Humility and compassion are two words that are defining my life. God desires humble people that are willing to pour out His love by His Spirit. Our family realizes that we are in desperate need of God to work on our behalf. Have you asked Him and poured our your deepest need. He will meet it.
This song is precious to me. I am in awe of God's love for me and my family. You must exalt the Lord. Also, I know what fear feels like and this song ministers to my soul. Know the love of God today.
I sense my family is coming into a new season. I am actually rearranging my house so we can better minister to each other. I am in the word and worshiping more than ever. These are uncertain times with bad news in the press and many life altering events around the word.
Tonight as I was praying a verse came to mind. I just had to look it up. As I sense this new season in the Spirit I am praying for boldness for evangelism. When you have been through tough times you just want to shout what God has done in your life. I have learned the hard way that life is not easy but God never changes.
So this is the verse that came to mind as I am reorganizing my life so my entire family can better serve the Lord: I realize that no matter what I have been through or what God has called me to do, I cannot hide what God has done!
Jeremiah 20:9
But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
Tonight at dinner my middle daughter started saying all of the Fruits of the Spirit (I taught them a song so they would ALWAYS know this most important verse - Galatians 5:22). The entire family was smiling as she was saying them but I was struck by the fact she was proclaiming the word of the Lord!
So, if you are going through a tough time, you can be CONFIDENT that you can know the will of the Lord. His word is his will. So pray for these things....LOVE JOY PEACE PATIENCE KINDNESS GOODNESS FAITHFULNESS GENTLENESS AND SELF CONTROL.
Be blessed this week. It's a new season. Press in and know that you can't take the ride with out God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
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I try to always include a worship video. If you really want to know the heart of God and learn about prophetic worship Jason Upton always ministers. This is one of my favorite songs by him. TEACH ME HOW TO PRAY
Recently I learned a new song called "Lord I am AMAZED by You." This was written by Jared Anderson of Desperation Band, New Life Colorado. I decided to look up the word AMAZED on dictionary.com. We say or sing words that we are familiar with, but do we really know the meaning. I was "amazed" the the definition of amazed :)
I hope you will think of this when you think of God.
AMAZED
– adjective: greatly surprised; astounded; suddenly filled with wonder
I pray you are "suddenly filled with wonder" in the presence of God.
Sometimes unexpected things come our way. You pray and work and trust and pour yourself into your family. I love my family and am hopeful for the future. While there are so many unknowns, I immersed myself in God's word and tried to Stand on the Promises of God.
Right now we face so much uncertainty, but we put our hope in God and each other. Praying and asking for wisdom and discernment.
Do you have a problem in your life? Are things not turning out as planned? Do you need hope for the future? Read the word, fast and pray. And most of all, be like Abraham, who trusted God when things seemed impossible. Worship your God and read the word. God already knows your heart anyway. I have learned he is not surprised and He desperately loves each and every person in my family and my friends.
Sometimes our future seems impossible and there are many who do not want us to succeed or be happy. But I believe that when God invades the impossible, His Glory Shines. I want to be faithful in all things.
So my prayer tonight is this, Lord Use Us for Your Glory. and no mattter what comes our way, we will Stand on Your Promises.
Blessings, Carol
Are you full of hope. Full of the Word. Full of wonder. Full of questions?
One time a friend told me, "I never question God, I just figure he knows best." Well, God made me full of questions and it includes asking him a few.
As I started reading through the bible this year I have loved reading through Genesis and the study I am using starts in Luke. As I read, I have had so many questions about Adam, Noah and Abraham. The word is so alive as I read it and wonder what God was up to....and what his plan is for me.
Also, I am reading through Luke, when Jesus started his ministry when he was 30. How he called the 12 disciples.
So here are some of the questions I am full of right now.....
My list goes on and on. I am excited to read and wonder but be full of hope.
As I read Luke, I am paying close attention to how Jesus was close to the Father. I believe that if Jesus knew all of the answers above, he would not have needed to pray so much, so often and be alone. I think he knew his only hope was in God's presence, but he had to seek it all of the time, relentlessly.
My theme this year is "I'll run until I finish the race." I want my family to finish strong and finish well. I have learned the hard way that this strength comes only through our weakness. In addition to recognizing I am running a spiritual race, I may actually sign up for a real race :) .
The only way to finish a race strong is conditioning. So my conditioning is reading through the entire bible, praying with my family, and relentlessly pursuing God's will, on my knees, desperate to know Him above all.
Happy New Year. Enjoy my new favorite song.
I always say God's timing is perfect. I never know when I turn on the radio what great thing I may hear on my favorite Christian talk radio station. Many times I get delayed then I turn it on and think, wow, if I had been in the car 15 minutes ago or 15 minutes later I would have missed this.
Well, today I was listening to Family Life with Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine. The neat thing is they were interviewing a woman named Sharon Jaymes and she is the author of a new parenting book a friend gave me on How to Be a Great Mom and Raise Great Kids.
A quote was shared during this broadcast that really struck me and it was about managing yourself...mind, body and spirit. Especially your spiritual life.....
Here is the quote: "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you're listening to yourself, instead of talking to yourself. The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself." That's ultimately what you're talking about here, is knowing how to handle yourself.
So many times people just let life happen to them without truly engaging in a relationship with God. God has really been teaching me about really listening to Him and being led in all things. I am trying to look at predictable patterns that work and do not work and how to be more effective.
In fact, my latest prayer has been, "Lord teach me a better way. How can I be a better mom, wife, friend and disciple. God show me how to be more effective in all I do." But more imporantly than that, I am just learning to trust God when I do not always see how things are going to turn out.
Also, I am really worshiping the Lord a lot. Our family listens and sings a lot of praise and worship music. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So I am excited to see what God has in store for myself and my family. Life is full of many ups and downs and uncertainty.....but that makes the certainty of God so much sweeter.
I am so thankful for a Savior because I have needed a lot of saving :)
I always like to share a video. My daughter and I have been practicing this together for her to sing as a solo. Love this.
Recently I heard someone say you should focus on what God is about and what He is for, not about trying to argue but trusting God to give us what to say in due season to bless in His Power.
I am always intrigued by Christmas Cards as so many are just useless. Like cards that say Happy Holidays. Well....what Holiday. How can it be happy if there isn't one. Why not say Merry Christmas. I find it maddening that so many people want my money for gifts under the tree but don't want to let me call it Christmas.
The beauty of faith is that no one can take away our freedom of thought, our salvation and our heart to worship God and love others.
So I am praying that people will look for meaning in Christmas. That it will be more than a Holiday. God says He draws all men unto him. Draw us Lord and let us respond to your calling.
Recently I have been focusing on blessing others. Finding kind words or helping someone. I try to show my kids how to find something nice to bless someone whether it be their hair, smile, or painted fingernails. Just asking someone how they are really doing knowing that you really mean it.
I have found that giving freely of my time and blessings is the greatest blessing of all.
Be blessed this Christmas and remember that JESUS is the reason for the season.
I recently heard this song and loved it. I love to end with a worship video. Enjoy as this is what Jesus is longing for.
Several times I have been thinking about something and wish I could see or think in three dimensions. I want another angle on something or I need another perspective. Many times God is that third dimension for me. Where I can go beyond myself and my limited thinking.
Also, I think it is important to surround ourselves with sound teaching. Listening or reading what other's have to say is not a substitute for our own relationship with God, but it can provide another view.
God reveals himself in so many wonderful ways and I love to read the excitement others have when sharing their experiences. I have listed some resources on my blog and I hope you will enjoy them. Batterson, Jentezen and Moore are a great place to start. Do you have any other resources you would like to share.
Also, I have been searching for new, deeper worship songs that can really minister to my family. We all love to sing and there is nothing like a good song to touch the heart. Here is one of my recent favorites. I love to preview songs on You Tube since it has become quite expensive to buy so many songs. Enjoy this simple song that is so profound.
We all go through tough times. At times I have heard people say, "Oh my problems are small compared to this or that." God cares about each one of them.
I love reading God's word. I have learned that when you read it in the good times, you are more prepared for the harder times. So many people are short on answers but the word of God is the answer.
I love seeing how God works through other people's lives that are truly seeking God.
The three devotionals that I love to read are Mark Batterson at www.evotional.com, Beth Moore at livingproofministries.blogspot.com, and Jentzen Franklin. They all have very different styles of blogging but I know they all love the Lord and value biblical truth.
For many years I was jealous of other people and what God was doing in their lives, but I came to the realization that God's plan for me is straight from Him and is for no other. I have learned to not covet other's dreams above God's dreams for me.
I pray you enjoy these resources for yourself. I encourage you to explore how God is working and moving and that you seek God above all. Read Matthew 6 and Ephesians 3 for a great reminder of who God is and just how much He loves us.
Love, Carol
I think it is very important to have a solid group of resources to count on in your spiritual walk. These resources should be spiritually sound but stretch us in many different directions. I like to read blogs, books and listen to music of many different faiths. I don't want to be guilty of "group think" on issues on one hand, but on the other hand, everything must line up with the word of God.
In the coming days I will be sharing some highlights of these resources and how you can use them in your life. I know they have been a huge blessing in mine.
On that note, here are some of my regular favorites:
Blogs:
Mark Batterson (pastor,author) - National Community Church: www.evotional.com
Jentzen Franklin (pastor, author) - Free Chapel: http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/blog/
Beth Moore (speaker, author, bible study writer) - Living Proof - http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com
Family Resources:
Focus on the Famiily: www.focusonthefamily.com
Family Life Ministry - www.familylife.com
Music:
Jason Upton - www.jasonupton.com
Hillsong Music - www.hillsong.com
Casting Crowns - www.castingcrowns.com
Worship Music - www.worshipmusic.com
Favorite Ministries:
Samaratains Purse - www.samaratainspurse.com
Life Today - www.lifetoday.org
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