do I need this?

Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

- Matthew 6:8

I am very fortunate that I am an empty nester.

Gone are the days of dragging children to the store to hear screams of frustration and “I want, I want, I want!”

Sadly, not everyone is an empty nester and even when I go to the store all alone, I still hear those cries of the children that are wanting everything.

I can remember trying to teach my children the difference between “need” and “want”. Heck, I am still learning that – I don’t “need” those cookies, but I sure “want” them.

God knows what we really need, and we don’t even have to ask Him.

Trust God enough to know that He will supply you with all your needs.

Maybe not when you “want” them, but definitely when you “need” them.

Have a blessed day!

organizing, tidying, decluttering

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

- 1 Timothy 6:6

I have heard more about Marie Kondo in the last few weeks than anyone else (save the politicians).

Seriously, I have refused to watch her show because 1) I don’t have time and 2) if I started following her plan, I would be out for a year, because I know I have too much stuff!

It really isn’t just about stuff though, is it?

When we have too much clutter, is it really just an underlying need to prove to ourselves or others that we can “afford” these things?

We humans tend to have a desire for the excess material things.

We overindulge.

We judge our lives by our possessions.

Stop!!

My “Paws for a moment with God” devotional says that when we develop the discipline to live within our means, we put ourselves in a position to truly enjoy life, to be released from the burden of debt and from the never ending responsibility of upkeep and storage.

I don’t know about you, but I think that I could use contentment.

It all starts in your heart though, not in your home.

Sorry, Ms. Kondo, I know you say that we should throw it away, but I think I am going to start with clearing my heart to make room for Jesus.

Have a blessed day!

FaceBook official

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely.

- Matthew 5:11

Social media can be a horrible thing.

Seriously, it started out as a really cool way to keep in touch with family and friends.

I personally have rekindled friendships from grade school with people that I never dreamed would be my friends again.

Growing up, my family was not at all social, so thanks to social media, I have found cousins that I never met, and maintained relationships with some of my favorites.

Then there is the flip side.

Holy catfish there are some drama llamas out there.

I have seen marriages ruined because of things said and done on social media.

I see friendships destroyed because of careless typing.

I see a country falling apart around me because everyone’s opinion on politics is “right” and if you don’t agree, then you must not be a friend.

I hate that the world has come to this.

People are hating on people they should love on, and saying terrible things.

People are not standing up for each other and much less for themselves in a loving and Christ – like manner.

So. Many. Lies.

Well, I am making it “FaceBook official”.

I love the Lord. I love Jesus. I am trying to live my life for Him.

I want you in my life – if I did not want you here, you wouldn’t be reading this right now.

Next time you see someone saying terrible things about another human, resist the urge to insert your opinion.

Pray that we all can find a way to maybe meet in the middle and be friends again.  

Have a blessed day!

are you looking?

You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

- Jeremiah 29:13

There have been so many times when I have heard people say “where was God when this happened” or “why did God let that happen”?

Oh my friends, I am so sad when I hear these questions.

Over and over I have prayed that you would hear His voice and let Him in.

God is always there.

God does not “let” bad things happen.

When you shut Him out, you are doing the exact thing that the devil wants you to do.

Song reference!

Why are you striving these days?
Why are you trying to earn grace?
Why are you crying?
Let me lift up your face, just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love?
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?
To where will you go child?
Tell me where will you run, to where will you run?

'cause I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands at my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in and give you life
I wanna give you life

'Cause I, I love you, I want you to know
That I, yeah I love you, I'll never let you go
No, no

And I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Here at my side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Here at my side
My hands are holding you

I wish that you would believe me when I tell you that God has never left your side. That God loves you so very much and He is hurting that you, His precious child have shut the door on your heart to Him.

Please, let Him back in.

Have a blessed day!

i must confess

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  

- James 5:16

I am not perfect.

I may have even said that before.

I make mistakes, I think bad thoughts, sometimes I do things that are questionable.

I am lucky that I have friends and loved ones that will hear my confessions (and sometimes call me out when I don’t see myself doing something).

Having an accountability partner is a great way to stay faithful in your prayer life.

And what could it hurt to have someone praying on your behalf?

I know that I can use all the prayer I can get!

Have a blessed day.

it's so tempting

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

- 1 Corinthians 10:13

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate.

Have you ever been trying to diet and everywhere you look is chocolate (or whatever your weakness happens to be)?

Come on, I know I am not alone in this!

Everyone has faced some kind of temptation, whether it is food or drink, or something much more sinister like gambling or being unfaithful to your spouse.

If you lean on God when you are tempted, it is much easier to walk away.

Turning my back on chocolate is not easy, but with the help of my faith in God, I will do it.

Have a blessed day.

paws for a moment

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

- 1 Corinthians 10:31

I am really loving my daily devotionals, especially the one “Paws for a moment with God, devotionals best shared with a cat”.

Yes, that is a real book, I got it for my birthday.

I was especially touched by the words that accompanied this verse:

Perhaps there is no such thing as even a minimally humble cat, but there are many extraordinarily humble Christians.  Some are so “humble” that they allow no praise for anything they do!

Exaggerated humility prevents others from recognizing the gifts God has given us.  By contrast, gracious humility accepts earned compliments, always giving the glory to God, because it is in Him we have our power and strength.

While at times we may want to remain the anonymous angel, there are also times we may accept acknowledgement of God’s work in our lives.  A heartfelt “thank you” marks genuine humility.

Many times I have had people tell me that my “daily bread” has touched them and I have always responded with something along the lines of “I’m just doing what God wants me to do.”

So in light of the words from “Paws for a moment with God”, let me just say “Thank you”.

I appreciate your kind words and support in what I do.

Have a blessed day.

it’s just for a moment

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

- 2 Corinthians 4:17

Absolutely no one has a perfect life, no matter what they post on social media.

Life is full of ups and downs, success and failure, good days and bad.

When Jesus said “Follow Me”, He did not provide any short cuts.

We have to trust Him when things are not exactly where we think they should be.

We have to accept that not every minute of every day is going to be wonderful.

I promise you that when you fully trust in Him, the good minutes will overpower the bad minutes.

I am not sure why, but this song popped into my head a few minutes ago, so song reference!

You were reaching through the storm
Walking on the water
Even when I could not see
In the middle of it all
When I thought You were a thousand miles away
Not for a moment did You forsake me
Not for a moment did You forsake me

After all You are constant
After all You are only good
After all You are sovereign
Not for a moment will You forsake me

You were singing in the dark
Whispering Your promise
Even when I could not hear
I was held in Your arms
Carried for a thousand miles to show
Not for a moment did You forsake me

After all You are constant
After all You are only good
After all You are sovereign
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Not for a moment will You forsake me

And every step every breath you are there
Every tear every cry every prayer
In my hurt at my worst
When my world falls down
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Even in the dark
Even when it's hard
You will never leave me
After all

After all You are constant
After all You are only good
After all You are sovereign
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Not for a moment will You forsake me
Not for a moment will You forsake me

He is there for you, He just wants to take your hand and lead you on His path.

Will you trust in Him?

Have a blessed day.

a cry for mercy

Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy.

- Psalm 28:6

I was cleaning over the weekend and I heard a pitiful little cry, searching the house, I finally tracked down the sound to my bedroom closet.

When I opened the closet door, my little white cat came bolting out and loved on me for like 10 minutes straight!

She was trapped, I heard her cry for help and I rescued her.

Did you know that we have someone that will rescue us like that?

We can cry out to God in prayer about anything that is on our minds, whether it is something heavy on our hearts or if we just want His help for a loved one.

Cry out to Jesus, and be filled. (Song reference!)

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall, so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

God listens.

God cares.   

Have a blessed day. 

you are not alone

‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’  

- Haggai 2:5

This verse was in one of my daily devotionals last week.

In the devotional, it talked about how sometimes we all need a word of encouragement or an ear to listen to know that someone cares.

It said that a few moments of our time and genuine interest can go a long way toward helping a friend through a tough time.

The author went on to express that our presence for others reflects God’s presence in our own lives.

Think on that for a moment . . . God promised that He will be with us, always.

We are not alone.

Have a blessed day.

don't look at me!

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

- 1 Samuel 16:7

Stop looking at me!! MOOOOMM!!  He’s looking at me!!!!

If you have never heard that phrase, you have not been around children much!

I remember saying it growing up, I remember hearing it in school, and in the (very few) children’s classes I have taught I heard it many times.

When I said it, I was referring to my brother giving me dirty looks, pointing out a flaw on my face, or sometimes not even facing my direction. 

Don’t think for a moment that I was not being a mean and horrible sister!

Thankfully, our God doesn’t look at our outward appearance, He doesn’t care if we have a zit on our nose.

It doesn’t matter to Him if our lipstick is smudged or if we have to have super thick glasses.

What matters to Him is our heart.

I sure hope that He likes what He sees when He looks at my heart.  

Have a blessed day.

are you looking for the way?

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”   

- John 14:5-7

Have you ever been lost?

I remember when I was 4 or 5 years old, I got lost in Kmart while shopping with my mother, I was so afraid!

I did not know where she was going, I didn’t know the way, but that could not have come close to how the disciples must have felt when Jesus told them He was going to leave them.   

Jesus tells all of us that He is the way the truth and the life.  

Why are we looking anywhere else?

Have a blessed day.

just ask

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  

- Matthew 7:7

 

I know a lot of people that feel like this verse is a lie.

They tell me that they have prayed and prayed for something and that God does not give them that thing for which they are asking, that they are looking for answers but not getting anywhere. They even say that they have knocked and no one is home.

I challenge anyone that feels this way.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Are you forgetting one very important thing when you are asking, seeking and knocking?

Are you asking for the right things, seeking the answer to the correct questions, knocking on the door God wants to open for you?

I can remember many times that I have prayed for a specific thing, a job, a car, yes, even a boy (when I was in high school of course).

I can remember “making deals” with God, like if You just let me have this job I swear I will give You 10% of every cent I make.

Here is the thing – that job that I wanted so bad, it was not where God wanted me.

Those answers I was seeking, they were not the right questions to put me on the path God wanted me to follow.

And that door I was pounding on to get inside? Well, that door was probably leading me to a very bad place, so no, God didn’t open it.

We have to learn to ask, seek and knock in the right way, we have to know that it is God’s will that is going to happen.

Personally, when I pray for something specific I pray that it is God’s will – for example:  “I really want my friend to get this new job and if it is Your will, please put the pieces in place”.   

If you trust in Him, and you seek His will, you will receive what you ask for, find what you are seeking and the door will open.

Have a blessed day.

waiting for the sun

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

One of the things that I am learning through my daily devotional readings is that being consistent with our prayer is key.

I was prayer journaling for a long time last year, but for some reason I stopped.

And I noticed something when I started journaling again, I noticed that things didn’t seem so impossible.

When prayers are answered, it is easier to rejoice and give thanks.

When prayers are not answered we tend to fall away from rejoicing and giving thanks.

God wants us to praise Him in the storm. 

You know that storms all come to an end, so why not continually praise Him while you are waiting for the sunshine?   

Have a blessed day.

we are children

Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His suffering in order that we may also share in His glory.  

- Romans 8:17

How many times do we have to be reminded that we are children of the King?

We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and yes, while we are here on earth there will be pain, there will be suffering but there will be a day that we will be with our Father God and that pain and suffering will go away forever.

Mothers – the pain of childbirth was incredible suffering, right? 

But through that suffering, you received one of your greatest gifts, a child, a child to raise knowing that God is love.

Not all pain and suffering is the same.

What is horrible for one person may be a minor inconvenience for another.

The point is, through our suffering we will be rewarded we just have to continue to follow our Father.

We are children of God!!

We will see His glory!

Have a blessed day. 

money, money, money

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  

- Hebrews 13:5

Oh yes, it is that time of year.

The holidays are over and now, the credit card bills are rolling in.

Many people will spend the next 11 months trying to pay off the debt they added trying to buy the perfect Christmas for everyone and themselves, only to turn around and rack up the debt again in December 2019.

Tell me, is it worth it?

Does that big screen TV or the latest game console really improve your life?

I bet it doesn’t.

In 2019, I encourage you to work on getting debt free (this applies to me too, I have a few things that need to be paid off).

Dave Ramsey has a great program in Financial Peace University and even if you don’t follow to the letter (I don’t) his process can make a world of difference (it does) and you can learn to have the best things without going over your eyeballs in debt.

God says very clearly that we should not love money (it’s one of those things that is repeated several times in the Bible, maybe we should listen!).

Let’s start there.  

Have a blessed day.

are you saying yes or no?

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.  

- Titus 2:11-12

Anyone that has raised children or had animals knows that as a parent your favorite word is “No”.

Isn’t it crazy, how our favorite word to say to our children (human and fur children) is the hardest word for us to understand?

It seems that it is much easier to say “yes” to those things that tempt us, whether it is a cookie or something more sinister.

Following God’s word makes it easier to say “no” to those things that will lead us away from Him.

Say “yes” to God.

I am not saying it is easy, but I promise you that it is worth it.    

Have a blessed day.

search me

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  

- Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, test me, know my heart, my anxious thoughts.

Those are some scary words to say to anyone. 

Obviously, God knows my heart, but to actually say the words out loud, inviting God IN to see everything, that is a lot.

We have to do it though, we have to open ourselves to Him. 

He knows what is going on inside you, it’s when you finally surrender to Him, that He can really change you.

I want to change.

I want to be the person that God wants me to be, I want Him to lead me.

I hope you feel the same.   

Have a blessed day.

i am making time

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

- Psalm 90: 12

In working on my resolutions, I have three daily devotionals that I am reading.

I guess three is a little crazy, since my resolution was to read “a daily devotional” but I really can’t make up my mind which one I want to read, so all three it is.

The important thing is making the time to read them.

Last year I only got to January 12^th on the one book I had, and this year I am trying to do all three? 

Check back with me in a week or two (grin).

I have written my 3 resolutions in my planner in the “remember” section.

Planners are a great tool, much like this verse, a planner can help teach us to number our days.

Spending time each day with God is a huge way to gain a heart of wisdom.

Don’t wish me luck on keeping my resolutions though, instead, pray with me that God will guide me in keeping them.

Have a blessed day.

what are you waiting for?

And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name. 

- Acts 22:16

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy celebration!

It is a brand new year, a chance to start fresh and clean.

Do you have any new year’s resolutions? 

I normally don’t make resolutions, because I just break them, but this year I have three:

I am going to start my degree classes again, I took too long of a break.

I am going to journal every day.

I am going to read a daily devotional.

How about, in all of our resolutions, we make a commitment to truly believe that Christ will wash away our sins, and all we have to do is give our lives to Him?

What are you waiting for?  

goodbye 2018

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  

- Romans 6:4

Goodbye 2018!

I know there are a lot of people that are not sorry to close the door on you.

There were some horrible things that happened in 2018, but there were good things too.

Let’s plan on a new life in 2019.

I don’t mean that you forget all that has happened, because the past is what shapes you, but the way you react to the things that happen, that is how you grow.

So the bad stuff in 2018 - leave it there, don’t become bitter and angry.

Use those experiences to bring you closer to God.

Walk with Him and learn from Him and live a new life.

Happy New Year, friends!