Day 3 of 21

Well.....my night last night didn't go as well as the night before. Sleep was elusive.....but again I praise God for giving me 3 hours of rest towards the end.

Day 3

From " Practicing the Presence of God" by Kim West

Read David's description of always being in God's presence in Psalm 139 1-12

"As we read David’s life story we see that he lived with adversity, power, sin, betrayal, war, faith, marriage, fatherhood and always with the presence of God. He knew that he was never apart from his Lord. God would never forsake him.

"God is always present with you because He loves you and delights to be with you. Do you
believe that?" I can't say that I honestly do at all times, especially that he delights in me, especially while going thru trials.

"Come into His presence and allow Him to remove any blocks to believing that you are loved by
God. Sit quietly with Him and allow Him to speak to any lie that says that Psalm 139 is untrue 
for you. 
      -  Going thru trials, sometimes you feel so alone, and it's hard to feel God's presence.
      -  Sometimes, while going through trials, it's hard to believe God is doing this for my good and He will never forsake me.

Now, spend time in His love and write what He has shown you. Read through Psalm 139 again 
today."

     - He has shown me that despite my circumstances, He is always there.
     - There is nowhere I can go that can be too far away from God.
     - Any earthly darkness, is never too dark for the Lord, He can be the light no matter how bad things get.

Day 2 of 21

I slept! Praise God!
Sleep has been one of my biggest struggles since all of this started, so I rejoice in God for giving me a restful night sleep.
On the other hand, I am also human, so of course, my negative thinking rears it's head and says ....."how long is this going to last?" But I digress, that's exactly the kind of thinking I need to stop. I'm trying to live moment to moment and at this moment I THANK GOD for 9 hours of sleep!

So Day 2 points ....

- Becoming aware of God and His presence with us will help us to realize that He is not
passively watching but actively involved in our lives even when we don’t know it.

-He showed Elisha and his servant that He was Sovereign over all that was happening. Nothing
was out of His control. (Read Elisha's story 2 Kings 6:15)

- Awareness of God’s presence gave Elisha the peace he needed in circumstances that looked so
daunting. Maybe we can find the same peace in Him as we wake to our world today. (I need to let this point really sink in.)

Questions for today to think about ......

In what circumstance do you need to be aware of God’s presence?
Allow yourself to know God’s presence there in all that He is. How does the circumstance change?

21 days

It has been an interesting 3 weeks in my life. I should just start with that.
I was going through life on my merry way when God allowed some changes to occur in an instant. Absolutely terrifying at first, but now, just sort of living with it.
Without going into details, the last time it happened, it lasted 2 weeks, and it was done. When I look back at that time, I thanked God for allowing this trial to come into my life, because I was closer to HIM more than I ever was in the past.
When out of the blue it happened this time, 6 years later, and the 2 weeks have come and gone, it feels more than disheartening that I am still in the midst of this trial.

This blog has in the past served as a reminder of God's miracles in my life. When this trial does pass, and it SHALL, I want to look back and never forget how God delivered me .....because as it says in Philippians 4:4-7

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So I am starting a 21 day challenge of sorts. I am starting a workbook called "Practicing the Presence of God. A 21 day journey of mind an heart." by Kim West. I hope to chronicle this journey on here to keep me accountable, and that it may be undeniably evident that we serve a living and ever-present God! So here goes!

DAY 1 - How will I come up with a way to know and remind myself that God is with me? I plan on wearing a ring or bracelet on my right hand and it will serve as a reminder that God is there. The goal of today is to bring myself awareness of his presence as many times throughout the day as possible. 

Looking for Hope . . .

A prayer by Max Lucado in response to the Conn. school shooting:

Dear Jesus, 

It's a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod's jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.
Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won't you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.  This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.

Hopefully,Your Children

Quotable Quotes

I started reading a new book a few days ago and honestly if I could quote every other sentence, I would, it's that good. Allow me to share one sentence that struck a chord with me:

The very thing we are afraid of, our brokenness, is the door to our Father's heart.  -  Paul Miller, A Praying Life

Quotable Quotes

Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.  ~ Les Brown

Worry . . .

something I've been doing in overtime lately....the following are some thoughts on the subject from a article I recently read...

"Do you know what the greatest help has been for me when it comes to anxiety? It is this truth: "Worry is sin". When we are anxious it shows that we really don't trust God. It means that either I believe God is not capable or that God does not care. Neither is true. So when I realize that I am beginning to be filled with anxiety I ask myself an important question, "Do I trust God, or don't I?"
-Rev. Bruce Goettsche

Quotable Quotes

"Wrong believing brings fear. Right believing brings faith."

Reflections

Based on some discussions last night  . . .

*Why am I so afraid?
*Am I willing to be used in whatever capacity is needed to bring God glory?
*When I ask for God’s will, do I truly want to know the answer?
*How much of the joy I find today is linked to God and how much is linked to my circumstances?
*Will I still cry out His name in praise if He breaks me beyond my tipping point?
*I fear God’s power, but why don’t I find solace in it? Is it because I don’t trust in His goodness?

If I could get to the heart of these questions, how much more could I be a steward for His kingdom!?!

Video from Matt

So I've come to know of this story from a friend's tweets (yes, I just said that...I knew there was a reason why I joined Twitter.)  The message in the video below is so simple and simply so powerful. I've never heard of this pastor (Matt Chandler) until I saw this, but listen to his whole powerful testimony if you can. 

Video from Matt

Things I'm convicted of as I listen to it for the the umpteenth time:

I'm a person who can easily let worry and fear get to the extreme, to the point where it can stop me cold in my tracks and literally incapacitate my life.  I've easily written it off as "I'm just a worrier, it's natural to think and dwell on the worst-case scenario...I'm just wired to get anxious."  When actually, I'm realizing how much of a sin it is on my part, truly a sin, to live a life that puts so little faith in the Lord and doubts His will during hardships.  I keep hearing the Lord say during those times, "Where is your faith?"  It's so freeing to watch this video from a man, who as he says stands to lose everything, and still says "I am not afraid" because nothing is better than HIM.

Transcending Human Understanding

Yesterday one of our church members sent a prayer request for a baby who was only a couple days old, and whose health was in critical condition. Today that baby passed away after only being on this earth for a few short days. She forwarded the father’s response to everything going on and I’m still in awe over his strength. 

He humbly requested for all to not be sad or worry about the situation because they had full assurance that she was going to a greater place. He expressed that while they are sad over the temporary situation, "it is with joy they release her soul to the great healer who He himself has resurrected from the dead."

Who else, and I mean who else, could give this family that type of peace that transcends all human understanding. They’re able to use this precious baby’s life and death as an opportunity to proclaim the truth, and be a testament to how great the Lord is in their life. How amazing is it that in her short stay here, this child fulfilled God’s role for her perfectly: bringing glory to God’s name.

You're Not Going Under

This is Pastor James MacDonald's devotional for this week from The Weekly Walk. A great message that I've surely needed to hear in the past, and will surely need to be reminded of in the future. Read on and be encouraged.

"Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." - 1 Peter 4:19

I've said it for years, there is nothing good that God brings into your life by way of transformation that He doesn't bring through the funnel of perseverance. If God can get that one characteristic into your life, He can truly make you what He wants you to be.

First Peter 4:19 encourages us with,"Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."

Did you hear what you're supposed to do? Entrust your soul to your faithful Creator. God is faithful to you. He's got His hand on the thermostat. The fire will not get too hot. He's watching the depth gauge; this trial will not get too deep. God puts up the boundaries to your trials."That's all. That's my daughter. I know what she can handle. Not that much. Not there. Not now." God protects His own. He will not allow you to be tried beyond what you are able to take. And in the middle of it all, He tells you to entrust yourself to His care.

God knows you better than you know yourself. You're not going to lose it; you're going to be okay. You don't know what you are capable of when you're resting in God's strength and not your own. You're going to get through this one way or another. It's not going to last forever and you will get through it - because God is faithful. He's not tired and He's not wondering when this is going to be over.

Reassure yourself, "I'm not going under." You can keep going for another day, another week because God is producing staying power in you. The ability to remain in that marriage - as hard as it is. The ability to remain in that job - as hard as it is. The ability to stick with it in that difficult circumstance - no matter what. If God can produce in you that staying power, He can give you everything else.

The good's not coming if you quit. Listen, God can get every characteristic of Christ into your life if He can just teach you to stay in the game.

Quotable Quotes

If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, and doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, absent the dread of failure, rejection, and calamity. Can you imagine a life with no fear? This is the possibility behind Jesus' question: "Why are you afraid?" (Matt. 8:26)

--Max Lucado, Fearless