Designed to Flourish

God made you, and He loves you just as you are at this very moment.

He designed you to flourish. 

"Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits-

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

and who satisfies your desires with good things."

Psalm 103:2-5

Can a Modern Woman Practice Spiritual Disciplines?

dis·ci·pline

 /ˈdɪsəplɪn/ Show Spelled [dis-uh-plin]

1. training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline.
2. activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer.
3. punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.
4. the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc.: the harsh discipline of poverty. behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control: good discipline in an army.

 

Discipline is a scary word.  Just looking at some of the words in the definition can send us running!  Let's face it, no one wants to willingly place themselves in the way of "punishment inflicted by way of correction and training".  It does sound like something that should be stuck in the stone ages.

 

Is this what's involved in exercising the Spiritual Disciplines?  Have we come to expect punishment from God if we aren't following the rules, participating in bible study or having consistent quiet times?

 

Want the honest truth?  I've avoided studying the disciplines for that very reason.  I was afraid it was one more item on a "to-do" list with God that I just couldn't do.  So if I didn't study them, I could claim ignorance, right?  I'm sure you know the answer to that question!

So I finally(and by finally I mean years later) found a book that would walk me through the disciplines and give me a better understanding of the entire idea:  Intimate Faith. A Woman's Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines by Jan Winebrenner. 

 

I had no idea how wrong I was about the subject!

 

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{Will you come back tomorrow as I share with you all that I have learned?  I hope to see you then!}

 

Good Friday

Today He died for YOU.

Unconditionally.

Once and for ALL.

Ugliness of our World

As I sat down at my computer last night to write a post about Job, I quickly checked my email and Twitter, as I hadn't been on my computer all day.  I was saddened to see so many people watching the Grammy Awards.  there was a constant Twitter stream commenting on every happening.  I was disappointed.

I love music.  I adore lyrics that are uplifting and make me think.  Lyrics that are encouraging and bring me closer to the Lord I love.  But the Grammy Awards are something completely different.  They seek to reward many people whose words bring nothing but strife, filth and discouragement to so many.  The songs celebrate everything that is wrong with our culture.  I don't need to list them here... you know what they are.  Why are we celebrating with them?

Why do the Lady Gagas of this world get all the attention when we have modern day heroes among us fighting poverty, unsafe water, and human trafficking?  Where is their glory?  Where are the cameras that should be focused on the good they are trying to bring into the world?  Why does our society always focus on the negative?  Honestly, I find it so disheartening.

Even more discouraging to me was the list of names on my Twitter stream who were watching and participating in this madness.  I know it was certainly not a family friendly show, and I shudder at how many children were exposed to it in the name of entertainment.

How I wish that we could view this world through Christ's eyes to see the work of Satan through these seemingly "harmless" activities.  He only needs a crack before he breaks down the door right into your living room.  And before we know what hit us, he has our children wrapped around his little finger.  Those seemingly harmless movies, award shows, video games, singers, and lyrics are now their idols and heroes.  God is nowhere to be found in the path of destruction.

Numerous times in the New Testament we are warned about this very thing:


"keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27b

"If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning".  2 Peter 2:20

 

 "For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world".  I John 2:16

 

Do not be deceived by the prince of this earth who leaves behind him a path of death and destruction.  

 

Guard your hearts, 

guard your minds, 

guard your children.

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  I Corinthians 16:13

God's Words Cannot Wait

"He who began a good work in you

will carry it on to completion 

until the day of Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 1:6

The Bible is very clear that God has specific plans for each of our lives.  But sometimes we get lost along the path of those plans.  We start making our own decisions and don't consult God first.  We fall into a reoccurring sin that holds us back.  We fall away from God and just float through life without direction.  We don't walk in obedience,  ignoring certain areas of our life that need work.  Our walk has become a crawl because we have hit a wall while experiencing these shortfalls.

An overwhelming truth has come to the surface again.  It should make every believer re-evaluate their hearts and service to God.  Have you considered that by your walk becoming a crawl, someone that God has placed in your path may not hear about the saving grace of Jesus Christ?  Have you considered that an amazing opportunity for you to serve your God will go unmet because you are still battling the same sin?  God must wait until you finish the task He has given you at this time to be completed before you can be sent on His next assignment.

I know all too well what this feels like.  Our family has struggled with finances since the beginning of our marriage.  We have never had a budget.  We live paycheck to paycheck, and I mean that literally.  We have no savings.  This responsibility rests with me, as I have ignored God's constant leading and conviction to master this sin in my life. Now don't get me wrong; we don't live extravagantly!  We live in a 100 year old house that needs lots of repairs and drive very old cars!  But the point is, we have not lived within our means.  By not having a budget, often times the small expense that comes up with throw off the whole month!

But I digress......because this constantly battle takes place each and every month, my energies are wasted on this ugly beast.  I know God could be using me somewhere else, but with this elephant in the room, He cannot use me.  I must complete the task I am on.....and I haven't moved forward with this task.  It is enough to break a believer's heart knowing God wants to use you in powerful ways, but He must wait on you to be obedient!

This is at the top of my list for this year.  As part of my FOCUS for 2011, getting our finances in order and keeping to a budget is a must.

How about you?  Is there something God has spoken to you to finish but you've been held back?  I'd love to hear about it.  We can encourage each other to press on toward the finish!

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My friend Marci over at Overcoming Busy has a great post about praying over your plans.  Be sure to check that out!

The God Given Winter is Here

 

"You made both summer and winter."  

Psalm 74:17

Winter has officially arrived, complete with snow and 24 degree days.  not my favorite season 

Comfort was found in the words of Charles Spurgeon:

"How we prize the fire just now!  How pleasant its cheerful glow is! Let's in the same manner prize our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble.  Let's approach Him, and in Him find joy and peace in believing.  Let's wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises."

We don't have a fireplace, but I still like to create a place that brings warmth and that cozy glow into our home during the cold winter months.

For those living in climates that bring freezing temperatures and wind driven snow,  each time you wrap up in a warm cozy blanket this winter may you be reminded of God's warmth and protection.

How God is Setting Me Free

Being who God made me to be has been a lifelong journey.  In the summer of 2007 I had another deep struggle with depression. For anyone who has been through that before, you know of the darkness found there. As I looked deep within myself to determine what had taken me to that dark place once again, I discovered that I was allowing the world to shape me, not God. I was seeing myself through the world's eyes and not as God sees me. It was a huge revelation to me, as I saw that I worried and tarried over what others thought of me. So much so, that it guided my conversations, and I talked with people based on what I thought they wanted to hear. It is very difficult to explain, but I was not in a good place.

But this time my depression was different. I knew this time He was doing an incredible work in me, purging my heart, and shaping me into something, someone different.  Now three years later, that lesson remains fresh in my mind.  I continue to grow in this area and sometimes catch myself as I realize just how very different I have become since that summer.  God continues to set me free from this people pleasing obsession.  I feel far more comfortable just being myself and not worrying about how others perceive me.  It had once been almost debilitating for me.

So who is God making me to be? I don't know yet. But as Joyce Meyer says, "You will never sense fulfillment in life unless you reach the goal of being yourself." I've been working on that the last couple of years.  Through it all, I remind myself quite often that no matter what happens in my life, I am living only for an Audience of One, My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  That is true freedom.