Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Giving Up The Things I Love

Boy the last 48 hours have really been hard for me.  I had to give up something I really love, and I have been physically sick for the last 24 hours because of it.   I know your probably thinking that if something is that hard for you to give up, then you didn’t need to keep it anyway.  Guess what?  I agree!  But, I loved it and was addicted to it.  I couldn’t go a day without it and most days it was with me almost around the clock.  If I went without it for more than a couple of hours, I would begin to get cranky and ill.  What is it?  Caffeine.

Now that I am past the headaches, I am upset at myself for allowing something to have such a hold on my life that I became physically ill over doing without.  This is no different than a drug addict or an alcoholic being pulled to their addictions.  Of course I then had to look deep in my life for other things that have a hold on me.  As Christians I believe we are good at bargaining our desires into being okay.  We love chocolates, sweets, and rich foods that make us obese and we reason that we are not addicts, yet we are.


Psalm 19:13 says, Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

My prayer is Lord, search me.  Look for those things in my life that have a hold on me.  Reveal them and give me strength to put them away from me.  Let nothing pass my lips that is not edifying to you or my body.  Give me strength to say no.  Heal my body of the desires that come.


Saturday, September 8, 2007

Saturday Thoughts

It’s Saturday!  I love my Saturdays.  I usually get in a little extra sleep in the morning or I take an afternoon nap.  I remember when my boys were younger, my Saturday’s were chaos.  Now that they are older I find them much more peaceful, usually.  Dan is working and the boys are each doing their own things.


My scripture for the day is: Teach me to do Your will for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Psalm143:10 (NKJ)


Recently, I have begun each of my days asking for God to teach me to do His will in my life.  I mean really asking Him.   So, God has really been dealing with me on my excessive spending on things that I don’t need.  I am a sucker for a sale, a cute journal or office supplies.  It’s sick I know.  I love the thought of being organized, but can’t quite get there.  Anyway, Tuesday I realized my Franklin Covey planner is out of pages the end of September, so I decided I needed to get new pages and it had to be that day.  So, at my lunch hour I drove to my local office supply store to scope out the refills for my planner.  But wouldn’t you know that they had some new leather planners in stock and I fell absolutely in love with a couple of them.  I stood looking at both trying to figure out which one I was going to buy and that still small voice kept telling me that I didn’t need it.  Of course I didn’t need it, but I wanted it.  It was really nice and I would look really organized when I went to meetings at work.  I hadn’t even looked at the refills yet for my planner, I was stuck on the leather binders.  Suddenly the voice got louder, “You don’t NEED that binder, the one you have is in great shape and is functional”.  It took me back a bit, and then I realized I have asked for God to help me do His will with my finances and not mine.  I quickly put down both of the very nice binders and began scoping out the fillers.  And wouldn’t you know they didn’t have any that start in October 2007?  So, I thought I could get the undated refills and buy the 2008 fillers as the year became closer.  But, one of the binders I wanted, already had undated refills and it was only $40.00 more.  Hmmm. I picked up the nice leather binder again and started to walk off, when once again I heard that voice, ‘YOU DON’T NEED THAT BINDER’.  I realized then it was about obedience.  I put the binder down, told myself if I still wanted that binder in a couple of months I would put it on my Christmas list, grabbed the undated refills and moved quickly to the checkout counter.  I felt such a sense of accomplishment that I didn’t give into my want.  I also knew that the voice in my head was God and He was leading me to do His will and not mine.  Isn’t it wonderful to know that we have a God that really wants to lead us to uprightness, even when we don’t necessarily want to go there?  I don’t have a new leather binder this morning but I am okay with it because I still have that $40.00 in my bank account.  I consider that a savings, don’t you?


Seek God’s will ladies, He wants to show us a better way.  


Saturday, July 14, 2007

Saturday Thoughts

Sitting here this morning thinking of all the things I need to get done before the weekend is over and back to work I go. It is so tough some times to get motivated to move. My house has been full of activities all week, and even though my floors were mopped on Wednesday they look like they need mopped again. I thought when the boys got older that the messes would be less. Well….. I was wrong. I think the messes are bigger. Between laundry, dishes and just plain clutter my day will fly by. I think I’ll go get a pedicure with Tina.

I did. I went and got a pedicure, stopped at the grocery store on the way back and now trying to finish this post. I have to smile now that I read the beginning of this post. This morning I was feeling a little overwhelmed, but after having a pedicure I am ready to take on the world. Amazing how a small thing that I do for myself changes my outlook. I know many times as women, we do and do for everyone else and forget to take care of ourselves. We forget to enjoy the day and let it fly by with busyness. Sometimes I am like an ostrich and bury my head in the sand when I am overwhelmed. But now I think that if I bury my head at least my toes are going to look good.


Tell me how you take time for yourself.


Thursday, May 3, 2007

The Vow

I was reading 1 Samuel 1 this week and was intrigued by a story that I heard and read many times. Let me set the stage. Elkanah had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah (lets call her Peni). Two wives. What would possess a man to have two wives? Anyway, Peni had children with Elkanah but poor Hannah had none.

Peni was jealous of Hannah because Elkanah loved her more. So, Peni made it her job to provoke Hannah until she cried. Just imagine, someone tormenting you with something you wanted more than anything in the world. Peni knew that Hannah wanted children and wasn’t able to conceive, so I would imagine some of the statements she would have made went something like, “Elkanah only gives you more portions because he feels sorry for you”, or “Too bad you can’t have children so that Elkanah would love you”. Maybe she said, “I wonder how much longer Elkanah will keep you as a wife, since you can not bare him children.” In any event, these words would cut to the very bone to someone with infertility problems.


Hannah didn’t run, but she allowed her sorrow to turn to bitterness. Her husband was distressed and began to question her love for him. Her desire for a child had her so bound, she lost all focus on life and couldn’t eat.

While in the temple, Hannah began to cry out to God in sorrow. I can just image her on the ground weeping before the Lord. Begging Him for a child. Then, she made a vow, “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” Well, God did remember her and blessed her with a son. Would she keep her vow to God?

Not only did Hannah remember to keep her vow, she gave Samuel to Eli, the priest, to raise in the temple when he was just weaned. This had to be difficult for her to do. After all, she desperately wanted a child and finally received one. Yet, as she gave him to Eli she said, “As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.”

What vows have you made to the Lord? Have you kept your part of the vow when God answered with a ‘Yes’?

Friday, January 19, 2007

Sing to the Lord

And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
2 Chronicles 20:22

A couple of months ago I awoke from a dream in the middle of the night. I was singing a song at the top of my voice. I was trembling as I laid in bed, in the dark, thinking about it. I didn’t want to go back to sleep. Dan woke as well and pulled me to him to stop my trembling. All I could think about is the song I was singing. “Jesus you are the savior of my soul, and forever and ever I give my praises to you.”


In my dream, I was on a ship with several women and we were having a good time. Then one by one, women began to walk down to the below deck and not return. I began to miss them and went to see if I could find them. As my foot hit the first step down, I felt an evil presence. I tried to look to see what was below but couldn’t see past the darkness. It was then that I knew the women that went below were overtaken by this presence. As I turned to go back up the step I was grabbed from behind. I began to sing with a loud voice, “Jesus, you are the savior of my soul, and forever and ever I give my praises to you!” As I sang the presence was unable to hold on to me and I began to run. I ran quickly to where the other women were and noticed that I was being followed. As I reached the women I yelled to them to sing, and sing at the top of your lungs. As long as we were singing, this presence could not move toward us. But if we stopped it moved closer. I then woke from the dream singing this song.

I have pondered this dream and then began to search through the bible and found in 2 Chronicles 20:20-30 that Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go before the army to praise God. You see, the Lord spoke through Jahaziel earlier that Jehosphaphat should not fear those that have come against them because the battle belonged to the Lord. God told them to get in place and be still and see the salvation of the Lord. Then, as they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the enemy and they were killed. Wow! In my dream, as long as I sang this evil presence couldnt move toward me. God was holding him back. But as my mouth closed, he moved forward. So, I kept singing and sang to the top of my lungs.

What about you? Are you in a battle? Are you singing? Have you taken your place in battle and stood still to see the salvation of the Lord? If you have done all you can to stand, just stand! And SING!

Lord, you are the savior of my soul. And forever, and ever I give my praises to you. No matter what comes. No matter what the battle, I know that I have the promise that if I stand still Your salvation will be seen. I know that You are the redeemer of my soul. I know that You want to handle my battles. Help me to let go of my flesh and be still. Help me to SING. I love you Lord. Amen.

May God bless you this week and ambush your enemy.