Do you want a HARVEST?

Mark 4:14 - The sower soweth the word.

The sower sows the WORD. Yesterday I tweeted out (@amyjmccart) a thought that is so fresh to me right now because I am experiencing it. The tweet said, "Continue to sow seed in faith and your harvest will catch up with you!" 

The sower sows!

Are you desperate? SOW!
Are you in need? SOW!
Do you need healing? SOW!
Do you need financial help? SOW!
Do you need friends? SOW!
Do you need a spouse? SOW!
Do you desire peace? SOW!
Are you sad? SOW!
Are you unhappy? SOW!
Are you searching? SOW!

Whatever you need or desire is right behind the seed that you sow! 

This is so fresh in my life right now. I'm witnessing harvest in so many areas of my life, Tyler's life and even our children's lives. As I watch blessing and blessing and blessing come, I stand amazed and in awe. How is this possible? One blessing shows up, my mouth is still gaping when another one is right on the heels of that blessing. I barely have time to be in awe, because I'm in awe of the next blessing!

BUT…. here's the BUT….

But…. I look back over the last 5-10 years of our life and what comes to mind? SEED. SEED. SEED. We have sown. When we saw a need in someone else's life, when we felt led, we sowed. I recall a girl getting stranded along the interstate. Her car wouldn't work and she was stranded. Her family was 6 hours away. We put her up in a hotel for the night until her family could get to her. Don't get me wrong, I don't tell you this to glorify the action of helping her, but to let you know, that was SEED! We specifically thanked God for the opportunity to SOW. In that seed, we believed God for our children's safety, the children we didn't even have yet. In that seed, we believed that people that LOVED GOD would help our future children if they were ever in a time of need without mom and dad close by to help. We sowed.
___________

SEED of the Word! Over the last 13 years, I've sown seed of the WORD of healing and health! One of my regular confessions has been, "Thank you Lord that my body operates in the perfection to how it was created to operate. From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, my body operates perfectly!" Would you like to know a result of that confession? In High School, I had broke or severely jammed my right pinky finger. One day I went to show my niece who had just jammed a finger, "Oh look, I did that too and my finger is still disfigured and permanently bent." When I went to show her, I looked at my finger and it was COMPLETELY HEALED! It had been disfigured, fat at the knuckle and bent for 10-15 years! I looked at my completely NORMAL finger and it looked EXACTLY like my other normal pinky finger! IT WAS HEALED! As I sowed the Word and sowed the Word and sowed the Word, the WORD HEALED MY FINGER! I don't even recall specifically praying for that finger, but it came into line with my confession and the Word!

"Continue to sow seed in faith and your harvest will catch up with you!" 

I'm watching my children be blessed because we have sown. When we had enough and when we didn't have enough, we sowed. We sowed. We sowed. And then….. we sowed some more. In so many areas I am watching harvest come in. Overwhelming harvest.

So… if you are discouraged, if you have been sowing, if you have been believing, if you have been standing in faith, if you have been working, if you have been longing for your dream…. Friend, I am here to tell you, CONTINUE! CONTINUE! Your harvest WILL COME IN! When you continue to sow, you will experience a season of harvest that just keeps coming! And when you CONTINUE to sow (not just sowing once and waiting for that ONE seed to come up), but when you CONTINUE to sow, when your harvest comes in, it will CONTINUE to come in.

Are you in need? SOW!
Sow, sow, sow!!!
Sow the Word. Sow money. Sow time. Sow love. Sow help. Sow encouragement. Sow friendship. Sow loyalty. Sow things.

SOW! As your harvest is coming in and your mouth just stands agape, in AWE of how good God is, you will be thankful that you chose to, in good time and bad, SOW!

Amos 9:13-15 

“Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree. 

“Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, 

one thing fast on the heels of the other. 

You won’t be able to keep up. 

Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! 

Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. 

I’ll make everything right again for my people… (The Message Bible) 

Friend, GET EXCITED!!! Shout and THANK GOD in advance for your victory and harvest! Praise HIM! Thank Him! AND SHOUT, for the VICTORY IS YOURS!!!!

#185 - You are Valuable!

Good morning! Woke up hungry... so, guess what?! I put some cinnamon rolls in the oven! Yum! Not an every day or every week occurrence, but it sure is yummy to have a treat like that every once and awhile. :)  If you are not following me on twitter (@amyjmccart) or Facebook... you may not have the update from our appointment yesterday. We had a great ultrasound and enjoyed watching baby kick and move... drum roll please.... the news is, we are having a baby girl! :) Our Trin-Trin is on her way! Trinity Faith is her name. We are so excited to meet her. We've talked about her for so long, in many ways we feel like we already know her... along with her younger brother & sister (Timothy & Taylor). About 9 years ago, shortly after Tyler & I got married, for some reason we decided to begin praying for our "yet to be conceived" children. We began praying, and even went ahead and named them. Tyler Junior, Trinity Faith, Timothy Isaac-Josiah & Taylor Liberty. Over the last 9-10 years as we have prayed for them (and their spouses), it's as if we have gotten to know them, like their personalities & gifts have even taken shape...well, at least become known to us. The amazing thing is, they have always been, before we even prayed, they were. If you remember in Jeremiah 1:5, it says, "Before I formed you in your mothers womb, I knew you." Our children are already meant to be, God already has a plan for them, they were predestined to be on this earth. God said, before He even formed them, HE knew them! He already has put giftings inside them, He already has a plan & calling for their life, He has already placed a sense of humor or strong personality inside them. God already knows them and they have been created for GREATNESS! Anyways... we are excited to meet Trinity and excited to watch her blossom into an awesome woman of God. A long enough intro!?! :) Let's get into some Word!

Proverbs 31:10 (KJV) - Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

When I study the Bible, I have a parallel Bible. It reads the King James Version (KJV) in one column and the Amplified Bible in the other. In most devotions, I quote scripture out of the Amplified Bible. I feel like it typically gives a broader idea of the full context of the verse. It often puts in parenthesis meanings of words in their original Greek or Hebrew, and to me, it just gives me a fuller picture. I've read Proverbs 31:10 so many times in the amplified, that today I decided to just begin again reading down through the KJV.  One word caught my attention. Price. Price. Price. It is talking about a person here. It is talking about "HER" price. The "Price" of the Proverbs 31 woman. Her price! The word "price" just really caught my attention.

Have you ever had the opportunity to do some work, but the amount you were going to get paid did not seem worth your time? Maybe you had the opportunity to "make money" or spend time with your grandchildren, or spend time with your husband. Maybe it was even "make money" or take a nap! Sometimes a nap is something we could all use! "Price" jumped out at me because I just recently had that opportunity. I could do some work for "x" price. I'm always for a few extra dollars, and I wouldn't call me lazy.... but I must say, finding out the "price" made me look at my time and evaluate it. Is the "price" worth my "time?" What is my "price"? What am I worth?

Here in Proverbs 31:10, we see that the Proverbs 31 woman is valued HIGH above rubies. FAR above rubies! Her worth is much greater! In a world where material possessions are looked upon as "great value" and keeping up with the "Joneses" has been the motto for most people as they chase down success, I heard a story recently that put things more in perspective. A now successful business woman told of what it was like when she got started. Her business floundering, little success, but she continued in the pursuit. She would see a nice car, a BMW or Mercedes, and not wanting to be what she classified as "materialistic", she determined that she didn't want to own one of those. She would see a big, nice house, 4000-5000 square feet. She determined, it was too big, she did not want to be materialistic. She would see nice jewelry, and determine she didn't need it, she did not want to be materialistic. Only later to realize that all the while she was being materialistic. Here she would walk into a car dealership, and she would see her own self worth or value as LESSER than the value of that $50,000 car. She would see the nice house, and see herself as LESSER value than the house. She would see the jewelry, and see herself as LESSER value than the jewelry. It wasn't about being materialistic, it was about the small value she was placing on her own worth. Her "price" on herself was very small. She did not see herself as worth much, of great value.

Here, in Proverbs 31:10, we see that this Proverbs 31 woman, her VALUE, her PRICE is FAR above that of rubies! Her worth is FAR GREATER than those precious stones. I found some interesting information. The worlds largest ruby has been found weighing over 8.2 pounds and is 18, 696 carats. A little bigger than the traditional 1 carat "diamond" ring. No price has been put on this stone, but the highest "priced" ruby coming in at 302 carats has a price-tag attached of $500,000.* Look at our Proverbs 31 friend, her price is FAR ABOVE that of rubies! Her value is far greater!

Friend, YOU are also worth FAR greater than rubies & precious gems! Do you realize that YOU are God's most prized possession!?! YOU! That you are greater than the value of ANY gem, stone, diamond. Your value is GREATER than the largest house or castle. Your value is greater than the BMW or the Mercedes AMG that you see driving down the road. YOU! YOUR VALUE is much greater than ANY of those things! YOU are worth MORE than ALL of those things combined! YOU, wherever you are sitting right now are such a great investment to God, He sees such great potential in you that He was willing to give up His most precious gift for YOU! He gave up that which was closest to Him so that YOU would have a chance at life. So that YOU would be able to pursue your dreams. YOU would be able to have children & laugh with them. Watch them ride a bike or be silly at the dinner table. He wanted YOU to have a chance to pursue those things which make you happy, see you succeed as a seamstress or business owner,  teacher, actor, model, writer, cook, inventor, public speaker. He sees so much in YOU that He gave up everything so that you would have a chance to live. Your value is so great! Your value, like the Proverbs 31 woman, exceeds that of rubies. Your value is priceless.

Today, know that a love runs deep for you. Today, pursue those dreams you have knowing that YOUR VALUE is greater than all the possessions available. See yourself in the house or car. You are of greater value than it! The house on the river with the quiet trickling sound, the big kitchen, the large family room to entertain, it's value is not greater than YOU. Dream again! Let your dreams come back alive! Dream again! God is no respecter of persons. It's His desire to bless you and see you succeed. You are Valuable!

* Gem info

#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!

#165 - A Winner GETS BACK UP!

Good morning! We were surprised yesterday evening... I got a phone call and "Maamaa & Paapaa" wanted to see if "the boy" could come over and spend the night. :) HELLO! OF COURSE! :) "Maamaa & Paapaa" watch Tyler Junior once a week and are like grandparents to him. They love him and he loves them! What a blessing! SO... I sit here in a quiet, empty home. Just me, my typing and chirps from the birds outside.

Let's get going...

Proverbs 8:10,14,17,18,21 - Receive my instruction in preference to [striving for] silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold... ¹⁴I have counsel and sound knowledge, I have understanding, I have might and power. ¹⁷I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me. ¹⁸ Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness ... ²¹That I may cause those who love me to inherit [true] riches and that I may fill their treasuries.

Let's quick jump into some Hebrew as a foundation of what we are going to read...

• Riches (Proverbs 8:18) - wealth & riches
• Honor (Proverbs 8:18) - abundance, riches, honor, reverence, dignity, glory, splendour, reputation
• Inherit (Proverbs 8:21) - to get as a possession, to TAKE possession, to acquire, to be allotted
• Fill (Proverbs 8:21) - fullness, abundance, to be full, to be accomplished, to be satisfied, complete, to be filled
• Treasuries (Proverbs 8:21) - treasure, storehouse, store, supplies of food & drink, magazine of weapons, treasure-house

Wow! That really gives us a good foundation of what is in store! Sometimes in life we go through comfortable stages... all is well, all is easy. No ruffling of feathers. Each day, fairly a walk through the park. Still things we may be believing for, but for all intensive purposes, we are relaxed and not really in the battle... not really in a fight.

I have heard the statement before, "If a winner gets pushed in a corner, they will come out fighting." As I was reading this morning, that was a statement that kept coming to mind. A winner doesn't stay down, they come out fighting! Each time the winner gets up, the courage of the opponent is weakened. "He keeps getting back up! Why doesn't he just stay down?!" But as that winner keeps getting back up, the enemy realizes that his tactics are not working. His punches are not holding, they aren't strong enough. He's not fast enough, or he just isn't powerful enough. The winner keeps getting back up! Praise the Lord! Is anyone else out there with me a WINNER??!?!?! It's like I can see hands raised from winners all over who are reading this! A winner gets back up! A winner keeps getting back up! Another verse in Proverbs talks about, I may fall 7 times, but will rise again! As believers, since we have the Holy Spirit on the INSIDE of us, we can't help but be a winner! Even when we are tired, even when we feel knocked down or defeated, the Holy Spirit already knows the end of the story, HE IS the Greater One on the inside of us! He has created ALL THINGS, and knows that WE HAVE VICTORY! In our flesh, when we feel weak, that Inner Voice RISES UP, "YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR! GET UP!" GET UP! GET UP! And we drag ourselves back to our feet and get up yet again, yet another time! 

Proverbs 8:17 is one way that we come out fighting! When things look tough, we dig in, we fight, we go deeper! Verse 17 says, I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me. When our strength is weak, when our flesh is tired, when we don't have the answers and what we SEE with our natural eye does not look good we DIG INTO THE WORD! We DILIGENTLY seek the ONE with ALL the answers! We do what a FIGHTER would do, we do what may be UNCOMFORTABLE! That may mean, waking up EARLY to fight! Waking up EARLY to prepare! Waking up EARLY to SEEK out the answers! Rising up EARLY to press in! Our diligence in our FIGHT is the PREREQUISITE of our Victory! 

Check this out! It says, when we DO that very thing, SEEK our Father early & diligently, WE WILL FIND HIM! WE WILL! And as we continue to read in Proverbs, it goes on to say those things He will bring with Him. RICHES. HONOR. ENDURING WEALTH. DIGNITY. REPUTATION. ABUNDANCE. WE WILL BE SATISFIED. 

WE ARE FILLED WITH GOOD THINGS! We are BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING! Take Heart! Have PEACE! WALK OUT YOUR VICTORY! 

GET AGGRESSIVE WITH YOUR COVENANT, CHILD OF GOD! 

SATAN! YOU ARE DEFEATED! THE BLESSING OF THE LORD, THEY OVERTAKE ME! I AM A WINNER! YOU ARE DEFEATED! I AM A TITHER, THEREFORE ACCORDING TO MALACHI 3, I HAVE THE TITHERS RIGHTS! THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN ARE OPEN OVER ME, THE DEVOURER HAS BEEN REBUKED FOR MY SAKE!!! SATAN, SINCE I AM A TITHER, THE WORD SAYS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN REBUKED! YOU ARE DONE! I CLAIM MY VICTORY! I GET BACK UP! I'M NOT STAYING DOWN! I'M A FIGHTER AND I CLAIM MY VICTORY! JESUS HAS ALREADY DEFEATED YOU AND SO HAVE I! NATIONS ARE CALLING ME BLESSED! 

Take what is yours, VICTORY!

___________________

Malachi 3:10-12 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.¹¹And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts. ¹²And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. 

#100 - Relax WITHOUT Toil!

Good morning & hello HEAT! Hip Hip Horray! We have heat! That's a good thing! I'm thankful for several reasons....but, it brings me back to a time when the heat may have stopped working because we weren't able to pay a bill, or did not have the money to fix it. Praise God, I'm thankful to say that God has brought us out of a time of lack. I'm thankful that God has MORE THAN ENOUGH to supply us with our needs and wants out of HIS ABUNDANCE. AND, with God's hand there is no shortage. He doesn't run out. There is pure abundance and overflow with Him. Praise the Lord. So... it makes me thankful that the heat did not go out because our lack of ability to pay for or fix something. Praise the Lord for growth & progress. From moving to revelation to manifestation. Walking in the blessing, that we can abide there. Praise God! What does it say, "abide in the shadow of the Almighty." With the Almighty is abundance of blessing, abiding IN there is accompanied with fullness and everything we need. I can't imagine "abiding in the shadow of the Almighty" and being hungry? Can you imagine that? Or not being able to afford clothes that fit. Abiding, living with God, and there being LACK in HIS house!??!?! That just doesn't line up. So I commit to STAYING in the shadow of the Almighty and abiding there forever! So long LACK! I've tried lack and I didn't like it, it only brought sorrow, frustration & tears. I choose ABUNDANCE! I choose prosperity! I choose to LIVE in the BLESSING!


OK... that was worth coming for, but let's jump into some MORE Word! :) 

Proverbs 10:22-23 - The blessing of the Lord--it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it]. It is as sport to a [self-confident] fool to do wickedness, but to have skillful and godly Wisdom is pleasure and relaxation to a man of understanding.

Wow. That is good stuff. As I was sitting down to read, I just thought, "Wow God! There is so much good stuff here! Where do you even start? The WHOLE chapter 10 is loaded! I didn't even get to read anything else. I was swimming in amazing verses that were jumping off the page, all of which I won't discuss in this devotion. 


As I was reading, my mind began to race at my schedule for today. To be honest, I was basically just toiling in my mind. Not completely "stressing", but my mind was definitely racing! And then the Holy Spirit said to me, "Amy, don't be so busy in your mind. Pleasure and relaxation. You can accomplish a lot & still be relaxed! Don't toil in your mind & thoughts. The blessing of ME makes rich. I add no sorrow. No need to toil, even in your mind!"  


Then... He told Tyler a pretty amazing thing too... as Tyler read it to me, I honestly thought he was reading a quote out of a book. It was good. This one is noteworthy enough to write down and keep somewhere as a reminder! He said, "When you plant & water, you put a lot of things into motion & sometimes you just need to relax & let the seed do it's own work." 


WOW! Relax. Don't toil. Trust in what you have sown that the law of sowing and reaping won't stop working with you. It's a law. Trust that once the work is done, the seed will grow and then RELAX! 


What a blessing that the Lord adds no sorrow with his blessings. And by us TOILING, living in frustration, or rush rush rush, go go go, constant toiling in our mind... that is NOT FROM GOD. Like He told me, we can STILL accomplish a lot without having to toil, but to be at peace moving from accomplishment to accomplishment. HE will direct our steps if we listen! HE will make the way plain. HE will make our plans succeed! How do I know that? It says it in his word! (Go study Proverbs 16 also!)


Bless you today! I've already wrote in my book, made meatloaf, made 48 ounces of baby food, been in the Word, wrote this blog, and now getting ready to go to MyGym with the boy. Blessed to listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit! Praise GOD that HE speaks to us today!


XOXO, 
Be Blessed!
Amy J

#89 - Be Diligent in Your Work

Good morning! It's almost good afternoon! It is a beautiful fall day and it's FRIDAY!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! I even look forward to Friday's because that means DAD is off for the weekend to play with us!! Yippee!! :) 


Well, let's get started. This wasn't the direction that I was planning on going today, but God is God and I am just Amy. So, we're going to choose to go with what GOD had for today. :-) As I do my best to do during every devotion. His Word stands forever and YOU & I only need ONE WORD from Him to change our lives! So... easy decision to go with what He had. :) Let's roll....

Proverbs 22:29 - Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Psalm 52:7-9a - ...the man who made not God his strength but trusted in and confidently relied on the abundance of his riches, seeking refuge and security for himself through his wickedness. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in and confidently rely on the loving-kindness and the mercy of God ... I will thank You and confide in You forever, because You have done it.

Psalm 112:1b,3 - Blessed is the man who fears the LORD...Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 

Proverbs 31:24 - She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].

Wow! So much to be said from the verses above! And to think, they were ALL in today's reading!! It's amazing how God does things! WOW! Sometimes He just overwhelms me with how amazing He is! 


Diligent & skillful in business! Do you own your own business? Do you have a job? Well, I know we know the word diligent, and use it frequently...but let me just remind you of it's meaning in the dictionary. It was quite eye opening really to see it's original meaning: constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything. 


Diligent. Constant in effort to accomplish something. Whatever your business is or job is, being in the constant pursuit to ACCOMPLISH. Not to just "go with the flow", punch a time clock and 'do your time', but to ACCOMPLISH. Do progress forward. The dictionary also called diligent as having 'Persevering Attention.' Wow! It makes you think differently about your job or business, doesn't it! I mean, wow! Do you or I put 'Persevering Attention' towards it? If it is where God has placed us, it is our calling and we are called to do it with diligence. With a constant pursuit to accomplish and to apply persevering attention to our business! 


What about money? What about the subject of money? Income? Profit? Yikes! This can be such a touchy subject in so many arena's, and for some reason Christian arena's. Psalm 52 today mentioned the man who trusted in his OWN abundant riches, acquiring them through his wickedness. There in lies the key. Trusting in yourself for riches. Putting faith or reliance on your 'riches' versus on God. Elevating the "Almighty Dollar Bill" instead of the "Almighty GOD" who is the maker of it all! It is all about keeping GOD where He rightfully belongs, on the THRONE. Elevated. Father. Jehovah. Almighty One. King of Kings! Savior! Ruler over heaven & earth! Savior! Lord! It is about keeping God the Lord of our lives, and in regards to finances, keeping HIM as OUR SOURCE. Not relying upon our business, our job, our sales, our efforts or our works as our source. The moment we begin to rely on our own efforts instead of keeping our faith and reliance upon God is the beginning of where the trouble starts. For example... I just put on an information class on a 12 week program we are starting here in Columbia, "New Way to a New You." I asked the Holy Spirit what materials/products, if any, I should have with me at the class. I was willing to invest in whatever I needed to invest in, but I wanted to invest in the RIGHT things. Well, the Holy Spirit said, "Buy 10 books, that's all." OK. That's easy enough. So, I pre-purchased the 10 books to re-sell (we will be using throughout the 12 week class as a guide.) Out of those 10 books guess how many I sold? LOL. I laugh at how amazing God is when we listen. I sold 10. If I would've had 9, I would've been 1 short. If I would've had 11, I would've had 1 extra. The Holy Spirit knew EXACTLY how many I needed. He is even concerned in the little things! Isn't that amazing!


Wealth & Riches? Expect them! Do you fear the Lord? Do you honor and respect our Mighty God? Well, then Psalm 112 is talking about YOU! This is a verse Tyler and I confess DAILY over our lives and our family. DAILY! Outloud! 


Sales!? What about sales? In the world, often 'sales people' are seen maybe with a bad light. The whole "used-car salesmen" feeling. No one wants to be "SOLD". When you are "sold", you are being convinced into something you do not want to do. When you "buy", you are buying something you need or saw value in. And even the WOMAN WHO EXCELS them ALL was a SALES PERSON!!! Can you believe it?! Take a look in Proverbs 31:24! She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].!!!


A couple things to keep in mind... she wasn't selling junk. She obviously believed in what she was selling. It was a FINE product made of FINE material. She was meeting a need in the marketplace. A product that freed people up for serving. 


Do you believe in your product? Do you believe in your service? Lead others to buy it! Those people that NEED it will see it's value and have no remorse in purchasing from you. They will also often be your greatest source of referrals too! Add value to others and you can not go wrong. 

#63 - The Finer Things in Life

Good morning! It is good to be back! We spent the weekend in Pigeon Forge, TN and got home late last night. We stayed at the Christmas Inn. It was pretty neat! Very festive! We even saw Santa & sang Christmas songs! Wow! Quite an experience for September! Well.... I feel like I have a full day of catching up, so let's get started...


Today's Scheduled Reading: Proverbs 31:10-31, Proverbs 7, Psalms 7, 37, 67, 97, 127

Proverbs 31:21-22 - She fears not the snow for her family, for all her household are doubly clothed in scarlet. She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is of linen, pure and fine, and of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made].

Psalms 37:4-5 - Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

Well... I'm pretty excited about today's topic. I pray that it makes sense to you and that you are able to grasp what is available for you. That you are able to enjoy the "good things in life" without it being accompanied by guilt. I would say, this is a topic that Satan often tries to use in order to separate the body of Christ. This morning, I pray that we will help unite the body as we dig in to what the Word says on the subject. Abundance. Wealth. And, the Finer things in Life. 


Our Proverbs 31 woman wasn't shopping at GoodWill. Today, she would have been shopping at Saks 5th Avenue or St. John (http://www.sjk.com/en-us/shoponline/couture/). Our Proverbs friend was wearing fine clothes. One website tells it best, "Purple became a symbol of royalty and riches due to the scarcity of its dye.*" You guys, our Proverbs 31 woman DRESSED WELL! She dressed to the 9's! She did not and was not poor! She wore the best there was to wear! HER CLOTHING WAS FINE! 


It seems that sometimes when people get saved, they get this feeling that it means that they then have to change and "be poor" or "look poor" in order to be "holy". They have to do away with the fine things in life because it's not "Christian" or "religious" to have those things. Or... we hear the phrase, "I should do away with my fine things so I can give to the poor. I don't need it. I could use that to help the poor." Do you all realize that the Proverbs 31 woman DID BOTH!!!! She not only dressed well, with class in clothes that were EXPENSIVE... but she ALSO STILL gave to the poor. (Proverbs 31:20) And.... do you know what??? Get ready for this... this is exciting! GOD HAS ENOUGH MONEY SO THAT YOU CAN DO BOTH!!!!!  If you are walking in the revelation that YOUR FATHER really is the Owner of it all, he owns the cattle on 1,000 hills, he is Jehovah Jirah, El Shadai, He is the GOD of ABUNDANCE and with HIM there is NO lack! IF you walk in that revelation, you will KNOW that there is enough, God has enough that, like the Proverbs 31 woman, you can enjoy the fine things in life, while still blessing and helping the poor. 


When you are "delighting" yourself in the Lord, it says in Psalms 37 that He WILL give you the DESIRES of your heart! Even the SECRET PETITIONS, those things that you have had in your head, or deep down in your heart that you would really like to have. Maybe it's a "Tag" watch.... but at $6,000 you can't ever imagine owning something so nice. Maybe you have always wanted a white, fully loaded, with black tinted windows, new BMW. Infiniti QX56, Mercedes.... or a new house with a huge kitchen and top of the line appliances. Whatever your petition is....be it spoken or be it secret, do you realize that NOTHING is a stretch for God! The biggest stretch is probably getting to the point that you know that YOU are worth it! The God can give it to you in the snap of His fingers. That He would give it to you AND meet the needs of the poor at the same time! If you are a parent, just like how you get pleasure out of blessing your kids or grandkids... helping to meet their needs... or better yet, surprising them with something you know they have wanted but wouldn't buy for themselves..... GOD GETS PLEASURE IN BLESSING YOU TOO! God is YOUR FATHER! He wants to give you the desires of your heart!! 


If you live in a country with nothing, you are not more "religious" or "spiritual." The key to it ALL is not letting any of those "things" become an "idol" in your life. That they would not become more important than your God! Like the story of the Rich Man in the Matthew 19:16-27, the Rich man wanted to go to heaven, but went away sad, UNWILLING to give up those things. He HELD his POSSESSIONS in HIGHER ESTEEM then a relationship with God. I believe you can HAVE possession, nice things and in abundance as long as those possessions don't HAVE YOU! I also believe that it is important not to go into debt to "have" those secret petitions. God can do it WITHOUT debt!! 


And just to throw in a quick clarification.... when talking about wealth, a lot of un-knowing people are quick to quote the verse in Matthew 19:23, "...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." We are not talking about the impossible here. It is not talking about the eye of a SEWING needle. The "eye of a needle" was the entrance to a city. It was the door into the city. In order for a man to get his camel into the city, since the door was not tall enough for the camel to walk in, the camel had to get on his knees and scoot in, ducking his head under the door frame. It was not "impossible", and it was done frequently. Just because someone is rich it does not make them "less religious"... but what it can do, is it can allow them to help more people. Where a lot of people are focusing JUST on themselves and their own family.... "How are we going to pay our bills? How are we going to have enough money to buy Christmas gifts for our family? How am I going to make my car payment? My morgage payment?" While a lot of people are thinking ONLY of themselves and meeting their OWN needs.... those people with money, with wealth are able to get past the "Me Me Me - My Problems, My bills, My Debt", people who have wealth and are born again CHRISTIANS are able to not even have to THINK about how they are going to meet their own needs, those needs are MET (Totally Biblical if you read PHIL. 4:19), but they are able to say, "How can I meet the needs of others? How much money can I give away this month to go towards helping others. Feeding the hungry, supplying Bibles to other countries, supporting missionaries." Yes... while their PAID for Mercedes may sit in their 4 car garage, they are still giving away more money than a lot of people who are worrying about just meeting their own needs. 


So... I may have sounded like I was on a soap box... I probably was. I just want to portray that it is OK to have the finer things in life. The Proverbs 31 woman did and so can you! 

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* http://www.ridingthebeast.com/articles/colors/

#47 - The Principle of the Ants

Good Morning! It's definitely nice when I wake up earlier! I get to do more fun things before getting the boy up. Yesterday we enjoyed a fun day of blueberry picking. Aside from getting stung by a wasp, we had a great time and picked lots of blueberries! It was the last day the farm was open, so we were all glad that we went yesterday! Here's a few of the pictures from the days events: 

Ok... well, let's roll...

Proverbs 31:14 - She is like the merchant ships loaded with foodstuffs; she brings her household's food from a far [country].

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

So... as I sit here, snacking on some blueberries from my "posed" blueberry photo shoot... I was pretty interested in the verses for today. Quite appropriate actually. May or may not be real life shattering stuff for people.... but it is another piece of the puzzle in regards to becoming a Proverbs 31 woman. 


We are exhorted to look at the ant and aspire to do the same things, to learn from, to apply what the ant does in natural life. The ant doesn't even have a leader, but goes about providing food during the summer and harvest season to last through the winter months. This reminds me of the story of Joseph. We look at the life of Joseph, you probably remember the story (Genesis 37-41), but let's review the highlights: Joseph- the fair-haired favorite of his father Jacob gets a colorful special coat, Joseph has a dream that his brothers and parents will bow down to him- blabs the dream off to his brothers, Joseph's brothers annoyed with him selling him into slavery, Joseph being elevated to the right hand of Potiphar, Potiphar's wife wrongfully accusing Joseph of trying to make a pass at her, Joseph being thrown into prison, called out to interpret Pharaoh's dream, Joseph interpreting well the dream of Pharaoh and being elevated to 2nd in charge of the WHOLE Kingdom of Egypt. That brings us to what I find very interesting. As Joseph correctly interpreted the dream of Pharaoh, there would be 7 years of plenty & then 7 great years of famine. During the 7 years of plenty, the harvests were great! People were pulling in more than they could imagine! They were eating off the fat of the land. I imagine during that time when part of the harvest was sold, since it was so plentiful, you could purchase grain or produce at significantly low prices because there was such a great quantity of it to go around. More than they could even use. In laymen's terms, they were selling stuff for CHEAP! They could've used the Wal-Mart slogan, Rollin back, rollin back, rollin back the prices! SALE SALE SALE! Basically they were living in plenty. 


Then we fast forward to the years of famine. Because the people did not heed the principle of the ants, storing away food, it eventually enslaved them to Pharaoh. As people ran out of their supply of food, their crops not pulling in enough to survive on, they began to buy from Pharaoh. NO SALE TODAY! It's all about economics, supply & demand. When the supply is great, prices are low. When the supply is low, prices are high. They bought grain and it wasn't cheap! As money ran out, they traded their livestock (aka: their business') for grain. As their livestock ran out, they traded their land (aka: their inheritance) for grain. As their land ran out, they traded their LIVES for grain. In order to eat, they traded all they had, their life. They were now slaves, ownership of Pharaoh, ruler of the Kingdom of Egypt. Because Joseph applied the PRINCIPLE OF THE ANT it brought EXPONENTIAL WEALTH to Pharaoh's purse. People came from all over the world to get grain from Pharaoh! In the end, Pharaoh owned it all! He had all the money, he had all the land, and he owned all the people. From a "fiscal" perspective, you don't get wealthier than that! (Yes, i know solomon was the wealthiest and wisest... but go with me on this one) I mean think about it. Even the great POWER of fast food today, my dad's favorite place to eat, McDonald's. What are they in business to do? You say, sell hamburgers? Wrong. They are the greatest REAL ESTATE OWNER in the United States, maybe world. 30,000+ McDonald's throughout the world x all the real estate they own for each location.... = $$$$$$$!!!!! 


With all of that said, where does that bring us? How does this apply to us? Great! Joseph applied the "Principle of the Ants", got Pharaoh loaded... AND in the END even saw his DREAM come to pass, his brothers bowing down to him.  Where does that put us? Well.... we can take the same principle and apply it today. We may feel like we are taking a bit of a step back in time, but it is the art of canning or preserving or vacuum-sealing. Whatever you want to do, but it is the art of collecting during the harvest, storing up for the winter. Like what we did yesterday, blueberry picking. You can do it at whatever level you want. Blueberry season, here, came to an end yesterday.... peach season is about to come to an end.... that walks us into apples, maybe pears... and I'm not sure what else. Some options? COLLECT WHEN IT'S CHEAP! Then, learn the art of canning, preserving, or spend $25 on a vacuum-seal machine and put away all your purchases for the winter. We got blueberries yesterday for $1.00/POUND!!! Not sure if you can conceptualize that.... but the picture of all the jars with blueberries... (I got them for free since I got stung, wasn't that nice!).... but ALL those would have been about $2.00!!! So... store away. Take one day a week during the harvest season and cut, cook, puree, freeze, whatever, but take what you've purchased and store it away! Apply the "PRINCIPLE OF THE ANTS"!! Visit your local Farmer's Market. If you really want to be adventurous, plant a garden (I planted 4 things this year! Whoa! Didn't want to get in over my head!). 


I would anticipate that the Proverbs 31 woman collected in the harvest and stored her food away for the winter months. We know her family was prepared with clothing for the winter months and had no fear of cold. I anticipate she also had food ready for them too. 


Just a thought. And, it all comes down to planning. If you don't plan, it most likely won't get done. I need to get better at this, and CONSISTENCY of it. Planning. Seeking God about what should be on my agenda, and having one day a week have a project. IE: Monday's work on my book, Tuesday's can fruit & veggies, Wednesday DOR, Thursday work on a sewing project, Friday work on taxes for the next year & wealth creation, Saturday ??, Sunday??. You get the idea. It's all about planning. 


Per my sister Kimmi's great idea.... let's close this devotion in prayer today: 

Heavenly Father... we come to you in the name of your son Jesus. Father, we ask you to help us weed out things from our lives that are not yielding the fruit that YOU want in our lives. Help us not to get overwhelmed about our journey to becoming this Proverbs 31 woman... our journey to becoming ALL that you would have us to be. Help us to choose what areas to work on at what time so that we would not get overwhelmed. Father we pray in Jesus Name that you would mold us and make us into world changers. That we would not only just be an impact to our immediate family, but that you would use us to fulfill the Great Commission, that we would GO and make disciples of all the nations. That our lives would be pleasing to you, that our IMPACT would go FAR beyond the walls our our individual homes. Lead us to live out our dreams, lead us to be wise, lead us to have MORE than enough to meet our needs and then to be able to pour out and meet the needs of others. Lord... and if now is the time... lead us to even, maybe plant a garden. LOL. We love you Lord. We know you have perfect timing. Thank you for helping us to work on EXACTLY what you want us to work on right now! Like, how to eat an elephant, one bite at a time. With your help, we are working on becoming the BEST woman of God, and man of God that we can be, one positive habit at a time. Thank you Lord! Bless our day, expand our territories, and we claim Psalm 91 protection over us, our families, friends & co-workers. We pray all this in the mighty name of Jesus, AMEN!

Reflection Question: 

• Ask God, "What area would you have ME work on? Is there something I can do to apply the Principle of the Ants?"
• Now, STOP TALKING and LISTEN!

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XOXO, Amy Jo

#12 - The Unfair Advantage

Good Morning.... jacked about my morning coffee....as usual. Sitting on the porch again enjoying a nice morning. Sometimes it is hard to believe how quickly this time goes in the morning....it's like the time just flies! One thing that I have really been excited about is my desire to get up. If you know me well at all.... in the past I have never been much of a morning person. I typically have been the person that can sleep any time, anywhere & for LONG lengths! I actually woke up this morning before my alarm clock. But you know what? I think that as we draw into a closer and more intimate relationship with the Lord, we will crave that time to get up. The more you get of HIM, the more you will desire it! That your time in the Word will become a time like Christmas mornings! :) How exciting.....and me being a gifts person... I LOVE GIFTS.... it's exciting to have each morning being like Christmas morning! Where you wake up and you are just excited to hear what the Holy Spirit is going to reveal to you this morning?? Where is He taking you? Where is He leading? And what is He going to tell you this morning? You know, He does speak to us still IF we are willing to listen. Listening is developed.... so, If you have never really feel like you have been led directly by the Holy Spirit.... do not grow weary.... that leading is developed with a relationship. The more you get in the Word, the more you spend time, the more you focus on meditating and really ask questions.... the answers will be revealed. And when you get to that point, the point where you hear His Voice, where you can call on Him and He will answer, now that is a sweet place to be! So, let's get you there!!


This morning was JAM PACKED! So much that I definitely won't be able to go into depth about it all.... but very interesting.... and like normal.... new!

Proverbs 8:17 - I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me. 

Proverbs 31:26 - She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].

The Face of Wisdom.... we are going to search out who Wisdom really is, how to attain her & what value she brings. We see that Wisdom originated from the beginning, before the "7 Days of Creation", wisdom was. As you read through Proverbs, wisdom is referred to as "she."  


1) Where has she been? - She has been: formed and brought forth by the Lord from the beginning (Proverbs 8:22). We see in Proverbs 8:23-30 that wisdom saw and was the helping "master & director" of Creation, the 7 days of creation, she has seen it all! She has seen everything take place. She has knowledge of how everything has happened since before "time" even existed. So, if you want to really learn & know from ACTUAL experience. Wisdom has seen it ALL. She has seen the pitfalls of man, she has seen wealth & riches acquired, she has watched successful marriages form, she has seen the answer to every question. She knows it all. She has been with God before "time" even existed. Wisdom would be the best companion to have with you since wisdom has seen all, been everywhere & knows all things. 
2) Where does she stand? - For you... where is she? It says in verse 2 of chapter 8 that she stands on the heights, where the 2 paths meet, wisdom is there? What 2 paths?? YOUR TWO PATHS! YOUR TWO PATHS OF DECISION! The road that leads the way you SHOULD NOT GO and the road that leads to where you SHOULD GO! Wisdom is there! Verse 1 says that she RAISES HER VOICE, she CRIES OUT! So basically, if you are listening when you get to that path, if you SEEK the Lord's direction....I envision at the top of a hill, two roads, on one side we see HER.... we see a real person of God.... and she is like a coach or umpire standing on the path that leads to where YOU, where I am suppose to go. She is standing there yelling, "COME THIS WAY! THIS IS YOUR PATH! COME THIS WAY!! OVER HERE! DON'T EVEN LOOK down that other road! That road, that path leads to bad things....even though right here at the fork, both paths initially look the same, THEY ARE NOT! Come THIS WAY, travel THIS ROAD!" So, wisdom is at your point of decision. Listen for her and it says she is crying out, she is raising her voice. The way of wisdom is not a mystery IF you are listening. TAKE OUT THE EAR PLUGS! 
3) What does she bring of value? - When you say "BRING IT".... you put up your hands to a friend in jest or fun, you motion for them to come.... "BRING IT!" Well, wisdom BRINGS IT BABY!!! SHE BRINGS IT! What value does she bring? She brings it all. Verse 14, she brings counsel, knowledge, understanding, might & power. You need strength? Mental? Physical - you need big muscles for your profession? - Wisdom has it! Spiritual Strength? - She is bringing that too! Verse 18 & 21 talk about wisdom bringing riches, honor, wealth, righteousness, it talks about her "filling the treasuries of those who love her". In these verses when it is talking about wealth & riches, we are not talking about the cliche or spiritual, "Oh...she gives me riches of happiness, of goodness, of love..." Though "wisdom" may actually bring all this, in these verses the actual Hebrew translation is talking about the BLING! It is talking about the money! Like the old movie with Tom Cruise when he is dancing around saying, "Show me the Money! Show me the Money!" - Well, in this case, wisdom is bring it! She is showing the money to those who love her! In verse 12 (KJV) it talks about wisdom bringing forth "witty inventions". Do you think if you, sought out wisdom and got this brilliant idea for an invention, it could bring you financial prosperity? Of course it could & would & will IF you seek it out. Wisdom is bringing the whole package here!   
4) What does she love? - Call her a romantic, call her conceded (for desiring & wanting your time) or call her "love language"  that of "Quality Time"... but wisdom loves those who love her! Wisdom loves those who seek her out early. Whose priority right when they wake up is to seek her out. Those who seek her out diligently, with fervor. I apologize to those of you who aren't morning people. I found no way around the meaning of early. When I read it in the Hebrew, I found no way around it meaning early in the morning. The first part of your day. The first priority above other things. Early. First. Most important. (Proverbs 8:17)
5) How do you find her? - You find wisdom by seeking. No way around it. You have got to look for her. You have got to search her out. You have got to seek. I heard a great quote the other day, "The finding is left for those who do the searching." 

• The Ultimate reward? - Along with everything else that wisdom will provide to you, in verse 35, whoever finds wisdom will also receive FAVOR from the Lord!

Ladies, (really men too! Men, you realize if you are single, this should be the woman you are looking for! This Proverbs 31 woman! Have you studied her? Do you even know what she looks like? Does she possess these qualities found in Proverbs 31:10-31?)....what does this mean to you? Our Proverbs 31 woman has ATTAINED wisdom. She is friends of and with wisdom. She has done all the things above. She is using the experience of the one who has seen everything since before creation. Now that seems like an unfair advantage! :) To have the one who has seen it all? Talk about an advantage over those walking in the world, or those who do not seek! The unfair advantage is for you! Seek out wisdom! Our Proverbs 31 woman has done this!


Today, give yourself an unfair advantage. Begin to seek out wisdom! Get in the Word. 

"The finding is left for those who do the searching."