Secrets!

Mark 4:14 - The sower soweth the Word.

Mark 4:22 - [Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything [temporarily] kept secret except in order that it may be made known.

Praise The Lord for the opportunity to get in His presence AND to be able to get into the presence of the Word. What good stuff!

In having my quiet time this morning, sitting with my husband like we usually do, Tyler and I got into a good conversation. Early in our marriage while we were visiting Charleston, SC, he got a revelation. As we laid on the grass looking up at the trees, he realized that the big water oaks were growing in that very moment. Effortlessly. With the right amount of water and sunlight, the trees grew big and beautiful. Tyler read this morning, "with the right amount of water and SON-light, we also grow!" With the right amount of LIVING water from the WORD of GOD, being in the presense of Jesus, WE as believers also can grow effortlessly.

Are you a sower?
It's ESSENTIAL to be a sower! If you are a believer and want to experience FRUIT and VICTORY in your life, it is ESSENTIAL to be a sower! When you sow the WORD of God continually into yourself, you can begin to see growth and victory in your life. Effortless. Victory. Every area of life.

More? As you spend time time in the presence of God, growing in the SON-light, those "SECRET REVELATIONS" are no longer a secret FROM you, but FOR you! As you dive into HIS presence, EVERYTHING is made clear. You begin to see with eyes that reveal answers. Mark 4:22 reminds us how to get answers! Secrets are hidden TO BE REVEALED by YOU the believer! Your answers are there, in the SECRET PLACE. As you sit in the presence of the Holy Spirit, seeking out answers, get your pad of paper ready for the answers to flow! The answers are not hidden FROM you, but FOR you to find when you get into HIS presence.

#264 - Time with the Lord Anyways!

Hello & Welcome back to both of us!! :) Many of you most likely know that we just welcomed the birth of our 3rd child on December 30th! :) Timothy Isaac Josiah McCart. He is just now 4 weeks old. So….. at the McCart house we are learning to settle in to a "new" normal. Obviously still adjusting. I must say though, our little champ did a great job last night of sleeping almost 7 hours straight! Yay!! I'll take it!! :)

Meet Timothy! Born: December 30th, 2013 - 8:46am. 

Proud Big Brother Tyler Jr (4) and Trinity (2) meet Timothy hours after he is born.

Timothy weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 3/4th inches long. 

Nonetheless… I do look forward to getting back into a blog routine (along with many other things). No pressure, I'm going to ease back into things, but getting on a regular schedule is my goal. Since I've started blogging, when Tyler Jr was just a newborn himself, we have had THREE kids!! :) Tyler Jr, Trinity & Timothy. Which leads right into the topic for today…. spending time in the WORD despite some of lifes changes and adjustments! So…. let's get started! :)

Proverbs 31:15-16 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks. (16) She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

As my 3rd time around with a major life-event, I must say I am reminded of the importance of having a regular time with The Lord. The last month has had its "whirlwind" type schedule of sleeping, dialing in a newborn, helping him sleep through the night, recovering from a C-section, etc, etc and to be honest, I most definitely have not been perfect! There have been many mornings where I have missed my time in the Word, which has reminded me even more why it is so important!

Let's take a look at this Proverbs 31 woman and her example. I want to look specifically at THREE things that she does in preparation for her day.

1. She rises while it is yet night. - Any of you who have children, especially toddlers, know how crucial this aspect is! Once children get out of bed, the idea of quiet is almost a far fetched possibility. Not impossible, but pretty unlikely. Our Proverbs 31 friend, a mother, must have witnessed this first hand. In order to get some QUIET in, she needed to rise while it was still dark and while her family was still sleeping in order to get some solid spiritual food in her spirit! 
2. Get spiritual food! - The value of feeding her spirit took place even before feeding her flesh. It didn't say that our friend prepared breakfast for her family first… but that she first got spiritual food. She first spent time, in the quiet, still dark outside, feeding her spirit! 
3. She considers! - Once up, she has sought the Lord, now she seeks the Lord about what to do for the day! The Holy Spirit knows what is going to happen with our day before it happens! He knows how the day is going to unfold and He knows just what tasks should be on our plate! When we seek HIM first, it allows us to go about our day without doing things that could be done in vain. Have you ever tried to get laundry done, only with interruption after interruption, taking 2-3 hours just to get ONE load folded and put away?! Not saying this is the case all the time, but when we seek the direction of the Holy Spirit, He may have directed us to NOT do laundry on such a particular day. He inevitably knows when certain tasks will just take WAY TO LONG for a given day. When we SEEK the Holy Spirit, when we CONSIDER what tasks to take on for the day, we can gain INSIGHT and DIRECTION on the God-specific tasks that should be on our schedule!

Today… I encourage you, can you find a way to fit some time with the Lord in, in the morning? 

Find some time with the Lord today ANYWAYS! Even thought life may throw a curve ball, throw a curve ball back! Decide to get some time in with the Almighty! Set your alarm now for tomorrow morning. 5 minutes early? 15 minutes? 30? Steal away for 5 minutes in the bathroom if you've already missed the morning hours…. Just START! Even if you start with just 5 minutes, He can direct your day in a way that you and I can never do. At least in a way that will wind up the most fruitful and productive! Because after all, isn't that what we're looking to do? Produce the best fruit? And on some days…. that may just be playing in the snow with your kids! :) #memories 

Have a blessed day!

#263 - Why You WON'T MISS IT?

Jeremiah 29:13 - Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Mark 1:35 (ESV) - And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 

Proverbs 31:15 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household... 

Have you ever thought, "I just don't want to miss it. I don't want to miss God."

I know that there have definitely been points along my life where I thought the very same thing. This morning as I was journaling and taking some time to listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit, I felt very reassured by what I heard.

If you get this next thing down, I believe you will have won 95% of the battle!!

What is that? First things first: Daily time with the Lord. Once we have committed and have established a DISCIPLINE in devoting time EACH DAY with the Lord, I believe a large portion of any upcoming battle is won. I believe we will "WIN" the day! I believe we will "WIN" in our relationships. I believe we will "WIN" with our dreams and goals!

I attended a business class last night, and the gentleman was talking about a mentorship relationship and what it looks like, what proper communication looks like and doesn't look like. He said something to this effect, "I recently had a conversation with a guy that I am mentoring. Consistently, when we would get together, he would talk the whole time. It may be an hour long of him talking, the guy barely came up for air. He established a habit of monopolizing the conversation. I'm OK with that, but I finally told him. 'You don't need me. If all I am is just a wall for you to talk to, you don't need me.'"

A true mentoring relationship sometimes means you need to be quiet! A true mentoring relationship means that both parties talk and both parties listen.

What does your time with the Lord look like? What does your "quiet time" with Him look like? Like the protege in the above relationship, are you doing ALL THE TALKING when you spend time with the Lord? Do you pray and pray and pray, then get up to leave while the Lord is still just sitting there. He never had a chance to get a word in. He didn't have a chance to offer HIS advice, HIS answer to the situation or problem.

WHY can we be assured we will not miss it? This is what I heard this morning...

Why won't you miss it? Because of this! Because of this daily time spent with Me! When you spend daily time with Me & even open up yourself to LISTEN, I will SPEAK because you are seeking Me!! You won't miss it! Business, marriage, money, kids. You won't miss it.

So friend, I ask, are you spending time listening? Sitting in silence, pen & journal in hand, ready to hear from that still, small Voice? Ready to record His thoughts about the very situation you are seeking Him about?

I encourage you to take some time today, to get in a quiet place and in that silence ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -    LISTEN. 

Victim or Victor?

James 1:12 - Blessed (happy, to be envied) 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 of life which God has promised to those who love Him.

This morning, waking up much later than normal, I felt like my quiet time began with me crawling before the throne of grace with my head held down. It wasn't the first morning of me waking up late, but I was coming off a week of waking up late. I know that the repetition of good habits creates a good habit. The repetition of bad habits, creates a bad habit... and I know just what time I need to wake up in order to complete my whole morning routine before kids start waking up. Who knows, when kids wake up, there is NO looking back!?! :) In a good way, they are a blessing, but any sort of a "quiet time" with the Lord once kids are up would be laced with many interruptions.... and as you can imagine with a 3 year old and 1 year old, would be anything BUT quiet! :)

I know that the Slight Edge in being a mom, running a peaceful home, getting things that are productive done, ultimately HINGES completely around whether MAMA gets her quiet time with the Lord each morning. The mornings when it does not get done, I notice my patience is shorter, I feel like things are more chaotic, and often from a productivity standpoint, I feel like little gets done, short of having kids fed and dressed! Time with the Lord paves the foundation of a solid, peaceful, productive day!

Well, as I journaled I threw up all the "blah blah's"... you know, maybe you've done it too? All of the reasons "why" my actions could be justified. All the excuses. All the buts. I read a quote that was very fitting by Les Brown, "The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today.*" 

After I was done journaling my "justifications," I decided to listen to see what the Holy Spirit might have to whisper in my ear. Would it make me feel better about myself? Would it be a "that's ok, shake it off" sort of talk? Well... it went something like this...

Are you going to "allow" or "accept" circumstances? Are you going to justify sleeping in? Are you going to be on the fence about working out? You decide. You can be a victim & by doing so, you will give life to symptoms the world wants to give you. Or you can go about being productive, having energy, eating healthy, being fit, making this an amazing year. You decide! Last week was a bit of a funk. You basically fed into symptoms. You were a victim. This week, you decide. 

The Hebrew definition for "crown" is this:  A wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in public games.  

My daily actions determine whether I am going to allow life to treat me as the VICTIM to my circumstances or whether I am going to choose to be the VICTOR in my circumstances. My response to how I feel, how I handle good or bad reports, housework that has seemed to mounded up overnight, the "To-Do" list that seems never-ending.... my response to any and all of these things, in part determines whether I will be the Victim or Victor! At the end of the day, I decide whether the victors crown will be placed on my head, or garland around my neck (as it defines in the Hebrew). I decide whether I will win or lose. I decide whether I will respond as the Victim or Victor! Will I tackle the things that need to get done, or will I allow the guilt of not getting them done to tackle me. 

I decide. You decide. Will you be the Victim or the Victor today? You choose. 

________

* Quote 

You CAN REIGNITE Your Fire!

Leviticus 6:13 - The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out. 

Revelations 3:16 - So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!

It really wasn't that long ago, we have grandparents who most likely remember these days. What days? The days of fire or coal being the primary source of heat, or maybe the only way cooking got done. Let's remember back.

The year was 1880 when Thomas Edison patented the electric distribution system, electricity. Before this time.... our great grandparents, and ancestors were cooking over a fire....

BEFORE YOU SHUT ME OFF thinking this is going to be a boring lesson of history... PLEASE READ ON.... it will not be.

I was listening to our pastors wife on Sunday and she shared for a few minutes on "fire." Before electricity, our great grandparents would get a fire going and continue to stoke it, making sure to keep somewhat of a flame going. Why? This was their ONLY source of heat for the home, and was how they cooked. If they let the FIRE GO OUT, it was much more work to get a fire started again. It took collecting more firewood, getting a flame going, stroking the fire, getting the fire really hot, and then, finally cooking after the fire was hot enough. IF the fire got COLD and went out, it was not impossible to get it going again, but it just took much greater work!

You are the same. This applies to every area of life. Think about it... when you are in the habit of working out every day, continuing the habit is relatively easy. BUT... if you go a few days or weeks without working out, it's easier to get colder and colder towards the gym, until the habit is gone and you have drifted back into an unhealthy habit of no exercise. The same could be said of drinking water, reading a good book, limiting time to social media, eating healthy, etc., etc.

Your spiritual walk is the same! DON'T LET THIS FIRE GO OUT! If your fire has gone out, maybe you haven't been spending time in the Word. Maybe life has gotten busy and you have gotten away from it. Sleeping in has won instead of waking up and extra 15, 30 minutes or even an hour early each morning. YOU CAN REIGNITE THE FIRE! It just takes a few good days of re-establishing the habit until the great feeling will WIN out. Choosing not to hit snooze, but getting up. Pouring your cup of coffee, snuggling in on the couch by lamplight and opening up your Bible before the day gets busy.

REIGNITE YOUR FIRE! Friend, it's worth it. When you have reignited your fire in the Word, I promise, you will find that every minute spent has been worth it. I believe you will watch as it's almost like God ADDS time to your day to finish things. He gives you supernatural energy even though you woke up early... you find yourself not being tired. He directs you to where you need to be and what you need to be doing. He PREPARES you ahead of time with the exact verse you will need for the day, so in "that" moment when it could be stressful, you don't get overwhelmed.

Sure... life still happens, but when you really have roots firmly planted in the Word, life sure is easier. And once you have your FIRE REIGNITED, DON'T LET IT GO OUT! Keep the fire lit! Like our great-grandparents, once the fire went out, their homes started to get cold. It took much more work and it was messy to get a new fire going. Imagine the black soot that would get on you trying to prepare the new wood to reignite the fire. Stoking it, ashes flying up, poking it with a stick, moving wood and sticks around. Friend, KEEP YOUR FIRE in the LORD GOING! Don't let it go out! I heard Joyce Meyer say the other day, even if it was just ONE prayer she said before leaving the house, she made SURE not to leave without spending some time with the Lord... even if it was just one sentence!

Commit today to REIGNITE the Flame! Reignite and KEEP IT BURNING!

Do you have any tips you can share that HELP you stay "ON FIRE" or keep you consistent in your time with the Lord? WHAT HELPS YOU? We'd love to hear your secret tips!!

"I am a Great King!"

Malachi 1:11 - ... a pure offering...

Malachi 1:14 - ... For I am a great King... 

Malachi 2:2 - If you will not hear and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to My name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings...

"For I am a GREAT King!" Those words resounded in my head. The words rang off the page like a gong. "For I am a GREAT King!" Our Holy God.... our Great King... our Lord of Lords. Here in Malachi, we read about the people of Edom. We read about their offerings that they are giving to the Lord, the sacrifices that they are laying on the alter in a "supposed" act of worship. The offerings and gifts that they brought to the Lord were far from pleasing. Here we have this GREAT King and the people of Edom are bringing GIFTS of diseased animals, blind animals, lame animals. THESE are the gifts they are bringing to the GREAT KING! Gifts that certainly are not pleasing. Gifts that really shouldn't be called gifts at all. Who wants a diseased animal as a gift?!? I know I sure would not!

A pure offering. That jumped off at the page at me. For I am a great King. That jumped off the page. Here we have the Almighty God, the King of Kings, speaking. I can just imagine His baritone Voice ringing in the air. For I am a GREAT KING! I AM A GREAT KING! He is not just "a" great king, He is THE great King! He is the King of Kings! Here our God, whom at the sound or sight, we should immediately be in a place of reverence that we fall to our knees in honor and worship. The people of Edom were greatly displeasing to our Father.

In Malachi 2:2, we see the warning. If you will not lay to heart to give glory to my name. 'Lay to heart' -  one of the ways the Hebrew describes it, is to plant. Plant in your heart bringing glory to the Lord. PLANT in your heart the honor due is name. Plant. Allow it to go deep. Allow roots to take place. Allow roots to dig so deep that with your body & soul & heart, your automatic desire is to give GLORY TO HIS NAME. 


Malachi 2:2, goes on further to say the warnings if Edom does not do this... He will curse their blessings! Wow! Curse their blessings! Just because they have been blessed, doesn't mean the blessings will stay or remain. The Blessing is CONTINGENT! The Blessing of the Lord is contingent upon obeying the Word of God. Contingent upon honoring His Name. Contingent upon giving glory to His Name. Contingent upon our reverence, our honor, our obedience. Sure, our salvation may get us into heaven, but wouldn't it be better to live the Blessing on earth & not have to wait to enjoy the fruits in heaven?

Malachi has caused me to reflect... what offerings am I bringing? Am I bringing a pure offering? How is "my honor." Am I bringing honor to my Father? Am I reverencing His name? Am I planting in my heart the desire to give glory to His name? With my actions, am I following the calling that HE has on my life? Be it uncomfortable at times, be it even scary at times to enter into a place uncharted by me. Not uncharted by my Father, but a place I have yet been. Am I fully passionate and fully committed to answering the call of who I am meant to be? I am willing to push through the uncomfortable? Am I willing to DIG IN to the Word, DIG IN to the quiet time and seek His presence, SEEK answers, SEEK direction of where HE would have me go. Is it quiet enough that I can hear His Voice? Is it possible for me to turn off the noise of life just long enough to hear HIS Voice? His direction? Is the noise of facebook, pinterest, text, twitter, cell phone reminders, movies, the desire to 'decorate' my house, frivolous activities.... is the noise of ALL that TOO loud? Can I hear the Voice that resounds, "I AM A GREAT KING!" 


I can hear the echo of the deep baritone voice. In the Voice is strength and power, but it also has the sound of a longing. A longing to draw me in. A longing that says, "Please Come be with me. Please come fellowship. Please come sit at my feet so we can talk."


Can I hear the echo?
"I AM A GREAT KING!" 
"I AM A GREAT KING!" 
"I AM A GREAT KING!" 




Do I need to eliminate noise?

 

I Got a Spanking. :(

Jeremiah 13: 1,3,6 - Thus the Lord said to me... And the word of the Lord came to me the second time saying... And after many days the Lord said to me...

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).

Have you ever slept in and known you should get up? Well.... let's just say my 7:00 snooze on my phone went off until 9:36!!! YES! 9:36! I feel like I'm still trying to get into a regular bedtime routine & wake-up routine. Sure... we have routines, but now things are a bit different with Trinity being here... more things to do before bedtime now, which has pushed things back for actually getting to bed!

So finally... after our 11:30 breakfast (Jr wanted to take a bath when he woke up at 10:30), I am finally sitting down to journal & read my Bible before beginning a full day of laundry! Recently, the Lord specifically told me that I needed to wake up by 7:00, but that it will get earlier soon. So... my first acknowledgement after just telling Him "Good Morning" was this: Please forgive me Lord for sleeping in & not waking up when I was suppose to. This was the response I got, brace yourself, there were no warm fuzzies in what He responded:

It's really your loss Amy. I forgive you, but you are the one who loses when you don't spend extended time with Me. I do promise, you will enjoy your time with Me if you get up earlier! 

Booyah! Well... I know this to be true! It's just sometimes getting past my flesh in the morning. But praise the Lord that the Lord IS the same yesterday, today & forever! Just like in the day of Jeremiah. The Lord SPOKE to Him. In the verses above, we see 3 different times just in the beginning of chapter 13 where the Lord came to Jeremiah and was giving him instructions. So... why is it so crucial for me & for you to spend quality time with the Lord... I think first thing in the morning is the best. Aside from giving God the "first fruits" of our time, for me it means receiving INSTRUCTION for my day. As a wife, mom, business owner...also having recently moved with an abundance of boxes that still need unpacking... I want to do the things with my day that are the most productive! My goal is to NOT toil in my day. My goal is to do the RIGHT things with my time. When I don't take the time to acknowledge the Lord with my activities, I look back on my time and found I was doing things in vain. I was completely tasks that were not the best use of my time. Where if I just acknowledged the Lord, HE would let me know specifically what I should be doing.

Anyways! There it is.... Amy's reprimand from the Lord... a bit of a spanking, whatever you want to call it.  I'm going to do my best to LEARN from it and not snooze when I should be up! I know I have much to accomplish for the Lord and that requires TIME with Him.

What about you? Any areas you care to share? Anything you are working on???

Have a blessed day! I'm finally going to go get my day started at 12:20! :)

#236 - Above All Else

Good morning! :) SO.... let me put out a preface. I read the devotion from Friday on my mobile phone over the weekend. I noticed some obvious spelling errors, that almost made me laugh... (hear & here... and there was one other that I caught). Anyways, thank you in advance for grace! :) With kids, sometimes all the time I have is to read my Bible, have my own quiet time with the Lord, and write a devotion. It's a jam-packed time that doesn't always allow me to proof-read before posting when someone is yelling from there bed, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" And before he tries crawling out, I need to go get him and get his day started. So, THANK YOU for your grace in the occasional spelling or grammar errors. Sometimes I go back, read, catch & correct them... but sometimes I do not. Well... with all that said, let's go ahead and jump into the Word this morning. :)

Proverbs 15:14a - The mind of him who has understanding seeks knowledge and inquires after and craves it... 

Proverbs 31:15a - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household...

Isn't it great to hear from the Lord? When you ask & He gives you direction. Not just general direction, but direction very specific to you and your situation. Direction that encompasses the details of your life. How to accomplish what needs to be done with a strenuous work schedule or with kids running around (feeding them, changing diapers, feeding them again, etc, etc). Isn't it awesome that we have a Voice that not only is alive today, but who actually will speak to us & direct us. He looks down and sees what we may not see. He sees the outcome before we are even obedient to His direction.

This morning, this is part of what He told me,

Continue in this priority with Me. This time should be above all else. I have the answers, the solutions to the questions you have not even asked yet.  

"This priority with Me." As I have had a 6 week or so break from writing devotions, I've really enjoyed my mornings and getting into a routine with my newborn. Trinity has been a definite blessing from the start. Although, I knew it was important to maintain my morning quiet time with the Lord. Sometimes it morning passed, and it was my "early afternoon" quiet time, but nonetheless, it was time receiving direction from my Maker.

"Above All Else." The Holy Spirit reminded me this morning, that above ALL other priorities, above everything else that "I" think is important, my time with Him is the MOST important. I may not have nailed down the status that the Proverbs 31 woman has, in rising "while it is yet night" and getting spiritual food, but my continual goal is to get DAILY spiritual food for myself and my household. "Above All Else." Gaining this spiritual food is ABOVE ALL OTHER THINGS, it is the MOST important task of the day. It is the FIRST "big event" of the day, as my husband would say. This time allows us the opportunity to get direction.

I remember a time in my life when I did not spend daily time with Him. I remember the feeling of chaos that accompanied me throughout the day. I remember the feeling of "not having enough time" to do it all. I remember the feeling of stress that followed me. I was making decisions and acting on my OWN knowledge and abilities, I was not relying on the wisdom & direction from the Holy Spirit. As I compare that time in my life with my current life, I can definitely say life is much more peaceful now.

Two people come to mind who have children & many responsibilities. As I think of the last conversations I've had with them, I remember the feelings that permeated from the one mom... just talking with her I could hear the stress & chaos in her voice. From previous conversations, I knew that in the process of having children, her time with the Lord had been pushed to the back burner, and it was obvious. Life seemed to be filled with chaos & stress, disharmony & lacking unity. The other mom that comes to mind, has an equally full schedule with many responsibilities, actually probably more responsibilities, though with I speak with her on the phone, peace rings through the receiver. Peace. If I have been questioning something in my own life, just talking to her and hearing her voice brings a peace that is indescribable. I KNOW that she spends daily time with her Father. I know that she has a "prayer closet" that sometimes she wakes up to visit in the middle of the night. I know that her time with the Lord comes Above All Else. It is obvious by her life. Her life is still definitely full, but a life of peace & joy. A life filled with DIVINE direction from her Maker.

Above all else, that is how I want others to speak of me. I want my Maker to shine through when others speak with me. Above all else, I want Jesus to be who people see when they see me. Above all else, when I make decisions about my day, my family & my life, I want it to be decisions directed by the Holy Spirit, not merely thought up on my own. Above all else, I want the peace of God to shine through my life & my home. I want people drawn towards me because they feel the peace of God when they are around me.

Above all else. What is the priority that shines through your life? What is "Above All Else?" Is it obvious to others? Is it your job? Your family? Your business? Soccer practice? Basketball? Swim team? Crafts? Working out, exercising? Or... is it your God? Is it your time with the Lord? Above all else. What is "above all else" in your life?

#199 - "Lord, What Should I Focus On?"

Good morning! :) Excited about a fun day! But let's go ahead and get into the Word... I'm hungry and I think "Mungo" will be getting up soon! (Yes... "the boy" has so many Nick Names! Here's the progression of his most recent nick-name.....Tyler Junior  > Junior > Junior Asparagus (Veggie Tales) > Asparagus > Asparamungo > Amungo > Mungo. ) Anyways... he had lots of Nick-Names... my favorite of which, I haven't ever really called him.... Teej. I think that's cute. His cousins in Indiana call him that. I think it's cute and unique, but so far, it doesn't automatically roll off my tongue. So here it is, Mungo! *shaking head* I'm sure that WON'T stick, in Jesus Name! (Can I get an AMEN!)

Ok... let's go...

Proverbs 31:20 - She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit].

This morning began an interesting Quiet Time. I never know what quite to expect when I go into my time with the Lord, EXCEPT, I always expect to get something. I recently mentioned a quote that I've heard a lot, "There is no problem that sustained thought can not answer." This morning as I started off my Quiet Time, the Holy Spirit clarified that quote from a Christians perspective. He said, "There is no question that sustained SEEKING will not answer. Seeking is a combination of prayer AND listening."

Lately, my mind has been racing through all the things I "think" I should be thinking about. Have you ever done that? Your mind is on overload because you think you should really be thinking about a lot of things. So many things vying for you attention and time, your thoughts & your mind? You feel at times that your mind is spinning just to try to figure out "WHAT LORD should I focus on?!" Often, if you are anything like me in the past, I didn't ever slow down enough to ask the question, or sit long enough to listen to the answer. Can you relate? So.... on you go, your mind spinning, physically your just grasping at whatever the next project is, not really knowing if it's what you should be working on, but just working on it for the sake of "completing something" that seems worthwhile.

This morning after the Holy Spirit clarified this "definition" for me, I listed out all of the MAIN things that have been competing for a mental position in my mind. I listed out 15 things. As I completed my "immediate" list, I looked it over, read each item and to myself wondered how in the world would all of this get answered or completed?

Here is how the conversation continued...

"Let me start you off with the RIGHT question to ask me.... Everything you listed is important to you. Not everything is important to focus on now. The question to ask me is: 'Where should I focus my thoughts & time?' Some things I have in the works and will inevitably work themselves out. I am working on them. Isn't that better than YOU trying to do it? And some, I'll answer as you need the answers, not all at once." 

"Ok," I thought. That made sense. But I still wondered in my head after looking over the list, "What will I focus on?" Nothing from my list was really jumping out at me. The conversation continued...

"As you looked through the list of things, you're right, NONE are what I want your attention on. You didn't even have listed what I want you to focus on. This is it: Give. I want you to focus on giving..... I want you to give to others. I specifically have people I want you to give to. (1)________ (ear) (2) ________ (prayer) (3) ________ (time).

Interesting. As I went back and re-read Proverbs 31, I noticed areas that SHE is giving too.... and wouldn't you know it, the Holy Spirit directed me to do the same! She reaches out her filled hands to the needy, whether in body (in the physical / time), mind (a listening ear), or spirit (prayer). I just found it so interesting how the Holy Spirit gave me THREE, VERY SPECIFIC people, and gave me THREE, VERY SPECIFIC areas He wanted me to give to them. Very specific, and each different.

What was most important to the Holy Spirit had not even made it to my list! Isn't that funny. Here's a question.... what does your list look like? Those things vying for your time.... what do they look like? AND, if you asked the Holy Spirit what you should be focused on, would HIS answer have made your list? I was honestly a bit surprised that His answer was not on my list. All the things on my list seem very important.... but just not what my focus SHOULD be. Isn't it interesting thought... the things on my list were very focused on completing tasks that I was INTERNALLY focused on. HIS one item of importance was focused EXTERNALLY, giving of myself to someone else. Pouring into others instead of pouring into myself.

Food for thought. Might be an interesting question for you to ask today.  Lord, what should I focus on? 

_________________

Here's a few recent and cute pictures of Tyler Junior and his little friend Zoe. :) So cute!

  

#174 - Is there enough Time in Today?

Good morning! :) I pray all is well with you?! Things here are great. Went to bed a bit early, starting out the morning awesome, and the Word of God is ALIVE & ACTIVE like a two-edged sword! Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart." The WORD is ALL of that! That is powerful! Well, praise God that we serve a RISEN Savior! That even today, we can commune with, be directed by & enjoy a friendship with a living God! I'm thankful for that!

Proverbs 31:15 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.

This morning as I sat down to have my Quiet Time, I began to journal.... and this morning I began listing out ALLLLLL the things that are on my mental "To-Do" list. In a way I was kind of whining to the Lord. Not really totally whining, but just trying to figure out what has the most priority on it, because all the things are important. I was just journaling out my thoughts to the Lord, kind of in a "HELP" mode. Have you ever done that? Either in your mind, on paper or out-loud? You think, "How is it humanly possible to get all of this done today? I just need more time." Well... those were some of my thoughts.

I read through Proverbs 26, nothing really jumping out at me except the obvious.... "don't be a fool!" It talked a lot about "the fool." I then proceeded to jump over to Proverbs 31. Though I have read this chapter what seems like hundreds of times, I just felt like this amazing woman must have some insight into planning. I just knew that she surely had it together in this area of "accomplishing" and "getting things done." I mean, she is the infamous Proverbs 31 woman! She is the woman who "excels them all" as it says in verse 29. Surely she could reveal to me the secret. Right?

I read through the chapter, through my underlining, circled words, highlighting, scratches in the margins... and as I completed the chapter, I was still just drawn back to one of my favorite verses. Proverbs 31:15. I say "favorite"... but it may just jump out at me because it is still something that I know I need to work on. Now, don't you go and tell Tyler to read this devotion! He doesn't read all of them, but this one, he could very well come out saying, "I told you so!" But, praise the Lord for Tyler. He's an amazing husband and probably the #1 thing he's learned over the years is to cast ME on the Lord. He doesn't try to change me, he just casts me on the Lord. He lets the Lord deal with me and make me better! Which is good.... probably the stubbornness of my childhood may just rear up and buck if someone tried to "make me do something." However, the Lord has His way of prodding us, doesn't He?

So, I'm reading Proverbs 31:15, "She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks." Sure, we know that Franklin Covey wasn't around when this was originally written. As well, she wasn't able to go down to her nearest Office Depot to pick up a DayTimer. Right? But.... imagine with me, if you could read while closing your eyes, I'd have you do that... but just imagine this... She, our Proverbs 31 friend & example, wakes up, crawls out of bed leaving her sleeping husband still there, she quietly puts on her house-shoes (slippers for those of you up north!), brushes her teeth and pulls up her hair, then slips downstairs. The house is quiet, the windows reveal the darkness still hanging outside, the birds are even still sleeping and the only sound is the occasional chirp of a cricket. She gets the coffee ready and pours herself a cup, most likely doctoring it with honey or something good for you (OK, she might not even drink coffee... just go with me on this. *wink*) There at the table, she sits down and begins to get her "spiritual food." She begins getting in the Word, listening and talking to the Holy Spirit. She is not beyond learning. She is pulling out gold nuggets from the Word, she is learning, she is growing. After her spiritual hunger is filled, she moves on to listing out the tasks and assignments of that day, including what the maids are to accomplish. I would imagine, she also lists out those things that SHE wants to accomplish that day. With the direction of the Holy Spirit, she prioritizes & is led with a plan for the day. Since she is in-tune with the Holy Spirit, and has already been communing with Him, if she writes something down that would be done in vain, HE prompts her not to do that today, it wouldn't go well, the person that you need to talk to wouldn't be there, so don't go to the "Market Store" today. She LISTENS to the promptings, wraps up her list/schedule of activities for the day, begins to prepare breakfast for her family, slips back upstairs to put on her clothes for the day, a touch of make-up, her hair in a neat pony-tail, and the hustle and bustle of the house begins! The house awakens. The birds begin to chirp, the kids begin to arouse, and everyone wakes up hungry and ready to eat, the smell of bacon already pulling them out of bed.

Sounds like a "dreamy" morning, doesn't it? Peaceful, but planned. Just the idea of "coming out with a plan" for the day sounds grande, doesn't it? I know I went through a season of doing really good at this! I accomplished a LOT with "planning my day." As I read this morning, I was prompted that ALL of my things can get done if I would only have a plan. "You can't just fly by the seat of your pants if you want to accomplish all that I have for you," I felt the Holy Spirit prompting.

So... this morning, I'm getting my notebook back out. "6 Things Before 11:00" was one of my goals. It allowed me to accomplish a lot. God has big plans for me, so I need to PLAN in order to get done all that He has for me!

Do you need to plan too? Is there enough time in today? There is EXACLY enough time to accomplish the things the Holy Spirit wants me & you to accomplish, we just have to ask Him!

XOXO!

Be blessed! ~ Amy J

#135 -The CONFIDENT Life

Good afternoon to you! Hope you are doing well! Junior.... or as we call him around the house, Junior Asparagus.... or sometimes it just gets shortened to Asparagus (Veggie Tales - we don't even have any Veggie Tales movies... but that's still what we call him sometimes)... anyways, he just went down for a nap. It's been quite an interesting day, to say the least... but PRAISE GOD that we have FAVOR in ALL situations! FAVOR FAVOR FAVOR! :) 


Let's get started... we are back on our scheduled reading after our 2 day detour. I just pulled out of Proverbs today... let's go...

Proverbs 3:21b, 22a, 23 - ... but keep sound and godly Wisdom and discretion, And they will be life to your inner self... Then you will walk in your way securely and in confident trust, and you shall not dash your foot or stumble.

Proverbs 31:15a, 26 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food... She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].

Receiving sound & godly Wisdom... quite important to accomplish all the God has created us to do. Therefore, being in the Word.... or communicating, having a relationship with this Almighty God would be pretty important in order to receive Wisdom, right? Well, look at the benefits of receiving and keeping this sound wisdom, LIFE to your inner self!!! Let me tell you.... I have never felt so alive since I received the revelations that I blogged about the last two days. In my inner self, I have NEVER felt so ALIVE! (FREE FROM DOUBT! & PROVISION BABY!) How awesome that we can receive revelation from the LORD and it breathes LIFE into our inner self, into our soul! Feeling full of life sure is better than being filled with doubt & fear, frustration, discouragement, disappointment, unworthiness. I don't know about you... but all those feelings were regular feelings that I was living in. I was feeling full of LIFE! I wasn't feeling filled with HOPE & EXPECTATION! Sure I knew promises of God... but my constant thought was, "When is it my turn? When is it my time?" Praise God for the revelations, that I now confidently know the answers to those questions. My time is NOW! My turn is NOW! 


Like it says in Proverbs 3, I can go about my day in CONFIDENCE & SECURE! I can go about my day in BOLDNESS that for such a time as this, God has prepared me and made me ready! And like the Proverbs 31 woman, WHY and HOW is she able to GIVE COUNSEL & INSTRUCTION? Because she is also prepared! She has spent time waking up while it was still night and committing time to getting spiritual food. Spending time with the Lord so that SHE could have counsel to give. So that she would receive clarity. Clarity about her purpose. Clarity about her direction. Clarity about decisions that she needs to make. She is able to CONSULT the Great Counselor about what her next steps are. She is able to lay out HER PLAN that she has prepared, go before the Almighty Counselor to see if she needs to tweek anything. HOW DID THIS COUNSELING RELATIONSHIP BEGIN? How did it begin? It began with baby steps. It began with her making a decision to commit time each day to devoting to the Lord. Devoting to spiritual growth. 


Do you need to be a "Spiritual Guru" to grow in areas of your goals. Well... no. But from my experience, looking back at my life, and looking at my life now... because of the time I have committed to growing spiritually I now have a LOT more clarity about HOW and WHERE to work. If I have a question, since I have spent time BUILDING a relationship, I can now just ASK and receive answers. ASK & receive the clarity that I need. On days and times when I don't feel like I have gotten a clear answer, I can allow PEACE to be my guide, and follow peace. 


What a great thing that we can live a CONFIDENT LIFE! We can move forward in faith, belief & confidence. That sure is better than the way I used to do things which was staying in the same place, treading water, not feeling like I was getting anywhere... day-in, day-out in toil, frustration... and wanting to sleep away my problems, pull the covers up over my head because I was not walking or living in confidence, I didn't have answers, I was frustrated. I just wanted to pull the covers up over my head and sleep in order to avoid life! Praise GOD because of time spent developing a relationship, that I can now have a CONFIDENT day & CONFIDENT life! And you know what? You can too! 

#123 - Google or God?

Hello! It feels like "Good Morning" still.... but it is actually "Good Afternoon." Here in South Carolina it is like everything is SHUT DOWN! We woke up yesterday to snow, and STILL have it on the ground, roads, cars, houses....and since Columbia isn't really prepared for clearing a large amount of roads with snow-plows, most of Columbia is just shut-down. Canceled. Closed. It's all good to me. It's kind of fun. I like my husband being home.... snowed-in, if you want to call it that! :) HA! It reminds me of the days in High School when we had school canceled because of snow. Wow! It was so great! It was the "Mother-Load of Greatness!" MOG! ha! I said that the other night, "Mother-Load of Greatness" and was laughed at because of the combination of words I put together. Our friend, Chris, even wrote it down and now it is coined MOG. :) 

Anyways... let me get going.... 

Proverbs 11:27 (KJV) - He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour...

Psalm 71:3 - Be to me a rock of refuge in which to dwell, and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually resort, which You have appointed to save me, for You are my Rock and my Fortress.

Procureth - to win, to obtain, to secure. To secure favor. By seeking good, we can secure favor. By having a heart after God, after His will, we can secure favor into our lives. That is good news. 


Let me tell you a story. So... this morning I sat down and was journaling.... just journaling some thoughts that have been going on in my head and journaling the 'happenings' of the last day. I was also specifically writing about an area that lately I've felt that I was "borderline" obsessing over. I don't want to obsess over anything, unless it's my degree of being radical to the Lord and relationship with Him, listening to Him, etc. But, any other area in life, I do not want to obsess. I would like to keep a healthy balance. Even with a healthy balance, sometimes the Holy Spirit has me spend focused amounts of time on specific areas, but if HE is directing it... I'm OK with that! 


So... I'm sitting here and was just journaling some concerns about a specific area of my life.... this thing I've felt maybe I've been close to obsessing over. Right as I was journaling that, I thought, "Ooooh! I could look it up. I'll just grab the laptop and Google it!" Right? Tell me, have you done that before? "I'll find it. Surely Google has the answer!" 


lol. I'm sure I'm not alone in this one. So just as I was going to reach for the laptop, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, "OK. Are you going to consult Me? Or the 'Almighty Google'?" the Holy Spirit chided.  I knew I was busted! I felt like consulting the Holy Spirit would be more "work" for my answer than just "googling it"! I just wanted a quick answer and was sure Google would have it. 


Well, reluctantly when the Holy Spirit said that, I said, "OK! You!" 


And then... do you know what happened? He laid out the FULL answer to my question down to minuet details. As I was quickly writing what I felt like He was revealing, He first laid out to me the "WHY." Why this specific challenge was occurring. Well, obviously, that was good to know. And then He laid out 6 very specific steps to get this situation back in line. Wow! 6 very specific steps that GOOGLE could have NEVER told me! Why could Google not have told me? Because the steps were specific to MY EXACT SITUATION! It was amazing. Actually kind of humorous. A very good lesson to me. 


As I read Psalm 71... it reminded me that I want the Lord to be my constant ROCK. I want HIM to be my fortress always. I want to run to HIM when I have a problem or question. Not some Internet portal that has opinions of EVERYONE in the world. If I want answers, I want to rely on HIM, the ALMIGHTY Creator of the Universe! The Creator of Heaven & Earth. The Alpha. The Omega. My Jehovah Rapha. My Jehovah Jirah. My Healer. My Provider. That is Who I want to run to. Sometimes I think it would just be easier to NOT ask..... so I prolong the asking and try to deal with it myself... when all along, if I would just take a few minutes, HUMBLE myself, get quiet and ASK, HE will reveal to me answers. He will reveal to me the next steps. He desires that I seek Him. And His Word says in doing so that I WILL OBTAIN and SECURE HIS FAVOR! Having Him answer my question and give me COUNSEL from the All-Knowing God, that is FAVOR! Having an ANSWER that is the RIGHT answer and not a guess, THAT is FAVOR! 


So.... do you have a big question? Have you been just going it solo? Doing it on your own? Who will it be? Google or God? I hope you choose God. He has a great answer for you!

__________________

Want to hear the results of listening? 

Check out the rest of the story: Google or God Part 2

#121 - The ULTIMATE Goal for 2011

GOOD MORNING! Happy New Year! This is actually kind of a "visit" post. I'm not officially back in my normal routine, so this week will still be a bit of a holiday schedule. I just read some good stuff and couldn't help but post it! It's a great thing to read since we have just stepped into the new year. It would also be a great goal for those who maybe hadn't yet set a goal. Probably the goal, if set, will ultimately lead to all other success in life! Check it out....

Phil. 3:10, 13-14 - [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power...

    ¹³ ...forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

What a great goal for 2011! To PROGRESSIVELY become more deeply and intimately acquainted with our Savior! TO know Him more! To set ourselves up to be able to HEAR His Voice and direction for where we are suppose to go. What we are suppose to do. To have a keen ear to hearing what HE would have us do. Tyler and I have both been really getting better and better in this area of life. Wow! It has been amazing. To really get to the point where every action you take, you are in the middle of a constant conversation with the Holy Spirit, being directed everywhere. Or bouncing ideas off the Holy Spirit as you are doing things, making the very things you are doing MORE PRODUCTIVE because they Holy Spirit tweaked your thoughts. He tweaked them and made them better. He knew exactly how you could have the conversation with a friend or business partner. He knew exactly how you should interact with your family member. 


Tyler & I are celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary on January 6th. We took a ski trip to celebrate and get away, to prepare ourselves mentally for 2011, and to enjoy each others company. AND, even better, Tyler Jr was with Grandma and grandpa. What a blessing! I sat down one afternoon and had a "counseling" session with the Holy Spirit. I was by myself. Just me, my Bible & my journal. I listed out the areas that I wanted direction on for 2011. Areas that I wanted to have specific goals in: (1) Health & Physical Fitness (2) My Relationship with the Lord (3) My Business (4) As a Writer (5) As a Wife & Mother. 


My pen was just going non-stop. The Holy Spirit laid out a game-plan for me for each area. He gave me direction. He helped me set up a plan, a daily plan in each area so that I can succeed. Daily action steps with an end goal in mind. How helpful! 


My ultimate goal still stems around the verses I read this morning. That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him. And by doing that, it will allow me to press on toward the goal to win the prize.


Have a great day! I look forward to meeting with you again regularly! I will probably start back again officially next week!


In closing.... I have a special note to my husband! :) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MY SWEET HUSBAND TYLER...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! :)  

#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! 

#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.