"Little" is the Doorway to Much

Good Morning! I am still "out here." :) I know over the last 6 months, my 4 time/week blog has dwindled to maybe once per week....sometimes once per month. Well... let me just assure you... I'm still out here, and I am still spending daily time in the Word. I just wanted to let you know I haven't fallen off the deep end! :) It is an interesting and new season for me. I'm very excited about that, but at the same time, much change has been and continues to come. With a change of season requires a change in activities, schedule and a continual reevaluation that I am indeed on the right track. My goal, as I'm sure yours is, is to not miss ANYTHING the Lord has for me. Thankfully my husband has "cast me onto the Lord" (which he did a long time ago, PRAISE THE LORD!) and allows me and the Lord to work out what "AMY" needs to be doing.


Anyways... with all of that said. I believe I have a good Word for you today. The Lord continues to give me incites as I dig into His Word. It is so good! Constantly new.


Let's dive in...

Psalm 40:5,6b - Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; no one can compare with You! If I should declare and speak of them, they are too many to be numbered....You have given me the capacity to hear and obey...

God's thoughts towards you. Did you know that they are HUGE! Did you know that as the SON or DAUGHTER of the Most High God, that His Plans for you are great! The "greatness" or "legacy" that you leave here on this earth are in direct proportion to your ability to hear and obey. What could that mean? Maybe that means "hearing once" and fulfilling one specific calling with greatness. Maybe that means "hearing daily" and accomplishing a lot in many venues.


In Psalm 40:5, it talks about God's thoughts towards us being too many to be numbered. Imagine a room filled with all the things that you are suppose to accomplish. Maybe it's developing witty inventions, as Proverbs 8:12 says. Imagine in this room, there are shelves full of your inventions. Great inventions, not just one, but MANY. Really, cool, great ideas, just sitting there on the shelves. Multi-million dollar products. Products and inventions that really help people. Just think about peanut butter alone. George Washington Carver invented peanut butter in 1876, and went on do invent 300 other products using the peanut. A devout Christian, Carver considered his laboratory "God's Little Workshop." Maybe in your "room" there are books that you have written, great books. Maybe there are products you have sold. Business' you have started. Engineering firm, photography business, a marketing company you've expanded, a restaurant or chain of restaurants. Maybe it's a dessert you've made famous, or a sauce? Maybe it's your artwork, work and designs that are so exceptional that they are known worldwide for how extraordinary they are. What is in your room? God's thoughts of you are too many to be numbered. That includes that great plans He has for you! His plans for you are for you to prosper! (Ps 1:3, 35:27, Proverbs 16:3, 16:9) There are SO many places that talk about how the Lord's plans for YOU, as His child, are for YOU to SUCCEED!!!!! For YOU to WIN! For YOU to be PROSPEROUS! Healthy! Wise! Wealthy! Third John 1 verse 2, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.


THE KEY HERE? Psalm 40:6b. You have the CAPACITY to HEAR AND OBEY! If you don't feel like you have been able to "HEAR" the direction or Voice of God (the Holy Spirit)... then guess what? That hearing ear can be developed! You can begin the process of practicing to listen! You will be amazed that as you pursue God, as you seek out Him & His treasures, He WILL make Himself known to you! Your life, your direction, your calling does not have to be a mystery to you! It is not suppose to be a mystery! He has HIDDEN TREASURES for YOU! They are HIDDEN for YOU to find them! They are HIDDEN from the enemy FOR YOU! But you have to seek them out, listen and obey! 


So... in your room.... in this room that has "all God has for you".... what is going to come to fruition here on the earth that is in YOUR ROOM? Are all the inventions, business', churches that you help build, books that you write....are they going to be left on the shelves? Or are they going to come to fruition here on earth? I believe that your capacity to RECEIVE those inventions, ideas, successes are based upon your ability to be obedient with the FIRST ONE! If you don't take the first idea, or the first business or the first book and do anything with it, WHY would God give you the next one? When you have not been faithful with the little, the ONE, why would he give you the rest of the AWESOME ideas? 


It begins with 2 things. Listening & Obeying. 


Can you do that today? Can you Listen? Can you obey? Can you take the first step to being obedient to what God has called you to pursue? Just like the story we've heard many times. The servant who was faithful with little, was given much. 


Servant. Child of the Most High God. Will you be faithful with the little He is trying to give you today? That "little" that you are faithful to is the doorway to much. Will you be faithful?

Success Formula!

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

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


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

So... Formula for success?

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

 

 

 

#214 - Two Paths

Proverbs 8:2 - On the top of the heights beside the way, where the paths meet, stands Wisdom [skillful and godly];

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

Have you ever found yourself at a decision point? A point in life where you have 2 paths, 2 distinct paths. One path you are more drawn to, it is more comfortable, it may even feel better. You see the lights & glimmer, lots of possibilities with the first path. The first path makes you feel good, IF you can avoid the uncomfortable gnawing in the pit of your stomach. IF you can ignore the gut feeling that quietly tries to prompt you NOT to take that path.

There is a second path. The second path does not seem to make logical sense. From first glance, it seems to be drawing you away from your ultimate destination, what seem to be your goals, your dreams, the opportunities that are jumping at you. The second path seems rougher, less obvious, it seems to show less glitter, less possibilities, less glamour. For some reason, this 2nd path, though you don't want to be drawn to it, you feel like it is the path you should take. All the reasoning in your mind, you try to shake it off, you try to tell yourself the other path is fine, it's the path of "opportunity & advancement."

You know the path, don't you? You've seen both of them. Maybe it is the path of career advancement. It appears glamorous, but with just a hint of "the world" and "compromise." Maybe it is the path of the comfortable relationship. You're dating, he is not a Christian and has no desire to make that decision, but you are great friends, comfortable, other than your faith, you have a lot in common. Maybe it's the path of honor. Honoring your father & mother, or holding on to bitterness & unforgiveness to wrongs that were done you. Maybe it is the path of destiny. Do you continue in the job where you are comfortable, make good income, unfulfilled, but doing well? Or do you jump out into what you are really called to do, what you are really passionate about? You've always wanted to write a book? You've always wanted to be a teacher? You've always wanted to own a restaurant and cook for people? You've always wanted to be a minister? You've always wanted to be a missionary and share the gospel?

As I continue to read and study about the Proverbs 31 woman, she has chosen her path. Her path leads her to reverently & worshipfully fear the Lord. Her path leads her to make decisions based upon her respect & honor for the Lord. Her path leads her down the road less traveled. Her path leads her on pursuits she maybe never imagined, pursuits that she started maybe uncomfortable, unsure.... the path where she did not know what the next step was, pursuits nonetheless where at the end of the day, she prospers.

I encourage you today to look at the paths that lie ahead for you. Do you take the path that leads to godliness or the path that leads to compromise? Do you take the path that honors our heavenly Father or the path that ensures worldly success? Do you take the path that is merely comfortable or the path that causes you to fully rely on the Lord?  

I anticipate, as the following poem reads.... if you take the path of the Lord, it will make all the difference!

The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could 

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back. 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by, 

And that has made all the difference.

The Road leading to Jesus does make all the difference!

#184 - Walk Away PROFITABLE Every Time!

Buenos dias! Well, today is an exciting day! We go to have an ultrasound and "officially" find out that we are having a girl! We've always believed that our "Trinity" would be #2, so it will be fun to get to see her and hear the "official" word from the Doctor today! Yippee! So dad, Junior & I will have an exciting appointment! Tyler Junior is going to be a big brother! How fun!

Well how about it? Let's get started in some Word.

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

Proverbs 31:16 (NLT) - She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night.

Isn't the Word awesome?! This morning I was just really reminded of how much of an entrepreneur our Proverbs 31 friend is. We know that she is the "Complete Package", and included in that, she is a "Business Woman!" Isn't that interesting. She is smart.

The New Living Translation tells us that our Proverbs 31 friend is "profitable" in her dealings. Those exploits that she pursues, she is making money, she is progressing, she is moving forward. When we look back to Proverbs 16:3, we can see how one can be successful in any endeavor, let's take another look.

1. Roll your works on the Lord - The first part of our assignment as we pursue a new endeavor or a business venture, an idea, is to roll that idea, roll that business venture, roll that thought onto the Lord. What does that mean? How are we to do that? The amplified version gives us a bit more insight on exactly that, it tells us to "COMMIT" that idea and "TRUST" that idea wholly to the Lord. "Wholly" in the dictionary is defined: entirely, altogether, totally, completely, without exception, exclusively. The "works" or "ideas" that we have, the "pursuits" that we want to chase, the "business concept" that we want to launch out into must FIRST and FOREMOST be committed to the Lord. Once it is committed and entrusted to the Lord, take a look what happens to it! Take a look what HE does with that idea, business venture, thought...
2. He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will - So, as we commit the thought or idea to the Lord, He begins to change things. The idea goes forth, we daily commit and remind Him of our trust in Him with the idea, we expect Him to further clarify and fine-tune the idea.... and look what He does! He not only clarifies and fine-tunes the thought, the idea, the business venture He does something even BETTER! He makes OUR THOUGHTS in regards to this idea, our thoughts in regards to the business venture, He makes OUR THOUGHTS to come into agreement with His will. Areas that we may have had things a little bit off or wrong, they get tweaked. Our thoughts are changed and perfected to be like HIS thoughts! The good news? His thoughts are PERFECT and His thoughts and His plans always succeed! So? What happens next? 
3. Our plans are established & succeed - Wha-la! Like a perfect batch of cookies coming out of the oven, our plans are successful! Like the Proverbs 31 woman, "our dealings are profitable!" Tell me this, WHO doesn't start a business but to be profitable?! That is the goal! People don't start a business to fail. People don't start a business to loose money. People start a business to succeed, to be profitable. The missing link in most failed business'? I would bet you could guess. The LACK of rolling the business or idea onto the Lord. The LACK of allowing our thoughts about the business to come into line with the Lord's thoughts for it.

How can we assure our success? Follow the above steps. I once heard a minister say that he NEVER has lost any money in ANY business investment! WOW! Outside of his ministry, he is a millionaire. Why? Because He allowed the LORD to be his counselor. In an economic downturn, his bankers advised him to do certain things with his financial portfolio. He took in what they said and told them, "Let me pray about it, I will get back with you." He left, He prayed about it. He brought it before the Lord and came back to meet with his bankers. In turn he told them, "No, I don't want to do what you are recommending... this, this and this. I would like you to do this ________." He had them move money into certain areas that made no sense to them. They were recommending their other high profile clients to do things completely different. Well... do you know what? Not long after, those very bankers came back to him and said, "Sir, do you realize out of ALL of our clients and ALL of our portfolios, everyone lost money but you! You were the only one who gained and increased during this economic time. Maybe we should have taken advice from you on what to do with everyone's money."

Praise the Lord! Everything about the Lord is about making us increase and prosper! He is not a God of lack. He is not a God of subtraction and division. He is a God of addition and multiplication. When we really COMMIT & TRUST our ways and plans to Him, when we really seek Him and allow Him to fine-tune our thinking, HE WILL! He will give us exactly the information to succeed & like the Proverbs 31 woman to walk away profitable!

#181 - A Way of Life for Others

Good morning! I pray you are blessed today! We are excited about a blessed day, being led and directed by the Lord and being in the right place at the right time! God has great things for you too today, are you ready? 


Let's get in the Word...

Proverbs 10:4 - He becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 10:16a-17 - The earnings of the righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) lead to life....¹⁷ He who heeds instruction and correction is [not only himself] in the way of life [but also] is a way of life for others. And he who neglects or refuses reproof [not only himself] goes astray [but also] causes to err and is a path toward ruin for others.

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]. 

Wow... this morning I was reminded of what continued to bring me to tears just over a week ago. I had the opportunity to attend a conference where I witnessed about one thousand people on a Sunday morning give their life to Christ. To watch as young and old made their way down coliseum steps to make a bold proclamation that they were committing their life to Jesus was enough to make tears roll down my eyes... but that was just the icing on the cake that morning. Earlier an offering was taken up for several different ministries, one of those ministries was for a music group called Day One. Day One introduced a new project they were working on called Operation Haiti. We watched a video that brought me to tears, and the tears kept coming for the next several days... even just thinking about it brings tears. The video showed children after the earthquake wandering the streets of Haiti for food. On the screen flashed a child, maybe 1 year old, or 18 months old, wandering the streets for food. No home, no family, no care, nothing. As I sat there thinking about my almost 18 month old son, Tyler Junior, I could help but picture my son there. Roaming for food, putting anything in his mouth hoping that it would be something good. It was amazing to me. I just couldn't help but think, these kids are special too. Just like Tyler Jr is so precious and special to me, these children are also special. They also deserve a chance. 


I cried further as an offering was taken up, not being able to give the amount of money that I wanted. I just wanted it to be for more. I wanted to give more, to do more, to help more, to make more of an impact, to provide food & shelter for these children roaming the streets. 

The verses this morning provide us with HOPE, that when we are diligent, it does matter! 

The hand of the diligent makes rich.... The earnings of the righteous lead to life.... He who heeds instruction is not only himself in the way of life, but is also a way of life for others...

We look at the life of the Proverbs 31 woman, she opens up FILLED hands to the poor, she is helping the needy in a variety of ways. Be it with food or shelter, emotional support, love, she is a beacon of light to the poor. 


It reminds me of other verses, "The Lord give us POWER TO GET WEALTH." "The wealth of the wicked is stored up for the just." The list could go on. I feel like we, as believers have a RESPONSIBILITY. A responsibility to be more and do more, to achieve more. God has ideas just WAITING for a believer who will take hold of it and run with it. Ideas, inventions, business' that will create great wealth and in turn will allow US, Children of God to give to the needy, to help the poor. It should not be up to the government to tax us on this or that to raise money, but in the Bible the body of Christ did it! They were not mandated to pay money into a program, they supported children and widows, poor and needy who could not provide for themselves. The BODY did that. I'm just reminded of the great opportunities that we have here in the U.S. Opportunities to make ideas a reality. There are not a shortage of Million Dollar Ideas.... they are there! There is not a shortage of talent.... there are cooks and bakers, seamstresses & designers who have not been discovered yet.... who are sitting in a cubicle somewhere entering data into a spreadsheet and doing something COMPLETELY unfulfilling with their life. Not operating in their gift, but just making a dollar bill. There is not a shortage of Million Dollar Business', business ideas are out there! Business' that are going to succeed! Business' that people need, that is going to provide a great service or product! The ideas are out there, there is no shortage. 


I'm reminded of a verse in Isaiah 6:8 that says, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Sure, there are people needed to GO. Missionaries needed to GO. But... there are also people who are equally important on that mission field, sure they may be in the comfort of their own home, but they are the people that are PROVIDING! SUPPLYING the funds! SUPPORTING! There are people equally important who maybe aren't called to work in an orphanage in Haiti, but you are called to fund it. You are called to create wealth with the talents God has given you. YOU can be a way of life to others!


Receive your idea! Receive your invention! Receive your business! Now, take hold, have faith, pray, listen and GO!

#128 - Faithful, No Matter the Cost!

Good morning! :) Well... let's just say it has been an interesting morning as normal! :) I've had a chance to talk to my husband A LOT! :) (HA!) During my quiet time, he wanted to share all the stuff he got out of his quiet time... and wanted to share a funny reprimand that happened to him yesterday... OK.... let's just say, it looks as if "THAT" will all be a part of today's devotion. We will be veering a little of our "regular" reading schedule. 


We were both sitting in the living room with our Bible's and journals, having our own separate "Quiet Time." Tyler piped up and said, "Do you mind if I share some of what I'm learning right here. I mean, this is good stuff!" So.... I stopped my own reading.... I had just written down a key verse that had jumped out at me, then I put my pen down to give my undivided attention to my excited husband. :) As he started to read, I recognized the verse as the one I had JUST written down. 

Proverbs 19:21 - Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand.

He proceeded to talk about Proverbs 19:21, and we jumped over to a couple other places that also applied: 

Isaiah 46:10 - Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose .

Isaiah 29:11 (NIV) - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

As Tyler started talking to me... he made a statement that is a GREAT statement to think about EVERY time one gets in the Word. Good enough to even write it down on a post-it note, include it with your Bible, so every day when you open up your Bible, you have THIS thought in the back of your mind. This is what he said: "As I was reading, I was looking for the word behind the Word." That, my friend, is what it means to meditate. That, my friend, is what it means to allow the WORD to speak to you! TO LOOK FOR THE WORD BEHIND THE WORD!  What exactly does that mean? Well.... obviously, we know that not even a pen-stroke should be added or taken away from the Bible (Matt. 5:18), right? So how can we get more than what is there? Well, since when we are saved, the Holy Spirit now LIVES within us, He has the ability to make known to us all things, IF we are willing to ask, seek, meditate, etc. So... when reading... it is a matter of reading with purpose, reading with a desire to see the "hidden treasures" that are locked away in the Word. (Prov. 2:4, Is. 45:3)


With the scriptures from today... the bottom line is this: The Lord's purpose will stand. He has a plan! We have our own will, but He has a plan. We have the ability to choose His plan, or choose our will. If we choose our will over His plan, He will find someone else to carry out the Ultimate Purpose! Tyler made an amazing point as we were talking! He said, "Look at the life of Joseph! Look at when Joseph is in Potiphar's house and Potiphar's wife continually tries to get Joseph to go to bed with her. Well, after continual refusals, she finally tears of Joseph's cloak one day and accuses him of trying to get her to go to bed. So, Joseph is wrongfully accused. Well, look at this. Joseph didn't try to defend himself, THOUGH he was innocent. He was then thrown in prison and remained their for a couple years. Well, think about this. Why didn't Potiphar just KILL Joseph right there? Maybe Potiphar had some doubt that what his wife said was true. Maybe Potiphar thought, 'This is totally against Joseph's character. What if he did not do this?' Then, if Joseph, would have slept with her, he probably would've died! Potiphar would've probably had him killed!" If you remember the rest of the story, Joseph ends up rising to power, 2nd in charge only to Pharoah, and because of the plan Joseph receives from the Lord, in a time of famine, that plan SAVES NATIONS!


God's divine plans will stand. He will see that someone who is willing to be faithful, will get the job done. We just have to remain faithful to HIM and HIS direction. He declares the END and the RESULT from the beginning. So, as we start down our path of following him, from the BEGINNING He has already declared what the end & the result will be. IF we stay on HIS path, the end will prove to be thoughts and plans to prosper you! Now, that is good stuff! IF we, follow HIS plan, the ending has already been determined! The end our OUR story as a faithful, child of God are plan of prosperity, plans of success! Praise the Lord! 



I definitely can't take any credit for all this Joseph information! Tyler has been meditating on it for over a year now. He continually sees new insights, information, nuggets, treasures. It is a story packed with amazing things!


Well....let's wrap this up. God is God. His purpose will stand. The question is, will you be faithful to HIS plan no matter what the cost? Will you be faithful? 

#93 - How To Get Answers from the Lord

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

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

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

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

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


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


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


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


Short and sweet. But a definite Word!  

#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!

#77 - Prosper & Walk in the Blessing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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


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

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