Content ~ Fighting the Battle

We are right in the middle of the Bible study - No Other Gods  by Kelly Minter. God is showing me things throughout my day that are little "gods" in my life. One thing that I loved about our discussion on Monday, was battling lies with scripture. The enemy has placed so many lies and untruths in my life and I tend to dwell in the depth of a pit he wants me to wallow in. 

I want truth, don't you? 

And why wouldn't we want truth?

Truth is so much better than the deceitful ways of our enemy. He is at every turn, do not fall for the mess he throws at you. God has warned us in His word that the enemy is seeking to devour us, and our Heavenly Father has given us truth that He will never leave us, we are so much more than satan says we are. In order to battle the enemy we must STAND on HIS WORD and proclaim truth! Put on our whole armor every day, and when we slip out of part of our armor, the enemy will attack when we least expect it. 

On Monday morning, I was reading a devotion, and of course God placed it to confirm our lesson from Sunday School Sunday morning.  A side note read:

"This is war. You are right in the middle of it. And choosing sides is going to be an everyday battle."

Hmm, isn't this the truth??!!

In my yearlong quest to be content. God has shown me so much. There are things that He has shown me, that I seem to know.... yet, I struggle in some of those very areas. Some of them I have seemed to struggle for years in the same place. Other times, I thought I had gotten victory over them, only for them to resurface and then guilt sets in. Another part of being content, is realizing that I must remain prepared for battle. I must make choices based on God's Word. I must live my life as unto the Lord. I cannot fall for the enemy's attempts to choke me. I must be armed with God's Word at every turn. May I use His Word to encourage and help point others to Him. I know that God has more to show me about this Word He has given me for 2012, and as I learn what He wants may I use it for His Glory!!  

In some recent events, I have seen just how evil the enemy is, tearing families apart, filling minds with lies and deceit, corrupting lives at every turn and robbing us of more than we even know. As Christians we must know that we have the power within us to fight! And I know when I can't fight, the LORD will fight for me!!

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and 

having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to 

quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:10-18     

Good Morning!!

It's a brand new morning!! Praise the Lord that His mercies are new every morning!! I don't know about you....but I have some things that seem to drag me down, put fear in my steps, and tend to take my eyes off of the Lord and onto my circumstances. The song below reminds me that today is a new day, tomorrow is gone, and even though I cannot have a re-do, I have today to strive to live a life of obedience and praise to the Lord!! 

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and your mercy. By your blood, I am saved by your ultimate sacrifice. May I look to you though out out my day. May I strive to be in your presence every moment, being in constant fellowship with you. Give me strength when I can't take take another step, give me peace when I feel anxious, wipe my tears and banish my fears as the evil one is seeking to devour me. I am blessed, chosen, adopted, favored, redeemed, forgiven, peculiar, part of a holy nation, loved, and so much more, because you laid down your life for mine!! Praise your Holy Name!!

Happy 8th Birthday!!

Dear Kea! 

Wow!! I cannot believe you, this precious chubby cheeked bundle of love is now 8 years old! I have to admit when we found out that we were expecting another baby, we were overwhelmed. After all, your brother was 8 years old, and your sisters were 12 and 20!! But, as we have tried to teach you that the Lord has a plan for each and every person, God had a plan for you to join our family. Praise the Lord that He knows better than we do. You are such a precious, full of life little boy and we love you soooo very much!! You definitely keep us on our toes! You are smart, and so funny. We never know what you are going to say next! Keep your eyes on the Lord, and follow Him. And do what you know is right! Be kind to others and never be too old to hug your Momma!! :) 

You may be 8 years old, and you no longer have to sit in a booster seat (yayy!!!), but we want you to know that you will always be our baby boy!! We love you to the moon & back  a thousand times & more!!

Reflecting & Confessing

I haven't had a chance, or better yet I will be honest, I haven't taken the time to post about our Women's Retreat. I do have so much that I want to write down, not for others to read, but just for me to put down into words how God spoke to me so that when I need to be reminded of RESTing in Him.  Not only did He speak to me at the retreat, we started Bible study Monday night......

Whoa! Talk about the perfect Bible study to immediately follow the retreat. I have some things to work on in my life and managing my time is at the TOP of my list. And one thing that I know is that I spend way too much time online. And though, I have found that I like to blog and visit those that I am following, I am aware of how much time I spend doing those things (and don't even get me started on confessing my pinterest addiction!!).  I have a lot more to say, but my time is almost up! 

I am so thankful that the Lord sees me and knows me. And no matter what I am up against in my life, my time, my family, the Mt Everest of laundry piles, the dust bunnies, or the days when the thief is robbing me of my joy, HE IS FOR ME!!

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31" 

Word of God Speak....

Father......thank you!

Are You Heavy Laden?

As we are one day closer to the Women's Retreat, my heart is already full. I love how God puts things together. Do you realize, He doesn't need our help! Not one bit. You may not try to help Him out, but I tend to do it a lot. He has a great weekend in store and I am ready to soak in some much needed spiritual rest. Oh, how I wish I could take some friends with me that are struggling with burdens that are weighing them down, pulling them away from what God wants for them. I know He has much more for me than I will allow, I already know that I am in His way. He says in His word, "Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

As you listen to the words of this song.... go to Him, He is waiting with open arms!! 

Content: In The Calm

In my yearlong quest to be CONTENT, I know that God has something in store for me with our upcoming retreat. One thing in my life that I have a hard time with is being still for a moment. I long for the calm do nothing, but my mind is continually speeding at the sound of light. I am seeking Him in the days leading to the retreat and determining in my heart to be content with some "REST".

Take a moment to focus on Him and be in His presence today.

Be Still....

I am so honored and excited to have the opportunity to attend our Women's Retreat this coming weekend. I not only get to attend, but I also have the honor of helping. I feel so unworthy that God would use me to help with Women's Ministry. I have been preparing the music for the retreat, and as I type this tears are pouring. I asked the Lord to point me to the songs that would speak to hearts, that would go along with the theme of the retreat.... which is on

If you have followed my blog at all, you will know that my life is full, crazy busy at times, overwhelming, and that can tend to be anxious over many things. I know for sure that this is going to be for me. Weeks before Deidre told me what the theme was, God had already been giving me scripture, devotions, messages all pointing to focusing on Him, resting in Him, trusting Him. Not just physical rest (which I could most def use), but a true "touch from God" spiritual rest. Resting in who He is and not in the things of this world. Tonight as I listened, really listened to the words of some of the songs, I was still enough to get a glimpse of what is to come this weekend. He showed me that I need to prepare my heart for what He has for me between now and Friday. I will share a few of the songs that have spoken to me throughout this week. I pray you too, will take a couple minutes and be still before Him to find some rest as you allow God to use the songs to speak to you. Pray for our leader, Deidre, a precious friend and sister in Christ as she gives us what God has so graciously given her to share! I am so thankful for her!! Pray for the other women as they too get a way for a couple days to focus on our Heavenly Father.