Sisters Loved by God

Our Children of the Day small group of four is a blessing...to all of us...in different ways.

We met this past Tuesday and before the session was over, one confided, "I nearly didn't come.  I hadn't kept up with the study."  Another shared, "I had to complete three lessons last night to get caught up."

BUT before we left, we were all so uplifted, and one of the above prayed this in our closing prayer, "Lord, I am so glad I came because I have learned so much tonight."  Praise God!  Me, too!

Here, on Facebook, our group has a page.  Few of the others comment, but I receive such a blessing commenting and creating visuals for the scriptures...see above.  So much is packed within a single scripture.  Please...slow down and spend some time meditating on the above scriptures.

Aren't those inspirational scriptures?  Each has spoken to me, each pricking a part of my heart that needs to change.

Now, read today's...

Don't you think God wants us to share who we are, where we are...who we were, where we have been...with others?  Being personal, sharing ourselves creates that "person" for others to know.  Therein, await our testimonies.

Here's my prayer for me today..."Lord, fill me with your wisdom...as you remove bitterness and discontent from my heart, for I have lacked too much of the first and marinated on too much of the last two.  As a friend states, 'Bloom where God plants you.'  Yes, Lord, may I sprout beautiful leaves and spectacular flowers (maybe zinnias and marigolds?), so colorful and enduring.  Lord, may I share those flowers with others today, as I share my life for you."

I have been in a season of testing.  Since I am obviously a slow learner, this testing period has taken a very long time!  As I reflect, though, God has been ever faithful, even when I was failing those tests.  I have, also, noted that these learned lessons were ones I had to experience to truly understand what all He was teaching me.

In the classroom, I attempt to reach all learner types...auditory, visual, kinesthetic.  I always thought I was a visual learner...have to see it to really learn it.  In my spiritual life, I must be a kinesthetic learner...have to do it, sometimes several times, to master the Lord's Lessons.  Fortunately, He has enduring patience and simply retaught, usually in a different manner, when I failed, scoring a much too low grade, working with me until I mastered the objectives.

One of the slowly learned lessons:  Unless God opens the door, that door will remain shut no matter how I attempt to scratch, kick, beat, gripe, moan, groan (notice all those negative words?!).  Really, though, honestly...why would I want that door to open?!  I see that now.  God has a plan that He will see to fulfillment for my life.  No other plan do I want more.  Not my plans.  His plans.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.  Don't abandon me, for you made me. Psalm 138:8

 I seek just the right doors now, learning to lean ever more on Him, waiting now until the doors open.  Yes, I may knock to see if that's His Will.  I am learning that the kicking, beating, moaning, groaning, griping helps no one, especially myself.  Of course.

I have shared this before:  In 1999, I obtained a degree in secondary administration and curriculum.  At that time, I really felt that God would one day open the door to a principal's job.  That door has never opened.  Not once. Nor has any job in any area within those degrees. I have applied.  I have interviewed.  I have kicked, beat, moaned, groaned, griped all along the way.  Much gnashing of teeth.  Tears of frustration.

Why?  My arrogance?  The wrong attitude?  Faith in myself rather than in Him?  A lesson I needed to learn?

The answer:  Yes to every question.

Up to that point in my life, if a door of opportunity opened, I went through it and was blessed richly with promotions, finances, and personal worth.  That ended in 2005.  Every door shut.  The testing time began.  That's so easy to see now.  Not so easy when I was living it!

That's reason for my above prayer:  "Lord, fill me with your wisdom...as you remove bitterness and discontent from my heart, for I have lacked too much of the first and marinated on too much of the last two.  As a friend states, 'Bloom where God plants you.'  Yes, Lord, may I sprout beautiful leaves and spectacular flowers (maybe zinnias and marigolds?), so colorful and enduring.  Lord, may I share those flowers with others today, as I share my life for you."

I want all those negative emotions gone, for they are not of Him.  May we read this scripture again?

The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.  Don't abandon me, for you made me. Psalm 138:8

The Lord has The Plan for you and me...today, we rest in Him.

Three years ago, a revival began in me, a zeal to be closer than ever to God, not that I had ever walked completely away from God.  I have always had a relationship with Him.  The hunger to be closer to Him, though, became ravenous.  I have studied His Word more, prayed more, praised more, testified more in the last few years...God is good my friends!  More...that's what I want.  The secret to more?  He opened that very door.  That door I went through.  Yes!

What of your life might you share today?  Blessings!

That One Second

Last night, after receiving some disturbing news about a family member, The Hubby stated, "Strange how life can change in just a second."  Yes.

A little while later, he commented, "We need to pray about this."  Yes.  Life changed again, for we handed it over to Him.

This morning I continued my study of Beth Moore's Children of the Day and found comfort in 1 Thessalonians 1:3:

Faith.  Love.  Hope.

Work.  Labor.  Endurance.

Produced.  Prompted.  Inspired.

Layered within the verse, all these powerful words.  Wasn't Paul such an inspiring writer?

I also appreciated Beth Moore's statement, "Anything God emphasizes, the Devil seeks to exterminate." That faith, love, hope, he may try to rid us of it, but more powerful, though, is that Holy Spirit which resides within us to help overcome any attempts at extermination.  Remember Romans 5:5 - "Hope does not disappoint us because God had poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."  Thank you, Jesus!  He gives and gives and gives...if we will just ask.  And today...I am asking.  Today, The Hubby is asking.

So blessed we are to have that Presence. So comforted we are by that Presence.  So empowered we are by that Presence.

I pray your life is filled with that Presence.  If your life is missing that Holy Spirit, the presence of that Great Comforter, it just takes that one second when you ask Him to come into your heart...then your life can be so dramatically changed.

Blessings!

A Change of Plans

The last two studies in our Sunday School material focused on a Godly marriage.   While a great topic..and one that definitely suits my class, the topic was just a bit hard for one young lady involved in a potential divorce.  All last week, I just did not feel led to stick with curriculum.  Kept feeling that spiritual nudge...

As I drove to visit with my family over the weekend, I listened to the music, Selah's song "I Bless Your Name" speaking to me.  So, I do what I do...I played it over and over and was so blessed again by Paul and Silas' testimony.  So powerful!

Later, that evening I studied Acts 16 and prepared to share it with my class.  Were we ever blessed!

God spoke to those young people Sunday morning because...Paul and Silas...

• ...even though seemingly supported, confronted the demon, allowing God and not the devil to receive credit His Work in their lives.  What a model for us as we, too, face confrontations.
• ...even though beaten...sang God's praises in the inner dungeon.  What a model for us as we, too, go through tests to remember to praise Him for the trials that He allows to happen to place us within circumstances to do a work for Him.  We have unsaved family, unfaithful husbands, strong-willed children.
• ..even though free...remained for the sake of that jailer's salvation.  What a model for us as we, too, have people in our lives who need the Lord

Then, we listened to the above song and were blessed again via song, for we are all at times in "a prison of our minds."  Often, the mind has such strong walls, refusing freedom...until we speak His Name.

Please, consider spending some time in this chapter...you will be blessed!