#171 - Cowboy Up!

Good morning! It's going to be a great day because THIS IS THE DAY the LORD has made! Praise the Lord! Do I hear and Amen out there from wherever you are sitting?? Well, good! Amen. Let's get started.

Proverbs 21:31 - The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance and victory are of the Lord.

I remember reading this verse sometime when I lived at home with my parents. I remember that it stood out to me so, that I wrote it on an index card and pinned it on the wall next to my bedroom door. It's funny, because even today when I go home to visit and sleep in my old room, there it is, still on the wall, still pinned up for me to read. Today, it also jumped out with significance.

As a bit of a continuation from yesterday's devotion, "Endure because You Win!", I'd like to piggy-back off of some of the concepts from yesterday. Something that the Holy Spirit pressed on me heavily yesterday was this, "Press Back In! Press Back IN! PRESS BACK IN!" Have you ever started something with fervor and diligence, with excitement, to only find yourself a month, two months later just going through the "hum-drum" of life, no longer diligent in that area? What you began was a worthy pursuit, but in the process of pursuing you lost your consistency, you lost your drive, you lost your excitement? Well... I have been guilty of that.

Tyler sent me a voice note this morning while he was driving to an appointment. As he usually does, he was listening to a "Self-Improvement/Success" CD. In his message to me, he just reminded me of a couple who had arrived to a place in life where we aspire to be. He said, "Amy, this couple is no better than us, they just more consistently pursued their dream with focus. We can do that." He is right. God is no respecter of persons. If God has done something for one person, He can do it for you! God does not make any junk. You & I are already winners! We fought the odds and came out victorious! Are you trying to think of how you have done that? Well, think back to even the beginning! You are ONE in 300,000,000! That is THREE HUNDRED MILLION! When your parents got together there were 300,000,000 sperm trying to get to that egg! And do you know what? YOU SWAM the FASTEST! You fought the HARDEST! You edged your way in with the most diligence! You WON! You are already a winner. You are no accident! 299,999,999 others lost to you! When you think about it, the odds of winning like you did are probably similar odds to winning the lottery. YOU WON!

What I want to say is this, COWBOY UP! COWGIRL UP! If you, like me, lost some wind out of your sail, lost some diligence along the way, TODAY is the day to get back up! Get back on that horse! The HORSE is made ready for battle, but the VICTORY is of the LORD! What is your responsibility? Your responsibility is to BE PREPARED! BE ON THAT HORSE! Then... the cool thing is this, the "Victory" part is the Lord's responsibility! You just need to be prepared! You need to be in your place. You need to be doing YOUR JOB diligently. What is that? I'm sure you know exactly what it is for you... but here are some possibilities: Do you want to get pregnant? Maybe it's your job to get your body in shape to prepare for carrying a child. Do you want to be a light in your workplace for Jesus? Maybe to do so, you need to have more WORD in you to be prepared to share with people, maybe you need to be more girded up and strengthened by having a regular "Quiet Time" with just you and the Lord? Do you want to be a better mom? Wife? Maybe "COWGIRL UP" means evaluating your calendar and taking some things OFF of it so you can focus time on your family, raising up godly warriors? Learning to say one of the most spiritual words out there, "NO" and not adding more things to your plate, but taking away. Maybe you have a Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Amway, Premier jewelry business and you've lost your "umph" to add partners to your team, or sell products. Maybe for you it means getting your "handshake on" and reaching out to people. God has the people out there that are looking for what YOU have!

Cowboy up! Get back on that horse! NOW is the time like the Holy Spirit said to me, "PRESS BACK IN! PRESS BACK IN! PRESS BACK IN!"

Give God something to work with! Remember, the VICTORY is HIS responsibility. Your responsibility is to be diligent and prepared! When it's time for battle, to be on YOUR horse, be prepared! Don't leave your horse running into battle by himself! COWBOY UP!

____________________________

Check out our upcoming little blessing! :) 

We are expecting this to be our little "Trin-Trin"! Trinity Faith.  Since I'm around 16 weeks pregnant right now, the Doctor officially tells us around 20 weeks. She'll be a blessing & Tyler Junior will be a GREAT big brother!

"YES YOU! COWBOY UP!" :)
Doesn't he look like a politician in this picture?! HA! Minus the jello on his head! 

#170 - Endure because YOU WIN!

Good morning! We're going to jump RIGHT in this morning. Such great WORD & revelations! Praise God that HE is not a dead God! That He is ALIVE and still speaks to us through His Word, that He reveals things to us, uncovers what seemed like mysteries. Praise God that we have the opportunity as HIS Children to enter into a relationship that can be growing and growing, that we can gain insight and wisdom EVERY SINGLE TIME we are in His presence! Praise GOD! I'm extremely grateful!

We're jumping off the reading schedule to some Spirit led scripture. Let's go...

Hebrews 12:1-3 -  ... let us throw aside every unnecessary weight... which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, Looking away from all that will distract to Jesus, Who is the Leader ...  He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (3)Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

We are called to ONLY run the appointed course that is BEFORE US! We don't have to think of the section of the course for next week or next year, just the portion of the course that is before us NOW! Just run our race TODAY!!!! Stay FOCUSED ahead.... like a runner, we are not looking down at our feet nor are we looking around just aimlessly taking in all the scenery, we are staying FOCUSED on who is ahead of us, the LEADER who IS paving the way.

Jesus endured the cross, WHY? For the JOY of obtaining the prize. He knew that the PRIZE was greater than what He would currently have to endure. The PRIZE was greater than the pain. Right here, right in this point is where many people quit, they loose heart, they faint. BUT, when we keep our eyes focused on our Leader, and we keep the Joy of the prize in mind, we run with the "end in sight" KNOWING that we have ALREADY won.... WE TOO can ENDURE in the race!

Now wait... it gets better! I've always stopped at verses 1 & 2. I've read those, and then stopped. But, WOW, verse 3 is UH-MAZING! So... it says basically.... "Look, take a look at Jesus, think about it.... He endured the cross, the torment, the pain, the mockery, the hostility, people sneering and snickering at Him.... just think about it, CONSIDER all HE went through to the CURRENT trial you may be going through..." OK.... let's take a pause right there. I ALMOST had to LOL at this point. Consider MY trials in comparison to what HE endured on the cross?! Now if that is not a JOKE, I don't know what is! My trials hold NO water, no ground to what He endured on the cross and leading up to it. But... let's continue. So WHY did he endure and go through all of that? Let's finish verse 3, "so that YOU may not grow weary or exhausted! So that YOU may not loose heart, relax and grow faint in your mind! He endured it not ONLY for your salvation, so that you could live in heaven when you pass, but He also endured it so that the CURRENT section of your race could be run without you being exhausted. Without you growing weary. Without you growing tired! Without you toiling in your MIND! He endured the cross for MUCH more than just mere salvation! Salvation is just the stepping off point!!

Why can you have Unwavering Confidence? Because CHRIST endured so that YOU & I could have VICTORY! Sweat-less VICTORIES! Why can you have JOY in the endurance? Because you know the end of the story! Whatever you are going through, IF you will only ENDURE, be patient, and CONTINUE on this section of your course, YOU TOO WILL BE VICTORIOUS! It says in Phil. 1:6, that HE will carry out what He has began in YOU to completion! Have you started something and not yet had victory in it? BE PATIENT! ENDURE! CONTINUE in your race! And.... if you are a bit brave, you can EVEN enjoy it!! It says that JESUS endured so that you could run your race without getting weary, without losing heart, without getting faint, without getting exhausted. YOU CAN HAVE SWEAT-LESS victories if you will ONLY continue on your course!

**** Pre-requisite **** - IF you do not FINISH the course, you will not see the victory that you have been waiting for! The key is, KEEP your EYES FOCUSED on your Leader! Like running a cross-country race, or track. Keep your EYES on the back of the One that you are following, Jesus! Keep your eyes on Him and RUN right through into the finish line of this section of your race! WIN this section! The race is on-going! It continues! We won't be finished until heaven, so on earth we will be in this constant race..... but I encourage you, when you have the end in mind (ie: YOU WIN) you can have JOY in today's endurance! You know the end of the movie! You know the end of the story! You know that YOU will be the one, standing on the stage, holding the trophy to prove that YOU HAVE ENDURED! YOU HAVE WON!

James 1:12 - Blessed is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive THE VICTOR'S CROWN!!!

Amen & Amen!
That was good stuff! It ministered to me! Praise the Lord!