#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!

#260 - How to Recognize the Noise!

DID YOU KNOW: You wondering why there are "#'s" in front of some blog posts and not others? Well... here's your answer. Today's blog, #260, will somewhat have reference back to the Proverbs 31 Woman. Any blog posts that do not have a number at the beginning of the title will just be a general devotion, not referring to a passage in Proverbs 31. Also, unless specified differently, the Amplified Version of the Bible is typically used. 

____________________________________________________________________

Proverbs 31:16 -  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.

In referring to the Proverbs 31 woman, she is obviously an accomplished woman. She has done much, and is greatly to be modeled after. Though, most people have NO strength left, mental or physical because their productive time has been spent on things done in vain, activities that they should not have been doing in the first place. We can find ourselves not moving on to bearing fruit and having fruitful vines because our lack of strength never gets us to planting the vines! THE VINES ARE NEVER PLANTED BECAUSE WE ARE TOO BUSY WITH THE NOISE!!! We remain UNFRUITFUL in the areas God has called us to because of the noise.

Have you ever thought this: "There is so much noise, I cannot even hear myself think!" Noise around you. Noise in your head. Noise in your thoughts. Noise on your calendar, your phone, your computer. Noise. Noise. Noise! So much noise, you cannot hear.

Noise comes in many different formats. This morning while having my quiet time and thinking about a bit of a rushed morning schedule once we get started, I found myself asking the Lord this question. "Father, will you please guide me today? Teach me how to listen and obey even amongst the hustle and bustle, in all the noise. Help me Father. Shutting out noise. I know you knew noise would come. And I know they had their own kind of noise when Proverbs 31 was written."

The phrase, "Handling Noise in order to Hear" came to mind. With all of that said, I'd like to share with you some of the insights on noise that I received. EVALUATE YOURSELF. Are there any areas in the below noise categories that you need to eliminate, evaluate, tweak or even potentially focus on more?

Noise can be boiled down to two main categories. External Noise & Internal Noise. Let's look at the following list, not all is bad noise, but can be noise nonetheless.

External Noise

1. Having the TV on - needing noise in the background, often does not allow us to think, pray or hear from the Holy Spirit
2. Cell Phone - Can be an obvious distraction. Be it games, email, texting, etc. In the Roman times they entertained people to keep them from THINKING and revolting.  Hum.... could cell phones be a point of distraction to keep us from thinking?
3. Apps on your cell phone - Each app adds an additional element of noise...just one more thing to look at or do.
4. Music or audios - While your driving, do you ever have time to think? Or is there always noise in the background?
5. Children - Let's be honest, from the time they wake up, if they are toddler the idea of thinking quietly may be a far fetch from reality.
6. Activities - How many activities do you choose to be involved in and are they the right activities?
7. Schedules - What's on your schedule? Your husbands schedule? Your kids schedule? 
8. What you allow to GO on your schedule? - Like the Proverbs 31 woman in verse 16, do you expand prudently? Do you really evaluate and consider whether your time should be going to this area?
9. Facebook, twitter, Social Media - Need I say more? At the end of the day, minutes can easily turn into hours if we are not careful. 
10. Pictures - Constantly having to "capture the moment". (Often this causes us to miss the real "moments" because we are trying to capture them.)
11. Overcommitting
12. Disorganization - A mess. 
13. Lack of Systems in place - Constantly have to think, "Where am I going to put this?" because it doesn't have a place. 
14. Excessive Entertainment - Always a movie, Netflix, a show, a book. 
15. Work
16. The WRONG Work 

Internal Noise

1. Comparing - Allowing your mind to compare yourself to others
2. Busyness - No downtime to sit quietly and think or pray. 
3. Guilt - Guilt is a condemnation tool that takes your listening focus onto the negative.
4. Self-Talk - What do you SAY to yourself? What are you speaking into existence about your life? Family? Children? Your day? Your future?
5. Belief or Lack of Belief - Believing the wrong way. How or what are you believing from the Lord? Often our own belief is too low not allowing GOD to do His part. I heard the words, "BELIEVE ME WILDLY!"
6. Wandering thoughts - Thinking about nothing and meaningless things. That is noise and wasted time. 

TO DO: Make a "THINK LIST" - When you have the down time, what are some things you need to think on? Have a list ready & THINK on these things. It may be an organized prayer time, it may be thinking on ways to organize and streamline your life, it may be thinking on your next steps towards accomplishing your dream, being productive, parenting, being healthy, preparing healthy meals, developing a schedule for YOURSELF, cleaning, etc. Develop a THINK LIST. When your mind is tempted to wander about nothing or spend countless hours drifting into Facebook, INSTEAD with a THINK LIST in place, you may find yourself creating valuable systems to put into place in your home that will help you have more peace and be more productive, and ultimately accomplish what GOD would have you accomplish on a daily basis! 

#258 - FOUR Ways to be a Super Woman!

Proverbs 31:15-16a - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks. 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]...

As we read about the Proverbs 31 woman, I'm sure you've thought it too... she is Super Woman! When we read about all her attributes and accomplishments, it can be extremely intimidating in comparison to where we may currently be in life. I assure you, I am NO different! I often stand in awe of this amazing woman.

Let's look at just a few things from the verses above and see how we may be able to apply these Super Woman qualities!

(1) Benefits to "rising while it is yet night" - The house is quiet. For maybe the only time in the next 24 hours will you be able to think without hearing, "Mommmmy! Mommmmy!" Or without wiping a mouth, washing fingers, cleaning up spilled milk, picking up toys before your spouse walks in the door. I read this morning the quality of "THINK TIME."

• "Resolve now to set aside some time each day (at least thirty minutes) to be completely by yourself.... Select a time when your mind is fresh and when you can be free from distractions.... Spend some time in managed solitude every day and think yourself to success." - David J. Schwartz

(2) Getting YOUR Spiritual Food or Direction - As a woman, mom, business owner, employee, wife, friend, sister, daughter, we have responsibilities that involve the well-being and growth of others. As a mom, it's mine (and your) responsibility to grow our children up in the Lord. HOW are we doing that on a daily basis? Is it a planned event? Are we daily imparting the Word of God into our children, teaching them Biblical lessons or how to act as a child of God? With grown kids... are we encouraging them in their walk with the Lord? Cheering them on to seek the Lord even in the little things? Being an iron-sharpener versus a constant bearer of gossip? Being spiritually fed every morning put US in the right mentality to be able to LEAD our children & ourselves! Being spiritually fed and taking that morning time to THINK and PRAY, allows us to be SPIRITUALLY DIRECTED for our day, so those things we do are not done in vain! 

(3) Assign maids their tasks! - I don't know about you, but I have yet to hire a maid, though I look forward to the day I will be able too!! Until then, how are we doing in assigning those MAID TASKS? Planning when things are going to get done?

• Meal Preparation - healthy & on time for the family 
• Cleaning - baseboards, toilets, mopping, dusting, vacuuming... all the fun stuff!
• Laundry - washing, folding AND putting away. 
• Organizing - how does that tupperware cabinet look? the garage? the pantry? your closet? 

This time of planning of when you are going to get to some of these things. To be honest, I need to work on every one of these areas! But, if we never take the time to assign these tasks to OURSELVES (until we can afford a maid), they may go undone, or a point of stress because we always feel behind. IF ONLY we PLANNED out these items, we may be surprised at the amount of time we actually have AFTER they are completed, not to mention how good we feel about ourselves. (i.e. not carrying that guilt around, and nervous if our husbands are going to ask us for clean underwear again - they are still in the laundry basket!) UNTIL "we" have a maid, our job is to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN - ASSIGN THE TASK. Pull out the calendar, and FIND a TIME to ASSIGN THAT TASK!!! Maybe it's one day a month where we prepare meals in advance to freeze? Just PLAN it!

(4) CONSIDER & Expand PRUDENTLY - I KNOW God has called me to do great things with my life, to accomplish things that will change people's lives for the better. I also know that He has called YOU to great things too! He has a purpose and plan, and it is OUR JOB to accomplish HIS purpose for our life. That will take carefully considering everything that goes onto our calendar. If we are going to add something to the calendar, expanding prudently after time as put prayerfully considering that activity. IS it something that you and I are suppose to do, or will it be just one more thing to keep us "busy?" (B.U.S.Y. - Being Under Satan's Yoke) - Make sure that "BUSY" isn't keeping you from accomplishing God's BEST for your life! Sometimes the most POWERFUL and SPIRITUAL word can be "NO"!  Consider, maybe you are suppose to say NO to that committee so you can actually work towards the assignment GOD has for you to do! 

Be blessed! Maybe take ONE thing in the above thoughts that you can work on this week. We CAN BE SUPER WOMEN! It may just take a little THINKING and PLANNING! :)

#253 - Christmas Overwhelmed?

Romans 9:21 (NKJ) - Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

John 15:1-7 - I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.
² Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.³ You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].⁴ Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.⁵ I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.⁶ If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.⁷ If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.

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. 

Good morning! Honestly, as I sit here sipping my 2nd cup of coffee, writing in my journal and just spilling everything in my heart and mind to the Lord, one sentence came to mind, "I'm ready for things to get back to normal." As I thought about it, that was a bit sad because it's ONLY December 6th!! The Holiday season is JUST starting. My whirlwind started at the beginning of November, North Carolina Leadership Conference, Florida Birthday with Grandparents, Georgia Thanksgiving, Kansas Business Trip, Mom's Night out Christmas Party (at my house), and blah, blah, blah... they were GREAT, but life has been anything but normal!

Do you know the feeling I'm talking about? I am not even unpacked from one event, to just dump my suitcase out and pack for another.... while the pile grows of things that need to be put away... or new suitcases come out while the others remain unpacked. 

So... here I sat, this morning in my Quiet Time, just spilling out my brain onto paper. Telling the Lord of all the things that I need to fix about myself, feeling frustrated and a bit like I'm still in the center of a whirlwind. Remembering the weird dream I had last night, waking up in a frenzy because I had "lost my basketball shoes and was running around looking for them and I didn't want to get left." (Weird! I don't have basketball shoes and haven't played since I was in 9th grade.)  So my dream was just another reminder of one area in my life I need to improve on...... argh..... getting more organized and being on time! 

I stopped my frenzy of all the things I "NEED" to do, the areas I "NEED" to improve on, the tasks that I "NEED" to get my head together on... I stopped. Then, I proceeded to just LISTEN. 

As I listened, this was what I heard: 

Amy....it is all about staying connected to Me. Staying connected to the TRUE VINE. I will prune you & as a potter shapes, I will shape you. I will direct you in your tasks & priorities. 

Immediately the verses that came to mind were Romans 9:21 and John 15:1-7.

What happens when a branch is disconnected from a vine or tree? I had a "Mom's Night Out" Christmas Party for my mom's group on Monday night. Beforehand, I went out back and cut some branches off pine trees, got some sprigs of pine to make a centerpiece and decorate some random places. I even found a "Charlie Brown" looking pine tree and cut that down to decorate in a corner. Well... currently, my "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree in the corner of our eating area is staying artificially alive. It is in a vase with water. BUT, it will not stay alive forever. It is currently being artificially kept alive. It is disconnected from it's root system. As soon as I take it out of the water, it will begin to brown, dry up and die completely.

The reminder to me this morning.... as I've been feeling overwhelmed, a bit in a frenzy, my "To-Do" list of Christmas presents and exchanges growing, this morning as I slowed down long enough to LISTEN to the Voice of the Holy Spirit... I got a great reminder! Stay connected! Stay connected to the TRUE VINE. As I stay connected, like the potter directs the shape of the clay, the Holy Spirit will direct me. He will even direct me in keeping me productive on the tasks I NEED to be productive in. He'll direct me where to go and when to go. "No Amy, don't go there right now, they won't have what you need. Wait until Wednesday." Then, the store will receive a shipment, put items out and the item I was looking for will be newly placed on the shelf. I will not spend time in vain, or toiling because I will have taken time to listen.

It really is amazing!!! Because Jesus ascended into Heaven and left this earth, what a gift we have! But, even the disciples argued with Jesus. "NO Jesus, Don't go! Don't go!" Jesus responded, "But I am telling you the truth: it is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. But if I do go away, then I will send him to you." (John 16:7 GNT) The Helper, Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit. Isn't it awesome that WHEN we got saved the HOLY SPIRIT comes to live inside of us!! I remember growing up and as a child we would say that Jesus lived in our hearts. Well, it wasn't actually Jesus (since he was human and it would be hard to fit him in our heart), but it was the Holy Spirit. The Spirit part of the Trinity. 

Why is that such good news today? Right now? Because SINCE we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, we have COMPLETE ACCESS! All we have to do, is quiet ourselves enough to listen! John 10 talks about the shepherd and his sheep, "...sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 

How cool! When we accept Jesus into our life, we have the SHEPHERD leading us. BUT... we must tune our ear into HEARING and KNOWING His Voice, so that the other voices (ie: the voice of the enemy), when we hear those, we will NOT follow them but flee from them. It's a process and it begins with just choosing to quiet ourselves and listen. Shutting off the TV, the radio, our iPhone, getting away from the hustle and bustle, before our kids are awake... and with no distractions, just sitting and listening. 

So today.... are you feeling the "Christmas Overwhelmed" feeling? My suggestion (to myself!!), STAY CONNECTED. Being connected to the TRUE VINE is crucial more than ever during times like this. I feel so much better after just having a true quiet time this morning. Stay connected. Don't allow yourself to be cut off from the vine! The life cut off from the vine is ARTIFICIAL and TEMPORARY.... it's inevitable that someone cut off from the True Vine will not last. So, this holiday season, stay connected. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you, to save you time, free your life from toil, to direct you to be at the right place at the right time. Allow the Holy Spirit to position you for Divine Favor!! :) Because as a CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, that is EXACTLY what our Father wants for HIS  children! Divine favor! 

Be blessed! :) 

#238 - A Billboard Kind of Vision

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

Proverbs 16:9 - A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

Habakkuk 2:2-3 - And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by. ³For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. 

Proverbs 31:16 - 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. 

Do you have billboard kind of vision? What's your vision like? Have you driven by a billboard and ever thought, "Did they really expect me to 'get that?'"  There are so many words that as you rush by at 60 miles an hour, you may get a few of the biggest words, but that's it. Then, there are others that you drive by and they just jump out at you! It may be accompanied by a picture that draws you in to it's purpose. It may be something that tugs at your heart and you can't help but want to support the cause.

Billboard kind of vision. It starts off with having a plan. We have to have a plan. In both Proverbs 19 & 16, it talks about the MAN'S mind. It talks about the MAN having a plan. The MAN has taken time to come up with a plan. It takes time, thought, energy & FAITH to determine a plan. Then our faith shows even more when we begin to ACT on the plan. It's exciting to know that we can bounce our plan, our idea of the one who created us. HE will direct our steps. HE will direct our idea. In the end, it will HIS purpose will stand. I know a man who was given the idea to write a book. He was given the idea, the title, even what the cover was suppose to look like. After much time of not writing the book, he opened up a magazine one day and SAW that very book that he was suppose to write. It was IN PRINT! Someone else had written the book that the Holy Spirit had given him to write. The Lords purpose was for the book to come out, and the book came out.

Write the vision plainly. Do you have a Billboard kind of vision? Can you read & understand it easily & quickly when you pass by it? Do you have a sign up stating your vision? Have you written it down? Does it read, "I'm going to watch what I eat & exercise and will weigh 125 pounds by June 1st, 2012." Or is it big and bold, "125 BY JUNE 1!!!" Is your vision PLAIN & EASY to read as you pass by?

A business associate of mine told me a quote that he had heard over the weekend. It went something like this. "Below average people don't have any goals. Average people have too many goals that they can't accomplish them all. Those above average have only a few goals that they are laser focused in achieving." Which one are you? Do you have so many goals that you can't even sift through them to know what they all are? Are there things getting in the way of your goals? Like the Proverbs 31 woman, she has expanded prudently. First things first. She studies and thinks about, will taking on this "project" prohibit me from accomplishing what I need to accomplish?

It starts with a plan.

Take your plan, in prayer, run it by the Holy Spirit.

Create a VISION that is only a few words! Write it. Post it. Say it. Know it. 


Act. Act. Act. Act. - GO and make your vision a reality!

 

#219 - Feel Confident with Your Decision!

Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].

Proverbs 31:16a - 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]...

Have you ever had an important decision to make, a decision that is a pretty big deal, that will affect the next several years of your life? Maybe the rest of your life? It's important, you really want to make sure you make the right decision. It's going to affect everything.


As you begin your decision making process, you begin to weigh the options. Maybe you are a list person, so you write out all the pro's & con's on a piece of paper. You may fold your paper in 3 sections, use a ruler to make a straight line and begin to neatly bullet things out. Or, maybe you're the type that just gets out a sticky note, and scribbles a few things down. You may be the thinker. The person who sits on it for awhile, days, thinks it over and over. Quietly & to yourself, but you just think. Then, there are those of you who are talkers. You just have to talk to enough people, hear yourself think outloud, hear the ideas come out, get the opinions of others to help narrow down your decision.


Whichever type of person you are when you make decisions, hopefully you do pray or take a minute to just bounce it off the Holy Spirit.


Whenever I read Proverbs 16, I think of it as a "Power Chapter" when it comes to making plans & deciding things. Verse after verse it talks about "plans." Something that I found comforting this morning was the very last verse, "The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him]." Since the term "lot" isn't something that we commonly use today, I decided to get a bit more clarity and check how the original Hebrew defined "lot." The definition that made the most sense to me was this: a systematic way for making decisions. 


So here you are.... the big decision on the table. Maybe it's a job, moving to a different city, getting married, buying a house, changing churches, starting a business, closing a business, beginning to have kids... whatever the "big decision," it's on the table. Whatever your "lot," your "systematic way for making decisions," you begin the process. What I like, as a Christian, is the latter part of the verse. Though we plan, we systematically sketch out our thoughts, pro's and con's, at the end of the day, the Lord is going to ultimately direct us. Especially when we are seeking Him, acknowledging Him, considering Him, we are going to be led the right way. We are going to choose the "right spouse," the "right house," the "right city to move to." God is not in the business of leading us awry, but leading us down the path of life, godliness & favor. 


Our Proverbs 31 woman, follows the same process as we do. She "considers." The Hebrew breaks the word "consider" down as this: to fix thoughts upon, devise, plan, consider, to purpose. In the case of Proverbs 31:16, she is considering buying a field, basically jumping into a new business venture. She takes time to fix her thoughts, her undivided attention upon weighing her options. Is this a wise business decision for her?  


Friend, take comfort. God will not lead you astray. If you need one last "check" in finalizing your decision, a rule of thumb I always use is this: Let PEACE be your umpire.  In the natural, if I am not sure which way to go, I follow peace. With which decision do I have the most peace? The Holy Spirit is peace. I allow peace to direct me. I also heard Tyler say this recently, which is extremely helpful, "The Holy Spirit always pulls, the enemy, Satan always pushes. There is pressure with the enemy." If I feel pressure, I typically stray away from that decision.


As you acknowledge the Lord, take peace. Whatever the decision you make, it is not accidental. Take confidence in knowing, since you acknowledged the Lord, He will not lead you astray!

#203 - RAIN Your Words!

Good morning! Today I officially begin my 3rd trimester carrying Trinity! It's amazing the things you forget about being pregnant. Like, not needing an alarm clock to wake up! All is well. I call my sleep SWEET every night in Jesus Name. :) The Word promises it, so I'm going to receive it for myself.

OK.... let's get started. Maybe I can catch a quick nap before Junior gets up! (***yawn***)

Proverbs 11:25 - The liberal person shall be enriched, and he who waters shall himself be watered.

2 Cor. 9:6,8 - [Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously and with blessings. And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].

Proverbs 31:16b - ... she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

I was reminded this morning of the question: "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" As I sat thinking about sowing and reaping, I began to just ask questions of the Holy Spirit with a desire to receive some direction, some insight. I was brought back to the beginning. What really came first? If we think back all the way to the beginning of time, WHAT really came first? It all started with THREE words. What three words? "And God said." The WORD came before SEED. I've went over in my head the physical aspects of sowing & reaping, but also want to know the spiritual aspects of sowing and reaping. There are similarities, but also differences. The spoken WORD plays an important part in growth of spiritual seed. Physical work is part of sowing and reaping, but rain, watering is also crucial. 


In my quiet time before church yesterday, I thought on the subject. I thought about the multitude of "seed" we have planted over the years. Be it time, money, belief, friendship, love, whatever seed it was at the time, I envisioned actual "seed" going into the soil. Just part of the work involved in receiving a harvest. As I continued to ask questions and press in to the Holy Spirit for insight, an picture came to my mind. If a seed was planted in soil, but never watered, the seed would remain dormant until the environment was right for growth. Action brings planting. Obedience brings sun. Words bring rain. Thankfulness waters the seed that are in the ground. The greater the conditions, the greater the harvest. WE have the ability to change the conditions at any time but it takes WORK to WATER too! I realized in certain areas of my life where I have not received a harvest was because seed lay dormant in dry soil. Dry. Dry. Dry! My words nor my thankfulness had been watering my seed enough if at all. Sure... I speak goals, and confessions but here's the kicker.... BELIEF, ENTHUSIASM & THANKFULNESS! Rote words often came from my lips, memorized and spoken on schedule... but true gratitude and emotion did not accompany my words. 


Let me give you an example. July 1998, I met Tyler. Shortly after meeting him, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that he was going to be my husband. As we returned England, where we met on a mission trip, I began a period of 18 months until I would finally see him again. Often I would go months without hearing from him, not an email, not a call, not any contact. Every day that went by, EVERY day for 18 months I remember crying out to God, "PLEASE God, Let him know that He is going to be the man that I marry." I would proceed to THANK God that He revealed to me my husband, but DAILY I would water the seed that was planted in my heart. The word that was planted in my heart July 13, 1998 that Tyler McCart would be my husband, I began to DAILY water it with my words. It took 18 months for that seed to finally grow up! It took 18 months of WATERING while I WAITED for Tyler to realize that he wanted to pursue me. I saw him for the first time again on December 23rd, and from that day forward, he began to pursue me. July 13th, 2000, EXACTLY 2 years from the day God told me he was to be my husband, he proposed. "Would you be willing to be #2 in my life for the rest of your life? Will you marry me?" And the rest is history. For over 10 years, I've been married to the man of my dreams. 


The difference between what I did 10 years ago, and what I've done with some "un-harvested" seed that has been in the ground? PASSION! Every day, for 18 months, I did not recite a rote goal card, or list of confessions. I was PASSIONATELY engaged with the words I cried out to God. I was passionately engaged with the NEED & DESIRE for my words to come to pass. From the depths of my heart, I NEEDED Tyler McCart. My heart longed to be his wife, his completer. 


What about your goals? Is there passion behind them? Are they being WATERED consistently? Or have they been left in dry soil only to lay dormant. Frustration often comes from lack of harvest. The Holy Spirit told me something very empowering... let me repeat it to you... The greater the conditions, the greater the harvest. WE have the ability to change the conditions at any time but it takes WORK to WATER!


Like the Proverbs 31 woman... her vines were FRUITFUL. To receive a harvest, WATER is required on your seed. RAIN your words today! Engage your passion & words. Watch your harvest come to pass!

#202 - Don't Hurry!

Good morning! :) We are going to get right into the Word this morning...

Proverbs 7:21-23 - With much justifying and enticing argument she persuades him, with the allurements of her lips she leads him [to overcome his conscience and his fears] and forces him along. Suddenly he [yields and] follows her reluctantly like an ox moving to the slaughter, like one in fetters going to the correction [to be given] to a fool or like a dog enticed by food to the muzzle. Till a dart [of passion] pierces and inflames his vitals; then like a bird fluttering straight into the net [he hastens], not knowing that it will cost him his life.

Proverbs 31:16a - 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] ...

Ok... I guess today is going to be "Transparent Thursday." Don't get me wrong... sometimes it's not fun to be transparent, but this morning I learned a lot from Proverbs 7. As you read through Proverbs 7, you see that like Proverbs 5, it discusses the "loose woman." The stage is set as an onlooker in verse 6 sees what is about to take place. The onlooker sees this young man coming "NEAR" danger, "NEAR" where the loose woman has set her trap. From verse 9 on, we see the loose woman beginning to work her "magic" on this man who has come by her house. She has begun to lure him in, persuade him, and get him to not "think" with his right mind. She is trying to get him to avoid his "consciousness" which may have otherwise led him away from her house.

Isn't it interesting, that at all levels of sin, this is what happens? In Proverbs 7:23, we see just a quick glimpse of it in two words, "he hastens." Haste or Hastens is defined as follows: to hurry, accelerate, speed, urgent need of quick action, thoughtless, rash, unnecessary quick action, rush. Let's just look at a simple example, the tray of brownies on the counter. Have you ever walked into the kitchen or break-room, see the yummy treat and in your mind you have a quick conversation with yourself something like this, "You know you shouldn't have any brownies. You are trying to drop 10 more pounds and that is not going to help at all...." And right as your "consciousness" is trying to get you away from the tray of brownies, you cut it off, grab 1, 2 or maybe even 3 (if they have carmel, chocolate AND pecans!) and eat them as quickly as you can so you can't be talked out of it. It's like you are running down the hall, trying to hide and enjoy them quickly. I must say, I have done things like that before. "Made haste." Done things that though my consciousness (aka: the Holy Spirit) is trying to get me away, I partake before I talk myself out of it because I know the temporary "goodness" that will be associated with it.

I just recently did this just a WEEK ago! I look back and think it was such a "kid" thing to do. I was part of a conversation with several other people online. I typed up this long message that I thought was very helpful for those involved. BUT.... here's the kicker.... it was late, Tyler was driving, and instead of doing what I knew I should do... I hit send right away because I figured Tyler would talk me out of sending it. "But it is so well spoken and so well written." I reasoned with myself. After hitting send, I decided to read it to Tyler. Like I assumed, his recommendation was for me NOT to send it. He played the other side of the coin, and everything he said was right. Everything he said was COMPLETELY right. After listening to him, like a dog with my tail between my legs, I knew I shouldn't have hit "send." At the time, I just wanted to QUICKLY HASTEN to send it because I KNEW I would otherwise be talked out of my well written rebuttal.

Here in Proverbs 7, we see because this young man HASTENS, though he doesn't know it, it is actually going to cost him his life. His quick decision to go down the wrong path is not a wise one. We can compare the difference between what the Proverbs 31 woman does, she acts in all situations with such wisdom. She considers before making a decision. She expands or acts prudently before moving forward with something. She is not in a hurry to just rush into something. When her gut says to hold off, she listens.

James 4:7 reminds us to resist the devil and he will FLEE from you! Sometimes that may mean, literally leaving your house, or escaping your thoughts and watching a good movie. The bottom line is this... don't run haste-fully into sin. Consider your ways. Be Prudent (wise, careful).

Enjoy your Thursday!

#194 - Where is the Prize?

Good morning! :) God amazes me. His timing is perfect. And.... he cares. He cares about everything in our lives. He cares about our needs, our wants, our desires. His desire is to bless us, we are His children! I see things at such a deeper perspective now being a parent. How the desire for a parent is to provide MORE than just the bare necessities of a child, but to provide the fun things too. To provide those things for your child where their eyes light up with excitement, they are filled with joy. Whether it be just time playing with them, swinging them around or whether it be a new toy, the joy it brings to a parent to provide MORE than the necessities is now quite apparent. God wants to do the same thing for US! He wants to do that for YOU! He wants to see you giddy! He wants to see you so excited at the blessings HE brings to you. Just like a parent. He IS YOUR parent! Isn't that a blessing! He is OUR parent! He is OUR Father! That is good news. Let's get into today's Word...

Proverbs 15:23,29 - A man has joy in making an apt answer, and a word spoken at the right moment--how good it is! ....He hears the prayer of the [consistently] righteous...

Proverbs 31:16 - ....expanding prudently....

Just yesterday, God amazed me. He does it frequently, but it is fun when you can see how God's timing is better than our own. Several months ago I was considering pursuing some avenues that I "hoped" would provide some extra income in our family. I remember as I thought about it and considered it, in my mind I just didn't feel at peace about it. It was going to call for a lot of time researching some things on line, then if MY PLAN even panned out, MY PLAN was going to cause me and Tyler Junior to have to travel one way about 4 hours, on a frequent basis. To me, my plan sounded very toilsome. I was willing to make it work. I was willing to FORCE all of the puzzle pieces into place, even if they did have to be bent some. I was willing to make MY plan work and let God tag along.

In the back of my mind as I continued "mentally" pursuing this idea, I still settled with a feeling of hesitancy. I did not have peace. One day in my quiet time, I finally just heard clearly, "No. Not now." I had received my direction. I did what most children may do when they don't get their way, I protested. "But... but but but...." I wanted God to know why MY IDEA was a good one and why it should work NOW! It was MY IDEA and I wanted to do it NOW! lol. I laugh just thinking about how that does sound like a little child, nonetheless that was how our conversation went down. Needless to say, I eventually listened. I hung up my idea, not knowing if anything would ever come from it or if it would hang forever, un-pursued.

But isn't God amazing. Isn't his timing perfect and his connections divine?! I have continued to daily do the things that I felt like the Lord was leading me to do. I have continued to just be obedient (for the most part.... an occasional plight for forgiveness would come in). I have stuck to what I KNEW I was directed to work on. Sunday after church as I was talking to our Pastor, he said something, prophesied, over this specific area. I made a comment on the way home from church to Tyler, but just left it at that. If GOD wanted to open up doors, I was going to let him but as it stood, I was just going to be still with the, "No. Not yet."

Then, wouldn't you know it, just yesterday, someone came up to me talking to me about the very same thing. They did not know I had hung up this "plan" just months ago. They not only came to me to specifically make some recommendations, BUT they also gave me a name to this divine connection. The divine connection is someone they knew well, and is the business owner, the actual person I would need to speak with about my idea. They are not 4 hours away, but right here in Columbia!

I think about how it would've turned out if I would have pursued MY PLAN on MY TIME. I think of how the last 3-4 months would have been toilsome, time spent on the computer searching things, time spent driving places that were in vain. Time. Wasted time. I just sit here and thank the Lord that I listened.... sure, maybe stubbornly at first, but I didn't pursue MY plan in MY timing. As this person talked to me, I just felt an abundance of peace. I didn't hear harps, or birds chirping, but I felt peace. I felt like THIS was God's Timing on the idea that I had. HE had planned this person to talk to me. And who knows, if they wouldn't have seen some things I had done, if I wouldn't have continued to be obedient in the day-to-day things I was called to do, they may have never contacted me to connect me with this God-Contact!

Sometimes the word "wait" can be the hardest word for us to hear. Wait. "But, but but but.... I want it NOW! I want it NOW! Work it out NOW God!" His timing is SO much better. Even when it's hard to wait. I once heard Tony Evans talk about this very subject. He said something like this: "There are two scenarios. Both of these single women want to get married desperately. They want to find Mr. Right. Take the first lady. She gets to work at 8:00 in the morning, busies herself for the Lord immediately upon arrival. It seems like no time has passed. She has pursued exactly what the Lord has wanted her to pursue with excellence. What seems like about 5 minutes goes by and they look down at their watch and wouldn't you know, it's already 3:30! It's close to time to go home. She has been so busy getting things done, that she hardly noticed how much time had passed. Then, there is the other woman. She gets to work at 8:00 in the morning. All she can do is sit there and think about how frustrated she is that the Lord hasn't brought her the "Mr. Right" she has been waiting on. She sits there, sulking, doing nothing. Not pursuing the calling God has on her life because she wants to be married. She wants Mr. Right. So, as she sits at work, it seems like five, six hours has passed. She looks at her watch and in utter discouragement she sees that it is only 8:05! All this doing nothing and only 5 minutes has passed!" His point in the story was this, if you are a believer and still clinging on to a promise that is yet to be fulfilled, pursue the calling on your life with fervor!! Time will go by so quickly and the prize that you have been longing for all along will be waiting for you on the other side of your obedience!


Now... I don't care who you are... that is GOOD STUFF! That is some AMEN material right there! The prize that you have been longing for all along will be waiting for you on the other side of your obedience! 


Holla! Amen!

Be blessed my friend!

#190 - Bit by Bit

Good morning! It's cool on the porch this morning. Overcast, but the birds are still chirping. I couldn't help but think this morning that next year at this time we will have an addition. Trinity will be 9 months old! Amazing to think. Last year this time, that was Tyler Junior. Each season just brings adjustments, but equal blessings. God is good. Well, let's get started... are you ready?

Proverbs 6:6-8 - Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!-- ⁷Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler, ⁸Provides her food in the summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest.

Proverbs 31:16 - 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.

There are lots of types of people out there. Starters, finishers, the detail people who are great at perfecting things - putting on the polished touches, but all are important. Have you ever started a project, but for two weeks later the project to lay on your kitchen table only partially completed? Half done. Cluttered, but you plan to come back to it. In the mean time, it is what it is, an unfinished but started project. What about this.... you are working to complete something good, but then something new catches your eye. Ooooohh! This new idea seems great, exciting, fun. So, you jump ship, leave the first project, maybe even the second project to work on this new thing, this new idea. Now you sit with not one, not two, but three projects, started, but unfinished. Maybe all equally good, maybe even all "God" ideas, but there they all sit, unfinished.

I find myself realizing how quickly that was becoming me. Tyler and I were riding home from church yesterday, talking. It's always good to talk to him because he provides great perspective for things. Upon completing my book in January, I set it aside for 3-4 months to take a break from it. I knew that the draft was completed, but the book was far from complete. I had something to work from, I had 70,000+ words as a place to start. I remember starting the project, getting specific direction "how" to write a book. That directions were to work on it bit by bit, little by little. "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." In my quiet time one morning, the Holy Spirit told me to just write for one hour, four days per week, first thing when I woke up. Even against my "religious" thinking, before my quiet time! The Holy Spirit directed me to write for ONE hour even before I had my quiet time. The funny thing is, guess what? It worked! It's funny how the Holy Spirit know us. He knew that first thing in the morning, I was fresh. First thing in the morning, I wasn't tempted to take a nap, or nodding off.

Well... the last few weeks, as I've been working through the editing process, I thought I would just do things my way. I'm smart, right? I can figure things out on my own, right? So without asking, I determined that I would do my editing in the afternoon during Tyler Juniors nap time. After several weeks, I found myself frustrated. A whole week would go by, and I would not have worked on my book at all. Nothing progressing, nothing moving forward. And even sometimes, like picking up a shiny coin, I would pick up a new thing, a new project.... one more thing to distract me from my goal, completion of my book. SO... on the way home from church yesterday, Tyler mentioned a quote I have heard him say before, it's something like this, "Broken focus is often the enemy to success." He pointed out these several projects I had picked up and gotten distracted with, and he saw it, I was starting to get overwhelmed and frustrated. I was starting to not know how I could get everything done. He reminded me that it would probably be good to FINISH my book and the other projects could follow. I immediately thought about the Proverbs 31 woman. What does she do? She CONSIDERS a field, she doesn't jump in immediately with both feet, she first CONSIDERS it. She expands prudently, not wanting to neglect her current duties, her current projects. Like the Proverbs 6 ant, she progresses little by little, she does bit by bit, until a project is completed and she can take on a new one, she can add to her plate.

What has worked before? How has the Holy Spirit directed you in the past? This morning is one of those "pat yourself on the back mornings" for me. I feel good. I woke up, wrote for an hour. THEN I read my Bible, now I'm writing this devotion. I'm working towards completion of a project that I started. I completed the book bit by bit, from September to December... it only took 4 months to write 70,000 words, doing little by little. Not overnight. Just a little bit at a time on a consistent basis.

What's a project you are working on? I heard a quote yesterday, "Continuity leads to emotional stability." Maybe it's having a regular quiet time.....if you just got consistent, the same time every day, I would almost bet that all around you would be more at peace, more stable, more solid.

What is it that you may need to look at? What is it that you can begin, or begin again to just do bit by bit?  Take advise from the Proverbs 31 woman, take advise from the ant. Is there something you can do & complete just by doing a little bit by bit?

#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!

#177 - Complete Focus!

Good afternoon! :) We've had an eventful morning with one of Tyler Juniors little friends being over for awhile. They are like two peas in a pod! So funny to watch play together, tackle each other &... well... the occasional "toy snatching" has been a re-occurring theme. Nap time is officially upon us so the house is nice & quiet!

Let's jump into some Word today:

Proverbs 4:25-26 - Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright.

Proverbs 31:16, 24, - She considers a new field before she buys it...  she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.... She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them... 

The power of focus. As I think about our Proverbs 31 friend, I can't help to think about the many accomplishments that follow her. In today's time, if she had a "Bio Sheet" it would surely be a long list of success', business' she owns, and lives she has impacted. Listing off just a few of the areas that she proactively worked in, I can only imagine that to accomplish all she accomplished took a skill of discipline & focus. In the few verses:

• She CONSIDERS purchasing a new field.... so she weighs her options. Like Proverbs 4:26, she CONSIDERED the path of her feet before she took that path. She was most likely well informed about the property, educated about the sales process, knew the amount of money she was willing to spend, & well prayed up. 
• She BUYS the field. With her business skills and savvy, with money she has earned most likely in other successful endeavors, SHE decides the investment is a good one and takes the plunge. 
• She PLANTS the field. Let the work begin, and the income to follow. This woman is an entrepreneur. 
• She MAKES garments. She has something she believes in, something that she believes will be a benefit, help and serve other people, and she makes a FINE product. Her skills as a seamstress, her creativity, her pursuit for excellence shine through with yet another endeavor of success. 
• She SELLS garments. She saw a need & filled it. Now, her fine quality product that she has made is being sold, marketed & bought. People see the use & benefits of what she has produced & she sells it! Like any business person, I'm SURE she has made a profit with her talent of sewing & with her idea of this helpful piece of clothing. She is PROSPERING! 

This is only covering TWO verses of this Proverbs 31 woman! But, with the power of focus, she is able to be productive AND fruitful in her endeavors! It took focus for her to find success. It took diligence & consistency to succeed. 

Success takes focus. Like Proverbs 4 discusses, success requires a fixed gaze ahead, a fixed gaze on the destination. What is YOUR destination? Are you working on one area to accomplish success? Do you have a few areas that you are working on? Reading Proverbs 31, you get the feeling that her life is full, that she is succeeding in all areas. I would anticipate when she was sewing, her COMPLETE focus was there. When she was planting a field, her complete focus was there. What are YOU working towards? PLAN it. Put it in your calendar. Add CONSISTENCY, and when you work at it, give it your COMPLETE FOCUS. That includes your rest time. When it's time to rest, allow your complete focus to just rest!

Now, put your mind to where you want to succeed & apply COMPLETE FOCUS!

#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.