Minus the Condemnation!

Romans 8:1 - Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

Have you ever had a day that one thing after another seemed to not go as planned? Your "To-Do List" piles up with unchecked boxes, glaring out at you the undone nature of each item! The check-list person in you begins to feel guilty about the list, replaying in your mind whether you could have done something different.

Frustration.

Guilt.

Condemnation.

Well friend… I'm hear to remind you that condemnation is from the enemy. Today is a new day! Allow the condemnation the enemy is trying to get you to accept be washed away. Remember that when you became born again, the blood of Jesus from the cross washed away that condemnation. Romans 8:1 reminds us that for those of us in Christ Jesus, those of us who are born again, there is NO CONDEMNATION!

So today, start anew! Have a fresh new start! Like a blanket of snow before it is touched, while it still sparkles and glitters in the light… allow your day to start anew. Lets wash away the undone checklist and start new today.

One thing I like to do before my day begins is ask one question. "So Father, what should I do today? What should be on my list?" Sometimes my list is short. Sometimes my list is long. But at least I know when I ask, not only have I acknowledged Him so He can direct my day but in doing this it's also a way of applying 1 Peter 5:7, casting my cares (including my schedule) on Him. He cares for me! There is NO condemnation! I refuse to allow condemnation to come down on me because I AM IN CHRIST! What a great feeling! What a great reminder! When a day does not go as planned, I can cast it on the Lord and start anew, start fresh. Cast the day, my list and plans on the Lord and start new minus the condemnation!

Empty Your Heart of the Uneasy

Matthew 6:25, 33-34 - Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried).... But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.... So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow...

It is so easy today to DAILY go against Matthew 6:25. Stop being perpetually uneasy, anxious and worried. Is it just me? Do you find yourself easily drifting into a state of worry? Or maybe being uneasy? Anxious? Maybe anxious about your dreams and goals. Maybe it's being worried about how God will come through with your finances & paying some bills. Maybe it's being uneasy about fitting everything you need to get done into the allotted time that you have to do it? Maybe it's having grocery money for the week when your account shows $0.00? Maybe it's your marriage. How could you not stress out and worry, when everything looks like it is falling apart?

Friend, I'm here to tell you (and remind myself), God has everything under control if you will KEEP your situation in HIS hands! So often, I know that I'm guilty of this.... see if you can relate: At some point in time, I may hand over a situation to God. Maybe it's something that I've allowed to stress me out, so I verbally (or in writing in my journal) give the situation to him. Often, later that day or a few days later, when the "microwave" of God doesn't shoot out my answer in the "microwave" time period that I want.... like a true woman, with my actions I do this, I GRAB that thing right out of His hands and like I'm talking to my child, or even my husband, I say, "Let me just do it. I'll get it done quicker." (Because no one can do it better than "me", right?! "I will do it! At least I know the job will get done right!) So, there I go, taking the care, concern, worry back onto my shoulders thinking that maybe I can come up with a quicker solution, since GOD didn't manifest it as quickly as I wanted him to.  

I'm just going to remind you (and me), he DOES have a divine plan. He does have divine people lined up to HELP YOU! He has situations LINED up that are going to turn the situation to YOUR FAVOR!!! BUT.... there it is, the big BUT.... BUT, if we keep taking the situation OUT OF HIS HANDS, then we are prolonging those divine things to LINE up that HE has pre-orchestrated, that He has set up to happen! Our WORRY and ANXIOUSNESS, us dwelling on UNEASY is like giving that "thing" or "situation" priority over WHO GOD IS! GOD CAN and WILL handle the situation if we will only LEAVE it with Him. Let Him do His job!

So friend, whatever it is for you today, empty out your heart of the uneasy. Empty out your heart of the anxious thoughts. Empty out your heart of the stress. Empty out your heart of the sadness. Empty out your heart of the pain. Empty out your heart of the stress. Do it one more time, do it today. Cast that care and worry, cast your situation, your spouse, finances, dreams, relationships onto the Lord. ALLOW HIS plan to be carried out. Leave your situation with Him instead of giving into the temptation to take it back again. Watch as HE directs you step by step. He may not give you the whole unraveling of how everything will unfold, BUT if you will LISTEN today, friend, HE WILL give you the next step. It may just be ONE step, but the ONE step that you need to take next is ALL YOU NEED!

Is this you? Make a verbal commitment to someone today that you are casting it on the Lord. Or even just post a comment as your PIVOTAL decision. Just write, "I'm CASTING it on the Lord today. I'm emptying out my heart today." Pick up GOD's peace. I guaranty, having that in your heart will ALLOW you to smile today even when you feel like a smile shouldn't be possible.

Love you! :)
xoxo.

I'm going to start with my comment below..... 

Refuse to Worry!

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.

Have you, like me, ever had something... an event, a challenge, a person, an opportunity that consumed your mind? For good or for bad, you've thought about it during most of your waking hours, whenever your thoughts had the opportunity to wander. Your wandering thoughts went directly to this situation, maybe this problem.

Well... I've been experiencing that with a situation for the last several weeks. A consuming thought that, on my own, I would try to fix, make it work, figure it out. I would walk down the hallway as I was rounding the steps to go upstairs, and in my mind, I would be stressing about this situation. How can I fix this. How can I make this work? The thought seemed constant, and quite honestly was getting exhausting.

Granted, like every good Christian, I prayed about it. :) I mentioned it to God a few times in prayer. Not that I had ever really given Him an opportunity to comment back to me, but I threw it up there to Him. Then, I went right on about my business stressing out about it, and worrying about it.

Finally, yesterday... I had the opportunity that I had to face the situation. And.... in my spirit, I knew I had to be a pressure release valve, instead of forcing the outcome to be one which I had "sold."  The outcome had gone as expected. I did go with my spirit, and didn't force the situation. Which still left me back to ground 0, back at the starting line.

"Ok God. Now what? I'm tired of worrying about this. I'm exhausted trying to figure this out."

For the first time during this ordeal, I heard that still small Voice say, "Then don't."

"What?"

"Then don't try and figure it out."

It finally clicked. I had REALLY been trying to do all of this on my own, instead of doing what I KNOW to do, which is the answer found in 1 Peter 5:7, cast ALL of your cares on the Lord! For weeks I had been carrying the stress, the care, the concern, the pressure about this situation. My waking thoughts constantly drifted to this area of frustration and unresolve.

Finally I did what I should have done weeks before, I said out loud, "Lord, I CAST this care on YOU! I'm going to let YOU handle this! I'm going to let YOU take care of this and work it out. YOU know just what I need, and you know how to bring it about perfectly! I haven't been able bring it about for the last 4 weeks, so, I'm DONE! I CAST THIS CARE ON YOU!!"

That, was yesterday morning. A few times throughout the day, probably out of habit, I caught myself worrying about the situation again. As SOON as I caught myself worrying about it I said, "NO! I have CAST that CARE on the LORD! I refuse to worry or be concerned about it. Thank you Lord for handling it for me!" I had to do that at least twice yesterday.

I had heard a minister say once, "When you try to carry your own cares, like YOU can handle it, it is actually an area of PRIDE. It's like you are telling God, you do not need Him and you can do it on your own."

To my surprise, by the end of the day, the Lord had brought about not ONE, but TWO alternatives to the situation. Alternatives that appear to be WAY better than the one that I had been trying to force. Granted, the situation isn't fully resolved yet, but I look forward to an AWESOME report since I'm FINALLY traveling down the road of letting the LORD fully resolve and make perfect the situation!!

Sooooooo.... what is it that YOU have been holding onto? Is there something in your life that you keep picking the care back up? You put "the care" in God's hands, but to only take it back an hour later and begin again to worry and stress about it? Is it your weight? Your marriage? Your business? Your children? Is it a relationship at work? Is it trying to keep your house clean, but the never-ending cycle of busyness seems like it's making it impossible?

Are you holding onto a care that you've been carrying on your own for a long time. The stress and pressure of it just weighs you down? Friend.... I encourage you to, once and for all, cast that care on the Lord! He really does care for you, and I GUARANTY, HIS outcome will be better than ANYTHING you could have manufactured on your own! :)

We have a joke in our house... when we have a situation that we catch ourselves worrying about, we say, "I could CARE LESS!!! I could CARE LESS! I CAST that CARE on the Lord! I refuse to care or worry about anything!"

God is in control! Amen?! :) Be blessed friend!

Success Formula!

Proverbs 16:3 (amp) - Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

What an exciting verse... one that may take some time to actually fully do. Roll YOUR Works! Roll your job, your kids, your business, your book, your crafts, your projects, your inventions, your finances, your dreams.... ROLL THEM onto the Lord. Commit & trust them WHOLLY to HIM. Once we've rolled our works and our cares over to the Lord, then it's time to TRUST Him with them. Trust that His goal and desire for us IS for us to accomplish the God-given dreams and desires that we have! How exciting! He will cause YOUR THOUGHTS to become agreeable to His will. Probably my 2nd favorite part of this verse. When we cast our works upon the Lord... when we cast our business, our job, our dreams upon the Lord and trust him with it, THEN begins the work of OUR THOUGHTS coming into line and into agreement with God's! Now that is good stuff! Once our thoughts come into line with God's THEN He will cause OUR plans to be established and SUCCEED! 


Who wants SUCCESS?!? I do! By turning our works over to the Lord, trusting Him with them, He begins to transform our mind. Thoughts, ideas, plans, specific activities, the 'how-to', comes into clarity and focus. THEN because we have honored God with our "works", He causes them to SUCCEED!

So... Formula for success?

Roll your Work/Care/Dream onto the Lord + Trust GOD with that Work/Care/Dream = Our Thoughts Line up with God's thoughts (plans, ideas, ways to do things just "pop" into our heads) = (ultimately leading to) SUCCESS 

 

 

 

#232 - When You Feel Like Thomas...

Proverbs 15:29b - ...He hears the prayer of the [consistently] righteous (the upright, in right standing with Him). 

Proverbs 31:30 - Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised! 

John 20:24-29 - ²⁴But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
    ²⁵So the other disciples kept telling him, We have seen the Lord! But he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the marks made by the nails and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe [it].
    ²⁶Eight days later His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though they were behind closed doors, and stood among them and said, Peace to you!
    ²⁷Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place [it] in My side. Do not be faithless and incredulous, but [stop your unbelief and] BELIEVE!
    ²⁸Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God!
    ²⁹Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me.

Have you ever been in a situation where doubt just seemed the easiest thing to believe? The odds were stacked against you, your faith level felt low, automatically the 'rock-kicking' position was the state of your feelings and faith. You look at past situations and see what appeared to be failure, and by how things look with this new situation, it's just going to be a repeat. Friend, today, there is hope for you to believe!


Earlier in John chapter 20, the disciples are gathered together in fear. They are in fear of the Jews. They sit behind closed doors, in one feeling, fear. Little did they know, their Friend, their Beloved, their Missed Savior was just moments away from walking through that closed door. Just moments away. Upon seeing Jesus, and the holes in his side, hands & feet, the disciples believed. They saw! All but Thomas saw. What if one of the others would not have been in the room that day? Eight days later when Jesus reappeared, would we also be reading about "Doubting James?" or "Doubting John?" All the disciples except Thomas were there when Jesus appeared. They saw. 


Now go with me, go with me back to that time. Can you imagine the grief you would feel after the passing of your Friend, your Savior. The mourning, the sadness. Sure, He promised He would come again, but sadness still held an overwhelming sensation in your body. When would He come? Was He just saying a parable again? Telling a story? And here, eight days after Jesus appeared to all the other disciples, He appears to them again and Thomas is present. Though eight days prior, Thomas says, "Unless I see in His hands the marks made by the nails and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe [it]." 


As Jesus walks in the room, it does not say that Thomas actually did place his finger in the nail prints, or put his hand in Jesus' side. But he just says, "My Lord and my God!" I can only imagine at that very moment Thomas may have fallen to the ground, embraced his Friend, his Lord, his Savior. So happy to believe. So happy that He really was alive! 


Then Jesus talks about you & I! He says BLESSED are those who have believed and have not seen! That's Me! That's You! "Believed" in the Greek (Jn 20:29), also is translated, "to place confidence in."


Have you trusted Jesus with your salvation? Have you turned your life over to Him? Are you saved? Then, Jesus HERE, in this scripture is talking about YOU! Two thousand years ago, He was talking about YOU!  


Today, from the worlds perspective, the odds may appear to be stacked against you... but all we have to do is to CHOOSE to believe. We don't have to know the details, the outcome, how everything is going to come together on our behalf. All we have to do is CHOOSE to believe. All we have to do is place our confidence in the ALMIGHTY ONE!


Build your faith up today! Build your belief up today! Put your situation in God's hands and leave it there! Put scripture to work for you. Check out the power behind these confessions! They are for YOU & for ME! 

• All things are possible to him that BELIEVES!
• My God shall supply ALL my needs according to HIS riches in glory!
• I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!
• With God for me, who can be against me? 
• My God gives me the desires of my heart!
• I have FAVOR in the sight of God & Man!
• My God does exceedingly & abundantly above ALL I can ask, think or imagine! (WOW! That's a lot!)

When you feel down & out... when you feel like Thomas, "How could I possibly trust or believe until I see some results." I encourage you... cast your situation on the One who came to save you! Cast your situation on the One who CHOSE to die for YOU! He CHOSE you! Will you CHOOSE to believe in Him for your situation? When you feel like Thomas, Choose the Word. Choose the truth. Choose to trust. Choose to place your confidence in your Savior! Choose Jesus!

#231 - In Need of Some Confidence Today?

Proverbs 14:26 - In the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children shall always have a place of refuge.

Proverbs 31:30 - Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!

Today, are you in need of strength? Are you in need of strong confidence? Are you in need of just a knowing in your heart that everything is going to be OK? Maybe it's financial struggles, health challenges, relationship issues, marital struggles, tiredness, weariness, job challenges, lack of fulfillment, a family health challenge, a child who has gone astray from the Lord. Have you been doing things right and feel like it hasn't paid off? Have you been following the Lord, being faithful, and feel like it hasn't gotten you anywhere. You look at people who have done it "their own way" and feel like they have just catapulted in success and happiness. Do you need a strong confidence? Do you need that knowing that GOD is still GOD? That God is still on the throne and blesses HIS children for their faithfulness and obedience?  


Friend, God still is on the throne. And, God has a strength waiting for you that you've been desiring. He has that strong confidence available for you that you have been longing for. In 1 Chronicles 16, the chapter is filled with David directing the people to give praise to God... and HOW to give praise to God.  

1 Chronicles 16:7:12 - That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the LORD in this manner: ⁸ Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. ⁹ Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. ¹⁰ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ¹¹ Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. ¹² Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.....

As I write this, the song playing has these words ringing. "Shout out to God with a Voice of Triumph, Shout out to God with a Voice of Praise!" Are you waiting for that strong confidence? Choose today to receive it through reverent worship! Like in 1 Chronicles 16, Give praise to the Lord! Sing to him! Tell of His wonderful acts! Remind Him of what He has done for you! Give Him glory. Look to the Lord and HIS strength. 


Get alone. Allow yourself to have a time in reckless abandon to praising Him! Allow yourself to be taken away in worship. Allow yourself to get on your knees, to worship, to adore, to honor your Heavenly Father for all He has done and all He is doing. Maybe with your eyes, you do not see it. Maybe like Thomas, you want to put your fingers in the very holes of Jesus to know what He did was real. Maybe you want to SEE that God really is working.... but friend, allow your time in worship to SHOW God, to prove to Him that you CHOOSE to trust, even when you don't see. That you CHOOSE to trust, even when you can't touch the hole in his side, the holes in his feet & hands. Allow your worship to be a sacrifice of praise that says, "GOD, I trust you and what you are doing! I trust YOU and where you are taking me, even when I don't SEE the outcome yet. I surrender all to you."


As you praise Him, receive the peace and strong confidence that He has waiting there for you at the alter of praise. Everything IS going to be OK. Cast all of your cares upon Him, for He DOES care for you! Receive your confidence from His throne today!

#218 - Don't Fret! Expect Favor!

Good morning! Well.... I'm officially 33 weeks pregnant today. I get to go to the Doctor this morning to check and see how Trinity is doing. :) Whoo-hoo! Our little girl is growing and SO is mama's belly! I measured my belly the other day.... I have definitely surpassed Tyler!! I am currently 44 inches around. Whoa! I have also graduated out of most of my bed-time t-shirts and have started snagging Tyler's t-shirts. Ha! All is well though. Trin is healthy, I am healthy, Tyler & Tyler Jr are healthy.... and we are all excited to meet Trin in a few weeks. Wow! Could be as soon as 35 days and I will be full-term. It seems closer when you break down the days. I'm definitely doing my best to enjoy each day! Tyler Junior will soon not be an only child getting all the attention, so I want to enjoy this time. Although, I must say, it will be nice to have my body back! :)

Ok... ok... let's get into the Word this morning so I can scoot off to the Doctor. :)

Proverbs 15:15 - All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].

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]!

Have you ever found yourself asking questions similar to these?: How are things going to turn out? Will it be good for me? Will I like the outcome? 


I've found personally that it really takes an active effort to keep my thoughts on the positive, rejoicing over the future, though I may not know the exact details of how circumstances will turn out. I don't know if you can relate, but in a time of change it can be easy to err on the beginning of Proverbs 15:15, allowing anxious thoughts and forebodings to creep in. What are "forebodings?" The dictionary defines it as a strong inner  feeling or notion of future misfortune. Proverbs 15:15 tells us that days are made evil because of this very thing, dwelling on the possibility of future misfortune. That is what makes ALL THE DAYS evil, by dwelling on the potential negative that COULD happen.

Do you see the glass half empty? Or do you see the glass half full? Do you expect favor in the situation you are in? Or do you look at all the possibilities where things could turn wrong? If we broke things down, we could say that Proverbs 15:15 is telling us to SEE THE GLASS HALF FULL! Take on an optimistic spirit. Take on a FAVOR mindset. Be favor minded!

Our Proverbs 31 friend is rejoicing over the future. She has done what she can do. She has prepared what she can prepare. She determines within herself, to now, rejoice over the future. The preparations have been made. Like her thoughts are, "Let the outcome be what it may, but I am going to set myself in agreement with favor. I believe that God is working everything out on my behalf. I am prepared. I am ready and the future is going to bring great things to me & my household! With God on my side, who can be against me?"


Don't fret. Don't care. As it says in the 1 Peter, "Cast ALL your cares on Him for HE cares for you!"  


As you set yourself in agreement with the WORD and not the WORLD, watch God work on your behalf. Regardless of circumstances, regardless of the situation, put yourself in agreement with the Word. Speak it out loud!

"MY GOD will even make my mistakes to prosper! I walk in divine favor! All things are working together for my good in Jesus Name! With God for me, who can be against me? ALL things are possible with God. Favor, favor, favor! God's favor is working for me now!"

Don't fret! Agree with the WORD and watch favor line up on your behalf!

 

#155 - CARE LESS!

Good morning! I have done one great "chore" this morning, GO ME! I took out the recycling. :) Isn't that great! :) We were a little overflowing since last week we forgot. Anyways... I'm sure you are super happy to know about the mundane things that happen here in the McCart house... things that I'm sure happen at your house too! It is a BEAUTIFUL day though, so it was nice to take an early morning visit to the outdoor world. I smiled because I noticed that our first daffodil has bloomed. Not to be confused with dandelion, because I have seen a few of them in bloom too. TJ enjoys picking them... I think he may have even tried to eat a few. Does a mother's duty ever stop? "No, don't eat that! Don't put that in your mouth!" Arghhh. :) I won't wish the time away, I'm sure he'll stop putting everything in his mouth soon enough! Ha!

OK... let's get started! There may have been trickles of this in some other devotions, but this morning I feel led to talk about it front on! So, let's go!

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.

What a GREAT verse, and so critical to DAILY Christian living! I explicitly remember when I really caught the meaning of this verse, its fullness. Tyler and I were watching a minister that we really enjoy, streaming on our laptop. He always makes us laugh! Well, in this particular message he was talking about what could be some of the "stresses" of ministry. #1 being, paying the bills. He recalled a story about a bill the ministry had received. This wasn't just a light bill for a few hundred dollars, this was a Television bill in the tune of a few MILLION DOLLAR$! Yes! A few million! The bill was coming due soon, and the money was not there to pay it. The minister said, "I cast this care on you Lord! I could care less about this! I'm not going to care because you tell me to cast that care on YOU! I cast it on you! I could CARE LESS!" To take the situation further, since he was led to have a TV ministry by the Lord, he held up the bill and looked up to heaven and said, "JESUS! YOU'VE GOT MAIL!!!" LOL! Now, if you could just hear this minister, he is a hoot! He took 1 Peter 5:7 literally, and now so do I!

Often, in our home now if we have a situation that could cause stress, we just cast it on the Lord and just to spite the devil, we say, "I COULD CARE LESS!" This minister also said that "carrying a care" or "keeping a care" is a form of pride. Pride. When we hold on to that care... let's say it is a bill, or health, or a relationship.... when we hold onto that situation INSTEAD of casting it on the Lord, it is a form of pride. It is like we are saying, "I can handle this on my own, I DO NOT need the Lord's help."

Tyler and I just decided, we were not going to "CARE" anymore! We were going to CAST ALL of our cares, like what the amplified says, the WHOLE of our care, our concerns, worries, anxieties ONCE AND FOR ALL on the Lord, for He cares for US! He doesn't want us to carry burdens or worries. He doesn't want us to carry anxiety! Imagine the FREEDOM! After being so weighted down with carrying a burden, to FULLY cast it on the Lord and just yell, "I COULD CARE LESS!" It really is freeing! Throw your arms out, and cast that care on the Lord. You do it with your whole heart, and tell me you don't feel better! I would imagine you will feel a weight lifted of your shoulders and feel better than ever.  To finally just tell God, "YOU handle this." "YOU show me how to provide the income for this." "YOU give us a new vehicle." "YOU DO IT!"

What freedom! Now the thing is.... after something has been cast on the Lord, He may very well reveal to you how to solve the problem. Then it does take you, taking HIS plan and acting on it.

What freedom! Just this morning, the Holy Spirit was reminding me to NOT get into bondage feeling like I needed to be "teaching Tyler Jr this" or "teaching him that." Making sure we go to the park, or play outside. Etc, etc.... He reminded me that just Tyler Junior being HOME with his MAMA... being in the environment that I have created for him will be the largest factor in growing him up to be an amazing child and eventually man of God. Not whether he goes to the library at 16 months old, or zoo, or park every day. It is the environment I create at home. The Holy Spirit was reminding me, to cast that onto the Lord. I was starting to pick up that care a little bit.

SO, I COULD CARE LESS! I'm going to have a great day! It's going to be a Spirit led day, and it's going to be GREAT! :)

What about you? Do you need to CARE LESS too? Try it. I think you'll like it!

#149 - Life is lived better in the NOW!

GUEST POST: Thank you Tyler for the guest post! It is definitely awesome!!! :)

Here are other ways to get great stuff from Tyler.....

Tyler's blog, go to: http://www.themccartteam.blogspot.com/

YouTube Channel for VLOG posts: Tyler H McCart You.Tube Channel

Tyler on Twitter: @TylerMcCart

___________________________

Hello everyone!! Just sitting here at Starbucks after I just finished interviewing someone for my business' expansion.

Amy and I had an interesting conversation over lunch today. It was sparked because I am helping a friend go thru a difficult situation in their life. This friend wants this situation to be over and to have complete victory in it. Well, it just seems that the situation is only getting worse and worse.

As i was sitting there with Amy at lunch, one of here favorite songs came on Pandora. It brought her back to laying on her bed at the age of 21 and wishing that God would open my eyes and see that she was suppose to me my wife. (BTW, Amy just finished her book about how we met and it will rock your world.) Obviously, I was in South Carolina and Amy was the last person on my mind. But I sure was on Amy's mind.

Well, as Amy was sharing this with me, it made me think of how much it related to my friend or really anybody wanting a situation to be resolved or a goal/dream to be met.

Here is the thought: When you want something to be resolved or a dream to come to pass in your life, we have the tendency to live in the future of when it will happen and while you are living in the future, you are miserable in your present, making you ineffective for anything that God needs for you to do. So here is the bottom line:

STOP LIVING IN YOUR FUTURE BECAUSE YOU WILL BE MISERABLE OR PARALYZED IN YOUR PRESENT!!

It is ok to have dreams/goals or desire a situation to be over, but you just can not live there, in that future place. I use to be there, in my future, all the time!! Misery!!!

This is WHY the LORD said:

1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified Bible)

7Casting 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.

Amy was a classic example during that time she wanted God to wake me up. I gave Amy a scenerio of what would life have been like back then if an angel had came into her room that very moment and said, "Amy, why are you crying? Tyler will wake up on Dec. 23, 1999 and a year later you both will be married." Amy's response, "I would have probly looked forward to that day, but I would have not been so miserable."

Well, Amy had already been told by the Lord that I was the man she would marry, but the manifestation had not come. So, instead of just "Casting this whole care" (aka goal/dream or situation) on the Lord and leaving it alone. She sat on her bed miserable and begging God to change my heart. When God had already told her that it was going to happen and it was already DONE! All she had to do is literally put my on the shelf of her life and leave me there and go about her life and do the things God wanted her to do.

We all do this. We want that goal or situation to manifest in our life, so badly that we actually desire that more than the our relationship with God and doing what we were called to do. Therefore, by living in the future, you short circuit your relationship with God and you no longer are effective for the calling on your life.

Leave it with God and trust that He will bring the desired outcome to pass.

So please stop living in your future and start living in your present. Be fully present in your present. You and your Heavenly Father will have a much better relationship and you will enjoy your life more.

#113 - Don't STAY Down!

Good morning! We have a full morning and a full day! The boy gets to go play today with his friend Harper! Hip Hip Horray! :) This will be a first for the boy and for mama! I will be going to have lunch with a friend & mentor which I'm excited about! Praise the Lord! Today's Word was much needed and refreshing, I think it will speak to a lot of you as well, so let's get started. 

Psalm 37:3-7a - Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.

    ⁴Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

    ⁵Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

    ⁶And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday.

    ⁷Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him...

Well, let me set the stage of this mornings devotion. Yesterday, things were going well... all until the evening. Daddy was with the boy, and I teach/coach/lead a class on Monday nights on Health & Fitness. Well... one thing led to another with my evening, what should be a great night because Mama is kind of "off duty" and free to do things by myself after my class, turned into a not so great evening. It all started with thoughts that led to some frustrations. It began something like this..... the need to make decisions of Christmas traditions started coming, thoughts about what we want with our "family" Christmas, how to make Jesus the most important and most evident reason why we celebrate Christmas, gifts, shopping, money, people that I would like to buy presents for, etc, etc, etc. During this spiral of thoughts it was like the devil was just reeling me in, tightening and tightening, causing me to dwell on things that made me not happy. I found myself in Dicks Sporting Goods looking at my favorite brand, Nike, and I was literally almost crying. Just from a series of thoughts. Which, since I was just dwelling on "myself" and "my thoughts" made me completely ineffective in the marketplace. "Ineffective?" You ask. How did that make me ineffective? Well, I know that I am called to be a light in a dark place. I am called to draw people to the light. Draw people to the solution. And I believe I have the solution. I have what people are looking for! Not only from a business perspective for those people who are needing and praying for a way to bring in an additional income stream, but most importantly I have to offer the KING OF KINGS to those who may not know Him. 


So, here I am driving home. You tell me if you have done this before... I'm driving home, feeling bad. Dwelling on things that made me feel even more depressed, and recognized what was going on. I very seldomly allow negative thoughts to penetrate my mind for long, and I realized these thoughts had been continuing. I then began to confess outloud my goals. I have "confessions" that I speak several times a day, and I know that you can not defeat thoughts with thoughts, you can only defeat thoughts with WORDS. (that's worth writing down!) You can not defeat thoughts with thoughts, you can ONLY defeat thoughts with WORDS! So I began confessing my goals. Confessing my affirmations. Confessing the WORD over my life. And after I finished doing it once, I did it again with more enthusiasm. I would like to say that I kept doing that... but I did it maybe several times, then I went back to driving with my thoughts. Negative started weighing me down again. My first thought was, "Who can I call that would be able to encourage me?" Then, from within my spirit, I heard, "Encourage yourself in the Lord." I know that as a believer we can not always count on someone else to "lift us up," sometimes we need to know how to encourage ourself in the Lord. (Don't get me wrong, I'm all about friends and positive people to speak into our lives, and I have them.) This time, I knew it was not a job for someone else. I knew that I needed to encourage myself in the Lord. I had remembered reading a few places in the Bible how to do that, praying in the Spirit, verbally thanking God for all He has done, spending time in Praise & Worship.... all of these things wage WAR against the enemy. 


When I got home, I honestly just wanted the day to be over. I wanted a new day. I didn't go to bed "happy." I was ready for the day to end. Then, this morning when I woke up the first thing that I wrote in my journal that I felt was directed by the Holy Spirit was, "Start over today." Last night, while I was out and even when I got home, I had felt like discouragement had made me loose my "Umph" about life. It got my eyes off of what was important. The Word today is such a perfect reminder! Let's look at it again! "Roll each care on Him" - "Delight yourself in the Lord and HE will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart!" PRAISE THE LORD! 


So, what did I do? I began to do just that. I began to list out each care I was rolling over to the Lord. "Lord, I roll this care on you........ I roll this care on you....... I roll this care on you.......... " And the list went on and on. I wrote it and I did it out loud! I rolled my dreams, my future, my desires, my cares, even my secret desires, I ROLLED them onto the Lord. Then I took a few minutes to listen.... One thing that the Holy Spirit told me that was pretty interesting was this, "Satan will try to use any tactic to get you down. He plays dirty & doesn't play fair. He will attack you at your weakness, not at your strength. He wants to keep you down long enough that you will stay down. To paralyze you, like a lame animal not able to move. You did right by encouraging yourself in Me. I will breathe life into you. I will remind you of what is true." 


Today, I encourage you.... don't let the Christmas obligations get the best of you. Don't let those things discourage or get you down. Whether it be shopping, presents, parties, family, friends.... Encourage yourself in the Lord. Remember that the true focus is Jesus. But also, keep this promise in front of you. Delight yourself in the Lord and HE will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart! HE WILL DO IT! The best is still coming! God has GREAT things in store for you! He has GREAT Blessings in store for you! ROLL EACH CARE onto Him and live in joy. Live a life blessing others and being a light. God has VERY VERY Great things in store for you! Defeat Satan! Don't let him get you or keep you down. Encourage yourself in the Lord! SING SING SING! PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE! THANK THANK THANK! 


I am STARTING OVER TODAY and you can too! 

XOXO,

        Amy J 

#106 - God Will Make You Who You OUGHT to BE!

Good morning! I pray you are doing well and having a GREAT day thus far! :) I am! I got to see my cute boy this morning when he got his bottle, and he is just so FUN to see when he wakes up! He just smiles and makes his fun "talking" noises. He is just so funny. A typical morning (if Tyler Sr is in his office) consists of me asking Tyler, "OK, I'm going up to give the boy his bottle. Do you want to come with me?" Most of the time he says yes. At that point, I'm usually refilling my coffee and from the stairs I hear, "I'm going in to see the boy!" Tyler does that just to egg me on! I hollar back, "You better not go in there without me!" We both love to see the boy's first expression when we walk in there. He's usually playing in his bed with his puppy, or sitting up talking to himself. He is so funny! Anyways.... so that was our morning. Then, the boy, just makes us laugh. He's so fun! 


Well, let's get started! The boy has his ONE YEAR Dr appt this morning, so we've gotta get moving!

Proverbs 23:19 - Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way [of the Lord].

1 Peter 5:7-10 - 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.... for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith... the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.

OK! Now that is GOOD STUFF!!! Check this out! SOOOOO, 1st of all, you need to DIRECT your mind in the WAY of the Lord. 2nd, you need to CAST ALL of your cares onto the Lord! All your anxieties, worries, concerns, ONCE & for all, for the LAST time put those worries, concerns and cares on the LORD for HIM to handle! 


I heard before that carrying your care is sense of PRIDE. When you carry your own care, or worries, or concerns and DO NOT cast them on the Lord, you are in essence saying that YOU are better than God. That YOU can handle them. That is NOT how God designed us to live. He did not design us to live in fear, worry, doubt. When you CARRY YOUR OWN CARE, you are saying you do not need GOD's help. That you are good enough to do it on your own. 


But check this out!!! So... when we CAST all our our care onto the Lord... that is a prerequisite, look what HE does! Wow! This is GOOD! HE, GOD Himself will make YOU complete and make you into what you OUGHT to be! HE will ground you securely, strength & settle you! Wow! Now that is good stuff! It is GOD, GOD who will make you into who you OUGHT to be!!!! So, the devotion from yesterday, "YOU ARE MEANT TO DO GREAT THINGS", - this is a great "piggy-back" for that devotion. Why? Because when you (1) Direct your Mind to the Lord, (2) Cast all your cares on Him, he will (3) Make you into who you OUGHT to be! Who you are DESIGNED to be! He will make you into the PERSON who is MEANT TO DO GREAT THINGS! 


That is all the time I have for today! WOW! That was worth coming for! 


SO... recap.... today, as you leave, as you wrap up your time in prayer take a few moments to:

1. Direct your MIND on the LORD
2. LIST out ALL your cares to the Lord. Do you have a LOT of cares and anxieties you are "carrying?" Well, get out a piece of paper and LIST all the WORRIES that you are carrying, list them out! ALL OF THEM!
3. Once you have your LIST, CAST them on the Lord. Tell the Lord that you are giving EACH one of them over to Him! That you are NO LONGER going to carry them, but you are giving them to HIM! Verbally, list them out to God, You AND Satan can hear that you have turned these cares over to God. 
4. NOW.... later today... when these worries or cares try to creep back up. When you are TEMPTED to worry about them again, take a moment and say, "GOD, SATAN - I am just going to put you both in remembrance of what I have ALREADY done! I have CAST that care onto the Lord. And GOD is in control of it now. Satan, you have NO authority over me and I choose to walk in faith! God, I thank you that you are bringing this situation to pass in MY FAVOR! Thank you Lord!" 

Have a blessed day! :) 

XOXO, 

Amy J!

   _____________________________

PS- Welcome to our South Korea visitor! So glad to see you frequent this devotion so often! What's happening in your world?

#93 - How To Get Answers from the Lord

Good morning! It is so still out this morning. It's like the air is just still. Almost a strange quiet. No wind. No rain. Just very still and quiet. A bit like my feelings of things I need to do I suppose. If you've joined us the last 2 days....hum.... well, let's just say that it's been Holy Spirit convicting time. Have you had times in your life where the Holy Spirit is just getting on you about change? I guess maybe it's a good thing. I have a close enough relationship with the Holy Spirit, with my Lord that He is able to talk to me about areas in my life that need change. I'll tell ya, it's really not always easy to hear. Sometimes it seems like such a big job! I'm still majorly in the process of "De-Cluttering".... that is definitely not an overnight process. But... I know what to do, so that is probably the biggest part of it. (GTD - Getting Things Done by David Allen - Get the book on CD if you don't have time to read it.) Tyler has implemented GTD really well and for probably over a year has wanted me to just DIVE in. I've pretty much blown that idea off in the past. I wasn't really ready for it. But... evidently the Holy Spirit says I need to be ready now! I agree! De-cluttering will be good. Things need to have their place and that will most definitely free up my mind! What did Tyler do that was SOOOO good in it all?? He frequently does this..... he casts me on the Lord. He realizes that HE can't fix me or change me, but the Lord can. So... he continues to cast me on the Lord.  That's a good place for me to be. The "Old Amy" would want to rear up and totally buck the system if someone tried to make me change. Especially if I wasn't ready. I'm not saying that's right, it's just true. As a child, my parents always prayed that the "stubborn Amy Jo" would one day steer the stubbornness to serve the Lord with a fervor. Well... let's just say, I'm glad Tyler has learned to cast me on the Lord. That's the best place for me to be. The Holy Spirit has a way of speaking the truth to me in a way no one else can, and at a time when I am ready and willing to listen. Well... with quite a long intro... let's get started. 

Proverbs 28:19 - He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless people and pursuits will have poverty enough.

Psalm 118:6a, 7a - The Lord is on my side.... The Lord is on my side.....

Psalm 118:8 - It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 

This morning I was talking to Tyler.... he is really a wealth of knowledge. I'm glad I married him. He is always learning. He reads all the time! He listens to awesome men of God and business leaders, and really is quite an inspiration to me. He makes me think all the time! It is so true what it talks about in Proverbs 27:17 - Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. - That is my husband. A definite iron sharpener! 


So, in our conversation he reminded me something I had heard a long time ago. The best way to get an answer to a problem. George Washington Carver, inventor of over 300 uses for the peanut, including yummy peanut butter! And how did he come of with these inventions? He said, "God gave them to me." It has been noted, when Carver wanted to solve a problem or was seeking an answer to a question, he didn't seek out men, he didn't seek out education and books, but he sought God. He took his Bible and a notebook went to a quiet room, closed the door and sought the Lord. It was not "try, fail & adjust", but it was, "Lord, you give me the answer. I'm going to seek you until I have it."


Wow! What an awesome example to learn from! Is there really anything else to say? The Lord will answer, and as it says in Psalm 118, The LORD is ON YOUR SIDE! He's on your side! He wants you to be a success! He wants you to win! He wants the RIGHTEOUS to flourish! 


What are you following? Who are you following? What are your pursuits? Are they worthless? Are they of value? If they are, and things are not going how you would like them to go, do like Carver did, seek the Lord. Get a notebook, get your Bible, leave your laptop and cell phone in a different room (and turn your phone off or on silent) and SEEK the Lord. With Him, it is not "try, fail & adjust," He just gives you the actual exact thing to do IF you tune in to Him and listen. 


Short and sweet. But a definite Word!  

#82 - Free Fall

What a beautiful fall day here in Columbia. I have a lot of things to do today, so I'm excited and looking forward to a very productive day! I finished painting the playroom yesterday. Now it will just be a matter of getting some curtains done. I want to make them so they will match the design that I did on the wall. Not quite sure what I will do, but it will probably just be a valance. It will be fun! Maybe I will do it on one of my next DOR's since it seems more like a "fun" thing to do than a "productive" thing! :) I love DOR's because I can do WHATEVER I want! Tyler thinks I'm funny that I like to do things like sewing and crafts on my Day Of Rest. But... his DOR the other day, he watched TWO DOCUMENTARIES!!!! ARGGHHH!! To me that would be SOOO BORRRRRRING!!!!!!! Yah... I think plucking my eyebrows would be more fun and relaxing! Ha! Anyways.... needless to say, I DO NOT watch documentaries on my DOR. I guess that's what makes us different! 


So, did you enjoy the CUTIE pictures of "The Boy" yesterday?! :) Isn't he cutie?!? I know. You don't even have to answer, I KNOW he's cute! He's my little doll baby. I don't know if he even has a choice but to be mama's little boy! :) 


Alright... enough going on and on... let's get started. 

Psalm 37:3-7a - ³Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. ⁴Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. ⁵Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. ⁶And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as [the shining sun of] the noonday. ⁷Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him...

Psalm 37:34a - Wait for and expect the Lord and keep and heed His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land ...

Proverbs 31:18 - She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good; her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night ...

Honestly... today I did not get past Psalm 37 in reading. It just rang inside me. There are so many good things in Psalm 37! SO MANY! 


Trust. What does it really mean to trust? To be confident in, to rely on, to lean on. Trust, to fully trust. To fully be confident. To not even have a question of doubt. With your whole being to have faith & trust. Did you ever do the activity where you are suppose to be blindfolded and do a "Faith Fall?" So, you are chosen. The trust? You are suppose to FALL back and expect to be caught. It's a great example and visual for trust. As you are blindfolded, the last person you see behind you is this little 90 pound girl and you think she couldn't catch a fly if it were coming towards her, let alone catch you from hitting the ground. Trust? The last thing you want to do is trust! Well.... you were the one chosen, so you have to do it. Reluctantly, with your blind-fold on, turned around, you put your arms out and you get ready to fall backwards, half scared that the next feeling you have will be a big, painful THUD on the ground. When given the "go-ahead" to fall, you begin your decent to the ground. To your surprise you feel FOUR sets of BIG arms and your are being held up, like a feather, in the air. No floor to brace you, but FOUR sets of big arms. Laying in these arms, the blindfold is removed, you see that you fell into the arms of FOUR really big, 270 pound football linemen. WHOA! Trust. They are huge. And you are most definitely not a challenge for them to "hold up" with ONE hand, nonetheless, FOUR sets of arms! Trust. How different of a picture it is if you only knew that those were the arms that were going to catch you. Trust.


God wants US to lean on, to trust, to FREE FALL into HIS ARMS. Like it says in Psalm 91, he will not even let us dash our foot against a stone. Trust. He desires our full faith, our trust. That we would not question, we would not be scared or nervous. He just wants us to clear our minds, push EVERYTHING out... all the cares, whatever is weighing on you. He wants us to push it out and to just trust. You fill in the blank. "I have been carrying the care of ____________________________." What care have you been carrying? Fill in the blank. You may have a really long blank.... you may have to add comma's! You may be carrying a LOT of cares! What are they? Will you TRUST them to God today? Do you realize what he did so that you would not have to carry those? The most precious thing to Him, His most prized possession, His Son. He sent Jesus to bore ALL the cares for you. Jesus has ALREADY carried your "CARE". If it has already been done, if it has already been carried, YOU ARE CARRYING IT IN VAIN! Jesus, at age 33, bore all the burdens for you. Sometimes we just need a reminder of that. A reminder that the cross has been carried, every burden that I have ever had or ever will have was on that cross as he walked up that hill to Calvary. 


Be still and rest in the Lord. Do you realize, that when you were in your mother's womb, He already knew you?! God already knew you! You were predestined to be here, right here, right now. To be sitting where you are right now reading these words. You were predestined to do it. God knew this day was going to arrive now. Do you realize that He knows what is going to happen the rest of the day. The things you will do, think, be. And do you know what else? He has VERY great plans for you! Do you realize that YOU are in His starting line-up?! YOU are in the front! YOU are the main character in this movie! It is YOU! You are not second string and you are not an "extra." YOU are the main character and your story is an AWESOME ONE! Do you know what else? With everything that has been racing through your head, your thoughts, your dreams, your hopes.... the places you want to go, the things you want to do, the dream job that you've always had, the things you want to buy, the people you want to be able to bless.... you do not have to "wonder" how those things are going to happen... or IF those things are going to happen. All you need to do is Be still and rest in the Lord. Isn't it awesome... that those secret desires of our heart, HE already knows about them. They aren't selfish. God would not put them there if they could not come to pass. He causes YOUR thoughts to become agreeable with HIS will so that YOUR plans will be established and succeed! His desire is to bless you! His desire is that you would own your home. You would own your vehicle. You would be able to bless people financially because you have an overflow of money. He wants YOU his CHILD to live in the blessing! 


It all begins with one word. Trust. 


Will you choose today to trust Him? To trust the God who is waiting for you to just LET GO and FREE FALL. Will you let go? Will you trust that God is lining things up on your behalf. He is setting things up to be in YOUR FAVOR. He is positioning you in the right place at the right time for His Will and blessings to come to pass in your life! 


As you sit there... if you're by yourself, as a commitment to yourself and as a act of turning over your trust and life to HIM... do this simple thing. As you are sitting up straight in your chair, put your arms straight out, look up to the heavens, close your eyes..... wait for a minute, feel your mind go free.... feel the cares diminish from your thoughts.... feel the worries go away.... and FALL BACK into your chair. Allow the chair to embrace you... safely. (Now... if you are on the train or at the airport, you might look a little weird doing this...I'd maybe wait if I were you! ha! lol!)


But for real... will you free fall? Will you allow God to catch you? Will you allow God to direct your life? Will you allow God to have ownership? The cares are not meant to be carried by you. If you are truly wanting to live in the will of God, can you have faith that HE will cause your steps to be right? That HE will cause you to be in the right place? That HE will direct you? And now, you have the FREEDOM to CARE LESS! To not care at all! You do not have to care about your goals and dreams and how they will come to pass! If you TRULY cast them on the Lord, HE will cause those things to come to pass, NOT YOU! So, take a load off today. Lay your heavy baggage down and enjoy a free-spirited trip. A trip through a day in YOUR LIFE. A day. Care-free. A wonderful, beautiful, breezey, fall day. 


Free fall today. I promise God will catch you. 

#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. 

#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.