My thoughts, His ways

I have to say, sometimes I don't like my thoughts.

They're a fickle mess. They can change the way I feel, what I want.

Who I think I am.

I have to remind myself every day that I am a daughter of the King. I am a child of God! I have to remind my mind, of His promises to me.

"We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ".
2 Corinthians 10:5 NLV

God is inviting me to walk towards a better way of thinking, a better way of living.

He loves me!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts". Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

His thoughts and ways are beyond mine. He is God!
He can help my thoughts. He can help me.
The best part is, He wants to!

Do you want your thoughts to be different today?

Let's get into His Word, let's get into His head... as we invite Him into ours, to begin changing our minds.

This verse has meant a lot to me during the last few days... it's a good place to begin if you're struggling through your thoughts today. Go with God ladies!

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things".
Philippians 4:8 NIV

Just A Cup...

"The generous prosper and are satisfied, those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."
Proverbs 11:25 NLT

Ahhh, refreshment... like a cup of cold water that purifies my soul...

"And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”
Matthew 10:42 NLT

I love the fact that we can encourage each other in the body of Christ! We all have the same Spirit, and we're working for the same God! Keep the eyes of your heart wide open today to see how you can share refreshment to one of God's children.

"Work for the things that make peace and help each other become stronger Christians". Romans 14:19 NLV

It may be something small. Something as sweet as a kind word, as contagious as sharing your joy, as thoughtful as a phone call, or as hospitable as opening a door... today, we are Jesus' hands and feet. If you feel prompted today by the Spirit to live love out, then go for it! Don't hold back, it's the best way to get refreshed!

How will you leave His footprints today?

"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”John 13:35 NLT

Super Woman!

Sometimes, I feel like a super hero! I mean come on, I'm a mom of 3, right? All I'm missing is the cape!

The superhero abilities that I want to talk about today go beyond being a hardworking mother. I'm talking about living my life as a part of the supernatural. I'm talking about living life in the Spirit!

It blows my mind that I have the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead living in me all the time! -Romans 8:11

God loved us so much that He gifted us with eternal life! The best part is, we don't have to wait for it! It starts NOW with the greatest power on earth, His Holy Spirit!

Let's think back for a minute together, and imagine being with Jesus as He prepared to leave earth. He told His followers,
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father". John 14:12 NIV

This is not a solo-mission. We get to be each other's sidekicks!

"All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it".
1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT

"A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other."
1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT

"To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said".
1 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT

And love... Love is the greatest power in heaven and earth! Let's not underestimate this. I'm not talking about love as our society knows it. I'm talking about God's casting out fear, never fails kind of love! His love will literally change the world!

How will this change the way you live today?

Broken's Goodness

I don't like to be broken. I don't like to feel broken.

But I'm beginning to understand the purpose behind my pieces.

We don't break most things on purpose, we usually refer to broken things as accidents. But God doesn't specialize in accidents.

I am not an accident.

God sent His Son, Jesus, on purpose....
.... to break something, on purpose.
sin
when we come to Jesus with a repentant heart something supernatural happens...
our sin is broken into pieces.

We usually don't like it when something breaks. We're constantly trying to hold all of our pieces together. We try to control our lives.
We try to control our sin.

We can't see that our sin is controlling us.

In Romans 6, Paul shares that the truth of the matter is we are "slaves" to our sin.

Jesus is not like us. He is not afraid of the mess. He is here today to break your sin and set you free! The truth is, we need Him.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 NIV

To Him, broken is good. Broken is His invitation to run in, rescue us, and begin picking up the pieces! In our brokenness, we are made whole. In our weakness, He is strong!

He doesn't waste a piece of us.

I have to be broken, to be fixed....

Broken is good.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Extra-Ordinary!

Do you ever get tired of the same old same old? The mundane? The ordinary? If we're honest, we all answer with a resounding yes! For me, it can be the pile of dishes, the laundry, the changing diapers, that can get to feeling a little... well, ordinary.

Even if we are beginning to learn how to flourish in the ordinary and to live lives of purpose, we can still relate to feeling unfulfilled by our ordinary lives at one time or another. At times life can feel like there aren't many "special" days. Sure, you might have your favorite holiday that gets you excitedly waiting with anticipation. You even might have that annual family Summer vacation that you always look forward to. Maybe, like me, you're waiting until you save enough money to renovate your kitchen. Or, for a lot of us it's Fridays.... always wanting the weekend to get here!

How do we celebrate the ordinary, every day?

How do we grasp onto "the full life" and enjoy each moment?

The elusive present moment.

We can't keep on living for some "thing" to change in our lives.
If we continue to wish away our ordinary days, we will wake up one morning and realize that our life has passed us by. We will discover that we have lived a life of "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence".

What are you waiting for?

Dear God, Transform this ordinary day into an extra-ordinary day! Not, because some "thing" has changed, but because YOU have changed me!

John 10:10b I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. NIV

Ecclesiastes 5:18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. NIV

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. NIV

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. NKJV

Mr. Clean

I cleaned my bathroom today (insert, praise to Amy here)! Am I the only one who enjoys walking into a sparkling clean, bathroom? I love entering into it, and seeing no dirty distractions around me anymore. A clean bathroom feels good. It speaks relaxation to me. I can spend my time in my happy, clean bathroom with ease. Have I mentioned it's the one place in the house that I can lock the door and not feel guilty when little hands knock, singing out, "Mommy, mommy"... and I say, "Don't come in!"

When it's not clean, I tend to go in only when it's absolutely necessary and rush out as soon as possible!

What if I enjoyed a good cleaning from God just as much? How would that change me? What if the very first thing I do when I walk into my time with Him, is to ask Him to clean my heart? Just like my clean bathroom, I know that my heart would sparkle in His presence. I would sit longer, and enjoy my visit with no distraction of an unconfessed mess. God is so good! He loves a clean heart just as much as I love a clean bathroom... okay, bad comparison, He LOVES my clean heart much more than I could ever imagine loving my clean, anything!

I don't always enjoy the scrubbing of the tub (it's hard, messy work) but over time I've learned that in the end it's worth my energy and effort.

A clean bathroom feels good.

A clean heart feels even better!

It might be uncomfortable at first, but as you learn that you can trust Him, you will see that God is the best, most patient, most caring cleaner around!

Psalm 51 NIV
² Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Clean out my heart, clean out my house...

Take out your longest broom to reach over into the deepest corners of me!
With your softest sponge of grace, scrub away my spots and stains.
Rinse away all my dirt from years of being used and make me like new again!

AMEN!

Your Love Letter

Read along, and take this into your heart, this is what God has laid on my heart for you. I don't know how many women are going to read this, but I hope that each of you gain another level of closeness with our living, loving God today! God with God girls!
Love, Amy

Dear Daughter,

I am going to give you what you need. I am going to give you comfort so you can rest and recover. I am going to replace your pain with my joy. Take one day at a time and I will show you how I can overflow your days with blessings. I know everything that is going to happen to you in your life, and I have already planned a way out for you. I will not waste any moment of your life, I will pour purpose into every part of it! You are my beautiful daughter. I died for you because I love you. No one can love you the way I do. Walk with me and you will never be hungry again. Look up at my face and step into all my love and promises.
Love, Jesus

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!"

Amen
~ Ephesians 3:16-21 NIV ~

The Other 364 Days?

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins".
1 Peter 4:8 NIV

So, tomorrow is Valentines Day and I am beginning to feel a little strange about using a special "date" on the calendar to celebrate love! Technically, I already have 365 "dates" with my husband every year with endless opportunities to show love! So, is it just me, or does picking one day seem a little odd to you too?

They say, hindsight is 20/20, so now I get the chance to look back and notice something about myself on previous V Days. I act different. Sometimes, I even start a day or two before the big day, with hopes that that's what my husband will remember. I carefully put on my best behavior, my best outfit, my best makeup (which means I actually put on makeup), and do my best to say some nice things to my husband. I have found only one problem with all of my self observations, they're all about me!

Isn't love about giving not getting?

.... "Love each other deeply" ....

Isn't love about imperfections

.... "Love covers over a multitude of sins"....

They're covered, you can't see them anymore

I know my husband better now than I did 10 years ago...

We're living through the good and the bad together.

Today I pray, while I put on my best outfit of patience, my best makeup of forgiveness, and my best behavior of respect... that I will love him deeply.

This year on Valentines Day (and the day before) I propose an idea. That each of us women observe ourselves, look at our love meter, and see not at how high we can get it, but on how much of it we can give out.... every day!

Do you act differently on Valentines Day?

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7 NIV

Enjoy Valentines Day, just don't forget to show your husband that you love him just as deeply on all of those other 364 days this year!

It's in the sitting...

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from Him." Psalm 62:5 NIV

Raise your hand if you think you're too busy! Nod your head if you have most of the days filled up on your calendar for the upcoming weeks ahead! Give me an "amen sister" if you think you need help managing your life!

You may be reading this right now and feeling like you have no time to rest! Or, that you are avoiding moments to rest because you are scared of what you might find in those quiet places in your mind.

I think one of our natural tendencies as women is to complain about our lives (our schedules). We can easily forget, that we form our lives by all of the little choices we choose to make each day. We desperately need to learn to check in with God and follow His Spirit in us before we give our yes or our no.

And we won't know how much we need to do that until we understand how much we need Him!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Wouldn't it be nice to have a place to sit, just you and God? I heard someone say once that we are spiritual beings living a human experience (not the other way around). If we truly believe that, we will take the time to invite God in to show us how to sit, and nurture our souls... to give us rest through the inside out.

My soul needs rest today, and I know just where to find it! My prayer for you is that you join me in the sitting and invite God in to renew your mind, so your soul can have rest today!

Go with God girls!

My Extra Favorite Verse

"No, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him who loved us."
Romans 8:37 NIV

This verse has been my favorite for the last few years. I mean come on, it's just one of those verses that can get you pumped up, you know! But lately, God is shining an even brighter light on it for me. The longer I live, the more I have to forgive (and be forgiven), the more experiences I have, the joys and the pain. I am beginning to see that through all of these things I WILL be Christ's conquering woman! Talk about a, "you go girl" moment! Hard times WILL actually make me stronger because I am learning to line myself up with God's love for me! This verse is coming alive right before my eyes, I can touch it and taste it, and it means more to me now than ever! Nothing can get in the way of God's love for me!

So, I guess now you could call it my extra favorite verse!

What's your favorite verse?

The 11 Letter Word...

"Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die."

~ author unknown ~

Forgiveness... a big, 11 letter word.

Recently in my life, I came to the strong conclusion that I can't forgive. I know this sounds awful, but I'm inviting you in to see one of the most humbling thoughts I've ever had in my life. There are many reasons why I can't forgive... anger, time (too little or too much has passed), a broken heart, (insert your reason here), excuses, why I as a woman, can't forgive. But, I am learning that the number one reason I can't forgive is because I'm human. I'm simply not God and there is nothing simple about that. I look at Jesus' example on earth. I think about His chosen torture, death, and His three day separation from God as He accepted punishment for the sins of the world. I understand that I can't forgive like Him. He loves me perfectly. For me, forgiveness is like a battlefield! For me, it's all about acknowledging in that moment of honest words that I can't win this war... it's not in me. That is just about when God starts running in to rescue me...

I can see .... compassion taking ground and forgiveness is not far behind! The battle cry is, "praise God". Send me your whole army! Fight for me! Fill this warrior princess up with as much FORGIVENESS as her armor can possibly hold!!! Make her armor into the finest of steel so nothing but FORGIVENESS can pass through!"

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results". James 5:16 NLT

There is freedom found in repentance and forgiveness! They're the best of friends... they work for you and for me, side by side, in our battles! If you are willing to fight through the pain you will find hope on the other side. We will experience healing. The pain still visits with me. But I am purposefully choosing to trust God to hold my pain. I can honestly say, I haven't won my battle... but I do know one thing... God is fighting for me!

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 NIV

Have you experienced the power of forgiveness in your life?

I had the privilege of hearing Michael O'Brien at the American Association Of Christian Counselors World Conference last year. He opened each morning with a few worship songs and I enjoyed it immensely! I hope that as you listen to his song, you can take a few minutes by yourself, to be quiet before the Lord.

In this manner, therefore, pray:Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
Amen.

Go with God girls!