What Are Your Weaknesses???

I wish I knew more about where Scriptures are in the Bible, and I also know the more I study God's word, and I mean really study it, not just read, I will remember where certain scriptures are. But I am thankful that when God brings a scripture to mind, I know what he is saying to me. In God's word he tells us that the devil is like a lion, seeking us, our weakness, to cause us to take our eyes off Jesus, and to destroy us, meaning our fellowship with Jesus and also our testimony for him. If he can cause us to sin against God, then the devil has won that battle. As I sit here thinking about something that happened yesterday I begin to see other weaknesses in my Christian walk. I see things I need to give to my Lord and remember that what is in me is stronger than the temptations in this world. I allowed the devil to defeat me yesterday, and it put me on my knees asking Jesus to forgive me. I know my Lord has forgiven me, but when I sin my mind wants to remind me how weak I am. I have to stay in his word, allow God to speak to me, listen for his guidance, and not give into temptation. You know I heard God tell me this is wrong, and not just once but over and over, why do I give in to my weakness? I believe it is because for just a split second I took my eyes off my Lord. I sit here shaking my head, my heart is heavy because that is what sin does to a Christian, makes you totally uncomfortable with yourself. It always makes me feel a little afraid. God is reminding me that this feeling of shame is the Holy Spirit convicting me. Lord I am sorry for sinning against you. Thank you for your love for me, and for the mercy and grace you give me. I do not want my personal relationship with you to be harmed. For years I wanted to go to Heaven, thank Jesus for my salvation, but most of all I thought of seeing my Mommy, and then my Daddy, but in the last, I would say 8 months, my relationship with my Jesus has grown. I can honestly say, when I get to Heaven I want to see my Jesus. How could someone love me so much to carry all my horrible sins, and suffer and die for them, when he had done nothing wrong? Think about his amazing love for us, his suffering to pay for the sins that we could never pay for, and the forgiveness he gives us. That is why I want to live for him. I want to resist the weaknesses in my life. I want to remember that the devil wants to seek me out, and wants to destroy me, but that greater is he, my Lord Jesus, who lives inside me, that him, who lives in this world. Please remember this place, earth, is a sinful place. A place where sin is everywhere. We must stand firm on God's promises, and avoid the weaknesses in this world, the things that cause us to sin. I promise my Lord that I will avoid totally what caused me to sin against him yesterday. Lord my prayer this morning is for Christians to stand against the sin in this world we live in, and look to the creator of this world, and focus on its beauty, not what man has done to it to corrupt this place. I ask you to confict me of all my weaknesses that I might live victoriously for you. I love you God, my Father, I love you Jesus, my Lord and Savior, I love you Holy Spirit, my comforter, and guide. I pray God's blessings upon all who read this, and stand against temptations, your day will be as beautiful as the Lord has planned.

Just Catching Up!

It has been awhile since I have written anything here. My mind is racing with so much to say. It is so beautiful here, with the spring flowers beginning to really bloom, and after the rains, which has the river about to flood, everything is green here. You know that vibrant green that comes when the rain washes all the pollen away. The other morning I was going to pick up Aubrie and I saw a hawk flying low in an open field. He was just barely above the grass, looking I am sure for a rabbit or mouse for breakfast. God's creation is so amazing just to watch. Every afternoon right before sunset you can travel down the highway and see baby deer grazing on the side, knowing that their Moms are in the woods nearby watching them carefully. Spring to me is just a new beginning for everything. As a Christian I see Easter as a new beginning , without the sacrifice that Jesus gave on that cross, I would be lost and heading straight to hell, but my Jesus conquered the grave and lives forever in Heaven which I will do someday. This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel with some friends to the Memphis area to see the Gaither vocal band. When Micheal English sang, " I Bowed on my Knees and Cryed Holy", all I could think of was someday I will get to praise my Lord on my knees in his presence. The man who played the piano was blind, and has been since birth, but he played that instrument like I have never heard before. He has been playing since he was 3 years old. He has a God given talent. It made me stop and think how many of us do not receive our talent from God because we do not allow him to give it to us? I had a wonderful worship experience that night with some great Christian friends. While in Memphis I also had the chance to tour the Ronald McDonald House that helps the kids and families who are at St. Jude's Hospital. I was both blessed and heartbroken to see the children facing cancer there. There are many people in the USA who care. This certainly was evident from seeing this wonderful place that gives these families a place to stay while their child is fighting cancer. The place has a huge budget, I mean huge, each year and people give, and give to keep it operating. God has blessed this ministry, and I pray it will continue. We spend the night with a friend that I had not seen in a long time. She was the most amazing hostess. There was a tray on my bed with fresh flowers, chocolate covered strawberries, sugared pecans, and bottled water waiting for me. I have never been that comfortable in the best hotels. I have also read 2 great books in the past week, both written by Karen Kingsbury. I am reading another of her books now. If you are in your local Wal-mart check out her books, This Side Of Heaven, and Between Sundays. I promise you will receive a blessings from both. She is the best Christian author I have ever read. I am enjoying my life. God is good, no matter the storms we face, and I promise you there are storms in our home too. I want to encourage you to keep your eyes on the prize, and that is eternal life with God in Heaven. Read God's word, and spend time with our Lord in prayer. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is what makes my life so wonderful. God bless all who read!

Update on Love Dare!!

I had wanted to continue the Love Dare book, but David is not too interested. I know we are blessed with a really good marriage, and we have no doubt that we love each other very much. There was a time when I felt very alone, when he was working long hrs., and not paying me any attention when he came home. He is still working long hrs., but I have grown in my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I never feel alone. When I allowed God to work in me, and I began to stay in his word, having prayer time, I realized how blessed I am in my marriage and everything else in my life. This morning as I read the devotion I get everyday from a group online, I decided to share it with you. It goes right along with the Love Dare book, and how we should treat our spouse. Remember this, Your husband is also a gift from God. When you are totally devoted to God, your marriage is easier to focus on, realizing you must totally devote yourself to your marriage. This next part is copied from the devotional site, I pray you will read and think about it. Venting
19 Mar 2009"A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back." Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV)Yesterday, I was just mindlessly looking out the window of an airport watching a few seagulls dart about overhead while airline workers were busy loading bags. Nothing about the scene outside the airport window spoke of danger. But then suddenly I remembered the flight from New York just a few weeks ago that was brought down by a few geese. That seagull that faded into the background just moments before became a point of extreme interest to me. What if?It's amazing if you stop to think about it that a huge airplane could be brought down by just a few birds. Birds. Who would have thought? It makes me think about other seemingly small things that can cause great destruction as well … especially when it comes to my marriage.Words vented in frustration can seem so small.Slightly disrespectful attitudes can seem so small.Complaining about lack of finances can seem so small.Brushing off his desires can seem so small.Making mental lists of things you wish were different about him can seem so small.But each one of these seemingly small things can so easily and tragically wedge itself into the core of a marriage and send it screaming toward destruction. Entire families have been ripped apart by things that once seemed so small.Listen to the heartbreak in this note that was anonymously posted on my blog the other day:"Girls...I know this seems small...but, it's really not. Take it from someone who has blown it more times in marriage than not. Now I have blown it enough to make myself a single mom. It's too late for me. But, it's not for you. Please be aware of the little things. I wouldn't have you join me for anything in the world. Be on your guard and protect your marriage." -Anonymous I am challenged by this. I can't just mindlessly assume that my marriage is coasting along okay and that little problems can't topple even the most seemingly stable of legacies. I can't get complacent. I can't get prideful. I can't get lazy. I can't take the gift of my marriage for granted.I have a great marriage but sometimes I slip into automatic and stop getting as intentional as I should about investing richly and deeply into our relationship. So, I've decided to declare this my get intentional week. Today I'll focus on my words. I'm praying for God to interrupt my mouth at every turn today. I am going to hold my tongue against saying anything careless. I am going to intentionally use my words as gifts to my husband today and nothing else.Not that one day of doing this can protect my marriage forever - but it sure is a good start. Care to join me? Oh you know there will be challenges ahead sweet sister, but I'm up for it. What about you?Dear Lord, help me to realize that with each word I speak, I am making the choice to bless or to curse. Please help me to speak words that are pleasing to You - even when my emotions run high and my feelings beg me to betray this commitment. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Are You Rude???

Love, genuine love minds its manners? Today is about being rude, and nothing irritates me more than a rude person. Have I ever been rude, yes I have, and this day stepped on my toes as they say big time. The good thing is I am usually not rude to strangers, or other family members, but I have been rude to David at times. Of all people I should not be rude to it's him, I love him, and I need to have self control and behave in a way that shows him my love, and make him want to spend time with me. Do you like to be with rude people? I sure don't and David is not a rude person to me often. We both have been rude at times, you know the bad day, and take it out on the one you can. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 25:24,"Better to live on a corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." Does that sound like you? In Psalm 112:5,"It is well with the man who is gracious." The study tells us there are 2 main reasons people are rude, ignorance, and selfishness. There is that word again, selfishness. If as women we expect our husbands to stop doing the things we consider rude, or that bother us, we must first stop being rude and doing things that bother him. Show love, real love, by thinking about what we do, or say. Good etiquette is important in a marriage. Follow these three guides from God's word, Guard the Golden Rule-Treat your spouse the same way you want to be treated, read Luke 6:31. No Double Standards-Be as considerate to your spouse as you are to strangers and c0-workers, and Honor Requests-Consider what your husband or wife already asked you to do or not do. If in doubt ask again in a pleasant way. The dare for this day is ask your spouse to tell you 3 things that irritate or cause them to be uncomfortable with you, and you must not defend yourself, just listen. That is sometimes the hardest thing to do, that is to just listen. I have that problem, I admit it. I am praying that I will be quiet and listen to not only David, but to God. If you know you are rude to your spouse, make the changes, if not your marriage relationship could suffer, and love needs not suffer.

Thoughtfullness!

I remember sitting and thinking about ways I could show my love for David when we first got married. Thinking, that is the key. Do we think before we speak, or act, or do we just react. David and have have been married for so long we know what the other is thinking most of the time. Do we always like what each other seems to be thinking? NO!!! God's word tell us in Psalm 139: 17 -18, " How precious also are your thoughts to me, How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them they would outnumber the sand." Love thinks, it is not a mindless feeling that is felt just through emotions. Woman tend to think more about things than men, that is just a fact. What can we as women do about it? For one we can not complain, but think about that your spouse is a man, and he needs help to be as thoughtful as we wish he would be. I know you are sitting there thinking why do I have to do more, why can't he just be like I want him to be? The most important reason is found in the Bible, God said, " It is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18. Yes we are different creations, we are made to complete the man. As we all know this can lead to great misunderstandings in our marriage. I know this for sure, because so many times over the years I have taken what David said wrong, or I have thought why did he not do something. Through this study David and I both will learn that love requires thoughtfulness. Yes men need to be thoughtful too. I have to say David knows me and sometimes he just does things or says things I have not had to say. That comes with years of living and loving each other. This day teaches me to think, take the time to really think about how I can better understand him, and show my love for him. What is an immediate need he has that I could meet? The dare for this day was to contact him sometime during the day, for no other reason than to ask how he is, and if there is anything I can do for him. I want to remember, and hope if you are reading this, marriage is not all about ME! I must think about how to show my spouse my love each day, not just when I choose to. Remember that selfishness is the opposite of love.

Are You Selfish?

I am continuing my study of the Love Dare book, which I have been doing daily, but had no time to write on my blog. My daughter-in-law was in the hospital but is home now doing great. This is the third day and it is all about selfishness. I tell all the young couples who are getting married to remember one thing, and that is if you put his needs, and wants, and if he puts your needs and wants first then no one will be left out. I realized reading this I do not do this as I should. God says in Romans 12:10," Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor." God teaches us in the Bible to care about others more than ourselves, but how many of us really do that? In a marriage this can be a very dangerous problem. Selfishness is the total opposite of loving one another. This day tells about you either make decisions out of love for your spouse, or love for yourself. How many of us have done something for our spouse wanting something in return, in fact the reason you did it was to get what you want? I am ashamed to admit I have. I will also say I know of times that I have put David's happiness above mine, and I thank God for him leading me to do that. Also I admit I have complained about things I do for him, which is not showing love in its true form. Ask yourself these questions: Do i truly want what's best for my husband or wife?, Do I want them to feel love by me?, Do I believe I have their best interests in mind?, and Do they see me as looking out for myself first? All of you reading this know a lot of these things I have taken word for word from the book Love Dare, but I feel that it is important for you to read them if you do not have the book yourself. I ask myself this question, what if God had been selfish and not send his son Jesus to die for me, and you? We would be lost in our sins forever, and in this study it tells us that almost every sinful action can be traced back to selfishness. Read in your Bible 1 Corinthians 13:5, and Philippians 2:3. I feel real joy is felt inside when we demonstrate real love, and there is no room for selfishness in our marriage. My dare for this day was to continue restraining from negative comments to David, and also to buy him something that says I am thinking of you. I choose to get up early, iron his clothes for work, and cook breakfast for him, which I do not do often enough. He is not a material person and this meant much more to him. I pray I continue to learn to be a better wife to him, I so want to show God's love in all I do.

Where Did Kindness Go!!

I first want to say I am talking about little acts of kindness, those things that I did for David when we first got married, and for some years, then slowly I just stopped. Ephesians 4:32 says " Be kind to one another, tender-hearted,forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you." I can certainly say God has been patient with me, forgiving me of sins I repeated over and over. God has shown his love through kindness by forgiving me, and most of all by sending his son Jesus to die for my sins. Do you remember when you were dating your spouse or when you first got married, and you wanted to please him in everything you did? This book is showing me how I have become selfish and stopped doing these things for David. One thing I have had to open my eyes to is when I show kindness to David or really to anyone it is not about what I get in return. It is showing my love for them by being kind and loving them enough to do these little things. I used to have things ready for David in the mornings, his breakfast, a glass of coke which is what he drinks all the time. Now I lie in the bed wishing he would be quiet! I am not saying there is anything wrong with sleeping in, we all love to do that, but I know for me he is the one going out working long hours to make a living for us, and I can show him my love by getting up if not every morning, at least some mornings and have breakfast with him. We could talk about what his day may consist of, and pray together before he leaves. This is something I always saw my Mom do for Daddy, but I have become selfish, and want to just be lazy. What if David decided to just be lazy? The book tells us there are two cornerstones of love, Patience, and Kindness. Patience with my spouse avoids negative circumstances and kindness maximizes a positive circumstance. Kindness is broken down into four basic ingredients, gentleness, helpfullness, willingness, and initiative. First lets look at gentleness, how we treat our spouse. I have to ask myself am I being sensitive to David's needs? Am I being tender and loving to him? Not when I think of self first, wow this book is really showing me how selfish I am! Am I helping or do I sit back and do nothing because I am waiting for him to do his? This seems to be something I hear a lot from younger couples. I just know anytime something needs doing, housework, yardwork, whatever, I can not choose to sit and wait to see if he does anything, I have to show my love by being helpful, doing things out of love, not being selfish. Being willing is deciding to be agreeable. Not be stubborn, which as I see again this is all about not being selfish in our relationship. The last one is initiative, am I waiting for kindness or will I take the first step to offer that extra hug, to smile, to serve first, and forgive first? Wow, again this is about doing what I did when I wanted David, and when he was most important to me, it is about putting away self, and doing for the man I love, and has chosen me to be his wife. I have to remember that love in its truest form is not based on feelings, it is showing love expecting nothing in return, and being kind in all my words and actions to David. These verses in the Bible again show me and you how kindness is important. Proverbs 31:26, Luke 10, the entire chapter, and Proverbs 3: 3-4. My heart is filled with love and I want to thank God for being love. He sent his son to die for me, asking nothing in return except just to love. Jesus showed the ultimate love by taking my sins upon that cross and suffering, and dying. I just want to thank God that Jesus rose from that grave to give me eternal life in love. I sit here an smile when I think about love. As kids we never doubted , or I was very blessed to have parents that I never had to doubt their love for me. The years passed and I wanted to be loved by a man, to be his wife, have his children and grow old with him. God blessed me with I believe the most loving man in this world. David loves me. I pray that I will put away this selfishness and give David the love he deserves with kindness and patience. I hope others are blessed with this writing, that is my intent. I praise God for who he is, I praise Jesus for being my Lord, and Savior, I thank God for the Holy Spirit who guides and convicts me. I ask God to show me ways to be kind to David, and to all who I meet, and greet today. The dare for this day was to continue to say nothing negitive to my spouse, plus do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness for your wife or husband.