Hey girls! How's the week? What kind of week are you having so far? All smiles as you bravely forge toward the mountain top, conquering every foe along the way, and finding shelter in your storms, this week, or has your week looked a little different than that? :-) Are you seeking growth in all 4 areas of your life as you consistently apply self-discipline and delay instant gratification for long term character growth? Have you visited your knowing place, inviting the Lord to join you, as you make those important decisions? How is practicing "being present" in your moments growing your relationships? Oh and those pesky thorns in the flesh with which you battle - are you allowing God's grace to be your hiding place in those weak areas? Hopefully,it's been the kind of week where mere religious duty has been kept at bay as you focus on your relationship with God? Did you take yourself to boot camp and do an overhaul or have you just made some quick cardio runs to the cleansing closet? Has it just been a glorious week of overcoming at every turn? If so, you probably don't want to read this blog, today! :-D lol!
Can I just let my hair down and open my heart with you here, today? I hope this doesn't come as a shock or disappointment to you but I don't always feel on top of the world, inspired and motivated! :-0 No, for real! In fact, I have had a couple of crummy days of being in the heat of battle and not feeling particularly inspired! Now, I know God put a desire deep within my heart to write, to speak and to share with other women the hope I have found, even during the darkest days in my life! There is joy, rest and peace for the hurting andburdened! I have that full confidence! Having established that, I have to believe that means I must also be open to sharing on the difficult days, too.
God's grace is truly sufficient and I have experienced his strength in my weakness too many times to count. I have been carried through numerous trials, only by his goodness and grace. It's also true that I have my moments, hours, even days, when I struggle with all the same things you do! I have lonely days, angry days, questioning days, painful days, sad days, fearful days, doubting days...you name it. After all, I am human and, moreover, I am woman! In it all, I find comfort with the Psalmist,
Psalm 73:23 "Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory."
That is good news, indeed. There is another passage richer, still.
It is one of the most telling passages in the Bible and is found in Hebrews 11. I strongly urge you to read the entire chapter! It defies all that the prosperity teachers are feeding the masses, today. Don't take my word for it...see for yourself how some of the heros of the faith lived out their lives and the commendation God gave them.
Heb. 11: "And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again." All sounds peachy, huh? Read on! "Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them."
Ladies, all of these - and all of we's - if we are truly followers of Jesus Christ, are included here, in this list of the faithful. The list just continues on in the book of life. What does your story look like? Your legacy? What about mine? I'm sure glad God has that big erasor where he blots out all of our sins when we come to him with our whole heart and he gives us a new one. Otherwise, i wouldn't stand a chance of even getting in the servant's quarters! Some in this passage were great conquerors and some were tortured and starved for their faith. It concludes by telling us that the world was not worthy of any of them. I feel the weight of my shortcomings to live out the depth of faith that springs forth in true believers when there is persecution involved and of which we know little in America, today. Our "persecution" comes in another form - a life of ease and being lulled into a spiritual sleep, I believe, but that's for another time! Most days I'm not shutting the mouths of lions - I'm too busy trying to keep MINE shut! Nor am I being being persecuted for my faith. I'm struggling just to walk as a Christian, in battling my own weaknesses, and in wanting God's light to shine in my relationships and draw others to him.
If your week has been less than inspiring and you need to be refreshed, know that you are not alone and share your heart with a friend who will pray for or with you. Keep moving ahead in faith when the warm and fuzzy feelings aren't there. God will bless you in it! Pray for me as I do for you.
"Blessed are they who have not seen and yet, believe." Jesus
Still Climbing,
Cher
Tuesday
Friday
A Time To Play!
Today is a beautiful and glorious day to get outside and play! I'm not talking about the kids - I'm talking about you and me, sisters! I'm jazzed, big time, about this gorgeous spring weather and the opportunities to enjoy it all weekend!
My thoughts, today, are very simple...TAKE time, MAKE time to P-L-A-Y with the special people in your life, this weekend! The laundry will wait, the dirty floors will stay right where they are, the dust will stick around another couple of days....but the opportunity to play could slip by, so carpe diem!
Our good God designed us with the ability to smile, to laugh, to run, to jump and to feel with all 5 senses! On top of all that, he gave us so many beautiful things to experience if we have "eyes to see!" STOP with your to-do list! Yes, this is the same person who told you a couple of days ago that a disciplined life is a happy life! BALANCE is the key here, girlfriends!
Ecc 3:1 "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven."
LIVE! Explore, listen, observe, discover and enjoy all the the wondrous things around you. Don't carry that big burden, today. Lay it at the feet of our all seeing, all knowing, all loving God and put your hand in his to enjoy some play time in the sunshine.
I'm praying for you!
See you back here, soon....I've got some playing to do!:-D
Still Climbing,
Cher
My thoughts, today, are very simple...TAKE time, MAKE time to P-L-A-Y with the special people in your life, this weekend! The laundry will wait, the dirty floors will stay right where they are, the dust will stick around another couple of days....but the opportunity to play could slip by, so carpe diem!
Our good God designed us with the ability to smile, to laugh, to run, to jump and to feel with all 5 senses! On top of all that, he gave us so many beautiful things to experience if we have "eyes to see!" STOP with your to-do list! Yes, this is the same person who told you a couple of days ago that a disciplined life is a happy life! BALANCE is the key here, girlfriends!
Ecc 3:1 "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven."
LIVE! Explore, listen, observe, discover and enjoy all the the wondrous things around you. Don't carry that big burden, today. Lay it at the feet of our all seeing, all knowing, all loving God and put your hand in his to enjoy some play time in the sunshine.
I'm praying for you!
See you back here, soon....I've got some playing to do!:-D
Still Climbing,
Cher
Wednesday
A Disciplined Life = A Happy Life
Do you doubt? Come with me and let's explore the thought together, girlfriends!
Do you believe a child is happier and more secure when he has a routine and, in that routine, he knows there are specific and consistent expectations for the things that are in his realm of responsibility? Do you know a child who has no clear boundaries, no set bedtime, chores, homework requirements, limits on junk food? Need I say more?
We, as adults, are no different! When we live a disciplined lifestyle, we are at our best!
Once again, I will refer to the 4 areas of growth.
Being disciplined, spiritually, means we make time to allow God's spot light to shine into our hearts, revealing what's inside and taking out the trash, day by day! You don't let the trash in your kitchen pile up for weeks (I hope not!) and then try and haul 15-20 bags out at once, do you? The whole house would smell like a sewer by then! :-0 Neither should we neglect our time with God and allowing him to do a clean up in our hearts. If we start our day with him and run to him throughout the day as we face various situations, he will walk with us and keep us in optimum "running condition," spiritually. Take some time for him, today. Make it a disciplined habit to read,to pray, to worship and to commit your day to him. It will pay off in so many ways throughout your day!
Intellectually, are you disciplined in your thought life? What kind of "diet" are you on? T.V., music, books, conversations, thought patterns? All of these things make up the intellectual diet we are feeding our brains. Are you feeding on positive nutrition in these areas? Do your conversations build up others and make you feel strong, mentally, or are you feeding on negativity, gossip and dark thoughts?
Physically, are you eating right and getting enough exercise and sleep? All of these areas affect your...
Emotional health (which) culminates in a disciplined = happy or undiciplined = unhappy life.
It all begins with a dedicated decision, bathed in prayer, to be your personal best. Discipline takes determination. You must make that decision and then put some "clothes" on it or define it by things you will do, on a daily basis, and make yourself accountable to someone for optimal success. Bring your goals into the light to put some weight behind them. You'll be so glad you did!
If you make the decision to be your personal best, set your daily goals for optimal success with smaller goals for living a disciplined, happy, healthy life. When you prepare and those little voices start coming, and they will, telling you that you don't "feel" like having a quiet time or reading something encouraging and helpful for your personal growth instead of a romance novel, or that you want to hear just a l-i-t-t-l-e bit of gossip instead of refusing to be involved in any negative discussions about others or that you don't really need to exercise TODAY, you will have no excuse because you've ALREADY made those decisions back at the beginning! No need to revisit them every day! :-D
Heb. 12:11 "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
A disciplined life = a happy life.
Still Climbing,
Cher
Do you believe a child is happier and more secure when he has a routine and, in that routine, he knows there are specific and consistent expectations for the things that are in his realm of responsibility? Do you know a child who has no clear boundaries, no set bedtime, chores, homework requirements, limits on junk food? Need I say more?
We, as adults, are no different! When we live a disciplined lifestyle, we are at our best!
Once again, I will refer to the 4 areas of growth.
Being disciplined, spiritually, means we make time to allow God's spot light to shine into our hearts, revealing what's inside and taking out the trash, day by day! You don't let the trash in your kitchen pile up for weeks (I hope not!) and then try and haul 15-20 bags out at once, do you? The whole house would smell like a sewer by then! :-0 Neither should we neglect our time with God and allowing him to do a clean up in our hearts. If we start our day with him and run to him throughout the day as we face various situations, he will walk with us and keep us in optimum "running condition," spiritually. Take some time for him, today. Make it a disciplined habit to read,to pray, to worship and to commit your day to him. It will pay off in so many ways throughout your day!
Intellectually, are you disciplined in your thought life? What kind of "diet" are you on? T.V., music, books, conversations, thought patterns? All of these things make up the intellectual diet we are feeding our brains. Are you feeding on positive nutrition in these areas? Do your conversations build up others and make you feel strong, mentally, or are you feeding on negativity, gossip and dark thoughts?
Physically, are you eating right and getting enough exercise and sleep? All of these areas affect your...
Emotional health (which) culminates in a disciplined = happy or undiciplined = unhappy life.
It all begins with a dedicated decision, bathed in prayer, to be your personal best. Discipline takes determination. You must make that decision and then put some "clothes" on it or define it by things you will do, on a daily basis, and make yourself accountable to someone for optimal success. Bring your goals into the light to put some weight behind them. You'll be so glad you did!
If you make the decision to be your personal best, set your daily goals for optimal success with smaller goals for living a disciplined, happy, healthy life. When you prepare and those little voices start coming, and they will, telling you that you don't "feel" like having a quiet time or reading something encouraging and helpful for your personal growth instead of a romance novel, or that you want to hear just a l-i-t-t-l-e bit of gossip instead of refusing to be involved in any negative discussions about others or that you don't really need to exercise TODAY, you will have no excuse because you've ALREADY made those decisions back at the beginning! No need to revisit them every day! :-D
Heb. 12:11 "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
A disciplined life = a happy life.
Still Climbing,
Cher
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)