Practice Thanksgiving

Psalm 77:11

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;

 Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

Yesterday my husband shared a very timely message for all believers about thankfulness.  One of the most take aways for me was that we are not naturally born thankful and appreciative.  We have to make ourselves be thankful, and we have to practice thanksgiving.  We have to train ourselves to think more consciously about God's goodness and His blessings.

My husband further explained that one of the places where we can measure our thankfulness is in our attitudes.  There is a direct correlation between thankfulness and attitudes that are hopeful, positive and optimistic versus bitter, negative and pessimistic.  The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45.

I remember a time in my life where I was so unhappy. I was so tired of my life being the same way.  I wasn't living. I just existed.  And I was tired.  I was tired of looking at the same person. I was tired of hearing the same complaints. I was tired of saying the same things over and over.  I was tired of going to the same job.  I was tired of trying to make ends meet.  Most of all, I was tired of faking like I was good.

I couldn't think of one thing that had gone right for me.  And there were so many people in my life who needed me, yet I couldn't come up with one person who was worried about meeting MY needs. I. WAS. TIRED.  And I was very ungrateful. 

I took God and his blessings for granted.  I complained often and to anyone who would listen.  I blamed God and held Him hostage to MY definition of blessing, deliverance, and lordship over my life. So ungrateful. I was so rebellious in my heart and it eventually showed up in my actions as sin.

Please don't make the same mistake I did.

Sure, things may not be the way you want them to be right now. You may be waiting right now. You may be tired right now. But things could be a whole lot worse!   It can be hard to to remember that at times when the weight of today's problem tries to outweigh all of yesterday's many blessings.  But that's where practice helps you to remember.

Have you ever stopped to think about our brothers and sisters in far away countries who do not know where they will get their next meal?  Do you know what its like to sleep with no protection from the weather? 

In this country, we enjoy many freedoms, luxuries and common place things that others in far away lands do not. We often take these things for granted.  We even take for granted, at times, those men and women who fight on the front lines for us to maintain our freedoms.

We assume that we deserve these things, but the truth is that there are many people who would love to have what you have; work where you work; live where you live; drive what you drive; eat what you eat; rest like you rest. 

I am in no way suggesting that our problems are not real to us.  But I want to encourage you to think MORE about all the ways God has blessed you and practice maintaining a thankful attitude and demeanor.   Don't over look the small stuff. Think on these things too. Write them down.

I challenge you to start a journal of thanksgiving. Every day for the next 30 days, write down 5 things for which you are thankful. Pray over them and submit them to God as an offering of thanksgiving.  Use this to practice thanksgiving. Keep it safe and whenever you start to feel discouraged by your  situations, pull it out to fight your flesh and the enemy. You will win every time.

Deuteronomy 8:18

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

Have a great & HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Because You Trust in Him

Notes from my quiet time

But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them, Because they trust in Him.

Psalm 37: 39-40

I don't know about you, but there are times when it seems like everything in my life goes wrong all at one time. Other times, it seems like one thing is sooo heavy that I can barely withstand the weight of it. Then there are times when I'm in such an emotional tizzy that I can't make sense of anything, and I start to make the dumbest mistakes. 

Then I start to second guess myself. Am I really growing? Am I really saved? Can I really do this? Can I tame these wild emotions? Will I break this stronghold? Will I ever get it together? It can be so overwhelming at times to just deal with ME. 

I'm so thankful that I do not have to manage ME all by myself. God has made me a promise.

When I can't figure it out, He will help me.

When I'm stuck in a situation that threatens to overtake me, He will deliver me.

When it seems like the enemy is just about to win this one, He will save me.

All I have to do is trust in Him.

He's not asking you to fix it or figure it out. He's asking you to trust him.  He is not asking you to be strong. He is asking you to remain in Him who is your strength.  He is not asking you to have it altogether. He is asking you to be all in your relationship with Him and allow Him to perfect you.  He is not asking you to be superwoman. He is asking you to be His. 

I know you're thinking that's easier said than done (me too!), but truth be told, our part really is the easy part.  The only thing that makes it hard is our flesh and the enemy trying to convince us that trust in God yields no manifestation.  Trusting requires patience and commitment, both of which will be tried during the process. The question is can you hold fast to your faith and believe with your whole heart that God is working his master plan?

We'll I'm here to remind you that your faith is not in vain. Your commitment to Him is not without reward.  He will come through for you. He will help you. He will deliver you. He will save you.  Just trust in Him and do not give up. Do not fear or believe the enemy's attempt to discredit God. God is faithful. He is your strength. Trust in Him despite what you see or feel. Be determined that nothing will shake your faith. No matter what! Keep fighting. Stay focused. Push through it.  Do not compromise.  Do not throw in the towel. He will come through for you because you trust in Him.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Gift of a Truly Identified Woman

Following up on his message from last week, my husband shared another powerful Word for women on yesterday.  Digging deeper into the alarming identity crisis of many women and girls in this day, he pointed out an interesting observation about Eve.  Before the deception of the serpent, she was referred to only as woman. She represented everything that was true, purposeful, exceptional and valuable about being woman. She was pure. She was whole.  She was complete.  She was certain of who she was and her position in the earth. 

And then there was sin….

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. ⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden…… ²⁰ Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. Genesis 3

Take notice that it wasn't until after the fall that Eve was specifically called and identified as the wife of Adam. Until then, she was simply woman; God's daughter and perfect creation placed in the earth to fulfilled His destiny for mankind.  After sin, God called her Adam's wife, and Adam gave her the name Eve.  This level of specificity became necessary because of the temptations, deception and false identification of woman that would inevitably result from sin.

Because of sin, it became critically important that Eve's identity was clear and specific. What God knew was that if she didn't have her own sense of identity, sin would define her then misappropriate her gifts & anointing.  The same is true of you and me today. All types of things attempt to define us.  Sin, our mistakes/failures, our successes, our education level, our status in society, our career/income level, our relationships, our titles, our bodies, our reflections in the mirror, even our own finite thinking about what a women is supposed to be, you name it. There is no end to list of people, places and things where we seek to find ourselves & our identities.  This was never meant to be! 

Eve was made a woman by God first, and then became Adam's wife and then became the mother of all living things.  Before she was anything to anyone else, she was first God's woman.  Adam didn't make her a woman! He only recognized her as a woman created BY God FOR him. Adam was only able to recognize her after she had been with God!   

Arguably, this is perhaps the most important and often misidentified principle of womanhood in this day.  Today, we have babies while we are young and unmarried. We get married when we are unhealed and undeveloped. We have children out of wedlock and then marry the man simply because he is the father.  What a mess we have made of God's divine order of womanhood!  

My friend, you will never get your womanhood from your man or your children.  No relationship will make you happy.  No man can make you feel secure, confident and purposeful.  No amount of "things to do" for your children will give you complete fulfillment.  That is between you and God.  Long, endless and empty is the quest to find your fulfillment in a man or your children. I know. I've been there.  I know what its like to invest all that I am in a man and into my children, trying to find definition, purpose and fulfillment.  And I know what its like to have it all taken away so that I was left with only God. It was then that I found Nicole.

I've learned through hard and tough experiences that long before I can be a wife to my husband or a mother to my children, I must first be a whole, healed, healthy (spiritually, mentally & emotionally), happy, confident woman between me and God. No one else can give me Nicole, and no one else can take her away.  In my relationship with God is where I find my greatest ME. So will you! 

When you get with God, you will find the real you, without any pretense, masks, false confidence, hiding places, defensive barriers, trust issues, or any other effect of sin.  You will find a specially crafted masterpiece. After all, you're the only you He created. You are His special girl.  He created you just the way you are, and He does not make mistakes.  How awesome is that?!