his presence. He knew that I would have gifts, but before I used them for His kingdom I would use them to make myself feel important. Yet, He didn't take my gifts away.

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Currently I am waiting to see how God is going to move in my life. There have been many moments when I (the overplanner) have been sitting aimlessly, almost twiddling my thumbs waiting. I have no idea where my next move is going to be. But I take joy in the fact that I serve a God that knows me. Psalm 139: 17, 18 "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!" (NLT) He has so many thoughts concerning me, my life, my future. I cannot even begin to imagine what God has in store for me. Sometimes I'm blown away simply at how HE loves me. 

I am in a place where so many see me. I put on a brave face, and tell everybody that my portion is coming. Yes, I believe it. But I would be lying and far from real if I told you that I didn't have any concerns. I am learning how to rest in God. It is easy to claim to have faith, but the execution is where it gets rocky. Faith is believing in what we cannot see. Faith is knowing that God will take care of us in any situation. Faith is remembering that God has plans of success lined up for us. Faith is relying on God to give us what we need, especially when we cannot picture how we can obtain it.

God loves His children so much. He desires for us to be successful. He does not want His children to be disadvantaged. He does not want His children to have to beg and borrow, but He'd rather us be the lenders. He wants us to prosper in health (3 John 1:2) even as our soul prospers.

I know that God loves me. If He doesn't do anything else for me, I know that He loves me. He gave his only begotten son for my sins! John 3:16, shows exactly how much He loved us. He gave His son that we may be saved from an eternity in hell. I am learning to stop stressing over things that I have no control over. I know that I serve a God who loves me unconditionally. So, when it comes to the things that I can work on, I will. But the things that I cannot control or change, I will leave to Him...

Be Encouraged,

God's Servant

P.S. It's not over until GOD says, "IT'S OVER." 

Who Told You to Follow Your Heart?

These last few weeks I have been repeatedly going back to scriptures that talk about our heart. Often times when we are watching television or movies the advice that they give tells the troubled soul to "follow your heart." But, my brothers and sisters do you know that following your heart is dangerous!

Really? Yes, I said it. Following your heart is dangerous. Jeremiah 17:9-10 "the heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be." (MSG) so be careful in following your heart, for one it changes. One moment your heart is telling you to go one way, and in the opposite direction in the very next moment. Our heart is misleading. It is deceitful, and cannot be figured out. Why would you want to follow something that will only confuse you?

Pray for God to give you a heart makeover. Many times our intentions are pure but our heart is not there. I love Jeremiah 24:7 because it says, "And I'll give them a heart to know me, God. They'll be my people and I'll be their God, for they'll have returned to me with all their hearts." (MSG) so if your heart has been made new by God then it is okay to follow your heart because now you are His. You want the things that He wants for you.

Use this blog to serve as a heart check. What is the status of your heart? Does it need recharging? Does it need to be made new?

I often have moments where I need recharging. I have to go to Him and ask Him to make me over. Clean me up. Give me a clean heart. I never want to do anything for Him with an unclean heart, for one He doesn't accept that. So be careful, be weary of people who put more emphasis on following your heart than following God. Pray always. God will provide the answer you need. His direction is best.

Be encouraged,

God's Servant

Recall!

It has been quite some time since my last post. I have not forgotten about you all, but God has definitely been working on me. Ever since last August I have been working on my Masters in Elementary Education and school has been one of my main focuses. I have thought about posting so many times, but I have to admit that it was not high on my list of priorities. I am determined to do better for the rest of 2013 though.

This first initial blog I will use to encourage anyone who needs an extra push to spend time with Jesus. I can look back over this past year and see the times when I was the strongest compared to those when I was extremely weak. It is very true that we must stay connected to Jesus. I am reminded of how God wants to be intimate with us. Like with any relationship, you only get to know the other person when you invest time in him/her. When we invest time in reading God's word, we learn new things about Him.

Last summer I had an awesome time; I woke up most mornings at 4:00. Yes, 4:00! A time I have only seen on few occasions this year. But I was up and ready to talk with God each morning. After I prayed I sat and read His word. I literally sat at His feet for the entire summer. I had days where I didn't get up until 4:30, but I started my day off by spending time with Jesus. It was awesome. I began to learn things about myself that I never knew before. My time in worship was so refreshing.

This semester was rough! I still have a relationship with God, but I didn't spend nearly as much time with Him as I should have. When you make these types of decisions, (to skip out on quiet time) you allow a breeding ground for doubt, anxiety, and stress to grow. God has allowed me to overcome so much. He's definitely made me an example, but I can be completely honest in saying that I haven't lived up to that example.

This blog is titled recall for one main reason. It serves as a reminder that not only is quiet time recommended each day, but it is also necessary. Our quiet time with God is a time where He can openly communicate with us, and we can learn His desires for us. We have his ear and can voice all our concern, and worry to Him. More importantly we have set the tone for our day because we started with God.

Why can't I just pray when I wake up? Sure, you can. But if we look at our example in Jesus, Mark 1:35 says "Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went to an isolated place to pray" (NLT). Trust me I enjoy my sleep, more than just a little bit! But there is something in the sacrifice of your time that is restored by spending time in God's presence. It was around this time last year that I began my journal challenge, you can find more information on Heather Lindsey's blog (awesome stuff by the way). It was a time where I was desperately seeking God, and it's time to get back to that place. Make some time for God in the beginning of your day. I promise that it will be worth your time.

Be encouraged,

God's Servant