be honest.

I hate having an anxious, nervous feeling. At times I am not sure why it happens or sometimes what is really going on, but it is there. I hate that feeling. It feels like something is going to go wrong, and you don't know what it really is and you don't really know how you'll stop it. At times we just need to give it to God and that is hard when you don't know what it really is that you have to give to him. Sometimes I am sure that this feeling is out of fear. Sometimes I am sure it might just be something unknown that you have to do just don't know what the outcome will be. Sometimes you just don't know what it is and still have to give it to God. At times I find it hard to give things to God. Not because I don't want to, but because at times I think we are confused about how to give something to God and not worry or think about it anymore. I find myself very down at these times because I want to just give it to God, but don't really know how to stop myself from worrying anymore, or thinking anymore about it.
I find myself to be strange at times. I am sure most can say that about ourselves. I really just like others around me to be happy, but find myself wanting it for me and not knowing how to be. What will make me happy? At times I just don't know. I want my relationship with Christ to be right on, but sometimes I find myself to worry or fear too much that at times I don't even know how to get out of it. But I rest on the fact that God is good, that God's grace goes deep, and that His love is even greater than what my mind can comprehend! Resting on these facts makes my faith get stronger! So at times when you feel just down and out. Or just like you cant.... rely on the fact that GOD CAN. That God loves you. That God's grace is sufficient! That He is a good God! And His love is greater than we can even imagine, and that He will never leave us or forsake us! When all have left us He wont! Sometimes you just have to be honest with yourself and honest with God and let Him restore! When we are honest with how we feel with ourselves I feel it is easier to get through and rely on God. If we always think that WE are strong enough to get ourselves through we will never rely on HIM who wants to help us through! It is a way we learn about ourselves and how we can learn to get closer to Him!

Great post!

Found some great stuff on this other blog at http://refineus.org/2012/05/the-marriage-mirror/

This was really good! Take a look at it, here is a bit from the end!

"As my counseling supervisor used to say, “marriage isn’t broken. People are broken. If you help people get healthy, their marriage gets healthy.”

The marriage mirror helped me get healthy. It humbled me. It taught me that I certainly didn’t have it all together, so I couldn’t expect perfection from my husband. It taught me my own capacity for good and for evil, and for the necessity of boundaries around our lives.

Almost fifteen years of looking into that marriage mirror has showed me that love isn’t about a fantasy, it’s about hard work and sacrifice. It’s about vulnerability, courage, perseverance, and faith.

Marriage will lead you into the truth of yourself. It will open you up in a whole new way to your own need for grace and for a Savior, and for the strength to love beyond your own capacity. And the richness of that love and the life it brings is what makes the hard become the good."

 It is so true! Love it about hard work on both sides! It is a partnership! It requires sacrifice and we often will learn much about ourselves through it all. Love it not a fairy tale, it is real life! Real life is hard! Marriage takes real work! But that hard work can make a marriage great!

secret to life! Focus on HIM!

I was thinking about things, and a song that said "in the end". I started to think about that statement. What will really matter in the end? In the end... It wont matter the wrongs that others have done against you. In the end.... the things that you have accumulated will fade.... in the end.... everything will fade, but the only thing that will always be is GOD! and what we did for the kingdom! That is what matters in this life. It gets hard when we forget that and let our eyes be taken off that. I think everyone has that issue. It is hard to keep our eyes on the end when the waves and storms are being thrown at us! I have to constantly remind myself what this life is truly about. It isn't about ME, it isn't about US! It is about HIM! I tend to overlook that fact and focus on me and my issues. I need to keep my focus on HIM and He will bring me through it all!
We need to act like Christ, we need to love like Christ, we need to forgive like Christ, we need to serve like Christ!!!
IF we take our eyes OFF us and ONTO Him! We will stay focused and strong. That is the secret to living this life! Keeping focused on HIM!!!

true rest!?

I get tired. I have many little ones running around with so much energy all day, it seems like they suck it from me! Just kidding. But we all experience being tired, not just in body but in spirit, soul, emotions.... Life can be tiring! I was doing devo's and I found a great verse which just makes me rest even more in my God. God gives us words of encouragement and words of peace at times when we need it. God is so good to know what I need and give it at the right time! Sometimes we worry too much, sometimes we fret, and cry about things that might be only our emotions talking. Sometimes we need to just sit back and rest in God. Sometimes we need to just give HIM our cares and burdens! Sometimes we need to let Him be God and stop trying to do it ourselves! This is a great verse and I really just wanted to share it because it immediatly brought a peace and stillness to me and my soul when I read it! The word of God is powerful!  I pray it brings you a sencse of peace today!

 ^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."


                                                ~Matthew 11:28-30




Live free and light with HIM today! 

Satan wants to keep you bound, but Jesus wants you FREE!

Sometimes life can be hard. Sometimes you think you are past but something comes up, grabs you and pulls you back down.... Life is unpredictable! We don't know what will happen tomorrow. A lot of times in life, we base things off of how we feel, when we need to look at the bigger picture, and base our life off of God and His word and His laws for life. Sometimes we fall, sometimes we mess up, but we always need to get back up, seek God and move forward. We do have a very real enemy roaming around "like a lion seeing who he can devour". How does he know who he can devour? How does he bring people down? I think it is by our weaknesses. We all have very real weaknesses. We know some of them, others we see through time and experience. It is how we handle these weaknesses that really determines whether or not we will be devoured by the enemy. If we are easily swayed, or easily thrown off track, satan knows he can throw things at us, and there could be certain demise. If we are strong and are strongly planted on "the rock" aka CHRIST we wont be thrown off! Satan wants to see us bound and hurting and broken. God wants to see us thriving, full of faith, victorious and FREE! We can see this in our lives if we continually give things over to God. When we notice something coming up or feel something not right or that this could be a temptation or a "weak area" in our lives, giving it over to God and digging into the word can get us through! It is when we don't read, don't rely on God and dont go to Him and try to do it on our own that we can be easily influenced by the things around us! We need to stick closer to God than ever before. Times wont get easier. As we draw closer to the end we need to be so aware in life. We need to keep God in the center and always be focused on HIM and what we can do for the kingdom.
Always stay focused on HIM. It doesn't mean you wont feel the struggles of life, but it means you will be able to get through more victorious than if we took our eyes off HIM! Satan wants you bound, defeated, crushed and not useful to the kingdom of God. I think he got me at one point. I felt bound and defeated, like nothing mattered and I didn't want to go on! But My savior stepped in and lifted me out of the pit I was in! He didn't just save my soul but He saved my life on a few occasions! I am so thankful to Him for that. At times do I start feeling down again.... yes, but I grab my Bible and run to my God. He is the only one who can save me! He is the only one who can rescue me! Why fear what man can do, when we have God for us, who can be against us!
At times I need some rescuing. At times I feel blah... at times I know that I am being attacked, and the enemy knows right where to get me. But I need to remember that there is more to this world than what I see. There is a spiritual realm and it is constantly in a fight; a fight for souls. Only God can save us and free us! will you let the enemies tricks devour you? Or will you choose to run to the only one who can rescue you and set you free??

Getting past the need to be "perfect"!

You see it everyday. You see it in magazines, you see it on tv, you see it everywhere! There is a desire for "perfection" in society. You need to be the "perfect" size, you need to be the "perfect" wife, you need to be the "perfect" mom, you need to do certain things to obtain this "perfect" image. We see it in ministry as well,  we need to be the "perfect" ministry wife etc. Well, I hate to break the news to you, but.... NO ONE will ever be "perfect". There was only 1 who was perfect who lived on this earth, but He was the son of God. Other than that, we live in a fallen world, and no one will be perfect! Why do we become so obsessed with perfection? I think it is because that is the "social norm". we see it and we need to be it. It is presented to us a certain way in magazines that we need to do this or be that, when in real life God is happy that you are uniquely YOU! There will only be one YOU! God made you the way you are for a reason. Only you can do what God has placed you here on earth to do!
I do believe that we need to make the best choices for our lives, and that includes being healthy, but not everyone is going to be a size 1 and be healthy! You need to be the best you that you can be, but striving for something that inst you or what God hasn't called you to be or do is something that we need to be aware of. Be the best you, but don't strive to be what your not called to be!
Also, don't beat yourself up when you do make a mistake or mess up. We are human and all we can do is ask forgiveness and move forward! God's grace will help us do that. He will forgive and forget, then we need to as well! The "perfect mom" with the "perfect home" with the "perfect ministry".... .well, it would be nice, but life happens, and we need to do and be the best that God has called you to be and do! Don't let what society says define you, let your maker and creator define who you are!!!

I have not been able to get on and write. Life is busy and changes happen. So we go with the flow and we just trust in our maker because He is the one who knows the plans, He is the one who sees the final outcome before it happens! There is no better way to live but by faith! A few things have happened lately in our life and I am very calm about the new things that are happening. I am not worrying, I am not fearful of them, I am just trusting in God, because I know He will bless us and see us through! We need not to worry because the creator of the universe is by our side. The one who made me is carving out a path for us! So I will just stay trusting God because His thoughts and ways are much higher and greater than mine! Be blessed today! Take a step of faith and follow what God has placed in you! God gave you dreams and visions, talents and goals for a reason! He wants them used for the kingdom!