#255 - Resting Keeps out Unbelief!

Hebrews 4:9,11 -  So then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God... (11) Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell].

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] ....

When was the last time you really had a rejuvenating day? When you really rested? When you really took the time to re-charge your batteries? 

In today's day and age of goals, accomplishing things, moving up the corporate ladder, getting ahead, hustle and bustle, keeping up with the Joneses, keeping up with laundry & cleaning, meeting financial desires for savings, bank accounts, homes or cars... with all of that, when is there really time to rest? 

Taking a full day to just rest and recharge our batteries can almost seem like an impossibility. "How could I give up a FULL day to just rest? I have so much to accomplish!"

In a recent post, we talked about Proverbs 31:17 and discussed in detail the description of the word "gird," since it's not a word we use to often today. Just to recap, the thesaurus gives some further definitions... Gird: fortify, secure, support, are just a few. 

I'm confident that our Proverbs 31 woman took some time to rest. Just yesterday I ran into a revelation from Hebrews that I had never seen before. As you read in Hebrews 4:9, you see it talking about taking a complete Sabbath-rest. In the amplified version of the Bible, it goes on to say be zealous and exert yourself and strive diligently to take that rest! The NEXT part is what really got me!!! Let's look at the end of Hebrews 4:11, that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell].

What does entering that rest do? It is MORE than just recharging your batteries. It is MORE than just taking a break? We often think of weak people are the ones who need a break. Weak people take time off. Weak people stop. Weak people take breaks. 

Friend.... I'm here to tell you just the OPPOSITE! In Hebrews 4:11, it is telling us the IMPORTANCE of taking that day of rest, that Sabbath day to rest, so that we will not FALL. So that we will not be in unbelief and disobedience!! Not only is the Sabbath day of rest there to simply rejuvenate us, BUT it is there to KEEP US OUT OF UNBELIEF! It is there to KEEP US OUT OF DISOBEDIENCE! 

I know for myself, I have noticed when I do not take a day of rest, I'm much more prone to temptation than the weeks when I take a day of rest. It has been much easier for me to fall, or sin when I'm running on fumes. When I've missed a week of having a day of rest. I can tell that my spirit seems weaker. I feel weaker. I've noticed it's harder to stay steady when I'm tired or run down. 

According to Hebrews 4, a day of rest is going to help you to walk in BELIEF! It's going to help you walk in OBEDIENCE! 

Friend, I'm going to encourage you, pull out your calendar, mark out when you can have a day of rest this week! Maybe work it out with your spouse to watch the kids for a few hours (or the whole day!) But, equally, do the same for your spouse! Encourage them to rest, rejuvenate, recharge their batteries! 

Maybe you can't get a full day of rest in. Maybe you have kids and there is no one who can watch them so you can actually feel rested. Well, do what you can, God WILL HONOR IT! Maybe prepare food the day before so you can just plug in the crock-pot, have an empty dishwasher when you start your day of rest. Let the kids watch a movie. Don't clean. Don't do laundry. Don't do any major cooking. Pull out a fun craft, or watch a movie yourself. Read a book. Get in the Word. Worship. Take a nap. :) Just have a day that is a fun filled day of recharging your batteries!! :) 

Friend.... from experience, having a weekly day of rest (DOR) has literally changed my life and my energy levels!!! I highly encourage it! :) 

Be blessed!! 

#254 - REJUVENATE! Take a BREAK! :)

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.

Ok ladies... let's get down to it. Today, let's talk about your strength level. Have you felt run down? Tired? Frustrated? Follow me on this... we're going to jump through a few word studies to really dig in and get a deeper understanding... and by the end, I really feel like the Word is going to help you. In the least, I feel like It will give you a place to start, where you can begin to come out of some of the exhaustion you may be feeling right now.

We don't typically use the word "gird" on a regular basis, so I decided to look it up to get some other definitions.... one of the 2 definitions was strengthens. To get a more firm, overall description, I checked out the synonyms as well. Here were a few of my favorites:

• secures, supports, reinforces, encompass, fortify, ready, prepares. 

Some of my favorite synonyms for strengthen included:

• bolster, empower, enhance, increase, intensify, regenerate, rejuvenate, renew, restore, support, sustain, add fuel to the fire, built up

As a mom, working woman, business owner, wife, or a woman seeking to pursue and chase God, I know you most likely have days where you feel run down, exhausted, worn out. Maybe you have those days where you'd just like to rewind time and go back to when it was simple. Maybe a day before kids? Not that you'd trade them in or anything, you obviously love them... but the days before you felt like all you were doing was wiping noses, fixing food, doing dishes, picking up spilled food from under the table, cleaning up toys, changing someones clothes again, and then fixing the next meal! Some days it seems like a never ending cycle?! Or maybe you are in the corporate world, and you are fixing their problems... maybe different than a 3 year olds, but the same thing just different. Returning email, answering questions, answering the phone, fixing problems, changing pricing, refunding money, working late, checking voicemail, talking to your boss, analyzing your numbers, and the list goes on. 

All the more reason this is for you!!!

Let's check out our verse again, you are going to LIKE the outcome!!! A break is in store for you!!! Get excited!!

As we look at the life of the Proverbs 31 woman, I don't know about you, but for me if I just read about who she is & what she does, it could DEFINITELY be overwhelming! Here she is this perfect person, doing everything, making money, traveling afar to get food for her house, waking up early, staying up late.... I mean really, when does this perfect woman sleep?!? And GOD, I'm suppose to be like her?!? I'm exhausted already, how can I do more?? --- Does that sound like the conversation you have with God when you consider this Proverbs 31 woman? Well, lets dive into some good news!! :) 

In the past, I viewed Proverbs 31:17 from a fitness perspective. I always focused on the later part of the verse, "girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong and firm." So, "Great," some of you may be thinking, "Not only am I suppose to do all this other stuff, but I'm ALSO suppose to work out and attempt to get buff arms?! Who has time for that? I'm already not sleeping if I'm attaining to be this woman!" 

Let's plug in a few of the synonyms that we looked up... 

• Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself in strength...
• She rejuvenates herself in strength... 
• She prepares herself renewed...
• She fortifies herself being built up...
• She adds fuel to the fire for herself being rejuvenated ...

Take a snapshot. Run down. Tired. Worn out. Going every day. There is never a break for mom. Always more to do. Things to be done. Laundry. Food. Dishes. 

How can you add fuel to the fire and be rejuvenated? What are some things that rejuvenate you??? I can think of a list of things for me. Let's start out... you list out yours... but here are a few things that rejuvenate me:

• Going to see a movie by myself (without kids) .... or with my husband.
• Watching a good chick flick on netflix. Maybe in sweats and a sweatshirt, on my laptop, in my bed, eating popcorn. Hummmm..... a few favorites.... The Devil Wears Prada, Julie & Julia, Letters to Juliet
• Taking a bubble bath. 
• Doing a CRAFT project. Maybe something I saw on Pinterest (things that I typically wouldn't do because I would consider them unproductive, frivolous, extras)
• Writing.
• Working on a scrapbook. 
• Sitting in a coffee shop by myself. :) 

Those are just a few for me. Well, our PROVERBS 31 WOMAN, this Perfect picture of a woman, She actually TOOK TIME FOR HERSELF!!!

Those of you who know me, know that Tyler and I both take ONE day a week where it is our Day of Rest. On that day, we rejuvenate! For Tyler, his "rejuvenating" looks like a documentary.... (arghhhh, just the word documentary practically puts me to sleep!). To me, rejuvenating, means unwinding my brain and sewing something for Trinity or making a headband for me, doing a craft project for my home, watching a movie, getting out by myself! 

We also know that God Himself, worked 6 days and rested ONE! Tyler and I have worked it into our schedule that we work 6 days and rest 1. We REJUVENATE 1 day out of the week! Now... some weeks it isn't perfect, it may be a 1/2 day. Or maybe it doesn't work out for Tyler to have the kids, so I still have to be "mom" and feed people. But even on those "unperfect" Day of Rests (DOR's), I still do fun, restful thing. Maybe I veg-out and watch a movie while the kids nap. Maybe they play outside while I read on a blanket. Even on the "unperfect" DOR's.... we still make it work. Instead of fixing dinner (aka: mom working), we may go to Cici's where kids eat free! I don't have to cook, so I get a break... and it's a break of the normal routine! 

MOM's - YOU being rejuvenated is IMPORTANT for YOU! Your health! Your husband! Your kids! Your spiritual walk! Your dreams being accomplished! I've tried it both ways! I've tried it working 7 days a week, never taking a break or breather, 365! And I've tried it rested. Getting 1 day/week where I mentally take off, and 6 days of working. I can tell you, from experience, when I am rested from that 1 day, I accomplish MOUNDS more on the other 6 days! On my DOR, I can plan, evaluate my goals, talk to God, dream about where I'm going. 

So.... 

PERMISSION GRANTED... obviously check for yourself .... but, mom's (and dad's...and non-parents)... take a DAY OFF! :) Biblical, from what I read, I say YES, ABSOLUTELY. If you're spouse can't give you a complete day off... that's ok, take it anyways. If they are not going to participate, let them know YOUR plan. "Honey, today, I'm taking a DOR. Pizza for dinner tonight. I'm not cleaning, cooking, or doing anything that looks like work. I'm going to REST. And tomorrow, I'll hit the ground RUNNING! Being rejuvenated and ready to TACKLE our dreams and goals (and laundry!)!" 

Rejuvenate. 

xoxo!

(OK.... kids are awake now! My apologies for not going through to spell-check! Thanks for your grace if there are grammatical errors!)

 

 

#169 - How to get REFRESHED!

Computer errors caused part of this blog to get deleted. I believe that even after filling in some gaps, it will bless you! I pray I didn't forget anything. The enemy did NOT want you to get this one!!! The Holy Spirit told me that His people DO need this Word!
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Good morning! Well, I must say it is a beautiful morning out! I am officially on my back porch.... had a cup of hot chocolate, now on to some English tea and the birds are just chirping away! It is absolutely peaceful! I can only imagine what it would be like to live on a property with lots of land, not ever hearing ANY cars or neighbors, just nature! Wow! A small piece of heaven, I'm sure! I look forward to OUR piece of land like that!!

We are going to stray off the path a little bit as I want to share some insight with you into a very popular Psalm that I'm sure many of you could quote! Let's get started.

Psalm 23:1-4 - THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. ² He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. ³He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake. ⁴Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

Sunday at church, my Pastor talked about Psalm 23 and the power of resting. As he was sharing scripture and going through some things, it was just like the Holy Spirit was revealing me so much even in what was not said. I was having some pretty exciting revelations in regards to Psalm 23 & resting. What is in store for those who rest.  Let's jump into things a bit.

In the Hebrew, verse 2, "leads" can be also translated as to "give rest, bring to a place of rest, refresh, cause to rest." However, in verse 3, the Hebrew word for "lead" is talking strictly about "to lead, bring or guide." It is not referring to "resting."

The power of RESTING in obedience?
As I sat in church listening to the Pastor, in my head I started thinking about what an oasis these green pastures would be to actual sheep. The Pastor made reference to how the sheep could just graze endlessly all day long. The grass was green, plush, yummy... perfect. When they got full, they could lay down, take a nap, go down to the still waters and drink. EVERYTHING that a sheep would need was provided for and laid out! ALL of their needs were met, there at the green pastures! Here's where my mind started to go off.... WHAT would "green pastures" look like for me, the believer? Green grass is great for a sheep, but I'm not going to eat green grass. What would "green pastures" be for me? Check this out! If to a sheep it meant TOTAL FULFILLMENT, ABUNDANCE, NEEDS COMPLETELY MET, that is what it would mean to me too! Total Fulfillment? Yes! My needs being met in every area. Finances? Abundance. Food to feed my family? Abundance. Clothing? Abundance. Health? Abundance - wholeness. When I and YOU allow ourselves to go to these green pastures, we set ourselves up for restoration. Verse 3 says that in this place, HE, our Father, refreshes and restores our life!

Are you running ragged? Are you tired? Are you feeling burnt out? When was the last time you visited the GREEN PASTURE? It is a place where RESTORATION comes! It is a place where YOU & I will get REFRESHED!

Why Rest?
Very simple. Re-read the beginning of verse 4, "Yes, though I walk through the valley..." We are ALL going to have valley's in our life at some point! Since we live IN the World and Satan is currently it's prince, bad things are bound to happen. Now, don't get me wrong, I am probably one of the greatest "Optimists" that you will ever meet. I believe that I have been set up to be BLESSED because I am following the will of God for my life, and if you are walking in obedience, I believe the same for you. God's desire is to bless His children.

Let's jump back... "I walk through the valley..." - THERE is the KEY for you & I! For the born-again believer! THERE is the key! To walk THROUGH the valley's of life! Not to STAY there! Not to STAY in the valley! Not to LAY DOWN in the valley. Not to make our HOME in the valley! We are to walk THROUGH the valley's that we come to. Man this is good! Are you getting this!?!?

And HERE is the KICKER! What makes someone ABLE to walk THROUGH the valley instead of STAYING in the valley? Because they have RESTED. They are REFRESHED. They are RESTORED. We are not meant to STAY in the valley! We are meant to go THROUGH the valley. We are not meant to lay down in the valley, to put up camp in the valley. We aren't meant to wallow in the valley, we are meant to go THROUGH the valley. As believers living in the WORLD, we cannot always prevent bad things from coming at us... even Paul reminds us of this in the New Testament, BUT to a degree, we can prevent how long we stay in that place. By RESTING, observing a Sabbath, we can get girded up with strength so that the "valley season" can be quicker, so that we are able to withstand the enemy, we are able to walk through the valley to the other side VICTORIOUS! The enemy wants you to STAY in the valley. How can we glorify God if we remain in a bad place, if we remain in disaster, turmoil. We glorify God when we are on the OTHER SIDE of the valley VICTORIOUS. Pre-requisite? Proper rest in the green pastures and beside the still waters.


The disadvantage to being FORCED to rest? 
I heard a pastor once talk about how he never took a day of rest. He never really rested. Being in the ministry, he traveled and shared the gospel all the time, but did not himself rest. After awhile it took a toll on his body and he was FORCED to rest. He was laid up in bed with back problems for some time and was MADE to rest. I've heard him recount the situation and say that he believes he could have avoided it if only he would have taken a priority to rest. So... by choice or by force, your body needs to rest. I choose to do it on my terms, healthy and having an enjoyable time versus being laid up in bed, or worse, being in a hospital somewhere.

Not a ONE-TIME Event
Just like our bodies repair themselves each night when we sleep. I feel like each week, a Sabbath Day of Rest does the same thing. Tyler and I choose to schedule a Day of Rest EACH WEEK. We notice if we miss a week, we feel bogged down and tired. Don't get me wrong, it takes planning, especially when you factor in children, jobs, etc. We just started somewhere. If you can't do a "whole" day right now, start with a few hours or a half day. Start with scheduling some time to rest. By no means do I want to force my opinion or view of the Word on you... but if the shoe fits for you, maybe you should wear it too. Maybe you might just benefit from resting.

#88 - Faith Comes by Hearing!

Good morning to all! How goes it?! Good here. I am outside on my porch. The weather is nice and fallish. I'm in my college sweats and sweatshirt! :) Comfy! I did have to dry off the glass table that I sit at... it was covered with dew. Is that what it would be called? Or just condensation? Anyways, it was wet! Fall is here!


Well...yesterday was an interesting day. I was overcoming some stomach issues, so the afternoon consisted of a nice long nap. Thankfully the boy cooperated with me and took a nap too! What a good kid! Such a blessing to his mama!! Needless to say, I did not end up posting yesterday... hopefully you can forgive me! :-D


Let's get going...

Psalm 51:12 - Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.

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].

Pretty short and to the point with verses today. What a good word today. A good word to me, and I anticipate to some of you this will speak to you too! 


I want you to just think about maybe a failure in your life. Something that you have been trying to have victory over. Maybe it's a goal you have been working towards and it has just seemed like you've been working on it forever and still in the same place. You've been going and going and going, with little to show for your efforts. Today is a word for you. 


The word "restore" jumped off the page at me. Restore joy. Do you feel like you have been just going through the motions. Have you wondered where your joy is? How can I be happy? I just feel like a failure. I'm just not happy. I'm not where I want to be. This is not how I envisioned my every day being. I just want to get out. I want to get to that happy place. I want to have joy. I want joy! 


To RENEW & RESTORE often requires forgetting the past. Specifically forgetting past failures. Sometimes forgetting the past all together. If you think about your past and all it does is depress you, then maybe you need to forget the past all together. God has forgotten it, as far as the east is from the west, so why do you keep dwelling on it? Begin today and add something in your life that brings you joy. If you like to bake, stop at the grocery store and bake something. If you've had a challenge with your weight and don't want to eat it yourself, think of someone you could bake something for.... sow your gift of baking into bringing joy to someone else's life. Who can you bless with your gift and the thing you enjoy? Amazing that simultaneously, you find joy because you are doing WHAT you enjoy. Do you like to draw? Draw something. Do you like to run? Go for a run after work? Do you love spending time with your kids? Be spontaneous, pick them up after school and bring them to the park. You can dread every day, or you can begin to change it today. 


As I read about the Proverbs 31 woman, I read how her lamp does not go out. Her lamp, her connection to the Word, to God. Lamp in the Bible often refers to the Bible. What does this do for her? Exactly what it will do for us! In the amplified, it says that the lamp warns away fear, doubt and distrust. For us... what could that be? Fear of having to live another day in our life. Fear of having another day bring unfullfillment and despair. Dwelling on the Word, meditating on the Word, ie: keeping the "LAMP" on, helps us to avoid these feelings!


Doubt. What is doubt? Doubt is lack of faith. Lack of belief. If we are living in doubt, that means we are not renewing our mind enough to bring our thoughts, actions & life to a point of faith. To come to a point of belief. So how do we do that? It's a process, and most likely will not happen overnight. Yes, spend time in the Word. What's the verse we have all heard?? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by what? The word of God. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing specifically the Word of God. Meditate on the faith chapter in the Bible. Hebrews 11. Get around and associate with people who have had victory in the area you want to have victory in. Get around people who HAVE the FAITH that you want. Allow their faith to rub off on you! If you are around pigs, if you are constantly in the arena of pigs, what's going to happen? You will most likely be dirty and you will definitely smell like pigs. It will affect how you look and will affect your attitude. Find an arena where people are winning. Find a way to put yourself in that arena to be around them. That may take YOU going out of your way to put yourself there. Maybe driving to get around them. Inconveniencing yourself to put yourself in a place where you can change how you think. 


What else? I was talking to someone the other day who is wanting to lose weight. In our conversation she said something with the phrase, "get my fat butt...". To begin to have faith in succeeding, it takes retraining how we SEE our situation. Faith comes by HEARING. By speaking words that CONTRADICT your goal, by default is what your are going to build your faith in! Faith comes by HEARING. In speaking the words, "my fat butt", she is training herself to have faith in having a "fatt butt" versus having faith in her goal, getting a skinny butt. It's a matter of beginning to SEE, to VISUALIZE, LITERALLY your success. WHATEVER the arena! In a specific area for me, I just capped over 43,000 words in the book I'm writing. For me with my book, it is SEEING my book on the shelves of Barnes & Nobles, seeing my book rise to the top of the charts. It is seeing my name on the speaking line-up for John Maxwell's "Catalyst" conference, it is SEEING my books changing the lives of college girls, seeing them break down and commit to a change towards purity, a change to waiting for the man God has made perfectly for them. For my business goals, it takes me SEEING the people who I will be best friends with, a living room full of my friends and business partners who we go out and change the world with. SEEING a group of leaders filling up our clubhouse, the "man cave" above our garage. SEEING them talk into the late hours of the night about changing this country, about changing families for the good, about setting captives free, about bringing mommies & daddies home from work. It takes me SEEING the people who will be like-minded, who want to make a difference, and we partner, hand-in-hand to take back America for God and for Freedom. It takes me SEEING, truly VISUALIZING and seeing these things come to pass. 


So today.... RENEW your mind. Fill it with the Word. Keep it constantly in front of you. Even if it's just ONE scripture that you can meditate on and every day go back to. Maybe it's a scripture that you search out that says you are MORE than a CONQUEROR. That you are a WINNER. That you are VICTORIOUS. RESTORE your love, your passions, your dreams. Begin to allow those to bring back joy in your life. FORGET THE PAST. FORGET YOUR FAILURES. Stop dwelling in the arena with pigs. Stop living today allowing your past failures to dictate your today. Begin the journey of climbing to joy. Of choosing joy. Of winning. Faith comes by HEARING. Say, "I HAVE A SKINNY BUTT!" Or, "I AM A WINNER! EVERYTHING I PUT MY HAND TO PROSPERS! I AM LIVING MY DREAM LIFE." If you aren't living your dream life, say it anyways!!! FAITH COMES BY HEARING! It will help you work your way to that dream life. It will help you to subconsciously align your actions with your dream life, your calling, your purpose. And it is BIBLICAL! Faith comes by HEARING! To build your faith, you need to HEAR! I didn't make that up, it came directly from the Bible! Look for yourself. Build your faith on the positive. Build your faith in the direction you WANT to go, not where you are now or not where your failures were in the past.


Let's go out and win today!