Minus the Condemnation!

Romans 8:1 - Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

Have you ever had a day that one thing after another seemed to not go as planned? Your "To-Do List" piles up with unchecked boxes, glaring out at you the undone nature of each item! The check-list person in you begins to feel guilty about the list, replaying in your mind whether you could have done something different.

Frustration.

Guilt.

Condemnation.

Well friend… I'm hear to remind you that condemnation is from the enemy. Today is a new day! Allow the condemnation the enemy is trying to get you to accept be washed away. Remember that when you became born again, the blood of Jesus from the cross washed away that condemnation. Romans 8:1 reminds us that for those of us in Christ Jesus, those of us who are born again, there is NO CONDEMNATION!

So today, start anew! Have a fresh new start! Like a blanket of snow before it is touched, while it still sparkles and glitters in the light… allow your day to start anew. Lets wash away the undone checklist and start new today.

One thing I like to do before my day begins is ask one question. "So Father, what should I do today? What should be on my list?" Sometimes my list is short. Sometimes my list is long. But at least I know when I ask, not only have I acknowledged Him so He can direct my day but in doing this it's also a way of applying 1 Peter 5:7, casting my cares (including my schedule) on Him. He cares for me! There is NO condemnation! I refuse to allow condemnation to come down on me because I AM IN CHRIST! What a great feeling! What a great reminder! When a day does not go as planned, I can cast it on the Lord and start anew, start fresh. Cast the day, my list and plans on the Lord and start new minus the condemnation!

#264 - Time with the Lord Anyways!

Hello & Welcome back to both of us!! :) Many of you most likely know that we just welcomed the birth of our 3rd child on December 30th! :) Timothy Isaac Josiah McCart. He is just now 4 weeks old. So….. at the McCart house we are learning to settle in to a "new" normal. Obviously still adjusting. I must say though, our little champ did a great job last night of sleeping almost 7 hours straight! Yay!! I'll take it!! :)

Meet Timothy! Born: December 30th, 2013 - 8:46am. 

Proud Big Brother Tyler Jr (4) and Trinity (2) meet Timothy hours after he is born.

Timothy weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 3/4th inches long. 

Nonetheless… I do look forward to getting back into a blog routine (along with many other things). No pressure, I'm going to ease back into things, but getting on a regular schedule is my goal. Since I've started blogging, when Tyler Jr was just a newborn himself, we have had THREE kids!! :) Tyler Jr, Trinity & Timothy. Which leads right into the topic for today…. spending time in the WORD despite some of lifes changes and adjustments! So…. let's get started! :)

Proverbs 31:15-16 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks. (16) She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

As my 3rd time around with a major life-event, I must say I am reminded of the importance of having a regular time with The Lord. The last month has had its "whirlwind" type schedule of sleeping, dialing in a newborn, helping him sleep through the night, recovering from a C-section, etc, etc and to be honest, I most definitely have not been perfect! There have been many mornings where I have missed my time in the Word, which has reminded me even more why it is so important!

Let's take a look at this Proverbs 31 woman and her example. I want to look specifically at THREE things that she does in preparation for her day.

1. She rises while it is yet night. - Any of you who have children, especially toddlers, know how crucial this aspect is! Once children get out of bed, the idea of quiet is almost a far fetched possibility. Not impossible, but pretty unlikely. Our Proverbs 31 friend, a mother, must have witnessed this first hand. In order to get some QUIET in, she needed to rise while it was still dark and while her family was still sleeping in order to get some solid spiritual food in her spirit! 
2. Get spiritual food! - The value of feeding her spirit took place even before feeding her flesh. It didn't say that our friend prepared breakfast for her family first… but that she first got spiritual food. She first spent time, in the quiet, still dark outside, feeding her spirit! 
3. She considers! - Once up, she has sought the Lord, now she seeks the Lord about what to do for the day! The Holy Spirit knows what is going to happen with our day before it happens! He knows how the day is going to unfold and He knows just what tasks should be on our plate! When we seek HIM first, it allows us to go about our day without doing things that could be done in vain. Have you ever tried to get laundry done, only with interruption after interruption, taking 2-3 hours just to get ONE load folded and put away?! Not saying this is the case all the time, but when we seek the direction of the Holy Spirit, He may have directed us to NOT do laundry on such a particular day. He inevitably knows when certain tasks will just take WAY TO LONG for a given day. When we SEEK the Holy Spirit, when we CONSIDER what tasks to take on for the day, we can gain INSIGHT and DIRECTION on the God-specific tasks that should be on our schedule!

Today… I encourage you, can you find a way to fit some time with the Lord in, in the morning? 

Find some time with the Lord today ANYWAYS! Even thought life may throw a curve ball, throw a curve ball back! Decide to get some time in with the Almighty! Set your alarm now for tomorrow morning. 5 minutes early? 15 minutes? 30? Steal away for 5 minutes in the bathroom if you've already missed the morning hours…. Just START! Even if you start with just 5 minutes, He can direct your day in a way that you and I can never do. At least in a way that will wind up the most fruitful and productive! Because after all, isn't that what we're looking to do? Produce the best fruit? And on some days…. that may just be playing in the snow with your kids! :) #memories 

Have a blessed day!

You ARE Chosen!

2 Chron. 29:11 - …. the Lord has chosen you...

I recently heard a mom say that she felt like she was living in the mundane. As a stay at home mom, she chased a toddler, fed a newborn, and did the daily "day-in, day-out" activities that need to get done in a home. Cooking, cleaning, cooking, cleaning, wiping noses, washing little fingers, laundry, and the list goes on.

Mundane.

Monotony.

Day in. Day out.

Are these things little value in the Kingdom? Is there value to them?

I asked the same question this morning as I was journaling. I made my list of things that need to be done. Today's list specifically, there seemed to be no "life-changing" or "world changing" activities on my list. As a Christian, wanting to take the world by storm for Jesus, change people's lives, help people, and I look at my current to-do list, and (aside from reading, listening to an audio, having my quiet time) the activities for today include: clean a box in the garage, do laundry, dishes, pick up living room. 

As I flipped open my Bible, I randomly fell upon 2 Chronicles 29:11, which read, "…the Lord has chosen you….". Though in context, this passage is talking to the Levites, those who are the ministers of this time, the priests. They are to guard and preserve the temple, the Holy place, receive offerings, etc. Though, as the yellow highlighted passage in my Bible stood out to me, I took a moment to listen to what that Still Small Voice had to say to me about being chosen.  (Substitute YOUR NAME and YOUR calling)

You are CHOSEN to be exactly Amy. Exactly where you are. Mom & wife. Pregnant right now. Business owner. Writer. You ARE CHOSEN to complete your calling. You ARE CALLED! Some days it may seem mundane. It may seem like the things are of little effect, but if you follow My Voice & plan, it all works into the big picture. Amy, I am not calling the perfect, I'm calling the willing. Those willing to listen, obey and act on My Word & Voice. Yes, some days it is as simple as cleaning a box out of the garage & doing laundry. Do not belittle the daily tasks. It is part of your CURRENT assignment, but it WILL NOT be your assignment forever. 

You are CHOSEN. You are CALLED. Even through the days that seem mundane. Organization and cleanliness allow a peaceful place for the Holy Spirit to operate and move. I've heard it said, "Clutter and chaos hinder the Holy Spirit. It breeds lack of peace." Maybe de-cluttering is what you are doing today. And do you know what, that is OKAY! It could very well be paving the way for starting up a ministry, and it may be right out of your garage!

You are CHOSEN and you are CALLED. If it's dishes and laundry today, accomplish TODAY's Calling. Conquering the World and seeing a million people saved may be work for next year, or 5 years from now or even 10, 20? But today, pave the way with your obedience…. even in the mundane.

You are CHOSEN to be YOU. Listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit & obey today's assignment for your life.

Be All That You Can Be!

Eccl. 3:14 - ... He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds (a divinely planted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy.)

Have you ever felt a desire to do great things? Be great? You may not have a desire to enroll in the army, but their slogan, "Be All that You Can Be" rings true as a desire for accomplishment in your life.

Friend, God has placed inside you these desires. Desires to do great things! To be great! To accomplish. He has put in you the desire, and He will also give you the means to accomplish those things that you have been put here on earth to do. As it reminds us in Psalm 37:4, God gives us the desires of our hearts. Friend, he will give you YOUR desires! He places those desires in our hearts.

Continue to seek Him. Search Him out for answers. A phrase I have heard many times, "There is nothing that cannot be answered by sustained thought and prayer." Do you not know the next step in accomplishing your dream or desire? Think on it! Pray on it! Listen on it! Take some time and pray, then LISTEN to that Still Small Voice for a response. There are answers! Seek them out and LIVE YOUR DREAM!

Finding the WORD for YOUR Situation!

Jeremiah 30:2 - Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.

Jeremiah 30:8b - ... I will burst your bonds....

Is there something that you desire to come to pass in your life? Maybe it is the desire of an accomplishment; owning a business, becoming financially independent, writing & publishing a book. Maybe it's an actual physical item, like a house or car. Or quite possibly it could be experiencing freedom in your life from something that is holding you back, some sort of bondage, something you feel is holding you captive. It could be experiencing freedom from a long term addiction to food, alcohol, drugs, sexual sin.

Friend, I encourage you to FIND THE WORD for your situation! God has laid out 66 BOOKS of answers, and within the text of His Word is YOUR answer! There is the rock, the foundation, the place which to plant your flag! Plant your faith. Do you have a desire? FIND THE WORD for your situation and STAND on that promise until it comes to pass! Let's just look at a few examples:

• Desire for a House:
Deuteronomy 6:10-11(KJV) - ..And the Lord thy God ... shall give thee houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not! - Do you desire a house? PLANT your faith on this verse! Plant your faith on THIS Word! Confess daily: "Thank you Lord for GIVING me HOUSES that are filled with good things! Thank you Father that you GIVE me the house I desire according to YOUR WORD in Deuteronomy 6:10-11! Thank you Lord! I receive your Word coming to pass in my life!"

• Desire to be free from bondage:
Jeremiah 30:8 - I will BURST your bonds! - You do not have to remain captive to bondage! CONFESS daily, "Thank you Lord, according to Jeremiah 30:8, you have BURST the bondage I have had to the sin of ______________. Thank you for bursting that bondage! Thank you for SETTING ME FREE that I no longer have to remain a captive to this sin. Thank you for FREEDOM!!!"

• Desire for Success as an Entrepreneur:
Proverbs 8:12 -  I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. - Witty Inventions? This could include concepts, ideas, actual inventions.... ideas that will help you be successful as a Child of God. Confess Daily: "Thank You Lord that you give me ideas, concepts, witty inventions that allow me to be financially independent. Ideas that You guide me to put into place that will allow me to financially bless and further my family and the Kingdom of God! Thank You that You give me more than enough in store for my family and to bless others!"

• Desire for Healing to your Body:
 Psalm 107:20 - He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. - God can HEAL YOUR BODY. Apply the Word to it! Confess Daily: "Thank You Lord that You have sent out YOUR WORD to Heal my body! Thank You that I walk in divine health! Thank You for healing me of any disease, germ or virus that touches my body, that it dies instantly in Jesus Name. Thank You that everything that has a name has to bow at the name of Jesus. In Jesus name I speak to the sickness of _____________ , and tell it you have NO PLACE IN MY BODY! I call my body healed and whole in JESUS NAME!" - I confess this on a regular basis and THE WORD of God healed my deformed pinky finger!!! I had broken or severely jammed my pinky finger when I was younger, for 10-20 years, I had just accepted it! One day I noticed, after I had been REGULARLY confessing this confession over my body, ONE day I looked at my finger and it was COMPLETELY NORMAL! The Word of God straightened and thinned out my finger until it looked JUST LIKE my other normal, pinky finger! 

The WORD WORKS! Apply the WORD to your life

Whatever it is for you, whatever the need, the dream, the desire, there IS A WORD for your situation! Search out the Word for your situation. There is a WORD for anything and everything, it is your job to find these hidden treasures that are HIDDEN FOR YOU TO FIND, and apply them to your life! Be diligent to confess the Word over YOUR SITUATION and watch the WORD come to pass in your life!

Be blessed today friend!

#263 - Why You WON'T MISS IT?

Jeremiah 29:13 - Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Mark 1:35 (ESV) - And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 

Proverbs 31:15 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household... 

Have you ever thought, "I just don't want to miss it. I don't want to miss God."

I know that there have definitely been points along my life where I thought the very same thing. This morning as I was journaling and taking some time to listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit, I felt very reassured by what I heard.

If you get this next thing down, I believe you will have won 95% of the battle!!

What is that? First things first: Daily time with the Lord. Once we have committed and have established a DISCIPLINE in devoting time EACH DAY with the Lord, I believe a large portion of any upcoming battle is won. I believe we will "WIN" the day! I believe we will "WIN" in our relationships. I believe we will "WIN" with our dreams and goals!

I attended a business class last night, and the gentleman was talking about a mentorship relationship and what it looks like, what proper communication looks like and doesn't look like. He said something to this effect, "I recently had a conversation with a guy that I am mentoring. Consistently, when we would get together, he would talk the whole time. It may be an hour long of him talking, the guy barely came up for air. He established a habit of monopolizing the conversation. I'm OK with that, but I finally told him. 'You don't need me. If all I am is just a wall for you to talk to, you don't need me.'"

A true mentoring relationship sometimes means you need to be quiet! A true mentoring relationship means that both parties talk and both parties listen.

What does your time with the Lord look like? What does your "quiet time" with Him look like? Like the protege in the above relationship, are you doing ALL THE TALKING when you spend time with the Lord? Do you pray and pray and pray, then get up to leave while the Lord is still just sitting there. He never had a chance to get a word in. He didn't have a chance to offer HIS advice, HIS answer to the situation or problem.

WHY can we be assured we will not miss it? This is what I heard this morning...

Why won't you miss it? Because of this! Because of this daily time spent with Me! When you spend daily time with Me & even open up yourself to LISTEN, I will SPEAK because you are seeking Me!! You won't miss it! Business, marriage, money, kids. You won't miss it.

So friend, I ask, are you spending time listening? Sitting in silence, pen & journal in hand, ready to hear from that still, small Voice? Ready to record His thoughts about the very situation you are seeking Him about?

I encourage you to take some time today, to get in a quiet place and in that silence ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -    LISTEN. 

#262 - Part 2: 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.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (MSG) -  Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

Going on 13 years of marriage (January 6th!), Tyler and I got to talking the other day about our marriage. It was a good conversation. We discussed why we felt it had been so good up to this point, how to improve it going forward, and one specific building block came out of our conversation that I thought would be valuable to share.

As a newlywed couple in our early marriage, we decided that we would implement a monthly marriage evaluation. Each month, we spent time filling out an evaluation with questions that we had pre-determined. We had seen patterns good and bad modeled by our parents and other people, some that we wanted to follow, some that we wanted to avoid. Our marriage evaluation may have took 30-45 minutes for each of us to fill out separately before coming together and discussing each question. The questions covered every possible aspect that could bring turmoil into a marriage if not dealt with, such as: How is the meal preparation going? How are household chores being done? Is this effective? How is money being managed? How is our sex life? Have you felt romanced in the last month? How is fitness working within marriage? How are relationships/friendships outside of marriage? How has our relationship with the Lord been, our time alone with God? And the list goes on.

The KICKER

At the end of each marriage evaluation, we had TWO of the MOST IMPORTANT questions. I'll start with the last question.

• On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your marriage and why? Where could it improve? 

That was a great question! For one month, I may have scored our marriage as an 7 with the reason "why" as, "I feel like I wasn't romanced at all. Our schedules just got too busy, and there was little of the spark." The following month, I would notice Tyler working on keeping the spark in our marriage. Maybe bring me flowers, or scheduling a romantic date with a walk on the beach. It was RARE, if ever, for two months in a row that we felt the "weak" spot was in the same area.

The QUESTION that HELPED THE MOST

For me, and probably for most young married couples, I did not know how to communicate in the beginning. I definitely did not like confrontation. If my feelings got hurt, if not for this most important question, I would have pushed my hurt feelings under the carpet, only for hurt to build upon hurt. They may have been small hurts, but hurts nonetheless. Over time, those hurts would have most likely created scars over and around my heart. For some marriages, those small scars undealt with are what has led to the "D" word down the road. What was that question? 

• List 2 positive withholds and 1 negative withhold that happened in the last month. 

"What in the world is a withhold?" you may ask. First of all, a "withhold" comes with rules. The recipient could only respond with TWO WORDS. "Thank You." A positive withhold was something that Tyler did that month that made me feel good. Maybe I didn't have time to comment or say something to him at the moment it happened, but it was something that made me feel good. A negative withhold was the opposite. It was something that he did or said that month that hurt my feelings or made me upset. We may have been in a public environment, not allowing me to comment immediately on it, and then maybe it was forgotten..... until I had to pull together 3 things for "Withholds" on our marriage evaluation. Then we would sandwich the withholds when we told the other person: one positive, one negative and wrap up with the final positive withhold.

What this taught me? As a newlywed, this was CRUCIAL to me in learning how to communicate. I knew that ALL Tyler could say in response was, "Thank you." That was the rule. He couldn't get defensive and try to defend his position, but could only say, "Thank you." Whether my feelings were right or wrong, had no bearings on the fact that they were my feelings, and my feelings had been hurt. Same with Tyler. When he would give me his "Withholds," I could not defend myself, but could only thank him for telling me. 

It was WONDERFUL! It allowed a "green," "newlywed couple" to voice our feelings, even the hard ones. Some months it may have been about something sexual, that would have been embarrassing for one of us to bring up otherwise. Other months, it may have been something I said to undermine Tyler in front of people he respected. 

Ultimately, our first year of marriage we LEARNED how to communicate. We learned how to talk about topics, despite how difficult the subject may be. When most of the time, newly married couples may take years to learn how to communicate and talk about the tough issues, some never talk about them, we learned during year one. 

We no longer do a monthly marriage evaluation, although we did discuss re-implementing it a few times a year when we go on our "husband/wife" weekend recharge retreats. Why reimplement it after so many years? Communicating and keeping our marriage fresh is worth it! 

What about you? How do you keep your marriage fresh? How do you keep the communication lines open with a busy life, jobs, kids, and everything else that goes on?

#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. 

____________________________________________________________________

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.