DAYS 29-30 Exchanging Worry for Waiting

Thoughts from Cindy...

Anticipation is the pits.  It's also the land mind of lies.  When anticipation starts, [one imagines] all sorts of things that might happen...Things sometimes seep into my head I can't excommunicate. (p.91)

Trust usually runs a distant second to anticipation.  Trust in the Lord. Easy words spouted but hard words lived..Don't let worry for tomorrow stall you.  If you find yourself pacing, go bird watching. See if they worry..Don't worry, be happy. (p.92-93).

Often times we rely on worldly things to supply our needs for comfort...when situations don't feel right it is easy to get up and walk away failing to see God's plan in it..if only we were to wait for His timing.

Jesus put it well when He tried to teach us not one additional minute would be added to our life if we worry.  Still it's hard. (p.93).

Dr. Stanley's thoughts on faith.  Great faith is knowing God has already done what He promised He'd do...Nurturing doesn't mean worry, it means to care for.  Big difference.  For the days I want to worry I have to reach a little higher and trust a little harder.  God takes care of the worry. (p.93).

VS. Waiting

I've learned waiting on man is fruitless.  Only disappointment comes from that.  But waiting on God...now that's different.  Waiting on Him works.  It's His joy to give us the desires of our heart but He does it in his own time.  While I wait, He teaches me to trust.  Teaches me to rely on Him and He grooms me to wait on what is right and good...God's timing is well worth the wait. (p.89).

I completely get it's my time to wait...but sometimes I grow weary...when you grow tired and wonder if your time will come... [Remember] His plan is perfect and His timing is magnificent.  It's certainly not my timing that bring about the solutions just when I need them most.  When God makes me wait, I learn more than patience.  I learn just how much He loves me. (p.90). 

Are there times in your life where you grow weary?  When its hard to tell up from down and encouragement around you seems sparse.  Surprisingly, these are some of the main times God speaks to us..perhaps it is our desire to have an answer..desperation..or maybe that when things are good our lives are too loud to hear the still, small voice calling us to sit in His presence.  Well just as Cindy describes waiting is always better than worry and choosing a life guided by Jesus leaving behind traditional law and self-righteousness is the only way to have freedom.  So today on this Easter Sunday Just Give me a Large Dose of Jesus..because I know He will fulfill all my needs.
Listen to this video from the daughter of Billy Graham, Ann Graham Lotz...then sit at the feet of Jesus as you meditate on who Jesus really is and what that means for you and me.

Happy Easter!!!

DAY 28: CHOSEN

MATTHEW 22:8-10,14

 

8Then said he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9Go you therefore into the highways, and as many as you shall find, bid to the marriage. 10So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests....14For many are called, but few are chosen.

 

 

What do you think about Cindy's thoughts on Day 28?

 

Can you relate below?

 

 

Set aside time for those who move your agenda ahead...My goal wasn't to advance upward, but to expand outward...This kings's friends were too busy to attend the banquet so he opened the doors to everyone...Sadly enough, more chose to be too busy than those who chose to make time...Jesus, in His unconditional love, welcomes me to His banquet. (p.86-87).

 

Standing my Christian ground sometimes leaves me standing in the rain..real Christianity doesn't bring us great success (in the wordly sense)...Earthly goals are good, but it's the spiritual ones that carry the weight. (p.88)

 

 

As Christians our goals should not be to do all and be as wide as possible or as high as possible in positioning, but to have deep relationships that challenge us to expand our lives into becoming more like Christ, closer to God, and to live inspired by His example and encouraged by Godly men and women.

So often people use not having time as an excuse to not be challenged (Can you believe the king's friends didn't have time to attend?), not step into their calling, and not step out of the box which currently impairs God's calling on their lives.  It takes courage to make new friends, pursue the relationships that count, and continue to grow with God..but God calls us by name.  He knows our potential and we just have to step into it.  Many are called, but few are chosen, is a verse that should cause us to rise above, reevaluate our priorities, and be obedient to God even though at times initially it may not make sense to our carnal minds.

 

Or perhaps you are living the chosen life and your friends have not shown up yet...Well, invite some guests to join you on your journey.  You just may find yourself to be surprised as with God's divine intervention, there is no mistakes on our journey with Him.

 

Are you like Cindy?  Is it easy to pursue upwards and not outwards?  How often do you check your priorities?  Do you talk about church, but have trouble living out God's love or calling for your life?  Take time today to re-evaluate priorities in your quiet time, make a list of your top 10, and where your pursuit of God is?  Is it number 1 or 10?  And if its in a place somewhere near the back burner, I encourage you today to begin cooking up a new pursuit with God.  Don't wait till tomorrow..today has enough sin in it-..begin asking God for a new revelation, a new time, a new longing for Him.

 

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~Matthew 6:34

 

Days 26-27 He is the Word

I thinks sometimes we can love something so much we lose sight of it.  Our intentions are pure, our heart right, but we trip all over ourselves...H sees our effort but what must hurt Him is our failure to see the obvious...Him.  He's the Word, given to us in unconditional love and yet we miss His presence...miss His love. p.82

God is obvious in scripture but often we thumb through the pages never grasping that the Word is Him.  Instead we search for Him in the most difficult places. p.82

Still, God is teaching me and it's not an easy process. I've fought words all my life..Lies.."you could do better, you're not part of the group, go away," or the most infamous..."Can you help?"...Folks like you for your abilities then drop you after..the project is done.  I still fight words just like this. p.84

The real AH moment in this is not only that the word was with God, but the Word is God.  When I carry it with me, I carry Him everywhere I go. p.84

I am His BRIDE..saved by His GRACE..confident in Him..wonderfully made..His treasure..I am TRANSFORMED!P.84

I'm learnind I don't label myself the same way God does and just because the lies of the world attack me does not mean God loves me less.  His words are amazing becaus He is nothing short of Almighty. p.84

 

Have you ever had a ring on your finger get stuck to where you couldn't get it off?  When it just wouldn't go past your knuckle...it is almost as if the ring becomes part of you..As we dig deeper into God's word and continue to meditate on His goodness and faithfullness everyday it will also become part of us, staying with us as we walk through our lives.  Soon our reactions are not the same, our intentions change, and our behavior reflects the transforming word within us as we continue to write his commandments on our hearts..If the word was WITH God and the word WAS God then as the word is written on our hearts then God is able to touch our life and the lives of others because the word is alive in us...As we are only weeks away from Easter remember Jesus died, but we celebrate Easter on the third day because He is alive, resurrected, and we each have an opportunity to grab hold of Him and His living word.  Do our lives reflect Jesus' resurrection and the living word within us?  Traditions may come and go, but it is THE WORD in us that will remain the same tride and true to deliver us every day from the world's chaos.  We just have to take the first step..commit our ways to Him and begin the path of obedience as we read his word and it consumes our walk with Him.

 

What words make a difference in you life?  Let Christ be the only Word that counts..p.85

Day 25 The Peace of God

 

 

When the world around us seems desperate, when the winds blow from every direction around us, there is a still small voice whispering "Peace be still" in our storms.

 

Mark 4:39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Psalm 122:7 New International Version (©2011) May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels." In Psalm 122:7, we have "peace" and "prosperity," and in 35:27; 73:3, shalom (Hebrew) it is translated "prosperity." (http://topicalbible.org/p/peace.htm) (Also can be translated health and safety). In the world, when someone has no peace, they have nothing no matter what materials one can obtain in a lifetime..no peace means no life..at times confusion..discontentment..and ultimately may mean misery.  Indeed, I can understand how peace = prosperity for many when we as Christians have the peace of the Lord throughout our lives...even though the waves rage around us it is the idea that our boat is guided by a captain who has a plan for us, perfect planning, and was willing to die for us so that we didn't have to sink in our own sin. It is the peace of God that Cindy describes as she goes through the roller coaster of divorce, single parenthood, meeting her kids needs, and the transition into a new marriage.  It is a peace that keeps her on her knees wanting to be connected to her creator, craving more time with Him.  It is a peace that gives her strength and hope knowing God holds her in His hands and loves her like no one else could.  Are you connected to His perfect peace?  Peace as we learned today can mean both security and prosperity.  Lamentations 3:17-26 NIV I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. Quotes from Cindy: p.80  Peace is comforting. For lack of better words, it's the aftermath of acceptance [which] leads to prosperity.  Not always the monetary type of prosperity, but abundance, growth, and well-being... Once I handed over any stinky issues to [Christ], it was like a good hard scrub with Mr. Clean.  The cleansing brought acceptance.  The acceptance brought me peace and prosperity--that abundance, growth, and well-being I needed. p.81 When I'm at my stinkiest, God sprays me with His aroma of grace and forgiveness. What are your thoughts on peace?  Does God's peace bring acceptance, prosperity, or security to your life? I encourage you to listen to Vickie Yohe's song again entitled Mercy Seat...run into the arms of a savior that wants you to have perfect peace in your life as you fully surrender to His divine control.

Days 24 God's Love...Grace in Action

He sees the deepest crevices of my heart, knows my fears and still finds me loveable. (p.53)

 

Cindy describes early on how God sees all our secrets and chooses to love us anyway and even die for us..that's some kind of love, huh?

p.75 We're all His spokesmen.. He's given us each a story to tell.  Some are amazing while others are steadfast, but until we utter them as worthy words, they cannot be heard and others cannot be touched..if only for a minute, speak with grace. God will bless.

Phillipians 1:9-11 ^(message)  

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

 

Many times I think of grace as love in action.  When we meet people we should extend grace not knowing their story while using grace to share our own.  If we are so worried about being right then our righteousness will trump our grace card and much like the advertisements for visa and mastercard we should not leave our homes without our gracecard...it is truly priceless.  Much like Christ's death for us on that cross was just that...priceless!

p.79 Promises are easy to make but hard to keep.  Choose your promises wisely.

When God does allow us to help others we must do so gracefully doing our best to keep our promises as we are an example of Jesus in our community.  When we share the love God has placed in our hearts we function much like a window that light beams through.  The light does not initiate in us, but we are a tool so that the Sun (Son) can shine through our glass panes (pains).

 

 

Days 22-23 His Way is ALWAYS better than our way

 

 

It's funny to think about how our lives would turn out if they were always governed by our thoughts.  I like how Cindy starts out with this scripture from Isaiah...It is quite clear to the reader that God's thoughts are not equal to our own..The scripture even uses the visual picture of the heavens compared to earth when describing HIS THOUGHTS vs. our thoughts..

 

Do you think that our thoughts become more like His as we study His word?

 

 

As we seek to know God more we find that no matter how close we get we are astounded with the realization of the magnificence of a God who at times has plans that we may not even understand...  As we seek Him though, we find Him in every aspect of our lives if we look hard enough.

 

Are you dealing with a time in your life that you don't understand this week?

 

Have you asked in prayer for a Godly perspective as you move throughout your day?

 

Are you seeking His will or relying on your own thoughts...?  It could be the difference between Heavenly and earthly thoughts according to this scripture in Isaiah above.

 Let go and leave it to God you may be surprised that in the midst of chaotic days He fills you with peace and happiness as you acknowledge and appreciate that He is always in control of your situation whether you realize it or not.

 

 

A Look at Cindy's thoughts

 

p.72 I understand my way is not always the right way or the only way and gaining what I want in an instant may not be the best for the future.

 

p.72-73 Even when its hard, God knows best and my concession to Him is not weakness but obedience.

 

p.73 Sometimes being right is not always what is best.  As you look over your own life, decide the times being right is really right.  There's something to be said for humility.

 

p.75 That's the amazing thing about God.  Sometimes He makes us wait to the ultimate last moment.

 

Do you struggle with some of the same thoughts as Cindy describes in these two chapters???  Are there other thoughts that go through your mind when you think of God's way vs. your own?

Day 21

                        
Provision Defined in Webster's Dictionary:

-The action of providing or supplying something for use.

-Supply with food, drink, or equipment, esp. for a journey

Synonyms noun. supply verb. supply - provide - cater - victual

1.What do you think about when you hear the word PROVISION?

Cindy talks about how God is good to me, but His provision is not always financial...My God is a God of kept promises..The deeper my relationship with God, the easier it is for me to trust in His promises. p.69


2. What does provision mean when it's not just financial?

Deeper relationship with God=Deeper Trust

 I don't mean to be, but I find myself being a bit prideful at times.  It's had to admit but it's true.  I have trouble asking for help.,it's the fear what needs to be done won't get done. p.70

3. How many of us women find ourselves just doing tasks instead of asking for help?

4. Perhaps its fear of rejection, pride, or maybe feeling like others just won't accomplish a job like we do.  Do you ever feel this way???

Striving.....Being everything for everybody..to the point of physical illness..is what Cindy describes when she says I had to let go, trust, and move beyond my fear..I needed to learn I was not the be all, for the world. p.70-71

 

Genesis 11 The Message (MSG) “God Turned Their Language into ‘Babble’”

11 ^1-2 At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language. It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down.

³ They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and fire them well.” They used brick for stone and tar for mortar.⁴ Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let’s make ourselves famous so we won’t be scattered here and there across the Earth.”
⁵ God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built.
^6-9 God took one look and said, “One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they’ll come up with next—they’ll stop at nothing! Come, we’ll go down and garble their speech so they won’t understand each other.” Then God scattered them from there all over the world. And they had to quit building the city. That’s how it came to be called Babel, because there God turned their language into “babble.” From there God scattered them all over the world.

5. What's the difference between bricks and stone?


When we allow ourselves to be used by God's grace and annointing His spirit flows out of us and we become sturdy like stone reflecting the creation of our maker.

However, when we get caught up in receiving the glory for our God given talents and we are self-motivated instead of God-motivated then we are like man-made brick and we reflect only ourselves...people's lives cannot be changed by something man-made, but can be by something God-created so we must ask ourselves are we ready to be stones or are we content being bricks and the second answer is true, where will this type of thinking lead us?

Your willingness to never say no takes away an opportunity from someone else who would grab hold of the project with just a little nudge... Ask for help.  Step to the side and let others grow too p.71

Although this is a hard concept to embrace at times, especially as women, when we allow God to take control he will give us wisdom.  If we are striving instead of seeking Him then things just don't work as well.  Let's all be mindful to use our God-given gifts and talents and be thankful for God's annointing, but also acknowlege that there is a time to rest and decline other opportunities even if their positive if it means that we will have to strive.

StrIvIng has two I's, brIcks also has an I.  When we use our own worthiness=I and build our lives with brIcks our foundation will not be firm and we will continue to strIve meaning we will live trying to do something in our own sinful nature. Be content with God holding you with His grace, being used by His annointing..for such a time as this...
 

PART 3: PIMA OR SUPIMA- Intro 3

1.The soft feel of Pima and Supima make them very desirable in bedding.(p.65).

How many times have we heard the saying "the grass is not always greener on the other side?"  Each season has its own challenges...

2.My first set of Egyptian cotton 600 count sheets.  They were a soft lavender color, solid... no print..(p.67).

How many people spend this lifetime looking for something solid?

Obviously the solid in our lives is always Christ, however there are some christians who struggle with the fact that no one's life will ever be perfect.

3.It didn't take long for me to understand the satin sheets were sweet but they required special care.  Up to this point, my sheets were exceptionally functional. Suddenly I had to wash on gentle cycle, dry on delicate and change them twice a week because they were hot to sleep on...I learned as I entered this new season of my life, God was teaching me my treasure was where my heart lay. p.67

Today, we spoke about Nehemiah 8:10 and the importance of the joy of the Lord.  Cindy also discusses this.  The joy of my life was in the moments we'd struggled and then broken through to sucess.  New sheets were a tradition I'd begun years earlier that offered me hope for the future.  Now my hope for the future lies solely in the hand of my Father..My home was comfortable, my heart conent and happiness shifted from the things of the world to the spiritual. p.68


If we allow the joy of the Lord to be our strength then the outside events of our lives will not affect our inner peace.  The storms around us may rage, but with joy from the Lord being our strength we can rely on God for our present and our future endeavors.  After listening to the song above and  to Angie Smith/Selah story behind the song "I will carry you."  Think about how God has helped you have a different perspective on life's challenges...perhaps it was a situation that could have been looked at as tragedy and yet God blessed you through it because your eyes remained looking at Him.

Still prima doesn't come without its problems.  As wonderful as they are, the require maintenance..But so do I. p.68

So many times we may become comfortable being a christian, content on what we know to already to be true, perhaps there is times where we struggle with continuing to seek God's face and will for our lives, but God truths can teach us something new every day. 

 

1 Corinthians 3:2 

I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.   As we learn more about God, more is expected of us.  Although we may start our walk with God with baby food, His destiny for us does not include us just partaking of baby food.  As we mature in God our responsibilities grow...much like how Cindy discusses how her sheets are "softer" now, but they also require a whole lot more responsibility.  Once we grow and mature in the Lord, we are responsible for upkeeping a deep daily walk with Him so that we can continue to be transformed by his word and promises.  It is the walk with Him that keeps us afloat when life's circumstances are out of our control..He is always in control.