A Call to Greatness

1 Kings 4:22-23 - Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, sixty measures of meal, Ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides harts, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl of choice kinds.

Have you ever stood in awe of someone. Have you ever thought, "Wow, to be that great!" Have you craved to have the success of someone else. If only I could be as good as ___________. If only I could accomplish what they have accomplished. If only I could make it to where they have. If only..... If only.... 

I spent some time this morning actually studying on 1 Kings 4:22-23. The word "provision" really caught my attention. I was astounded to read about what King Solomon needed for only ONE day, surely I could at least get to a fraction of that one day (a larger fraction than I currently contribute too...aka... us having provision for more than just our household).

Anyways... here are some of the numbers that I did the math on....

King Solomon needed for the Month:

• 310 fat oxen

• 620 cattle

• 3100 sheep

• 1 Cow = 1,600 servings of 4 ounces (1/4 pound)

• 1 Sheep = would feed 70.5 people at 1/2 pound serving each.

• 1 Ox = approx. same as 1 cow (maybe a bit more since it was a fattened ox) 

• 10 fattened oxen = 16,000 servings of 4 ounces

• 20 cattle = 32,000 servings of 4 ounces

• 100 sheep = 14,100 servings of 4 ounces

• Grand TOTAL: 62,100 servings of 4 ounces/day OR 31,050 servings of 8 ounces/day.

SO... IN ONE DAY.... How many people was King Solomon feeding.... well, let's just look at some of the numbers. 

According to WebMD, averaging out men (56 grams) and women (46 grams), we should get about 50 grams of protein/day. That is equivalent to 8 ounces of meat. 

SO... if all the meat alone was used for taking care of King Solomon's household (I'm sure maybe some of the cattle was allotted towards milk... but let's just say it was all for eating), King Solomon was given that provision to feed HIS household of 31,050 people PER DAY! That is pretty amazing!

I got to thinking... "Wow...if I could only be a fraction of that great. That would be pretty neat." I could not even fathom how great King Solomon was. As I sat and thought, I couldn't even fathom the great responsibility he had. Then, as always, the Holy Spirit was quick to correct me. 

His responsibility was extremely great and totally different than yours. A few things to consider... EACH has a different calling in life. Do your best not to compare your calling to someone else's. I have put seeds of greatness in everyone. YOUR gifts are different than the next person. YOUR goal should be to MAXIMIZE your OWN gifts & calling. It should NEVER be; "to be as good as ________," or "to accomplish as much as _____________." What if MY desire is for you to accomplish more than say ________________. If you set your goal merely on where you see them today and where you want to be today, you will miss it! You will miss my best. Focus on MY best. Focus on MY calling for your life!!

As we look at the greatness of King Solomon, we may have never desired to be "that" great. But... what about your neighbor? Your boss? The Joneses? Your best friend? Your uncle? A business associate? Are your sights on what they have accomplished? I challenge you today, reset your sights. Set your sights on what GOD would have you accomplish with your life? He did say in Ephesians 4:20 that He, is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams. 

Today.... allow your imagination to run! Can you focus on the calling God has for YOU to accomplish.  Because if you can, your highest prayers, desires & dreams can come to pass on this earth. He would not have placed them in your heart if they couldn't. YOU, my friend, were called to greatness! Your job? Seek HIM and find out exactly how you should accomplish the assignment that HE has set out for your life! 

"Little" is the Doorway to Much

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


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


Let's dive in...

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

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


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


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


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


It begins with 2 things. Listening & Obeying. 


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


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

#247 - Is the Sin Worth It?

Proverbs 31:18b - ...her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust].

1 Peter 1:14-16 - [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel]. ¹⁵ But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living. ¹⁶ For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

I sit and reflect this morning on the greatness of our God. As I began to journal this morning, I began to just thank Him for the sacrifice of Jesus. As words poured out into my journal, I'm sure there was a look of pain on my face as I thought in greater depth about what the word "sacrifice" actually meant. I decided to look it up. A Hebrew "Piel" form of the word "sacrifice" means to press or squeeze. The "Piel" form of  a word is intensive & active. Sacrifice is greater than just a non-chalant "offering" to our Father.

As I sat, I pictured my Jesus on the cross. The vision of Jesus' body from the movie "The Passion of Christ" flashed in my mind. I saw his torn flesh. I saw the blood dripping from His brow. I saw the pain He suffered as he was beat. As I envisioned all of this and wrote my thank you's to my Father, I know an expression of pain wore across my face. To imagine that MY sin put Jesus on that cross. For a split second, in my mind I tried to justify that Jesus died for all mankind, not just me... so it was not just MY sins that put him on that cross. BUT my selfish justifications were quickly wiped away when I reminded myself that if I were the only person on the earth that had sinned, God would have still chosen to send his Son, Jesus, to the cross for me. It is hard to conceive.

To bring it even closer to home, I wanted to personalize it. I wanted to make it real to myself. Not just a story, or a neat concept that "Jesus died for me." I wanted the depth of the realness to really sink in. It took me but only a brief moment when I pictured my son, Tyler Junior. I melt just at his hug. My heart melts when he cries because he falls down and hurts his toe. To see his face so sad, and tears streaming down his face, and there is only one person he wants when he gets hurt, Mommy. Mommy can hug like no other. Mommy can cuddle, coddle, kiss it, lay hands on it and remind him what we say when we have a hurt, "Healed in Jesus Name." And through Tyler Juniors tears, he says "Healed. Healed Mommy." I think of how my son has a way of melting my heart and I hate to even see a stubbed toe, let alone putting him in the place of Jesus on the cross.

The word "sacrifice" takes on a whole new meaning. That great of a sacrifice would be extremely painful.  I can barely even allow my mind to go there to picture MY son, Tyler Junior, in the place of Jesus. The beatings, the torture, the blood, the pain. My Father sacrificed and WATCHED His Son go through that for me!! When I thought about it, even if I knew that Tyler Junior were going to die & be raised again in 3 days, I still don't think I could stand to watch him being tortured.

All of these thoughts bring "sin" into a whole new perspective. I think of a sin I committed last week, would I really have allowed myself that moment of living in the flesh if the consequences would require the sacrifice of my son? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Then the verse, "Live holy as I am holy," comes to life in a whole new light. Placing MY SON in the place of what God sacrificed with His ONLY Son makes me think completely differently.


Is strife worth it? Is immorality worth it? Is coveting worth it? Is gossip worth it? Is ugly thoughts or words worth it? Is ANY sin worth it? NO! NO! NO! The sacrifice was so great. The sacrifice was so heavy. And we are given the charge to "Live holy as I am holy." As Ephesians 5:1 reminds us also to, "Be imitators of God (copy Him, follow His example)..."


I ask you, is the sin in your life worth such a great sacrifice? Is the few minutes of pleasure or living in the flesh really worth it?

What is Your True North?

Psalm 67:2 - That Your way may be known upon earth, Your saving power (Your deliverances and Your salvation) among all nations. 

Psalm 68:3 - But let the [uncompromisingly] righteous be glad; let them be in high spirits and glory before God, yes, let them [jubilantly] rejoice!

I sit here this morning with a great realization of how much I do not know! After spending the last four days with family and celebrating the life of Tyler's grandfather, I am beginning this week with a lot of things I've learned. As we sat in the funeral on Saturday, I marveled at how great this man was. I marveled at all the many things this man quietly did for the Kingdom of God. The lives he helped, served & invested in. The ministries he impacted because of his generosity and love for the Lord. The obedience he displayed in following the calling that God had specifically on his life. I still sit and marvel.

As I reflect on the simplicity of this great man, I realize how much I do not yet know and the qualities I still have yet to possess. I reflect on the areas God has to mold me, twist and turn, change and recreate, but all the while realizing that it still begins with me. Me. It begins with my willingness to SEE myself. It begins with my willingness to be open to the areas that I need to change. It begins with ME being willing to open my heart, and as difficult as it may be, open myself up to rebuke, to facing the ugly areas in my life that I have been hardened to.

Why? Because the #1 purpose of myself and each believer should be Psalm 67:2. That HIS way may be known upon the earth. That HIS saving power, HIS deliverances and HIS salvation my be known among the nations! How easy it can be to lose sight of the greater importance in life. It is not about the houses, the cars, the money, the trips, the clothes, the jewelry, the purses, the experiences. I learned from a man who was indeed blessed with all of those things, BUT I learned where his heart remained all of these years. I learned that his #1 focus was allowing the saving power of Jesus to be the greatest legacy he left on earth. Through the increase he received, he did not lose sight of his calling. He did not lose sight of blessing the Kingdom of God. He lived out HIS PURPOSE on this earth. With humility, he lived out his calling.

Praise God that we have something to jubilantly rejoice in! Psalm 68:3. We can be in high spirits and glory before God. We can JUBILANTLY rejoice! Why? Why can we be jubilant? Because the end of the story says that WE WIN! The end of the story says that we, believers, win! We will be walking on streets of gold with the King of Kings! We will enter through pearly gates and glory for eternity with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What about you? Do you have any areas that need to be refocused? Like me, do you have any areas in your life that need to be tweaked? Has "true north" moved off course just a few degrees? I challenge you to take a few minutes to check your true north. Check your direction.

The Windows of Heaven

Proverbs 10:22 - The Blessing of the Lord makes rich & He adds no sorrow with it. 

Malachi 3:10 - 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. 

I've been reading a great book lately which has solidified some of my thoughts about sowing & reaping, about "the blessing"... about finances.... and several other things.

God has allowed us the opportunity to partner with Him through tithing. What a GREAT opportunity. Through tithing, we have the ability to allow the windows of heaven to open over us. The windows of heaven open in a variety of ways.... but many ways they open I had not ever thought of before. Have you ever gotten an awesome idea, and later found that idea on store shelves? I remember getting the idea several years ago for "plastic re-freezable ice-cubes." I thought it would be a really great idea, certainly a great, usable invention. Wouldn't you know it... a few years after I got the idea, I saw the product that I had thought of, right there in front of me, on the shelf!  THAT is a great example of the windows of heaven being open. The windows of heaven opened and rained down an idea. A witty invention. A concept. A product that God knew would sell. He gave me the idea. I did nothing with it. And... most likely, as He saw I was going to do nothing with it, He gave the idea to someone else who would. That witty idea made someone money, just not me.

The Blessing allows us not only to meet our own needs via the Lord providing, but The Blessing, when in abundance, pours out in an overflow so that WE, God's Children can bless other people. LACK & poverty is not a part of the Kingdom of God. Otherwise, the streets of heaven would not be paved in gold. The "pearly gates" would be rusty gates instead. "On earth as it is in heaven." Through being a faithful tither, we open up the WINDOWS of heaven to pour down ideas, ways of increase directly to us. God knows if He can trust us with the TITHE, 10%, He can most likely trust us with more. What was the beginning problem in the Bible? The ONE tree. Adam & Eve were not willing to leave alone just that one tree. Let's say that one tree represented the "tithe".... if we can be good stewards of the tithe, I do not doubt that the Lord would be happy to bless us, you & me, with more. We see another example of the wicked servant who buried the masters money. In Matthew 25:28, So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.


God wants to bless you. Will you be faithful to give AND faithful when you receive? Money. Ideas. Inventions. Concepts. 

What Are You Waiting For?

Ecclesiastes 11:4,6 - He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hands, for you know not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Have you ever waited for the perfect time to do something, but the perfect time never comes? The perfect time to have kids? The perfect time to move? The perfect time to go on that trip.... take that loved one? The perfect time to launch out and start that business? The perfect time to treat your parents to something really special.... just to say thank you for all they've done over the years? The perfect time. Does the perfect time ever come?

I had great plans... great ideas. My mind had planned out this great trip....I was going to bring a special family member. It was going to be such a memorable experience and this would have truly been a "Life Highlight" for this family member. Tyler and I waited. There were several times when we "could have" ... it would've worked out. But, we continued to wait for the "perfect time." In our pursuit to wait, this very special family member died.  My perfect trip, with the perfect memories & the perfect surprise never came to be because I was waiting for the perfect time.

What are you waiting for? Like Ecclesiastes says... are you observing the wind? Are you waiting for ALL conditions to be favorable before you sow? Before you step out in faith. Are you observing the clouds? It looks like it might rain, so you don't launch out with that new business. The economy looks like it's taking a turn for the worse, I'm just going to stay at my job. Ooooh.... they are doing cutbacks.... let's just not have kids now. Let's wait a few more years.

The Holy Spirit does know best in each and every situation. But....maybe now IS the time. It may not be perfect. "ALL" things may not be favorable. Last I checked, we please our Father by our faith! Maybe now is YOUR time to do what you have been waiting for. Maybe now is YOUR perfect time to take the plunge! Have kids! Move! Buy that house! Go on the trip! Start a business! Make the decision to go "ALL-IN" with your current business and MAKE IT GROW!

What are YOU waiting for? Maybe now is YOUR TIME!

 

Can You HEAR His Voice?

Ephesians 3:17 - May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love...

May Christ, through faith, dwell in your hearts. Settle down, abide, make His permanent home.  Tyler & I were talking about this this morning. It came into a perspective that I haven't thought about in a long time... and now that I'm at a different place in life, it takes a WHOLE new meaning!

Imagine this.... Tyler compared it this way. "Amy, imagine loving the Bestul Family so much that we sacrifice Tyler Junior so that we can dwell in their hearts. We sacrifice our only son because our love is so great for the Bestul's."

Imagine a love so great! Imagine a love so great that you are the reason for the great sacrifice. A love so great, that someone would be willing to sacrifice their only son. I mean, have you SEEN how cute Tyler Jr is?!?! That puts it into a huge perspective. To sacrifice MY SON because of a love so great for you!

And that is exactly what God did for us! He sacrificed His ONLY son and we now have the opportunity for Him to come DWELL in our hearts. We have the opportunity for Him to take up His PERMANENT home! To dwell: settle down, abide, make His permanent home. What a place of peace, to be abiding with Christ. To be dwelling in the same place as Christ! Right?! Imagine. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and picture it. Sit with Jesus. In the peace, in the quiet. No toil. No stress. No chaos. No turmoil. No struggle. But......imagine, complete peace. Sitting with Jesus and you are overcome with complete peace.

That is exactly what God wants for us. He sacrificed His only son for a purpose! I can't IMAGINE loving someone so GREATLY that I sacrifice what is most important to me in my whole life, and then that person does not even receive the gift I have for them. Think about your son (or daughter). Imagine sacrificing your son, your only son that you love with ALL your heart. Imagine sacrificing him, so that you could dwell with, make a home with your in-laws, your sister, your best friend.

Christ came to earth. He came with the purpose of being victorious. He came with the purpose of saving us, the sinners. He came with the purpose of setting us free from death. But it doesn't end there. He came with the purpose of not just a "Security Plan" for us to get into heaven. He did not merely come that we may have "Fire Insurance" from hell. He came, His Father - God, allowed Him to be sacrificed that He may DWELL with us DAILY! That He may take up PERMANENT residence in our hearts, in our life! That He may direct us in daily decisions as we look to Him. That we may walk & respond in peace. That our homes would be filled with peace. That toil & chaos that the enemy tries to bring onto us would have NO place in our lives and homes. Christ came, lived, and was sacrificed, rose again, ascended to heaven so that that Holy Spirit would be left in His place to live inside of us. Jesus himself was fully man and could only be one place at a time. Because Jesus lived & died & rose again... that allowed the 3rd part of the Trinity to become a part of every believer. The Holy Spirit to live inside of each of us once we accept Christ as our Savior. (Romans 10:9-10)

I ask you today.... Are you saved? Do you know Jesus? For many of you, the answer is yes! You are! But don't let it stop there!! Don't live life with just a "Fire Insurance" plan! Allow the FULL BENEFIT of the Sacrifice to LIVE! Allow the Holy Spirit to direct your life. Lead your life. Take time to develop your relationship with your Father! Take time to get to know Who He is. This starts with time in His Word. This starts with planting the Word in your heart. It starts with consistency. Take time to listen. It says in John 10 verse 27, the sheep know My Voice and the voice of a stranger they will not follow. I ask you.... if you do not recognize the Voice of the Holy Spirit, GET TO KNOW HIM! You can only learn someone's voice clearly by KNOWING THEM! Get to know your Father! Spend time with Him so that during the day you CAN recognize the Voice of the Holy Spirit in your life! Like how I can recognize Tyler's voice on the phone. I recognize his voice easily because I have spent a lot of time with him. I KNOW my husbands voice! The same is true with the Holy Spirit. The more time we spend in the Word, studying WHO He is, time in prayer, time practicing the art of LISTENING to Him... the more we do those things the easier John 10:27 is a reality in our lives.

The sheep know my Voice and the voice of a stranger they will not follow. 

I ask you today, can you hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit in your life? If yes, great! Continue in that relationship. If no, the answer is easy. It takes TIME, time spent with Him to get to know His Voice. Commit today to spending time, daily time getting to know Him. 

#246 - Are YOU a 10?

Proverbs 31:15a, 26 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household ... She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].

I was recently having a conversation with someone about the Proverbs 31 woman. The woman whom I've read about so many times before, the woman whom I feel like I know, I'm friends with, who I aspire to become. Despite the many shortcomings & imperfections that I still have to work on, I look to this woman, this 1 chapter in the Bible that gives us women some direction. We have 1 chapter devoted to being a blueprint of the model woman, the ultimate woman. We have 1 chapter that lays out the inside & outside of who this woman is, what she does, how she does it & even the rewards she receives for being who she is. So this morning, as I read again, for maybe the 100th time (probably more) about this woman, I read it differently.

Most likely, if you are reading this blog, you are a Christian. If I asked you the question, "What defines you?" most likely you would have the same answer as I do or at least, hopefully you would have the same answer. What defines me? It's not that I am a mom, a wife or a business owner. It's not that I am a former teacher, former Corporate America banking officer, former collegiate athlete. It's not that I am a writer, a blogger, a sister or a friend. What defines me? What defines me is that I am a Christian. What defines me is that one day I met Jesus and He changed my life forever! What defines me is that the Jesus I met so radically changed my life that I owe it to Him to share His love with others. What defines me is Jesus. What defines me is that if today I woke up and breathed my last breath, though my earthly being would be sad to leave my family, I know where I would wake up... I know on the other side of that breath I would be walking on streets of gold. I would be rejoicing in Heaven. When I approached the pearly gates and proceeded to enter in, my name WOULD BE in the book of Life. I WOULD enter in.

I have often known of the "Utopia" that I live in. I've commented with friends about it, friends that live in the same Utopia. I've enjoyed it. Only recently have I been reminded that not everyone lives there. Not everyone lives in this "Utopia," not everyone lives in this bubble. What bubble? What Utopia? A world I have created for myself. I'm surrounded with friends people, who if asked this question would answer the same as me. "If you were to die today, on a scale of 1-10, how sure are you that you would be going to heaven?" Those people who I have surrounded myself with would all say, "10." They would be SURE they are going to heaven. So... as I go through life doing crafts, decorating, raising kids, building a successful business, being a wife .... my life is like a bubble. I spend time with people who we don't have to visit the most important question on earth. I already KNOW that they know the Jesus I know. I already know that they have the MOST IMPORTANT decision already taken care of. They know Jesus! They have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour, as their Lord.

I've recently stepped out of my Utopia and been almost speechless. There really are people out there who would not answer a "10." There really are people out there who are searching, some who are not searching but should be. There are people out there who if they breathed their last breath today and approached the pearly white gates would NOT enter in to heaven. Stepping outside of this Utopia I have created is a very good eye opener to me! There is STILL work to be done here on earth. There are STILL people who need Jesus and I may be just the person to introduce Him to them!

So, I ask you: On a scale of 1-10, how sure are you that if you died today you would be going to heaven?

<<<<<<<<<< waiting for you to think of your number >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Do you have a number?

Are you pretty sure? Is it a 7? Maybe an 8? A 5? Just like I would tell my middle schoolers when I taught middle school Bible... anything other than a 10 is not good enough. 99% sure is 100% unsure. I would not want to gamble with my eternity on being "pretty sure." If you want to be 100% sure that you are going to heaven, I have an answer for you if you'd like to know how you can know, how you can be a 10.

The simplest answer can be found in Romans 10:9 - If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved!


So if you want to nail it down once and for all you can say this simple prayer:

Heavenly Father, I want to confess my sins to you. Please forgive me of all my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for me. I confess & I believe that Jesus came for me. I believe you raised Him from the dead & that He now sits at Your right hand. Right now I want to ask Jesus to come into my life. Come into my life and save me. Be the Lord of my life. And Lord, help it not to stop with me. Help me to grow in wisdom so that I can be a light to others. Be my compass Lord. I pray all this in Jesus Mighty Name, AMEN!

If you prayed that prayer, congratulations! You are now a 10! You can now say with confidence you are saved, that you are a Christian, that if you died today, you WOULD BE going to heaven! Now... I encourage you.... if you have been in a Utopia like me.... get out.... associate ..... find others who are lost and need to know the way to heaven!

 

He Has NOT Forgotten You!

Good morning! I'm just going to share some quick encouragement with you this morning....

Psalm 10:4 - The wicked one in the pride of his countenance will not seek, inquire for, and yearn for God...

The righteous, YOU & ME, we can choose to be the opposite of this verse. The righteous, humble in countenance WILL seek, inquire for & yearn for God! That is how the verse can be stated for us.

This morning as I was taking some time to just listen... this is what the Holy Spirit revealed to me. Maybe it's for you too... if so, grab hold of it and keep it for yourself!

Amy, I have not forgotten you. I have not forgotten your dreams. Keep true north, true north. I promise, listening & following Me will give you all you've dreamed about and more. Amy grab hold of persistence. Grab hold. Be consistent with your goal. Put the hand to the plow. Work until it is done. 

Substitute YOUR name!
Terri, I have NOT forgotten you. I have not forgotten your dreams..... 
Angela, I have NOT forgotten you. I have not forgotten your dreams.....
Sherry, I have NOT forgotten you. I have not forgotten your dreams.....
Melissa, I have NOT forgotten you. I have not forgotten your dreams.....
Holly, I have NOT forgotten you. I have not forgotten your dreams.....

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul & mind. Allow him to be the leader. Allow him to direct you. Allow yourself to listen & obey with diligence. Listen fervently. Obey fervently. Watch the blessings of the Lord overtake you.

What would be the simple task He would tell you to do today? Maybe it is the same task every day? Maybe it is the repetition that will bring you to YOUR fruition of your dreams and goals. He is even in what may seem like the "monotonous."

Bless you today.

 

 

Birthday Break! :)

Good morning!
So... I've been 29 and holding for a few years. Today I'm celebrating that again! HA!

Tyler was awesome this weekend. He arranged a babysitter for the kiddo's and took me out of town for a Birthday weekend get-away! It was awesome! I'm so thankful for such a great hubby!!

Well... have a great day! I may do a CRAFT today since it's my bday... and I won't be folding any clothes! HA!

Have a great day too!