Hello Everyone! May the Lord bless your day today with grace, peace, hope, wisdom, mercy and joy! I love this time of year! There's football in the air, fall is just around the corner and the air seems to be cleaner, the skies seem to be bluer and the weather although still warm, seems to be leveling out for a little bit. I know we've had some storms and some lightning but all in all -- I love this time of year!
This past Sunday, I woke up very early sensing that I needed to get into the workbook of my current Bible study. It was one of those mornings where the sun was beaming in and the cat was bathing and the house was loud but nobody (except the cat) was really up and stirring around -- I knew that the Lord wanted to meet me there and He had something He wanted to tell me. Does this ever happen to you? I had had a restless night. Didn't sleep well and the house was hot and I probably had had too much caffeine. I had worry on the brain about our finances and just couldn't get any peace (this happens from time to time when I think about my circumstances too much and take my focus off of trusting God for provision). Anyway, as I began to read through the pages of the workbook and look at the Scripture that was in there, a sense of peace washed all over me. I felt calm and reassured that God, Creator of this Universe and LORD, Covenant Keeper and Master of all knows exactly where we are, what we are facing and that there is nothing more we can do to change it. He knows our hearts and He knows the plans He has for us. All of this came as a reminder as I read His Word. The focus of our study is the Psalms of the Ascent - 120-134. They are beautifully poetic, and emotionally written and focusing on them one Psalm at a time, one verse at a time gives such hope and assurance of God's care for His children.
Another thing He showed me was that I needed to slow down. Not just in the scope of the schedule and timeline of our Bible study but also I need to slow down - period. The last 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of busy-ness and tonight I found myself exhausted from it. I thrive on having a lot to do and I love deadlines because it gives me boundaries. But when I'm so busy that I'm not comprehending what God is trying to tell me, then I'm too busy!
Friends, life passes by so quickly! I'm sure you'll agree that it seems like just yesterday that you were graduating from high school -- or that your children were little. It seems like it takes more trips to the salon to get those roots covered more often. It seems like birthdays come more quickly than once every 365 days, doesn't it! We compound this speed by rushing around with too much to do or worrying about situations we cannot fix. We add stress to our lives by becoming over-extended on our commitments and we get frustrated because we just can't get everything done that needs to be done.
I want to challenge you (and me) to slow down. I want to encourage you (and me) to carve out a little bit of time to enjoy this time of year...enjoy the sunsets, the leaves turning, the birds that land in your back yard on their way to a sunny climate for the winter. Enjoy some quality time in God's Word and here's the key -- DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT!!!!!
We are made to worship. Our lives are not complete unless we worship our Creator. There are so many ways to worship Him...prayer, singing, dancing, enjoying the beauty of His creation, using your spiritual gifts to bless others, working with others to meet the needs of those less fortunate, going to church, being a part of a small group in Bible study and spiritual growth, giving of your earnings through tithes and offerings...stepping outside your comfort zone to be obedient to a ministry God has asked you to do...
A wise pastor said one time, "If you are too busy to worship, then you're too busy!" and "If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy!" Take heed to those words and slow down some.
Being a good steward of our time is just as important as being a good steward of our finances, gifts and talents. I'm sure some of you are sitting there reading this thinking, "that's easier said than done." and you know what, you are right! It is easier said than done -- but if one of the fruits of the spirit is self-control - then part of the discipline of self-control involves balancing our time so that we can rest and worship and live abundantly -- not on the fast track to old age and bad health.
When we can learn to ask God to show us what He'd like for us to do and the discipline of waiting on Him to answer - we'll be so much more satisfied in what we do. I had to learn this lesson the hard way. (I know you find that shocking! haha) I was so run down from being "Mrs. Fix-it" that my body wouldn't heal from surgery. God had been showing me for about a year that I was on a collision course with exhaustion and I needed to slow down - but I didn't listen. Well, being the hard-headed child that I am, I spent almost a year flat of my back, in the hospital 3 times and nearly dying twice because I wasn't patient enough to let my body heal and because my immune system was shot from being so tired and so stressed out.
I shared with a dear sister today, that I'm learning to listen better when God speaks and when He cautions me now, I'm much more inclined to obey. I'll spend the rest of my life cautioning others about this so they can avoid the "hard way" that I chose. If you are in a position right now where you are overextended, exhausted, depressed because you can't get it all done, and find your mood-swings out of control -- it might be a strong message from our dear Father for you to slow down and not just some hormonal issue.
God tells us that He doesn't hide from us. He says, "If you will seek Me, you can find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 He also says in John 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you." This doesn't make the Lord a fortune-giver. These verses show us that God is here - He wants to be involved in our lives and He wants to share our days and our time and He will speak if we'll listen. When we give ourselves the freedom and time to seek Him - He will answer us with things we cannot even begin to imagine!
I'm in the process of working with a missions organization to prepare for a mission trip next year. It's something I've never even begun to wish for or thought would ever be possible. Honestly, I never even thought God would call me out of the country to do any type of missions - but it appears that He is. About 10 years ago, I was driving home from Atlanta after my very first session with my new voice coach. I'd been so down-trodden and God had led me to a place of retreat that truly changed my life and restored my joy. It was at this place that He introduced me to the gentleman who would become my voice coach -- a gift I never imagined would happen. So after this session, I was driving home, stopped in traffic and in the corner of my eye, I saw what I call a "snapshot" vision. It was a glimpse of something that I know was from God. I saw myself and I saw what I know now to be my calling and a piece of my future. Last night, as I was praying and thanking the Lord for this missions opportunity, He brought me back to that vision. He showed me that 10 years ago, He gave me a glimpse of it but I wasn't ready then -- and He told me I wasn't.
So here I am 10 years later, and I'm looking at an opportunity and find it hard to even breathe that God would allow it. I marvel at how once again, His promises are so true that His plans are more than we could even hope for or imagine. I stand amazed in His presence and am awe stricken by His goodness.
My current circumstances to an outsider would make them scoff at the idea of this future. But I see that if God has shown me a glimpse of my future - then HE completely has my present taken care of because if it's not - then there is not a future...Jeremiah 29:11 is absolutely true and so are the rest of His promises. He stands on His Word and it is alive and it is real and it is absolutely the only truth there is.
I promise when He is ready for me to share the entirety of this opportunity I will - because you might want to be a part of it. I know you'll want to pray over it with me. But for now, let this encouragement seep into your soul -- give yourself permission to say no to the good so you can have God's best. Be willing to turn down an opportunity that you're not called to do so that someone else will have an opportunity to see God's faithfulness in their timid step of faith.
I love you dear brothers and sisters. Thank you for letting me write my heart to you. Be blessed - not stressed! Weekend recipes are on their way!!!! See ya! Amy
This past Sunday, I woke up very early sensing that I needed to get into the workbook of my current Bible study. It was one of those mornings where the sun was beaming in and the cat was bathing and the house was loud but nobody (except the cat) was really up and stirring around -- I knew that the Lord wanted to meet me there and He had something He wanted to tell me. Does this ever happen to you? I had had a restless night. Didn't sleep well and the house was hot and I probably had had too much caffeine. I had worry on the brain about our finances and just couldn't get any peace (this happens from time to time when I think about my circumstances too much and take my focus off of trusting God for provision). Anyway, as I began to read through the pages of the workbook and look at the Scripture that was in there, a sense of peace washed all over me. I felt calm and reassured that God, Creator of this Universe and LORD, Covenant Keeper and Master of all knows exactly where we are, what we are facing and that there is nothing more we can do to change it. He knows our hearts and He knows the plans He has for us. All of this came as a reminder as I read His Word. The focus of our study is the Psalms of the Ascent - 120-134. They are beautifully poetic, and emotionally written and focusing on them one Psalm at a time, one verse at a time gives such hope and assurance of God's care for His children.
Another thing He showed me was that I needed to slow down. Not just in the scope of the schedule and timeline of our Bible study but also I need to slow down - period. The last 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of busy-ness and tonight I found myself exhausted from it. I thrive on having a lot to do and I love deadlines because it gives me boundaries. But when I'm so busy that I'm not comprehending what God is trying to tell me, then I'm too busy!
Friends, life passes by so quickly! I'm sure you'll agree that it seems like just yesterday that you were graduating from high school -- or that your children were little. It seems like it takes more trips to the salon to get those roots covered more often. It seems like birthdays come more quickly than once every 365 days, doesn't it! We compound this speed by rushing around with too much to do or worrying about situations we cannot fix. We add stress to our lives by becoming over-extended on our commitments and we get frustrated because we just can't get everything done that needs to be done.
I want to challenge you (and me) to slow down. I want to encourage you (and me) to carve out a little bit of time to enjoy this time of year...enjoy the sunsets, the leaves turning, the birds that land in your back yard on their way to a sunny climate for the winter. Enjoy some quality time in God's Word and here's the key -- DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT!!!!!
We are made to worship. Our lives are not complete unless we worship our Creator. There are so many ways to worship Him...prayer, singing, dancing, enjoying the beauty of His creation, using your spiritual gifts to bless others, working with others to meet the needs of those less fortunate, going to church, being a part of a small group in Bible study and spiritual growth, giving of your earnings through tithes and offerings...stepping outside your comfort zone to be obedient to a ministry God has asked you to do...
A wise pastor said one time, "If you are too busy to worship, then you're too busy!" and "If the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy!" Take heed to those words and slow down some.
Being a good steward of our time is just as important as being a good steward of our finances, gifts and talents. I'm sure some of you are sitting there reading this thinking, "that's easier said than done." and you know what, you are right! It is easier said than done -- but if one of the fruits of the spirit is self-control - then part of the discipline of self-control involves balancing our time so that we can rest and worship and live abundantly -- not on the fast track to old age and bad health.
When we can learn to ask God to show us what He'd like for us to do and the discipline of waiting on Him to answer - we'll be so much more satisfied in what we do. I had to learn this lesson the hard way. (I know you find that shocking! haha) I was so run down from being "Mrs. Fix-it" that my body wouldn't heal from surgery. God had been showing me for about a year that I was on a collision course with exhaustion and I needed to slow down - but I didn't listen. Well, being the hard-headed child that I am, I spent almost a year flat of my back, in the hospital 3 times and nearly dying twice because I wasn't patient enough to let my body heal and because my immune system was shot from being so tired and so stressed out.
I shared with a dear sister today, that I'm learning to listen better when God speaks and when He cautions me now, I'm much more inclined to obey. I'll spend the rest of my life cautioning others about this so they can avoid the "hard way" that I chose. If you are in a position right now where you are overextended, exhausted, depressed because you can't get it all done, and find your mood-swings out of control -- it might be a strong message from our dear Father for you to slow down and not just some hormonal issue.
God tells us that He doesn't hide from us. He says, "If you will seek Me, you can find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 He also says in John 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you." This doesn't make the Lord a fortune-giver. These verses show us that God is here - He wants to be involved in our lives and He wants to share our days and our time and He will speak if we'll listen. When we give ourselves the freedom and time to seek Him - He will answer us with things we cannot even begin to imagine!
I'm in the process of working with a missions organization to prepare for a mission trip next year. It's something I've never even begun to wish for or thought would ever be possible. Honestly, I never even thought God would call me out of the country to do any type of missions - but it appears that He is. About 10 years ago, I was driving home from Atlanta after my very first session with my new voice coach. I'd been so down-trodden and God had led me to a place of retreat that truly changed my life and restored my joy. It was at this place that He introduced me to the gentleman who would become my voice coach -- a gift I never imagined would happen. So after this session, I was driving home, stopped in traffic and in the corner of my eye, I saw what I call a "snapshot" vision. It was a glimpse of something that I know was from God. I saw myself and I saw what I know now to be my calling and a piece of my future. Last night, as I was praying and thanking the Lord for this missions opportunity, He brought me back to that vision. He showed me that 10 years ago, He gave me a glimpse of it but I wasn't ready then -- and He told me I wasn't.
So here I am 10 years later, and I'm looking at an opportunity and find it hard to even breathe that God would allow it. I marvel at how once again, His promises are so true that His plans are more than we could even hope for or imagine. I stand amazed in His presence and am awe stricken by His goodness.
My current circumstances to an outsider would make them scoff at the idea of this future. But I see that if God has shown me a glimpse of my future - then HE completely has my present taken care of because if it's not - then there is not a future...Jeremiah 29:11 is absolutely true and so are the rest of His promises. He stands on His Word and it is alive and it is real and it is absolutely the only truth there is.
I promise when He is ready for me to share the entirety of this opportunity I will - because you might want to be a part of it. I know you'll want to pray over it with me. But for now, let this encouragement seep into your soul -- give yourself permission to say no to the good so you can have God's best. Be willing to turn down an opportunity that you're not called to do so that someone else will have an opportunity to see God's faithfulness in their timid step of faith.
I love you dear brothers and sisters. Thank you for letting me write my heart to you. Be blessed - not stressed! Weekend recipes are on their way!!!! See ya! Amy
Got so much from slowing down- even though it is almost midnight- to read this! What an encouragement you are Amy!
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