Saturday, April 16, 2011

God Rested and So Should You!

I stay busy. There's always laundry. My kids think they have to change clothes every day! (-: AND, there's always dishes and cooking to do. My kids like to eat at least 3 times a day. Isn't that crazy?!?!? (-: And then there's my business I have to attend to. And let's not forget my precious husband that needs my time, and the kid's homework and school project, and ministry stuff, and my friends, and my extended family, and...well...and now I'm tired. Just thinking about how many irons in the fire we women have wears me out! YIKES! We have a LOT going on. ~~~ Most women I talk to say they find it hard to rest on a regular basis. AND, they also tell me they feel guilty when they take time for themselves to rest. Why is that? Why is it that we would feel guilty? I don't think that feeling of guilt is coming from the Lord. As a matter of fact, I know it's not! ~~~ There are many references to Jesus going away to recharge in the Bible, and HE WAS DEITY here on earth!. Mark 1:35 and Luke 4:42 are examples of this. But we can go back to the beginning to time and find even better examples of rest. In Genesis 2:2 we see that God rested after creating the world we live in. And not only that, In Exodus 20: 8-11 we see that God COMMANDED us to take a day of rest each week. ~~~ Did you get that? He COMMANDED us to rest? Yep. It's right there in the Bible. It's actually part of the Big 10 commandments! You are to rest, and it's part of obeying God. ~~~ So, how do you feel about resting now? I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit ticked off that Satan has made me feel bad about resting for so many years! I'm going to have some Holy nap time this week my friends! ~~~ And you know, I've found there are different types of resting. My sweet husband likes to work in the yard or ride his bike. I have friends that would prefer to spend their rest time reading a good book. I have other friends that would say their rest time is watching a good movie. As for me, I like to spend my rest time on the couch in and out of consciousness, opening my eyes every now and then to make sure the kids are still alive. (-: There's nothing like having your feet elevated for a while if you ask me!! ~~~ You know what happens when we rest and recharge ourselves? Well, it's my opinion we become more effective for Christ. Our words become blessings to others when we are well rested. Our thoughts are better when we are well rested. Our actions are pleasant when we are well rested. And, we have more joy when we are well rest. Now I understand why Satan doesn't want me to rest! ~~~ Lord, help me to remember your commandment to have a day of rest! I commit to resting once a week just as you asked me to do! ~ Amen

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

There is Power, Power, Wonder Working Power!

How would you describe a Christian? Maybe polite, or selfless, or meek, or gentle, or loving or self controlled. There are many words we use to describe Christians, but one we don't use is POWERFUL. "Powerful" is not a word that makes me think of a Christian, but yet in God's Word it is clear that God fills His Children with the Holy Spirit. It was through the Power of God that Moses was able to lead the Israelites out of slavery. It was through the Power of God that helped David slay Goliath. It was the Power of God that helped the Virgin Mary conceive. It was the Power of God that healed people in the New Testament. It was the Power of God that called Jesus forth from the dead on Easter morning. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has NOT given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of POWER, love and self-discipline." If you are a child of the King of Kings, then you have a Power in you that is great than the powers of this world! Jesus promised to leave "A Counselor" when He left us. Acts tells us that the Holy Spirit would come upon us and we would be able to do great things! So, are you living as if Jesus was resurrected from the dead, or are you living as though He were still behind that stone? Are you walking in the Power of the Holy Spirit, or are you like the walking dead? In John 15 we are told we need to remain in Him, and He will remain in us. Being connected to the vine is the way we can access the power that God has for us. Jesus said He came to give us a more abundant life, and remaining in Him is the key to that. But, how do we remain in Him? We need to put God at the top of our priority list if we are to remain in Him. Do you think God is at the top of your list? Then prove it by writing down how much time you spent with Him today. OUCH! When I did that I realized that He wasn't getting enough of my 24 hours each day. YIKES! I was saying He was my priority, but I really wasn't living it. And there's no way I can truly stay connected with The Vine without spending time with Him! I'm finding that on days when I put Jesus first, then I see the Holy Spirit working through me. I see God's Hand displayed in my life. AND, He gets the glory for those good works He is doing through me! I certainly want my life to point to Him! Matthew 17:19-20 says we can move mountains through the Power of God living in us. We just need faith! So let me ask you again..... are you living as if Jesus were raised from the dead, or are you like the walking dead? Get up! Live as a child of the Living God! Live with Him at the center of your life! Show the world what God has done for you and is doing for you! Let the Power of your King flow through you so we can bring glory and honor to Him! Lord, help me to remember that you did not leave me a spirit of fear and timidity, but yet a spirit of POWER, love and self-discipline! I know I am not the daughter of some earthly king, but yet I am the daughter of the King of Kings. Thanks for adopting me! ~ Amen

Monday, April 4, 2011

Prayer: Our Words to God

How precious it is that the Creator of the universe wants to have a personal relationship with me! And the key to any relationship, particularly our relationship with our Heavenly Father, is communication. We need to be in constant communication with God in order to grow our relationship with Him. And so, we pray. Some might say that reading our Bibles is how we get to know God. While that is partially true, it's hard for a relationship to really develop with God without prayer. Prayer is communicating with God. It's official defined as "devout petitions to God" or "an act of worship" or "spiritual communion with God". We can read the Bible every day of our lives, but until we call out to God and ask Him to be Lord of our lives then we don't have a relationship with Him. You know, I can read all kinds of books on Brad Pitt. I can find out all I want to know about him on the Internet. I can find out when and where he was born. I can find out about his career, and even about his family. But if I went to his house with all this knowledge, they still wouldn't let me in. Why? Because I don't know have a relationship with him!! We've never talked! It's the same with our Heavenly Father. In order to get into His eternal house that He has prepared for us, we must have a relationship with Him. Studying the Bible isn't enough. It's good, but it's just not enough. Romans 10:9 says it's with our mouths that we are saved. It's by confessing to our Father our need for Him that starts our relationship moving in the right direction. If you still don't think prayer is important, well, consider Jesus. He prayed. He prayed a lot. Most people that have ever attended church could probably even quote one of His prayers to you, The Lord's Prayer. That's out of Matthew 6, and it's a great prayer to say! However, I think prayer is a lot more than just reciting something to God. We need to express ourselves to Him. We need to tell Him our hopes, our dreams, our fears, our disbelieves, and our struggles. And we need to listen to what He has to say to us. That's real communication. That's when our relationship really starts to grow. How's your prayer life? Need a good reminder to pray. Well, why not pray every time you are at at stop sign or a traffic light. Or, why not set a reminder on your smart phone. There's a lot of way we can develop our prayer lives. Let's start today!