Be Still  

Wednesday

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

Being weak and trusting God in difficult situations can be the most I ever ask of myself. It is hard to stop moving and dodging the punches that are being thrown at me. What if....just for a moment..... I stopped trying to defend myself and prove myself and hold still long enough for God to defend me? What if I stopped wanting all the glory and I gave it to God? What if I stopped controlling it all and really see what God's plan is? There isn't anything that I can do better than God can do.

It's time to know the promises of God, it is time to trust in His word and know Him. It is time to be still. He is with us.

Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah


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Shifting Gears: Fight  

Thursday

Who? How? When? With what? If the battle is inevitable are we prepared to break down the walls so that we can fight? It is hard for me to grasp the idea of breaking down my walls. I spent a lot of my life building them, putting each peace perfectly in place to keep things out and protect myself from the things I don't want in. These walls, they make it impossible for me to claim the promises of God in my life.
Right now, in my life, there is a battle brewing. I know it is coming. Instead of preparing like I should I feel like I am looking for more bricks to pile on my wall. In my heart I know that if I am following God's word I have to break this down. It is hard when a life time of fear and lack of confidence has built itself up. Then, there is this pesky need I have of never upsetting anyone. I know, you can't please everyone but no reason to pick fights, right?!! Okay, that is entirely wrong. We are called to fight, to carry our crosses, to stand on God's Word, to make a difference for our God's Glory. How do I do that if I am closed in a perfect wall?

I don't know where you are at. I am sure you have a wall of your own that needs to be torn down. Where do we begin? Read the Word, I think we need to know His promises in order to be filled with hope. Worship and Music to fill our hearts with the joy that comes from singing His praises. Prayer and Relationship, if we want God to go before us in our battles we should be talking to Him about it.

Mark 4:18-20 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

It is time to make a plan. Be ready for the battle that is coming. Remember that your plan is Plan B. God knows what lays ahead and His plan is your Plan A. Be obedient to the process. And one more little piece of advice, don't do it alone.

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Shifting Gears: Move  

Do you every wonder why God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son? I do. I wonder, if God knows our hearts, wouldn't he have known that Abraham would do whatever He asked?


Take a look at Joshua. He saw the terrible battles he was about to fight. God led them right to it. God could have taken away all of the struggle and sacrifice, if he wanted to.

Why doesn't he?

I am not going to pretend to be a super-theologian here but I will tell you that from my perspective God wants us to know what we are capable of, he wants us to move. If He did it all for us, we wouldn't accomplish a thing, we wouldn't learn the thrill of accomplishment or the reliance on God that only comes from times of struggle.

It seems to me that the works-in-progress that we are needs to grow in faith by needing more faith. We only find how patient we truly are when we are tested beyond our abilities. We discover that only with God's strength are we capable of overcoming are greatest battles. Sacrifice and joy becomes words we cherish because we know what we are capable of surviving when we have them. And on the occasion that we loose a battle, we learn that God is going to comfort and guide and protect us.

Life will bring you to the battles, big and small. Do you know that God is going with you? He is.

Psalm 18:28-32

28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

29 With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

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Shifting Gears: Stand  

Tuesday

How are you? How is life treating you?


Things have been a bit hectic for us lately. Mostly, attempting to find some sort of routine in our daily chaos. It gets easier to compromise this and that as the schedule gets more full. It may be silly but I have always done my best to make time and actually schedule in one night a week when we have no obligations. It has always been catch up night, a few hours to spend just us, being us.

I get frustrated when people tell me that I need to choose my battles. Life is just going to get busy and as the kids get older, I guess, I am suppose to just understand that they won't be able to be home one night a week. I am going to do my best to not get on a soap box about my own personal need to stand but I want you to know something.....

.....it seems that people don't like it when you take a stand for something important to you. They want to knock it down and make fun of it. They will tell you, you are too stubborn, too tough, too moralistic, yada yada yada....

So, maybe family night seems like a ridiculous stand to make, but to me I only have a short time to help grow and nurture them. I only have a few moments to let them know I love them and for me that is something worth standing up for.

What is it in your life that you make a stand for? The list could be endless, but you have to have something. Something worth the fight, if necessary.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.

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