Miss Independent????

This has truly been a trying week, but thank God he saw me through! While this week had difficulties and challenges it taught me a valuable lesson. I realized this week that I had forgotten how to depend of God for his daily touch. I had forgotten what it was like to feel his real presence working as he wakes me up and starts me on my day. In the hustle of our daily activities it is easy to become focused primarily on the daily tasks we must complete. We begin our days with the worry often never once looking to God to ease our anxiety and steady our emotions required to accomplish tasks. In my efforts to become independent and handle things through my own strength, I had forgotten how to cast my cares on the Lord as he promises to sustain my every need. " Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall~ Psalm 55:22  I will never be truly independent, as I will always need his help and guidance. Even in moments of great joy and excitement I must remember that all gifts are from God and are products of his invisible hands. In the coming months I expect to spread my wings and leave the present nest. While it will appear that I am asserting more independence, truthfully this will be a time of great dependence as I will need God's daily touch more than ever to tackle unfamiliar territory. 

Be on Guard

I hope you all are having a blessed day. I am so thankful that I am able to share with you all today. It is a rainy day here in Huntsville. For some reason we have been conditioned to associate rain with gloom. I had to check my attitude this morning, because I almost fell trap to such flawed thinking. No matter rain or shine, all days are given to us from the Lord and we are to rejoice an be glad in it. Through the hardest circumstances, we must still ask God for the strength and spirit to praise him with hearts of thanksgiving. To be honest today I felt myself slipping into the dark side of negativity and self pity. Then something divine happened shortly after lunchtime. I began to have a conversation with a friend over gchat about Jesus and his awesome power in our lives. Truly all things are possible with God, and I am so excited with what he is doing in the lives of those around me.  Prior to this conversation, my mind had been in several other places primarily focused on worldly dreams and aspirations. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, this conversation shifted my focus back to ultimate aspiration and goal for my life which is to one day meet him face to face without fear of condemnation. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you^[free from the law of sin and death~ Romans 8: 1-3.  I was reminded today to be on guard. It was so easy for my thoughts to slip to that dark side. I was getting impatient and angry that some things have not yet come to pass. Our mind is our most precious asset and it's a constant battle to stay on the positive especially in the midst of uncomfortable circumstances. To be on guard, means I need to limit the amount of trash entering my ears. The music I listen to, and the shows I watch can feed my mind with either negative or positive thinking. I would like those thoughts that encourage and keep me centered on the purpose God has set for my life. I have to filter all those things that attempt to derail and undermine his will. I know it is hard to limit the trash especially when you are around others who harbor negative thoughts and feelings. The only way to kill this spirit, Jesus demands, is love and kindness. As I continue on this week, my goal is to limit the trash and guard my thoughts.  Each morning I wake up, my goal is to show God my ultimate appreciation by giving him my highest praise because he is worthy of it all.Thats it for today folks! Wishing everyone a wonderful rest of the week.

The Power of the Tongue

Goodness time has lapsed since my last posting! Much has happened over these last few days. The lack of civil discourse in this country over the last few years hit the final nail in the preverbal coffin Saturday, leaving six dead in Arizona. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, among those shot, is showing miraculous progress. This tragedy has has invariably sparked conversation about the often viral rhetoric filling the airways from both sides of the isle  The words we speak, while they are so easy to articulate can have damning consequences. In this particular season of my life, I am reminded of this and it challenges me to be a constant guardian of my tongue. Without doubt, at times I am tempted beyond measure not to show restraint and self control over the words I speak. With age, I am realizing it is absolutely necessary to this, because once words are said it is impossible to take them back. Of course once we realize the err of our ways we can apologize for those words, but the damage and hurt will linger. When I experience the temptation to unleash hurtful words, I look to the scriptures for some practical advice to apply. The book of Proverbs makes a powerful statement about words and their ability to define our actions and circumstances." Death and life are in the power of the tongue." ~ Proverbs 18:21. James goes further in the New Testament. He gives a powerful inditement to Christians when he says " Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein of their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless." ~ James 1:26 NIV.  I encourage anyone who like I struggles to guard the tongue, to read further into the book of James. I have found his words to be instructive and applicable to this current season. Bottom line : Our tongues have the ability to be a force for good or a force of destruction. Moving forward after the horrific events of Arizona, it is my hope that we take the time to reflect on the words we use. Instead of finger pointing and blaming others let us start with the person in the mirror. Change begins within ourselves.

Living in Expectation

It's officially 2011 and it seems the days are already flying! I woke up this morning ready to face my first work day in the new year. I began with my usual scripture reading. It was taken from the book of Isaiah: "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"~Isaiah 40:31. Although at times I admit I get impatient, my scripture encouraged me to keep on hoping and expecting God to do great things.  While I aim to keep things positive and biblically based, the reality of the days ahead are difficult and challenging. There are some days I struggle to stay encouraged and positive. My hopes and dreams are solidified, but sometimes it seems that  I am moving at snails pace to see their actualization. I received some encouraging advice today from a friend. She suggested that I write a blog about living in expectation of what God is getting ready to do. Instead of focusing on the "when" she basically suggested that I focus on the "now". If I am truly expecting God to do great things then I must live in preparation. While I am waiting for things to unfold, I can certainly use the time to prepare. For example, one of my life goals is to raise godly children. God-willing I want them to be firmly rooted in the foundation and gospel of Jesus Christ so that they will also train their children in the way of the LORD. It might be far ways off, but I want to prepare myself to train my children in the right way. To do this I need to know the word and understand it's real life application. So while trust my child bearing days are a ways off ( gotta get married first hehehe), I can spend this time in the word so when the time does come I am fully prepared to see this goal come to fruition. Another one my goals is to expand my service in Christian Education. God has given me so much talent and knowledge I would like to give this back to him in service. There are present opportunities available now to see this goal realized. Bottom line: There are things we can do now as we await what God is getting ready to do.  Although it is very easy to become so concerned with the when its imperative that we use this waiting time to prepare for all his abundant provisions.  Live in expectation and know God is going to come through! Happy Monday and wishing you all a wonderful rest of this week.