You can’t have a testimony without a test…
have heard that several times lately and am embracing those things that try us, test us, and challenge us and ultimately become our greatest testimonies. When we praise God through our tests, He fills our hearts with His testimony.
Our prayers are like seeds. you often don’t see the growth right away. We sometimes become frustrated waiting for answers that aren’t ripe yet.
In God’s season, they will become ripe. Wait on the Lord.
Sometimes life is like walking through a minefield. There are maps of where the mines are, but they not shared.
the word “plans” is in the Bible 23 times. Usually in reference to God’s plans being better and more fruitful than our own. Yet how many times do we presume to tell Him our better plan, or our better place?
when it is the season for plans to become ripe, God’s plans always bear bigger and sweeter fruit.
so why do we keep trying to sit on his throne?!
I had many friends who couldn’t wait for the ending of the book, so they would read the ending before reading the middle.
Ok, you’ve read the ending, you know that in Revelation Jesus wins. So instead of re-reading the ending over and over, read the middle and live a life that leads to that glorious ending.
It is fully possible, loving, and compassionate to love someone without endorsing their sin.
I saw an ad for Ai that said, “Ai is my friend.” Ok, we already have a lot of social media “friends” that are just a number to prove social media popularity rather than actual friends.
I wonder, is Ai going to
– replace real relationships by telling us what to say, what to do, and how to interpret the words/actions of another?
– replace education as well? Who needs to learn critical thinking skills,
– how to think,
– how to write,
– how to research (who needs to when you can just ask Ai?)
Who determines what information Ai gives us? By blocking diverse opinions, couldn’t the very fabric of society, social integrity be stained?
It seems Ai could replace critical thinking, independent thought, and developing writing skills much the way watching TV has replaced actually living life for so many.
When words say one thing, and expressions of the heart say another, pray for the song of the heart.The Bible says do not judge, but it does not say do not exercise good judgment. there is a huge difference between exercising sound judgment, (considering the consequences and impact of our words and actions) and judging others. Rarely do we know the whole story and judgment in that case is superficial, it is like evaluating a medical treatment without knowing the patients symptoms, health history, and complications.
The “Just like me” in this situation is that when someone is judging me, i know there are 3 fingers pointing back at them.. just like me, when i judge others.
Romans 2:1
Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things
On this day of things to be thankful, i remember that when we confess our sins to Jesus, ask His forgiveness for them, and believe in Him – the only redemption for those sins: not only does He forgive us, our sins are cast away from the presence of God and He remembers them no more. note: there are often still earthly consequences for our sin.
the humanly hard part is forgiving ourselves, it is forgiving others and remembering that just as God puts away our sins, He has also put away the sins of that other guy and we have no business keeping account of them.
The most amazing part of the picture is that while our sins are cast aside, our prayers are ever before God: He answers. those we pray according to His will (not out of our selfish desires) He answers with a yes or a later (when ripe). His best yes is when He answers with His own way and not ours.
i am thankful today for God’s love and faithfulness. i am thankful for His answers to our prayers: His yes, His “wait, not yet”, and His “i have a better answer.”
waiting is hard, but best.
I was contemplating the characteristics of God: omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent
God knows all, is present simultaneously in all points of eternity, and is able to do all things.
I was thinking how in His eyes we could simultaneously be sinning, forgiven, and yet living a Godly life. Except that when we are forgiven, He remembers our sins no more. Not just some sins, all our sins.
Knowing our past sins, our present, and our future deeds, God has appointed each for a time and a purpose knowing the many ways we would fail, but also knowing. the many ways we would seek Him and His forgiveness. He has appointed us each for a purpose and a time – to express His love and forgiveness to mankind. Oh, to honor that purpose!
when you dehumanize others with derogatory characterizations, it does not change who they are, it changes and dehumanizes you
One of the shocking things about the internet is that people can read something they disagree with and just go on with their life without response.
God is outside of time.
When God chose David He knew all that David would do.
But He also knew that in spite of David’s many flaws, David would lead the people where God wanted them to be.
I am grateful God uses us flawed humans.
God knew what kind of man David would be. He knows the beginning from the end.
What is more important:
To do what makes you “happy” at all costs;
To do what is “right” (acts of kindness and integrity)?
What we do is born of our heart: do we have room and compassion in our heart for others or is it our heart filled with “ME, ME, I, I, I”
Are we teaching our youth to win with grace and lose with grace or are we teaching them that not getting their own way makes them a victim?
We pray and God answers.
Sometimes when we pray our prayers are in alignment with God’s will and He answers with answering our prayers.
Other times we pray and our will differs from God’s will. He still answers, but He answers according to our best interest within His plan.
While our character is developed through both answers, submission to God develops our character far more than getting our way.
Whether we see good or bad is reflected more by our own character than by the actual event.
I remember definitions floating around from the past such as “If a man is strong, he’s seen as a leader; if a woman is strong, she’s a b**.” Take out the words man and woman, and those types of categorizations can be applied in any situation. Basically it says, “If agree with you, I will describe you in positive terms; if I don’t, I will malign your character.”
Both how we win and how we lose speak dramatically.
Praying for wisdom and discernment for our leaders and unity amongst the people who have been subdivided into so many categories… tear down those walls.
Many times life is not so much a question of can or can’t, but “how.”
We know that in the end times anti-Christ will come. Many fail to recognize anti-Christ because they think he will be an arrogant abrasive man. That is not the way of Ra’, of evil, evil is a smooth- talking snake that tickles the ears and makes the lie seem sweeter than the truth… just ask Adam and Eve.
Christians all across the nation have committed to pray for this upcoming election, for integrity in this election, and for God’s will to be done.
We have been studying Detours by Dr Tony Evans which uses the account of Joseph throughout the study. As we read, we are reminded of the great evils which came against Joseph. Evil came, But God redeemed the times and great good, and many people were saved through the hard times that Joseph endured.
Is there a nation in history that reached this level of depravity and survived? Likewise, with the great turning away from God that this nation is currently experiencing, it may take time under the reign of evil to turn mankind back to God.
Regardless of whether we are delivered from evil or delivered through evil, God sees and is not unaware of both what we are experiencing and what our future holds.
the thoughts and words that occupy your head and heart point to who your God is.
i am so grateful that God is unchanged by our opinions and is in control no matter what.
Gullible
= believing twisted/edited quotes without watching the complete interview.
= assuming someone who can’t give a straight answer to a question actually has an answer.
= believing someone who created an economic crises is a better choice than a successful businessman.
= assuming that a political project created by an extreme group is applicable to a candidate without researching his platform
This morning as I prayed, I saw myself plunging under the ice. As I held my breath and looked up at the shadow of the ice to try to find the way out, God said, “Go the light. Don’t let yourself suffocate under the cold, harsh conditions of others’ opinions and problems, come to the light and I’ll lift you up.” And yes, my heart was lifted up today.
Many of us (guilty) think we can multi-task effectively. I am currently waiting on something to upload onto my computer, another item to finish moving, 1 file to load, and 2 programs to load as I post this on FB. Nothing is moving quickly or efficiently because I asked too much at once. Even computers don’t always multitask well.
We saw the movie Reagan tonight – for the alphabet generations, it’s just a movie. For us, it brought back many memories.
Reagan asked, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” If you are, stick with what you’ve got.
If you are not better off now than you were four years ago vote for change.
He asked that question in regards to:
– financially, in regards to taxes, unemployment, inflation, commodity prices, etc.
– is America as stable, as respected as it was four years ago
Right to choice
-the end is already written.
– we know from prophecy that the U.S. ceases to be a significant factor in end times.
– we do not know when this will happen, but we do know that in the end, Jesus wins.
regardless of what happens in the election, in this nation, even in our personal lives, God is aware of events and circumstances.
The heart of the matter is not what happens on this dirt planet, but rather what happens in our hearts.
Jesus Christ: fully God and yet fully man came to dwell in this mess of a world. Rejected by those He came to save, He nonetheless bore the sins, pain and shame of all mankind when He died on that cross.
He defeated the eternal death of sin and rose again so that we might be born into eternal life through him.
Our story is one with multiple endings which He gives us the right to choose.
This is the right to choice that matters.
ps. that baby who’s right to choice was taken away, is already in heaven hoping to meet you.
a strong leader plans, adjusts course when necessary to take into account new obstacles, and constantly seeks new and better ideas
a weak leader who has no good ideas, attacks those who do, or takes credit for other peoples ideas.
As I work on a project, I am revamping some of the prayer stations we created at the ranch and I’m typing the ones that I did in 2020 as podcasts.
I am laughing as I do this because I always trip over #1: Be Still and Know that I am God.
Anyone who has met me knows that I KNOW God, but “Be Still” is a stumbling stone for me. I have created dozens of quiet reflective places in my life. I cannot claim to have used them extensively.
Fortunately, God is faster than I and we have some great runs together.
Sometimes adversity is the enemy trying to hinder or discourage us.
Sometimes it is God saying, “Slow your roll, you are settling for less than My full blessing. The challenge is knowing the difference: discernment of the Holy Spirit and prayer are our tools in this battle.
Shed some light on this please – I’m tripping in the dark!
If nothing changes, no thing changes for the better. Adversity can be a blessing in disguise. We pray to be removed from it, when so often we are changed and made stronger through it.
Some seeds we plant we will never sow – they are our legacy for the next generation. Legacy is written by our choices and actions, not by fruitless words. Weed out disappointment and sorrow, Plant love and gratitude.
August
Some seeds we plant we will never sow – they are our legacy for the next generation. Legacy is written by our choices and actions, not by fruitless words. Weed out disappointment and sorrow, Plant love and gratitude.
Some people come into your life as blessings; others come into your life as lessons.
Is your love, your identity only skin deep?
Man looks at the outward appearance,
God looks at the heart.
Learning to live and love like Jesus looks like living and loving deeper.
When you are unaccepted in this world, remember you are not of this world.
When your identity is in Christ, your focus is on Christ-Esteem not self-esteem, when you let go of self you become Holy Spirit filled, when you seek purpose in this hour of adversity keep your eyes on Jesus.
Sometimes adversity is the enemy trying to hinder or discourage us.
Sometimes it is God saying, “Slow your roll, you are settling for less than My full blessing. The challenge is knowing the difference: discernment of the Holy Spirit and prayer are our tools in this battle.
Shed some light on this please – I’m tripping in the dark!
Grace
God’s Race
Ready – on your knees and pray
At your mark – get set
Can – God CAN accomplish that which He began in you
E – Eternity waits at the finish line. You win when you cross the line. Time doesn’t matter.
GRACE
G-Race: It’s God race
Get ready – on your knees and pray!
Get out of His way – let Him lead…
Grab His hand and hang on…
God’s got this and He’s got you!
So often our best efforts are spent not on what we should have done, but rather what we can do from here going forward.
Sometimes there is that one thing your heart has longed for – that one thing on your bucket “list” of only one thing that is within your ability to do for yourself. When that has been pushed aside for so long while you waited for the right time, the money, etc. But still, you had time and money to spend pleasing others who took it for granted that you would. Look around: those who accomplished those dreams made it a priority. They let others take care of themselves and didn’t wait for the “right time.” If you wait too long, there will never be a time. As the ad says, “Just do it.”
That which trips you up in the darkness is easily removed in the light. Remove it, or keep tripping?
When funds are tight, so is the belt: frivolous food and trips are out. Count what you want and make your resources count.
Sometimes your gift is your absence not their presence. We don’t always get what we want.
If nothing changes, nothing changes.
So often those difficulties in life are God’s roadblocks – you are going the wrong direction, there are some drastic changes in your life that will lead you down a better path. Pursuing that which doesn’t make sense, which would take a miracle to accomplish, often is the very path God has in mind for us. For this purpose, you have come to this hour. Find that new purpose regardless of what the cost appears to be.
-The saying “They don’t care what you know until they know you care” is highly relevant. Show by your actions that you care and people are more willing to hear what you have to say.
-The flip side of that is those who want to tell you what you should do but have no skin in the game.
“If their actions don’t show they care for you, why care what they think?”
-Sometimes when you quit caring, it is for the right reason – they want to control but their actions show caring is not their motive and it’s time for you to start caring for you instead of throwing yourself on the altar of their fickle opinions and unacceptance.
Sometimes you need to wake up, quit dreaming, and take care of the necessary. Sometimes you are the elephant in the room no one wants to talk to or about.
When children are young, couples often long for a quiet romantic dinner.
After children have their driver’s licenses, a quiet dinner for the two becomes a frequent event.
After children leave home, a quiet dinner is just one more of 365 quiet dinners and there is a longing for the energy and interaction of family dinners.
Our weaknesses become our strengths when we expose them to the Son and let Jesus grow them. (Buried deep, they rot our roots).
You can face your fears or let fears be your faith (face)
Happiness is an unfulfillable life goal – happiness is fleeting, it evaporates. Purpose, however, continues to refill with every step of the journey and brings joy to the journey regardless of the circumstances. It brings the ability to press on even through the hard places.
When you say you are in a great place but erupt in anger at every small breeze that blows your way, your actions disprove your words.
Men and their achievements are celebrated throughout their lives. Why is it that at a certain age, society seems to feel it is not socially appropriate for women to be celebrated – especially on birthdays? They offer the assumption, “She doesn’t like birthday celebrations” or other excuses. They don’t want to point out that the woman is aging, so they leave her alone – too old. Maybe some women are just born old. From their mid-20s to about 79, birthdays don’t exist. It wouldn’t be so bad if that meant the years didn’t still take a toll, but the toll has penalties due when abandoned.
Life is short. How tragic to skip those opportunities: birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates. You never know which will be the last opportunity and if there will be another opportunity.
Life is lived like a meal, How you eat is frequently how you live.
Some gulp it down, in a hurry to be on with the next thing;
Others crush and grind, chomping like it has no flavor, and spray pieces all over anything in proximity;
Some hover over their plate as if to protect it and keep others from seeing it;
It seems more common for us to slow down and savor the flavor as we age, but not everyone is common.
Others savor the flavor and the presence of others.
When we are angry, when we are grieving, when we give up on God – HE STILL DOES NOT GIVE UP ON US.
We are not punishing Him with our anger, we are punishing ourselves. Self is hard to get over, but it is very freeing.
Whether we believe in God or not does not in any way increase or diminish who God is. It does, however, greatly change who we are.
Life isn’t about “me” when I am about making the most of life, it’s about “we”.
Perseverance is the proving ground of faith. He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Sometimes it takes a whole lot more shovelfuls of dirt than we think we have in us, but one shovel at a time, and at some point the mountain is moved.
Sometimes hope takes putting it out on the table and letting God work.
Hope ALWAYS requires discernment in which table you put it on. It also requires a willingness to hear God’s answer: yes, not now, not ever.
Had a conversation with a friend recently where we were discussing purpose. Purpose often changes, and what we envision as our purpose in the next chapter may not fit with the plans others have for us. Dreams don’t always come true, sometimes they are morphed by the expectations of others into nightmares.
This I know: when I pray for God’s dream for my life to be fulfilled, He has some amazing surprises. Sometimes even the hints of what could be are enough to evoke silence so as not to stir up the critics.
Often dreams are God’s to tell.
If walls could talk…
Actually, they do: Our words often speak of that which fills our hearts.
Whose pictures are on our walls,
How many?
Which walls?
Our walls speak of our focus, that which we love, or that which we compartmentalize and allow only to occupy a small space.
For example: often the photos of a dearly departed are in every area when grief is fresh. Over time, that grief and those photos are often compartmentalized.
Walls can speak words of self-focus or words of love, words of beauty, and encouragement.
The world is full of promises;
Remember: every promise has a cost.
What does it cost?
Who does it cost?
Nothing is free.
For example:
-better roads- higher fuel tax
-free medical – is free for some, but those who buy into the plan pay double.
Medical facilities and doctors also pay as they agree to charge less for their services. Some actually accept less, while others engage in pass-through billing where they charge their patients the difference between the agreed-upon amount and the actual amount.
-higher minimum wages = higher costs for goods and services = being able to afford less goods and services
Those times when you’re exhausted, frustrated, and ready to quit, look up! that is usually when the finish line is in sight. Whatever race you are currently running, finish it with all you’ve got, and when that isn’t enough, ask, and let the Holy Spirit fill the gaps with His strength.
Philippians 3:13-15
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
Some days we sit and drink in God’s words to overflowing. On other days we are swimming hard and fast to keep our heads above water. On those days, I find God often gives me strength and motivation as He pours out His healing words like oil on water to keep me afloat. As I run between tasks, He brings to mind this verse:
Mark 6:4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”
Often it is those who are closest to us who know and see us the least clearly. Often they are our biggest critics and judge through the lens of their own hearts instead of clearly seeing our own. This type of criticism is not constructive.
I am so very grateful for our amazing God who created my heart and knows me intimately. In that knowing, He brings those precious people alongside to give us the encouragement, help, love, and truly constructive criticism that we so desperately need.
This is a blessing beyond words – grateful, so very grateful for these blessings.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Every bite is a victory, and that which you can’t swallow today is a victory God has already provided for tomorrow.
Feelings are warning gauges, not permission to dump on others. You can’t just ride in on your high horse, spread manure all over someone, and then move on as if no one else matters. Passive aggression is messy, and refusal to communicate is messy. Cleaning up your mess, the emotional carnage wrecked by moodiness is the first step in restoring trust. Unfortunately, initiating communication with a passive aggressive often results in retaliation.
There are pillars of faith: those steadfast faithful who stand strong in the storm and encourage others to be faithful.
Then there are flags of faith: those who fly at every breeze and chase every new wind.
Flags are more showy, but I think I’d rather stand with the pillars.
There are those who are our beloved, faithful, trustworthy inner circle – we invite them fully in to share our joy and our sorrows.
Then there are those who are second-hand or superficial friends – they are neither fully trustworthy nor faithful, but can be fun friends to be with occasionally.
Each has a valuable place in our life and it is important to our own heart and mental health to acknowledge the difference. When not sure which is which, look at the value they have assigned to you. Your relationship can never be more than the value BOTH parties assign to it.
Stress is so often a cycle. I am stressed because of things I cannot change, so I become heavily involved in activities that I can control, and activities that help de-stress, which in turn creates a schedule chaos to balance my time between what I can do, what I must do, and what I need to do to de-stress.
Many are willing to die for Jesus, Not as many to live for Jesus.
I wonder if concurrent with the freedom of speech trials re: social media, if there is also a truth in advertising link. I.e. the name facebook should be changed to faceBLOCK.
I am painting one of the most difficult painting I have ever painted… a desert scene. It needs to be sparse and I keep wanting to fill it up with stuff.
God has created each of us with talents and gifts. Sometimes the gift is not so much that we are remarkably talented, but rather how that gift speaks to our heart.
Some paintings have a story to tell, others are just an expression of a feeling.
God has created each of us with talents and gifts. Sometimes the gift is not so much that we are remarkably talented, but rather how that gift speaks to our heart.
As I watch the ponies prance, I remember some great times horseback riding. My greatest challenge is that I’m not very tall and my mare was.
Life lesson learned: When you ride in on a high horse, sometimes it hurts to get down… it hurts even more when your high horse is bucking.
Which is worse? Saving your body so it’s not used up at 90 years old or living it and using it up?
There is a saying that blood is thicker than water. In this era where we see so many families in crisis, we must remember: it is not human blood that binds us together, but the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ.
a truly intelligent person is one who can take a complicated subject matter and teach it to a child.
When God stretches our hearts and minds: truth lovers grow while those imprisoned by lies grow angry.
Sometimes you need to look at life and see what nutrients are lacking. In the case of your emotional life, you can’t just fill life with busyness, sometimes you need to look at your dreams, your bucket list, pick one and make it happen.
Unfortunately, as soon as we take positive steps for our emotional health, Satan will use someone to put us back in our unhealthy place. When this happens, our heart reverts to those harmful patterns and thoughts. We must take time to refill our hearts or we run on empty – we are no longer springs of living water, but those dredges of rainwater which have been in that muddy ditch for far too long.
The lesson in this:. Dreams are not bad, but not everyone is on your side when it comes to healthy action and healing your heart. Be careful who you share your dreams with. It is better to do what you know you need to do and not share those needs than to find yourself in a position where you must give up healthy actions to please others.
It is the little projects that entangle us.
The big projects we divide into bite-size pieces and through the strength of the Holy Spirit, we accomplish them step by step.
But we try to hang on to the little projects, and before you know it, our feet are tangled and we find ourselves asking God to untangle us – AGAIN!
