Heart Talk

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2 NIV

You know what happened when I read this verse? I immediately thought "oh no, trouble is on the horizon." Why did I think that way? Because when you take a verse like tbis and apply it to your life, it can only mean trouble is coming and God is letting you know he will take care of you.

But guess what? God doesn't give you the spirit of fear. Satan does. God isn't telling you to hold onto your knickers because something bad is coming. Life happens. This is God's promise that when it does, he will be there. He will protect you. He will help you. You don't need to be afraid or automatically think something is going to go wrong. That's fear. That's satan. Don't let him do that to you.

Take hold of God's promise, tuck it away in your heart and when you need it, he will remind you.

Things

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 NIV

People tend to focus on the "things" mentioned in this verse, to imply that if we trust God he'll give us what we want. That's not entirely true. The "things" talked about here are clothes, food, drink, and shelter. Jesus is talking about not worrying about what you need. God knows you need these things. We are to seek him first not earthly wares and comforts.

Life isn't comfortable. We all have sorrow, trouble, good days and bad days. Each day brings a chance to glorify God in all that we do and say. I regularly fall short. Lucky for me God already knows that too and is there to help me, not for my good but for his glory.

Be open to be used. Seek his will first and see how he moves in your life.

Big Brother

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, Psalm 33:18 NIV

In our technological age, it seems everyone is watching us, recording everything we do and say. Cameras capture our every move. Traffic cams record the movement of vehicles and road conditions. We can't go anywhere where something isn't watching us. A little creepy maybe...big brother is watching and all that. Even Santa sees us when we're sleeping and knows when we're awake! But even the most advanced tech toys cannot capture everything.

But despite the many things tracking us, we can take comfort in knowing that God is always watching. He knows our hearts. He sees our actions before we act. We have hope in him that we cannot find in even the most advanced technology.

So lift your eyes to the hills and put your trust in the one who truly sees everything.

Building Blocks

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 NIV

I read an article today about the police looking for a woman wanted in a theft. They gave a description of her and showed a picture. Every single one of the comments had something horrible to say about how she looked.

Jessica Simpson, the singer, shared an Instagram picture of her and her 5 year old daughter on an outing to Sephora, the makeup store. Of course her daughter was trying on makeup...what little girl can't wait to play with makeup? Perfect strangers trolled her and said what an awful mother she was because she took her daughter to the makeup store.

This is a familiar story. More often than not, people hide behind usernames and fake profiles just to troll and make nasty comments on things that aren't even their business. Raising children in a technology and social media world required a few rules about using the web. Barring them from using it wasn't the answer, but rather teaching them to use it wisely. Our main rule: if you wouldn't say it or show it to a room full of strangers, don't put it online.

We also taught them that one golden rule: if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. How can we build others up if all we do is say how terrible they are and comment where it's not our business? We should use the internet for good, sharing God's love, acceptance and salvation. The internet is powerful. People can tweet and retweet all day long. Give them kind powerful words to share. Give them hope. Build them up.

Rocks and Words

“There is no one holy like the Lord ; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2 NIV

Do you have some days when you don't know what to pray for, how to pray, what to say to God? I mean, we have a dictionary full of words yet they all seem so pitiful when I pray. I hope I'm not alone. Some days we have victories, some not so much, or the victories are mixed in with sorrow. But to verbalize what we want or need or how we feel just seems so inadequate. God is holy! He can't be bothered by our petty lives.

But like any good parent God likes to hear from us no matter what we say. I suspect that any one of you wouldn't care what you talked about with a loved one as long as you talked. You care about them and what they are doing. And sometimes you would love to just sit with them, not saying anything.

That's how God is. So it doesn't matter whether or not you can express yourself. God knows your heart. Be honest. Be available. Be willing to listen. And then, make sure to praise him for being your rock.

I Will Help You

13 "For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you." Isaiah 41:13 NIV

My heart was blessed to read this after my post from last night. It was confirmation to me that in obedience to what God has asked me to do, he is affirming that yes, He will help me. We do not need to fear, he will help. He will help you pass that final and pass your class. He will help you complete the project at work on time. He will help you raise the funds you need for necessary medical expenses. He will help with the details in bringing together the perfect wedding. He will help you choose the right appliance for your home. He will help you speak to your child about bullying. He will help you with your finances so that you can plan for your future. He will help find the perfect home for you or your loved ones. All these things and more that you worry about, that you care about, that sometimes cause fear in your life, he will help.

There is nothing in your life He won't help you with. There is nothing going on in your life that he is not concerned about. He loves you and is interested in everything you do. All you need to do is ask and have faith. My spirit is overwhelmed with the excitement of God's promises. I must have faith. I must be obedient. How can I not when I know he will help.

Obedience

1 "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:1 NIV

I want to start this post with an apology - to my readers, but mostly to God, asking for His forgiveness. You see, I don't write this blog for me or for my readers. I do it in obedience with what God impressed upon me to do to spend time with him. He meets us where we are... thank goodness...and he met me where I was - a very busy lady with a lot on my plate but who loves to write. And what better way to spend time with God than exploring what his word says about everyday life in my own words. And what better way to share them with others who may want the same thing - God's word applied to everyday life. But that life can get in the way; actually, I let that life get in the way and I have neglected my blog. I still ready my daily verse but I didn't dwell on it as much as I was. And what happened? Doubt crept in. Fear. Uneasiness.

But that's not much different than what the Israelites experienced, a lot it seems, and what gave the prophets like Malachi, Haggai and others lots to write about. They would lose their way occasionally, lose sight of the promises God had made because those promises weren't always immediate. They would become disobedient, thinking that God would still deliver because they were his chosen people after all, so why should they do what he said? He'll forgive them, slaughter their enemies and they'd be on their way. Not quite that easy, because in the meantime, their disobedience would cause pain, sorrow, doubt, anger, fear, fighting, you name it. Yes God would forgive them, yes he would deliver on his promises, but not without consequences in the meantime.

I was reminded this past week that God is faithful. All he asks is that we believe and have faith. Many times in the Old Testament you'll see where the Israelites begin to be disobedient, God would withdraw his protection. He promised a savior - if they would believe. He promised deliverance - if they would obey. He promised prosperity - if they would have faith. God wants to work miracles, and I know he still does today. Some are big, but most are small miracles that happen every day, most going unrealized by us. If God has given us a command, we must obey. We must have faith that he will fulfill the promise he's given to us. I still believe he will. I will do my best to obey (we're not perfect).

And when we have faith, the Lord will come to his temple - you. He will live in you and work through you. And that's what we as Christians should strive for.