#79 - YOU WIN!

Good morning! Well... here I sit... laughing, excited, at peace. Laughing at my boy. He is so funny. He's in his bed right now, probably finished with his bottle and just talking. He is a hoot! His little voice makes me laugh. Excited. Excited about accomplishing some goals this month through our business! Our business team is pushing and pulling out all stoppers to make things happen to hit our goals before MIDNIGHT tonight! I'm jacked about it! We will do it! At peace. It's great to just live in a "knowing"... knowing that you have ALREADY WON! Whatever the situation, whatever the goal, whatever the obstacle, knowing that you have ALREADY WON! You have prepared. You are ready. You have won. So, let's roll into today's Word. :)

Psalm 30:7,9 - By Your favor, O Lord, You have established me as a strong mountain... What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit (the grave)? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth and faithfulness to men?

Psalm 60:12 - Through God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries. 

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]! 

Part of me doesn't even know what else to say! My favorite is Psalm 60:12! Through God we shall do VALIANTLY!  What is "VALIANTLY?" Glad you asked because it is good! Valiantly:

               Boldly Courageous      

                          BRAVE   

                                     Stout-hearted

             Worthy

                      Excellent

                                           HEROIC

Valiantly. I think we all, even us women, want to be described as the words above. To be described as "VALIANT". Yesterday was Tyler's DOR... so, last night we watched GI Joe. It's a pretty good movie... for a "Guy-Action" movie. I remember one part in the movie as 3 of the "Joe's" in their Arctic White outfits, go hydroplaning down the side of an inside tunnel on ropes. As they are propelling down, I said to Tyler, "Now, that's like Billy B.A. I think everyone kind of wants to be able to do something and feel like such a 'Billy BA.'" Or a scene in Tomb Raider, I remember Angelina Jolie, she's in her black leather "kick-some-booty" outfit, and that is exactly what she is doing. You see her moving, bending in ways we may only think is possible in movies, not real life. She's flipping, jumping, kicking, punching and she is one thing, BAD TO THE BONE! I remember watching that movie thinking, "Man, I want to get in DIESEL shape like that so I can jump and flip, do kicks and be like an action figure!" She is just the woman in that movie. I don't even remember what the movie was about, I just remember she was pretty DIESEL! 

So... as I read today's scripture... and as our business team is at the end of the month with a huge goal yet to accomplish. I'm just reminded of VICTORY. As it says in Psalm 30, it is by FAVOR, the LORD's FAVOR that we have been established. And not established as a little green, grassy null. Or a tiny little grassy hill, but we have been established as a STRONG MOUNTAIN! We have been SET UPON HIGH and we are WINNERS! And it is BY HIS FAVOR that we WIN! Not by our own "good deeds" or our own "high thinking" of ourselves, but purely by HIS FAVOR. Our God, OUR FATHER... not just our God, but OUR VERY OWN FATHER, HE FAVORS US! He is OUR FATHER. Our Father FAVORS ME! Amy Jo. And, guess what? He favors YOU TOO!

Are you in a sticky situation. Rough relationships. Ugly mean people? Goals? Finances? Direction? Psalm 60:12 is a Psalm of SUCH VICTORY! THROUGH GOD WE SHALL DO VALIANTLY! 

• Through GOD YOU ARE Boldly Courageous!
• Through GOD you ARE BRAVE!

• Through God you ARE Stout-hearted! YOU have a STRONG heart! STEADFAST!

• Through God, YOU ARE Worthy!

• Through God, YOU ARE Excellent!

• And like Angelina Jolie in the movies where she plays the "Heroine", THROUGH GOD, YOU ARE ALSO HEROIC!

You ALREADY WIN! Do you get it!?! It really doesn't even have ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU! Are you a Christian? Are you a child of God? Are you a Born-Again Believer? Then, YOU ALREADY WIN! It has nothing to do with you! Not your sin, or short-comings. Not your righteousness or deeds. It has everything to do with one thing, JESUS! Jesus died on the cross for ONE reason. So that YOU would not have to go live an eternity in hell. YOU already WIN! WE already WIN! Satan is defeated!! 

It's not "through" YOU that you win. It's not "through" your ability to smile or be charming, though you may have a great smile and be very charming. It's not "through" your good looks. It's not "through" your ability to manipulate an excel document and put in all the cool equations. It's not "through" your athletic ability. It's not "through" your hard work and bull-dog attitude. It's not "through" your perseverance. It's not "through" your great spouse, your position at work, your performance at work, your servanthood in teaching a Sunday School Class. It is THROUGH GOD that we shall DO VALIANTLY. It is THROUGH GOD that we are BOLDLY COURAGEOUS, BRAVE, STOUT-HEARTED, WORTHY, EXCELLENT, HEROIC!

Do you realize, but YOU HAVE ALREADY WON!?!!! YOU are ALREADY A WINNER! Now, it's just a matter of YOU REALIZING IT! YOU grabbing hold of it as your own! YOU POSSESSING YOUR PROMISE LAND, YOUR VICTORY!

So, whatever your situation today, wherever you are at... good, bad, scary, nervous, anxious, unfair, disadvantaged, WHEREVER you are, GRAB HOLD of the TRUTH that THROUGH GOD, YOU, YOU YOU YOU ARE VALIANT! YOU ARE A WINNER! Not in the Past, not in the Future, but TODAY, NOW NOW NOW, YOU ARE A WINNER! You have won! WE have WON! 

So, don't be afraid. Go be bold today. Be brave! Stand strong. Be steadfast! Be courageous! YOU can't be defeated! You have already WON! So go MAKE IT HAPPEN TODAY! Put on that happy face, put on your game music, JAM OUT to the fact that YOU WIN!

__________________________

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#78 - The Voice of the Lord

MAN! Is God amazing or what?!? AMAZING! I'm just SOOOOO JACKED right now!!!  So... let me just lay out a foundation for why I'm JACKED. :) I sat down this morning to jump into my "reading". Was getting ready to get in the Word. Today, being September 29th... I opened my Bible and began reading Proverbs 29.  MAN! God is SO good!!! I only got down maybe 8 verses or so and I heard, "Stop Reading." So, what did I do? I CONTINUED reading. I thought... hum... maybe I had some bad chicken salad last night. LOL. So... I continued reading and then heard again, "Stop reading and listen." Ok... so this time I thought. "Alright, I'll stop reading."


Today's verses.... 

Psalm 29:3,4,5,7,8,9 - THE VOICE OF THE LORD.....

So, are you just sitting there wondering? Are you wondering WHY I was suppose to stop reading?? Remember... I'm only as far as Proverbs 29... maybe verse 8. I hadn't even gotten to Psalm 29 or Psalms 59, 89..... Proverbs 31.

SO... I stopped, and obediently listened. I don't know how you do it when you listen, but I have a journal I keep with me and my Bible all the time. I daily write in my journal verses, or things that happened for the day... what I'm going through, victories, successes, maybe areas that I'm overcoming something. AND... I always write what I feel like the Holy Spirit is saying to me... so I can always distinguish between my notes and what the Holy Spirit is saying, at the beginning of when He is talking I always write a symbol that looks like an "ear", for "hearing." A "C" with a dot in the middle of it. So... I began... I wrote my "ear" symbol and He just began to FLOW. FLOW!


This is how He began.

C- MORE LISTENING. If you listen more I can tell you more. Don't get so rigid in a "reading" plan to find things that go together that you do't LISTEN. My WORD Amy, MY WORD that I speak to you through the HOLY SPIRIT is like receiving DIRECT COUNSEL. Amy SPEAK to your future. Prophesy over your life. Your books, speaking engagements, customers, SPEAK TO IT! YOU WILL call it what it is to BE!

Amy - Do I start small or big?

C- Amy, for one, START! DAILY! ...... .... I am In agreement! You PROPHESY to it and I will bring it to pass. You Prophesy, I WILL DO! .....

Then, He continued to talk to me and tell me SPECIFIC things to do. ACTIONS. IDEAS. SPECIFICS!!!! And at the end... check this out... check out what He said...

C- See, aren't you glad you listen? I have good ideas!

Isn't that funny! Of course HE has good ideas!! DUH! He has the best ideas! He knows the inventions that need to be created yet. He knows the products that need to be invented to fit needs. HE ALREADY KNOWS them! AND, HE is just waiting for Christians to LISTEN to Him so He can tell a CHRISTIAN what to do, how to invent, what business' to start, so that HE CAN PROSPER THE CHRISTIANS!!!! HE ALREADY HAS WITTY INVENTIONS READY! READY TO GO! READY!!! He's waiting for the keen ear to TAKE TIME out of the "normal" routine of daily life. Get up, get some coffee, get milk ready for the boy, write in my book, go give the boy his bottle, re-fill my coffee, grab a banana or make a shake, sit down and read my Bible, go through the daily reading plan, write the daily devotional, go get the boy up, feed him lunch.... and BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH! THE VOICE OF THE LORD is WAITING TO FALL UPON LISTENING EARS!!!! 
Hello! If you are out there, THAT one line was worth coming for!!! HE is waiting for YOU, YOU!!! YOU TO LISTEN!!!! We had a visitor from Slovakia today, he's waiting for YOU to LISTEN! Hey Canadians, He's waiting for YOU to listen! You over there in the UK, Australia, Japan, INDIANA, South Carolina, Georgia.... EVERYONE, HE'S WAITING ON YOU TO LISTEN!


Isn't it great that He has SPECIFIC COUNSEL for us? I mean, he went on to tell me some pretty awesome things! Some ideas that I was like, "MAN, THAT IS AWESOME GOD! That's a GREAT idea! That would be so cool!" And He was just like, "I know!" He gave me SPECIFIC things to do in areas of my life that I'm working on right now. Specifically in the area of my business that I run with my husband, as well as my "writing & speaking" career. 


SO...get to it! See what He has to say to YOU! The VOICE of the Lord is waiting for you to listen! He has some GREAT things to say to you if you will listen! And I guarantee, if your marriage is on the rocks, He knows JUST how to crack into your husband or wife. If it's your finances, He knows JUST how to open up the windows of heaven to allow finances to flow into your life. If it's your ministry, He knows JUST how to grow it, to market, to expand, to draw in the people. If it's your business, He knows just how to take it to a few thousand dollars to a MILLION DOLLAR business where you can begin to IMPACT NATIONS with your financial increase!!!


LISTEN TODAY! The VOICE OF THE LORD IS READY TO SPEAK TO YOU!!!

#77 - Prosper & Walk in the Blessing

Good morning! It is definitely a chilly day here in Columbia, SC. I'm sitting on the porch in JEANS and a JACKET! WHOA! Can you believe it?! It actually does feel like fall. How awesome is that?! I could even sit out here in a sweatshirt and it would be super comfortable. I love fall. What a great season! Fall clothes are just awesome. Sweatshirts and jeans, does it get much better than that?!?

Alright... I have an appointment, so we are going to jump right in! (Also...side-note - The bug man was here today and sprayed! Can we all say PRAISE THE LORD! We're sending ALL those cockroaches to meet Jesus!! HALLELUYAH! Especially after I was interrupted in my BATH last night by an intruder who wanted to swim! I yelled! Tyler had to come running to help me! YUCK!!) Ok... focus Amy, focus! They just have a way of getting me FIRED UP! Urghhhh! Let's get into the word!

Proverbs 28:13 - He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy.

Psalm 118:8, 18, 25 - It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. The Lord has chastened me sorely, but He has not given me over to death. (25) Save now, we beseech You, O Lord; send now prosperity, O Lord, we beseech You, and give to us success!

Psalms 148: 13a, 14a - Let them praise and exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme! He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them power, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence]...

Proverbs 31:10 - A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman--who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. 

Who knows that prosperity is a good thing? I would venture to say, not everyone thinks that. Some people have grown up with the thinking that there is something pious or religious about having less than you need, or not having very much money. Like there is something godly about living in lack. If money is so bad, why isn't Satan pounding down your door to give you some? Because he knows that money in the hands of good, God-fearing people can make a BIG dent in his plans to bring people to hell. Prosperity, wealth, in the hands of Christians who are SOLD-OUT to helping the gospel reach the ends of the earth is a threat to Satan's game plan. 


I like Psalms 118:25, O Lord; send now prosperity, O Lord, we beseech You, and give to us success! - Give us SUCCESS Lord! Give us PROSPERITY! That's a prayer. Have you prayed that before? Good for you! We serve a God who loves to bless his children. Who loves to bring them success and prosperity! 


We do get a key here to how NOT to prosper... check it out: He who covers his transgressions will not prosper. Once you have sinned, if we try to cover it up, that is one sure way not to prosper. Even the hidden sin, that maybe NO ONE knows about. Maybe it's just a secret that only we know.... well... news flash, God knows! There is no sin that is hidden from God and if we try to hide or cover up a sin that we have committed, He knows. It is still sin. 


When we are living in sin, it may happen that we are chastened by the Lord. Like when your child sins, or when you were growing up and sinned, mom and dad may have spanked you. You may have gotten grounded, but one way or another, you were punished. That is why it is so important for us to immediately run to God and ask for forgiveness. He is a God that will forgive, no matter how big of how small the sin, He will forgive. When we walk in that forgiveness, blessings are able to flow. When we walk in sin, blessings are blocked from our life. 

We pray Lord that you would forgive us of any sins we have committed. Lord forgive us. Forgive us Lord! We desire to bless and honor You! We desire to do YOUR will and grow Your Kingdom! Father, thank You that YOU are a Lord that forgives! Help me Lord to not sin, help me to crave you so much that I am far from sin. That I would hunger and thirst for righteousness. That is my prayer. That my greatest hunger would be for you, to please you Father. Lord, forgiven, we come to you and pray, SEND NOW your prosperity, we pray, GIVE to us, your Children success! Thank you that it is YOUR desire to bless us, to give us success and prosperity. It is your desire that we, your children live in the blessing. We love you Father. We thank you. We pray this all in the MIGHTY Name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen!

#76 - We Serve an "I DO" God

Blessings to you this morning. It is raining here in Columbia, SC. But, something about the rain just makes you feel at peace. Something about the rain is relaxing. Whether it be a "nap" day or "project" day... it makes you just want to do things out of the norm. Do you feel like that sometimes? As for me.... I started a FUN new project Saturday night. Daddy was out of town "helping the people" in Orlando, I put the boy to bed and I began. Began painting the room that is OFFICIALLY now Tyler Jr's play room. So much for a sitting room. It is now official. It is HIS ROOM! I painted yellow. 2 walls are yellow, then one wall is going to be red, one wall blue.... on the solid yellow wall I'm going to tape off and paint squares all over. Red, green & blue squares... in different sizes, different places.... no real order or symmetry... just something that looks neat! I have a friend, Amy.... she and her husband Curt are MASTERS at painting rooms to make them look EXTREMELY COOL! So... there it is... the inspiration! :) 


Well, let's start today... remember, if you want to follow along each day during your time in the Word, there is a "Bible Reading Schedule" tab that you can track with me! :)

Proverbs 27:23 - Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds.

Psalm 27:14 - Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. 

Psalm 57:2 - I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!  

Psalm 147:10-11 - He delights not in the strength of the horse, nor does He take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.

Proverbs 31:13 - She seeks out wool and flax and works with willing hands [to develop it]. 

In a nutshell.... know where your finances are, be diligent. Have faith in a God who will bring to pass His PURPOSE for you, He will COMPLETE it... HE will DO IT. Worship Him. Have faith in HIM over your mere 'works'. And be willing to DO. Be willing to WORK, develop whatever He has called you to do. 

Do you ever have things that come up... you knew in the back of your mind that they were coming... but it came and now took you a little by surprise. You now think... "OK... it's game time." You think, "It's time to put the pedal to the metal. It's time to get busy. It's time to do. It's time to really apply my faith." 

Well, I was reminded of that this morning. Praise the Lord that the WORD has it's way of helping us stay grounded. That the WORD reminds us what the Lord delights in, what HE takes pleasure in and it's not strength in our own abilities. It's not strength in what WE can do on our own, but it's the continual reverent worship & respect for the Lord. A respect. A humility. Humbling ourselves and reminding the God Almighty that we serve, "Yes God, YOU are MY ALL and ALL! YOU are THE ONLY One that I trust, serve and worship. My reliance is fully on You and You alone. Not my own strength, not my own ability, but Lord it is YOU!" That we get in a position, prostrate before the Lord. That we get in a position that says, "You are number one. I worship You. I honor You. I bow before You. I put my trust in You." Honestly, it has been a long time since I have done that. Just gotten on my knees, bowed my face to the ground and reminded God that it is HIM that I worship, it is HIM that I adore. 

Expect the Lord. Have a heart that is STOUT and ENDURING. "Lord, today may my heart be STOUT and ENDURING. Lord, TODAY, I am expecting you to __________________________. I thank You that YOU perform on my behalf! That YOU bring to pass YOUR PURPOSE for ME! That YOU help me live out my calling and that YOU COMPLETE IT! I rely NOT upon myself, but I rely FULLY on YOU! I cast my CALLING on YOU! I cast my talents on you. I cast my gifts on you, I cast ALL my cares upon you. I cast my future on you. I cast my desire to help people on you! And I THANK YOU that in YOUR WORD it says that YOU will complete it! That YOU will complete MY purpose for you. YOU WILL BRING IT TO COMPLETION and I do not have to try to figure it out! Thank You Father!"

This is what HE had to say....

"My desire is to be above everything else. To my children, my desire is to be their #1. When they thank and love me, when they bless me and respect me, it honors me. My desire is to want to do more when they have a thankful heart. When they express their love and gratitude. Bless me with your praise. But praise me not out of your need. Praise me out of your heart, out of your love. All is well. I am not a silent God to those who seek Me, to those I have a relationship with. I am the God that answers. That carries on a conversation. Sure, sometimes you don't need to know the 'how', just have faith that it is done. Have faith in Me, in MY ability to DO. Expect. Have faith. Do not waver, that is wasting your time and energy when your time and energy could be spent on completing your purpose for today. Do not worry. Do not fear. KNOW that I am an "I DO" God. I DO what needs to be done in YOUR life when you faithfully expect it. I DO IT. Have comfort. Take peace. Rest in the fact that it is DONE." 

Take this as YOUR WORD. Praise the LORD that we serve an I DO God! Now... I am going to spend some time and get before MY GOD and love Him! Serve Him and Worship Him. I'm going to get on my face and remind Him that HE is my first love. 

WELCOME Countries around the World!

Thanks for visiting from all over! Welcome everyone who visited this week.

United States 427

Canada 8

New Zealand 5

Australia 3

Brazil 1

Japan 1

Malta 1

Nigeria 1

I pray that you enjoyed whatever you read. Come back and bring your friends! Have a blessed weekend!


XOXO,
Amy J

#75 - From STRENGTH to STRENGTH

Good morning! It's been a good morning. A full morning. I'm excited about making it a productive day so let's get started.

Proverbs 24:10, 16a - If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again...

Proverbs 31:25a - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure...

Psalms 84:7a, 11 - They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]... For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

We might as well just jump right into what the Holy Spirit had to say to me about the topic. He has a way of making the words fewer and more clear than I do! 

"I desire to have a people that are strong, not weak. That their strength would be planted in Me, then I could bring them from strength to strength. That every day, in every way, in every situation, good or bad, their strength would be a STRONG STRENGTH. That even in a fall, they would be strong. But it is MY DESIRE to take my children from Mountain Top to Mountain Top. Like a weight lifter. They lift and get strong. It takes a period of time to get to that "strong" point. It does not happen over night. BUT, once they are there, they chisel. They go from strength to strength. They build upon what is already strong. That is where I want My Children. I want them to build upon a strength that has already been developed. The maintenance period is not hard. Rely & STAY in Me."

Need I say more? I guess I will just share from some personal experience. I know for me, I have had times in my walk with the Lord where I have felt far from Him. Where my quiet times were few and far between. I felt dry. I felt like I was in a desert and didn't hear His Voice much. I would try to wake up in the morning and read the Bible only to find myself dozing off... my eyes would get heavy and all I wanted to do was go back to bed. My consistency would be best described as inconsistent. My passion for everything was null and void. My eyes seemed dim. I lacked a "love for life." I lacked joy. I remember thinking in a time of day-in day-out drudgery, "I just want to be happy. I just want to have joy." I was far from a description of "Strength." At one point, sure I had a passion for the Lord, an excitement, but somewhere along the way I had lost it. 


For a period of time, actually about 2 years, Tyler and I both had somewhat of a sabbatical. Sabbatical in life. Where he sought the Lord, he read, he learned, he prayed. During that time, I really feel like I was gleaning off of his growth I was inspired by his growth. I hungered to have what I saw him having, growth and communion with the Lord. So my quest began again. My quest for my first true love. My quest for a relationship. My quest to feel happy and full. My quest to be strong again, but this time to stay strong. 


I am reminded of my brother. He is a fitness model and actor. If you knew him back when he was in high school, he was the farthest thing from "buff" or "muscular" as someone could be. He seemed to always be behind in growth, and most years was the runt of his class, the small kid. Bless his heart. Well, in college he decided that he wanted to change things. He didn't want to be small anymore. He wanted to be strong. He began the process of building his muscles, of getting strong, of getting big. He spent time in the gym. Hour upon hour. He began the process of building himself up. He has now graced the cover of many fitness magazines, and to say the least, he is strong. I am amazed now, in his strength, that he knows his body inside and out. If he needs to bulk up for a photo shoot or project, he knows just what to eat, just what to do in the gym, he knows just how long it will take for the muscles to respond. If he needs to get a leaner look, he knows just what to do to get a leaner look. He has spent time STUDYING his body. It is an art, and he now knows his body inside and out.  Now it is just a matter of him maintaining. Spending time, maintaining his strength. He continues to work on it, but the initial building stage is over. He has BUILT, he is past the building. He is now maintaining to stay strong. I would anticipate if someone were to ask him what period was the hardest, I would bet it was the initial building process to get to where he is now. To get to the maintenance. 

I believe that is where God wants us to be. He wants us to be in a place, like Jamie, where we can go from strength to strength. Where we know HIS Voice so well, that it just takes a Word from the Lord and we can and will change direction to build our "bi-cep" or work on our "shoulders", so to speak. That ONE Word from the Lord and He will lead us to work on our faith in the area of "finances" or "health/healing". Then we can chisel, develop, grow that are of our strength. That we are no longer on a slippery slope, but we are truly going from FAITH to FAITH. From STRENGTH to STRENGTH. 


Join me. If you are not conditioned. Begin that process. If you are conditioned. Let's get in the Lord's Gym and continue to build, continue to go from STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, INCREASING in VICTORIOUS POWER! 

DOR & WELCOME MISTY!

Good morning! I'm excited about taking a DAY OF REST today! YIPPEE!!! I need one! It felt good to sleep in!

AND, I just wanted to send out a quick welcome to a "NEW" FOLLOWER, MISTY! Glad to have you joining us on this journey Misty! Let us know what God is saying to YOU through these devotions! We would love to hear!

Have a blessed day everyone!

XOXO,
Amy J

#74 - ROLL YOURSELF on the LORD!

Buenos dias! A quick shout out to the Canadians out there! :) And... how exciting, New Zealand. Sad to say, I'm going to have to look at a map to see where New Zealand is.... I guess that tells you how much I paid attention in Geometry class. LOL! Just kidding... I know it's Geology! j/k - Geography class? :-) You know the class where you study where places are! HA! Praise the Lord that you don't have to be good at everything! That God gives us specific things we're passionate about and those specific things do not encompass everything! PTL! I'll stick with my boys (both of them! because who knows Tyler Sr is as much of a boy sometimes as Tyler Jr!), my God, writing, our business, athletics.... and we'll throw in some craft things now and again! 


Ok... well, we have MyGym in a little bit, so we are going to ROLL today! :) I'm excited to see what the Lord has to say. :) 


Scripture for Today: Proverbs 22, Psalms 22, 52, 82, 112, 142, Proverbs 31:10-31

Psalms 22:8-9 - He trusted and rolled himself on the Lord, that He would deliver him. Let Him deliver him, seeing that He delights in him! Yet You are He Who took me out of the womb; You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother's breasts.

Psalm 52:7-8 - See, this is the man who made not God his strength (his stronghold and high tower) but trusted in and confidently relied on the abundance of his riches, seeking refuge and security for himself through his wickedness. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in and confidently rely on the loving-kindness and the mercy of God forever and ever. 

Psalm 112:4 - Light arises in the darkness for the upright, gracious, compassionate, and just [who are in right standing with God].

Psalm 142:7 - Bring my life out of prison, that I may confess, praise, and give thanks to Your name; the righteous will surround me and crown themselves because of me, for You will deal bountifully with me.

Proverbs 31:18b - ... her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust].

Lord, we just thank You for revealing to us in your Word what You would have us to see. Thank You that YOU bring light in Your Word. Thank You that YOU bring forth revelation. Thank You that YOU speak to us, Your children. Thank You Lord that we can count on You EVERY DAY, EVERY MOMENT, in every hour to direct us, to guide us in our circumstances. Thank You that YOU set us up to be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. Thank You that YOU GIVE LIGHT! We receive Your LIGHT. We receive You shedding Your light in the areas that we need light in. Thank You Lord, in Jesus Name, Amen! 


Maybe YOU are living in a time of darkness... in a time of what may be a 'prison' time in your life... a time when you feel like you are living in the pit. You think, "When is it going to get better? When will there be light? When Lord? When? My very life feels like I am living in prison, every day is miserable. This situation, miserable. My job. This relationship. My marriage. Lord, I feel like I'm living in a PRISON! BRING ME OUT!"


Trust is a partner with Faith. Sometimes you can not see trust, reason in it, or know why you are doing it. Sometimes you just need to trust. When things seem bad, sometimes the only thing to do is to trust. To rely confidently on the Lord. To put your trust FULLY in Him. Here's a novel concept, to NOT RELY ON YOURSELF or YOUR OWN REASONING, but to simply just TRUST that the Lord is leading, guiding and directing your path. TO TRUST that HE will see you through. When you do not see anything else, any other way, ROLL YOURSELF ON THE LORD! Like it says in 1 Peter 5:7, "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."


To trust your situation to the Lord. TO GIVE it to Him, and then LEAVE IT THERE! To leave the care, the situation, the relationship at HIS FEET. To FULLY TRUST it in HIS Hands. 


Once you have LEFT YOUR CARE at the feet of Jesus. TRUST that HE will handle the situation. TRUST that HE will remedy the situation. TRUST that HE will do what needs to be done to bring LIGHT. TRUST. TRUST. TRUST. Rest easy. Rest light that IT IS DONE! And MOVE forward focusing on HIM. Move forward growing in Him. Move forward in learning to lean on Him more, to listen to His voice more, to be guided more each day. Move forward with your focus on HIM versus on your CARE, on the BURDEN, on the FRUSTRATION, on the WORRY, being "UNDER" the circumstances! FOCUS ON HIM and HE will "TAKE YOUR CARE." Focus on knowing HIM more. Loving Him more. Serving Him. Growing in Him. Allow Him to help you live above your circumstances. 


ROLL YOURSELF ON THE LORD! Roll your shortcomings, your weaknesses, roll all the areas that you beat yourself up because of your "lacks" or "inabilities". Roll YOURSELF on the Lord and TRUST HIM. 

#73 - Stay On GUARD!

Good morning! Wow! I feel a little bit overwhelmed. Did you feel like that when you read today's chapters? Wow. It is so full. It just filled my heart with a heaviness... but filled it with goodness also. A goodness for direction. A goodness for safe-guards. This morning, let's dive in and look a bit into the life of King David. 


Today's Daily Reading: Proverbs 21, Psalms 21, 51, 81, 111, 141, Proverbs 31:10-31

Proverbs 21:29 - A wicked man puts on the bold, unfeeling face [of guilt], but as for the upright, he considers, directs, and establishes his way [with the confidence of integrity].

Psalm 51:1a,2-3, 7b, 16-17 - HAVE MERCY upon me, O God ... Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin! For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me....wash me, and I shall [in reality] be whiter than snow. For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering. My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 81:11a, 12a, 14a, 15-16 - But My people would not hearken to My voice... So I gave them up to their own hearts' lust and let them go after their own stubborn will... Speedily then I would subdue their enemies...[Had Israel listened to Me in Egypt, then] those who hated the Lord would have come cringing before Him, and their defeat would have lasted forever. [God] would feed [Israel now] also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy you.

Psalm 141:2, 4, 5 - Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Incline my heart not to submit or consent to any evil thing or to be occupied in deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties. Let the righteous man smite and correct me--it is a kindness.

Proverbs 31:16a - She considers ...

Man! Let me just say... today is loaded! I don't feel I will have a chance to cover everything that I received from the Word today... but it is full. I pray you will have time to meditate on today's Word and see what the Lord is speaking to you about. Revel, marvel, soak in what it says. 


We are familiar with King David being called, "a man after God's own heart." Psalm 51 shows us the heart of David after being called out by the man of God, prophet Nathan. Nathan has just busted David for his sin with Bathsheba. David looked upon her, naked as she bathed on a roof-top, took her as his own, and since she was married, King David had her husband positioned strategically in battle so that he would be killed. The prophet of God, Nathan, approaches David and in rebuke confronts his sin. In Psalm 51, if you read the whole Psalm again, you may read it completely different when you know the heart that is going into the words. David immediately is filled with remorse. He cries, "HAVE MERCY ON ME, O GOD!" David does not try to justify his sin, but he embraces it, he takes it as his own, which it is. David holds it out before God, repentant and cries out for forgiveness. David recognizes that sacrifice is not what God is looking for here. That offering up a burnt offering, or slaying a ram to place on an alter is not what the Lord wants here. The Lords GREATEST desire is for David's HEART! Is for a heart that cries out, "LORD! FORGIVE ME! LORD I HAVE SINNED! FORGIVE ME LORD!" The Lord's desire was for a heart that would cry out for forgiveness, full of repentance and awareness of the sin that was committed. Like it says in Psalm 51, David offers "...a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent]..." Not that we need to remain with a broken and contrite heart, because we can RECEIVE forgiveness because of what Christ did on the cross. But here, David here is penitent. Penitent - feeling or expressing sorrow for sin. David expresses his brokeness here. He is truly repentant. 


When we sin, I believe that is where God wants us to be. He wants the sin to cause our hearts to be broken. That the sin so greatly weighs on our hearts, the sin, so heavy, the feeling of remorse so great, that we FALL ON OUR FACES before the LORD. We CRY out to the LORD, "O LORD! HAVE MERCY ON ME LORD! FORGIVE ME LORD! FORGIVE MY SIN!" That our guilt, our remorse would cause us to RUN FROM SIN the next time it approaches us. RUN FROM SIN the next time we are up against temptation. That the remembrance of the remorse would be so real to us in a time of sin, that it would keep us from sinning again. That our desire to PLEASE THE LORD would be greater than our desire to please ourselves and our flesh. 


Then when we look at what the prophet Nathan really did, we can see where Psalm 141:5 REALLY does play a HUGE part here!! "Let the righteous man smite and correct me--it is a kindness." King David KNEW that Nathan was a RIGHTEOUS MAN! He did not throw Nathan out! He did not REBUKE Nathan. He counted it as KINDNESS! He accepted it as TRUTH. HE accepted the rebuke, and I believe deep down, David was GREATLY THANKFUL to have been rebuked. For his error, his sin to be brought into the light. With his sin being brought into the light, it allows him the opportunity to FULLY RESTORE his relationship with the Lord. It allows him to come back into the FULL blessing of the Lord. And, to this day, we still know David, a man who sinned greatly as "A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART." 


Look at the RISK in Psalm 141 if WE as Christians, as believers don't take SIN seriously... But My people would not hearken to My voice... So I gave them up to their own hearts' lust and let them go after their own stubborn will. The prompting of the Lord will not be forever. If WE, Christians continue to sin, and run from righteousness, as it says in Romans 6, sin will lead to death. So much for the whole promise of "a long life" if we continue, relentlessly on a path of sin, not hearkening to the voice of the Lord. 


Further in Psalm 141, it says what the Lord WOULD HAVE done if the people would have turned from their sin. The Lord WOULD HAVE SPEEDILY defeated their enemies, and permanently. He WOULD HAVE filled their mouths with the BEST wheat (aka, the best food!), and He WOULD HAVE filled their mouths with honey from a rock. The Lord DID HAVE GREAT things in store, but the people would not HEARKEN unto His Voice. They remained stubborn, they continued to chase their lust. 


In our Proverbs verses, it talks about how the righteous man, or in the case of our Proverbs 31 friend, the righteous woman, CONSIDERS their ways. The RIGHTEOUS do their very best to keep their hearts sensitive to prompting of the Holy Spirit. The hearkening of the Holy Spirit. Even the rebuke of the righteous man or woman of God. The righteous count REBUKE from a RIGHTEOUS man or woman of God, they count that as KINDNESS! WHY is it KINDNESS? Why is REBUKE kindness? Because it is keeping them from DEATH! It is keeping them on the road to life! 


May you walk forth, as it says in Psalms 141 - Lifting up of YOUR hands as the evening sacrifice. May YOU Set a guard, before YOUR mouth; may the Lord help to keep watch at the door of YOUR lips. May YOU incline YOUR heart not to submit or consent to any evil thing. 


A CONSISTENT, DAILY, ROUTINE time with the Lord is so important. The Enemy is out there to STEAL, KILL AND DESTROY... like a ROARING LION seeking whom he can destroy. As a brother or sister reading this, my prayer is that you would STAY ON GUARD. I pray a hedge of protection around you today in Jesus Name, that you would STAY ON GUARD. 


Bless you. Bless you today.