#261 - Part 1: Fueling a Marriage That Will LAST!

Proverbs 31:12 - She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her.

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

In a recent conversation, my husband was telling me about a minister he was listening to. This minister said, "I love God more than I love my wife. But....... she also loves God more than she loves me!"

It is the key ingredient to a long & successful marriage. How would you respond if I posed the question to you? "Do you love God more than you love your spouse? Your children?"

Why is it so important to love God first? When you love God first and foremost, you will love your spouse how God would want you to love them, even on those days when they may be unbecoming, unattractive, frustrating. When you love God first and foremost, you will find ways to show love to your spouse, to make them feel special, to meet their needs.

THIS IS CRUCIAL! Sure, we can only control our own love for the Lord... we cannot control our spouse, and their commitment and time they spend with the Lord. BUT we can CONTROL ourself! When we LOVE the Lord first, it WILL spill off into all other relationships in our life. His love will overflow into our relationship with our spouse, our co-workers, our children. When we love God first, HE will give us wisdom HOW TO love! Maybe it's loving in a way that we would not have thought of on our own. Maybe, unbeknownst to us, our spouse is really feeling like he/she needs a break. He/she would feel loved just by having a weekend getaway to recoup. Fishing. Chilling. Sleeping. In a mountain cabin. Alone or with you. SO... because we love the LORD first, the Holy Spirit leads us to send them on a little 1, 2, 3 day getaway to refresh (no kids allowed!). Maybe it's something as simple as, our spouse would feel loved by having some of their favorite fresh baked cookies when they get home from a long day at work. Maybe it's the new "technology" piece they were eye-balling at BestBuy, or a new shirt? Maybe it's just walking in the house to a wife with make-up on, her hair done & in clothes other than sweatpants & a T-shirt?

FUELING your marriage is IMPORTANT! You cannot get a return on investment if you do not invest!! That could mean a regular weekly, or monthly date night. A husband/wife retreat to getaway without kids... once or twice a year. It doesn't have to be too fancy, but investing in the babysitter, the lodging, the meals could REAP GREAT DIVIDENDS into a long, healthy and happy marriage!!!

Some days it's about the little things. The little things DO matter. Saving the curly chips for them, because those are their favorites. Pulling the covers up and tucking them in when it's time for bed, because they like their covers tight. Filling up their coffee cup for a refill so they don't have to get out of their comfy seat. Peeling their tomato that you put on their sandwich, because it shows you went the extra step - and it's just how grandma did for them! Loving them. Saying kind words. Not nagging. Serving their favorite foods. Showing love how THEY receive love the best! If you need help in this area, a great book to read and RE-read is, "The Five Love Languages." ----- And friend, let me remind you of the principle of sowing and reaping. When you SOW these good seeds into your spouse, you WILL REAP a harvest in return! Don't fret! If you feel like you are doing all the giving and sowing, continue sowing with a good attitude, GOD SEE'S! Your good deeds will not go unnoticed!

Finally, the Proverbs 31 woman girds herself with spiritual strength. FRIEND, YOU need to be renewed and refreshed! YOU need to have YOUR batteries recharged too. This may mean TAKING SOME THINGS OFF YOUR PLATE, OFF YOUR CALENDAR! Her physical fitness strength gives her the extra energy she needs to keep up, to keep her metabolism high and give her those endorphins (the happy chemical her body makes!)! Her mental strength keeps her sharp, because she invests time into reading books to help her grow mentally versus wasting countless hours watching TV, on Facebook or playing mindless games on her iPhone. She finds ways to STAY SHARP, stay mentally strong, to be an iron-sharpener to her husband.

It's OUR job to get OURSELF right. Let's begin today. What are some ways we can FUEL our marriage today??? I'd love to hear ONE way that YOU fuel your marriage? Feel free to share! :)

xoxo!
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. 

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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! 

#259 - THREE Power Tips of Encouragement

Romans 15:1, 2, 4, 5 - We who are strong [in our convictions and of robust faith] ... (2)Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually]....(4)the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope. (5)...the God Who gives the power of patient endurance (steadfastness) and Who supplies encouragement

Proverbs 31:12 - She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her.

Encouragement and strength come from God and from His Word. His Word was brought for this purpose, to strengthen, guide and direct the believer. To give us a roadmap when we need direction, comfort when we need help, peace when we need calmed in our spirit and answers when we choose to look. Let's look at the 3 power tips of encouragement.

1. GIVE IT - Encouragement, as we see in Romans 15:2, is for YOU and I, We who are strong in our convictions and of robust faith, "encouragement" is for us to GIVE. When? As often as possible! To who? Our neighbor, the person next to us, friends, believers, and even the non-believer. That we should be concerned about his/her TRUE WELFARE. It may just be our encouragement that gets them through the day. It could be as simple as complimenting the cashier at the grocery store for her friendly smile or pretty skin. She may just get home that night with that as the highlight of her day. Encouragement. Give it freely and give it often!
2. RECEIVE IT from the Word - Do you need encouragement? The WORD is a giver of encouragement. The WORD was put into place for you and I to be able to come and RECEIVE the much needed encouragement that we will need often as believers. The Word is designed to fill you with hope, to encourage and build you up. The Word is designed to be your sword, your strength, so that you do not have to go ONE DAY without hope and direction! Believers SHOULD BE the most hopeful, expectant, excited people alive. When we know Who is on the inside of us, what is to come and that God is on our side, we have a LOT to be excited about. Today, receive YOUR encouragement from making sure you spend some time in the Word. 
3. RECEIVE IT from God - According to Romans 15:5, GOD supplies us with encouragement. Maybe you are out and about, you don't have access to pulling out your Bible, maybe you don't have access to just sitting down to dive into the Word, you can still receive encouragement from God, the Holy Spirit Himself!! Begin to pray. If you are in your car, begin to thank God outloud. Thank Him for encouraging you. Thank Him for helping you in your situation (in advance). Thank Him for giving you the words to speak in your upcoming meeting. Thank Him for guiding you. Thank Him IN ADVANCE for what it is you need. Praise Him. Sing to Him. Allow your spirit to be encouraged by the very Holy Spirit that is with you 24/7! The Holy Spirit lives inside of you, as as part of the Trinity, part of God, the Holy Spirit is there to ENCOURAGE YOU! Take advantage of it and RECEIVE! 

We see that our Proverbs 31 friend practices the art of encouraging her husband. As long as their is life within her, she makes sure that she puts Romans 15:2 into action! He is the man that God had placed in her life to be her partner and completer. Her encouragement to him only helps him to lead their family better. Sister, encourage your husband today. Build him up. Think of three kind things to say to him that would encourage him. Maybe it's simply, "Hey honey, I just want to let you know that I appreciate you going to work to provide for our family. I don't see or know what you go through every day, but I know it can take a toll on you at times. Thank you so much for providing for our family, even when your job may throw some hard things at you. I want you to know I SEE and I appreciate you. I love you." 

Give and receive encouragement today. 

CONGRATS! - Guest Post by New Author Natalie Replogle!!

Today I am hosting a stop on the blog tour for author, Natalie Replogle. As friends and going to the same High School as Natalie, I'm so excited that her book, A Rescued Heart has now been released! In today's blog, she will be answering a few questions about her book.

Your personal faith is very important to you.  How does this show up in your writing and/or characters?
A lot of Christian books I’ve read have one of the main characters that doesn’t know or want God and learns along the way who God is and begins a relationship with Him. I wanted to do things a little different. I wanted both main characters to share the faith and by doing this show the ups and downs of living a life as a follower of Christ. We are all sinners saved by Grace, no one is perfect, but we do serve a perfect God. I wanted people to see that even believers struggle along the way, make poor choices and don’t trust God the way we should. My prayer is that someone reading my book will identify with one of the characters and see changes they can make in their own life.

How long did it take to write the book?
The first draft took me a little over a year, but it took much longer until I was done with the final draft. From the day I started writing until I had the final draft took about three years. I had already sent out my manuscript to a few agents when I started working on the outline of the second book. I did a few chapters and sent them off to my editor but got a reply that what I had wasn’t going to work. We spoke on the phone and talked about some options and then came to the decision that I had to go back and change a portion of first book to make the second book flow better.  I love the new changes and what it added to the storyline. I think it brought improved suspense and added more depth to the characters. 

Do you have book #2 already written?

I am halfway done! With our busy summer, I took a break on writing to focus on my family and give my mind a little rest. Now that school has started my free time has increased and I’m looking forward to getting back to my characters!

Did you use the Author’s Learning Center to help you with your writing?
No, I did not.  I just did a lot of research on how to write a fiction book.  I had an amazing editor offer to help me on my grammar and she was also such a great encourager and person to bounce ideas around with….and someone that spoke honestly with me when she thought things needed to change or didn’t work. I also read and reread all of my favorite author’s books and took notes on how they wrote, explained scenes, dialogue, introductions, etc. I did a few writing contests in hopes to get feedback. I did a Genesis contest through ACFW that was for unpublished authors. It was the first five pages and I had a published author (Lynette Eason), an agent and a publisher critique it. I also got connected (through a mutual friend) with fiction author Sharlene MacLaren who critiqued my first chapter and gave me great advice and so kindly answered a few of my questions.

Head over to Amazon where you can read a short preview from the book and you can either buy the paper or e-book version of A Rescued Heart.  

Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=natalie%20replogle&sprefix=natal%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Anatalie%20replogle

#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! :)

How to GROW Belief?

Matthew 17:20-21 (NKJ) - So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

If you remember in the Bible it talked about each of us given the measure of faith as believers. One believer not given a "greater measure," but each of us has the same amount. Well then, why do some people do significantly more with their life? Why does it appear some people have such greater faith because they accomplish so much more? Well.... let's take a look at that this morning.

Here in Matthew 17, the disciples have just come to Jesus because they were not able to cast out a demon. They wanted to know why, so Jesus goes about telling them. They had been given "the" measure of faith, so faith should not have been the problem. Jesus proceeds to tell them it is because of their unbelief. When I looked up "unbelief" in the dictionary, it defined it as skepticism, rejection of belief. 

Where and what is the TIME spent on? Rejecting belief? Dwelling on what is not possible? OR is time spent on building up belief? Building up what IS possible? Unbelief is rejection of belief. Belief was defined as confidence in the truth. A quote I read this morning goes hand in hand with what we are talking about, "It is usually overlooked, it is noteworthy that leaders spend a considerable time alone, with nothing but their own thinking apparatus." 

To increase belief, we need to increase the time we spend on that topic or area we are looking to grow. At the end of Matthew 17:21, it talks about prayer and fasting. The type of demon that the disciples were trying to cast out only came out through prayer and fasting. Their unbelief was too great, they had not spent enough time increasing their belief. In this instance, Jesus said it could have been done through prayer and fasting. Prayer, often something done alone.... and when one fasts, it is often giving up food to spend more time in prayer or with the Lord alone.

Leaders spend considerable time alone. 

It is not a mystery that the greatest leaders, good and bad (Stalin, Hitler, etc - spent jail time and had much alone time to devise their evil schemes) spend a lot of time alone. They are able to plan, increase belief in the plan. Increase belief in their beliefs!

So.... today.... what area do you want to grow in belief? DWELL on the positive of it. DWELL on why it is possible! DWELL on the how it can be done. Continue to think, dwell, ponder on the positive, on the possibility. GET ALONE to think, to journal, to pray. As you do this, watch your unbelief diminish until all that is left over is the DOING IT!!!! You will have accomplished what at one point seemed like a distant wish or dream! Through spending that time alone growing your belief, you will have accomplished victory!

Seeds of Expectancy!

1 Cor. 3:7 - So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but (only) God Who makes it grow AND become greater. 

Maybe the Holy Spirit is trying to get ME to get something, because the theme today is the same. Expectancy! Here were the words I journaled as I was listening this morning...

Plant seeds of expectation Amy. EXPECT today that I will DO great things!! Smile & EXPECT. At each corner, expect good. LOOK for it! Recognize it!! Make a list if you need too. 

Planting seeds of expectancy. What a fun way to go through the day! Smiling, looking around at each corner with great anticipation of GOD putting that next great thing or person there. Even looking down to the ground to see a penny or quarter. Making that "mental" or "written out" list of the GOOD things God is doing. Today for example.... it's a BEAUTIFUL day here in South Carolina! For the first in many days it is not raining and is suppose to stay sunny all day! YIPPEE! The perfect day to do something special with my kiddos!

Smile. Expect. Drive and expect. Walk and expect. Answer the phone and expect. PLANT SEEDS of expectancy. God will make your dreams and goals grow. God will help those seeds not just grow, but become greater! Is it a seed of EXPECTANCY for growth in your business? Expect to meet the next customer today.

God will not only help the seeds GROW, he will make them become GREATER!

Keep your list today. Write down everything GREAT and SMALL that God does... from the penny and front row parking place to the huge new customer account or new friend you met. Expect GOD to do what HE can do!

 

Expectancy!

Psalm 85:8 - I will listen [with expectancy] to what God the Lord will say...

At times... I'm sure we are all guilty. Guilty of what? Guilty of falling into the trap of the mundane routine, specifically when it comes to our time with God. Hopefully, you have a regular time that you spend each day with God, preferably morning, allowing your day to be fueled with the Word. Thankfully, it is a routine that I have been pretty consistent with, not perfect, but consistent.

This morning, as I read, I was convicted of how often my time previously was spent without expectancy. My routine of reading and journaling, at times, left out the true fervor of seeking, reading, listening with expectancy to what the Lord was going to tell me or reveal to me.

So my question to you (and me), do you need to revamp your quiet time? Do you need to make an alteration? An adjustment? In that time when you quiet yourself to just listen, tune in to that still small Voice, do you need to increase your expectancy? An hour or two hours in the Word, pales in comparison from hearing ONE WORD or ONE SENTENCE from the Lord about your exact situation.

When you get in that place next, I encourage you to listen with expectancy. There are hidden treasures for you, hidden for you, not from you. Listen, really listen. EXPECT that what you are going to hear next from that still small Voice is going to be EXACTLY what you need!

Not Missing the Memories Along the Way!

Ps 80: 3, 7, 19 - Restore us again... Restore us again... Restore us, cause Your face to shine (in pleasure, approval & favor on us)...

Ps 81:8, 10 - ... if you would listen to Me! (10) I am the Lord your God Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide & I will fill it. 

Do you feel like sometimes you are thinking to yourself, "Restore me Lord, Restore me. Restore me." Or, "Just get me to 'that' place. Get me where I want to go. Get me there. Can I please just 'arrive.'"

Like a crop takes time to grow, so does your harvest. This morning as I journaled, read the Word and listened to the Lord, I felt like He was gently nudging me to remember, "If you will just listen to Me, I will fill your every desire." Similar to what the Psalmists said in Psalm 81, "...open your mouth wide & I will fill it."

As I was listening, I got a picture of a woman. She was standing in her kitchen area, holding a cup of warm coffee. As she peered out the window, steam floated off the fragile china-like mug. It was a brisk morning, fall was upon her and her family. She was not where she wanted to be in life, far from where she thought she would be at this point. Though, she smiled nonetheless. For today, she was going to enjoy and drink in every moment of what her day would bring. She was going to enjoy her kids. She was going to revel in the moment of laughter when her child said and did something funny. Today, she was going to enjoy the journey on the way to where she was going.

Maybe you feel you are in a "Joseph" place in your life. Be it in the pit or prison, maybe just accused of  something you did not do. But as it says in Psalm 81:8,10 - "If you would listen to ME! I am the Lord your God Who brought you up out of the land land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it." 

During this time, if you and I would listen to the Lord, HE will fill our every desire. Even during this time where we are on the journey to where we want to go, maybe seemingly far from our final "dream" destination, BUT, if we would listen to the Lord, He will even allow this journey-time to be enjoyable. Like the woman I saw, in the midst of the journey, we will be able to not miss the memory moments. We will be able to ENJOY every step of the way.

And like Joseph, do you know where our journey will end if we choose to listen to the Lord?! It will end up FUL-FILLED! And you will not miss a laugh, the first tooth your child loses, funny dance time, birthday surprises, game night, dinner joy .... buried away forever, in the recesses of your mind will be each memory and moment that you did not miss during this journey. When you reach the ultimate destination of your dream or goal, you will not feel like the journey was in vain because it is filled with precious memories along the way.

Today, the place where you are at, choose to find the JOY in each of todays moments. Close your eyes,  and take a snapshot of "this" moment, the funny faces of your child. Save the picture in your mind, they will not be young forever.

Enjoy today, find it's JOY. When you reach your final destination, you will have a photobook of amazing memories!

Need an ANSWER?

Mark 4:20, 22 - And those sown on the good (well-adapted) soil are the ones who hear the Word and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit—some thirty times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some [even] a hundred times as much. [Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything [temporarily] kept secret except in order that it may be made known.

Do you have questions? Need answers? The answer you are seeking is not hidden FROM you, it is hidden FOR YOU! The revelation that you desire for your situation is not designed to be kept hidden, it is designed for you to FIND it. God is not One to just dangle something in front of you (in this case, a question) with no means for you to find the answer to it. Answers are there, and you are MEANT to find them. Let's take a look at a few situations in the Bible.

Noah. Let's look at Noah. In Genesis 6:9, it said that Noah walked in habitual fellowship with God. God had a man that He knew would listen to His instructions, and when the time came, Noah was mandated to build a boat, a big boat. God gave him very specific instructions, a detailed plan with measurements, the type of material, everything Noah needed in order to build this boat to God's specifications. It needed to withstand the weight of ALL the animals that would be on the boat. It needed to withstand the storms and weather. Noah listened, and God answered. God gave Noah a plan.

Moses. After 40 years of personal exile due to killing a man, Moses was called back to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses was called by God to go before Pharaoh to make the request, as we know, "Let My people go!" It was a request from God Himself. God wanted to Israelites to be set free from captivity. You remember, the 10 plagues... God told Moses exactly what to do in order for the Israelites to be set free. Sure, it took 10 major plagues before Pharaoh would listen, but in the end, the people were set free. Moses listened, and God answered. God gave Moses a plan.

Solomon. Solomon was directed to build the Lord's house (1 Kings 6). From the cedar to the dimensions, from the inner sanctuary to overlaying the floors with gold; God gave Solomon very specific instructions on how to build the temple and with the exact materials. It was a specific project. Solomon listened, and God answered. God gave Solomon a plan.

Friend, YOU are no different. Remember the verse that says God is the same yesterday, today & tomorrow. You serve the SAME God that Noah, Moses & Solomon served. Although, YOU and I have something even better! As Christians, when we got saved, the Holy Spirit Himself came to live inside of us.

Are you feeling like your schedule is crazy? How can you possibly get everything done? YOUR answer is not hidden FROM you, it is hidden FOR YOU! Ask. Seek. Just like God laid out dimensions for the completion of the temple, He will lay out specifically what kind of schedule for your day. Just ask.

Is it marital? How to keep your laundry caught up? How to grow your business? How to spend more time with your family? How to increase your income. There is no problem that sustained thought (prayer) can't answer!

So today.... whatever the question or problem.... commit some time to seeking the Lord! Just like Noah, Moses & Solomon, if you listen, you may be very surprised at the depth of detail you get back! It's there for you to find, YOUR answer is not hidden FROM you, it is hidden FOR YOU!