Sunday Thoughts

As I'm studying my Bible each day, I'm keeping my mind and heart aware of the Scriptures that help me in my word of the year - RENEW.  I have felt a huge calling on my Spirit from God to renew so many areas of my life that have been neglected, or even destroyed, through the past years of battling health issues. Of course, all Scripture is vital and I apply all of it to my life, but I'm keenly aware of those things I feel God is showing me to help me RENEW my life.

I was studying Ephesians 4:1-7 and there is so much there to direct us in our lives! Here is the Scriptures in my Bible (click on the picture to make it larger for reading)

This passage tells us to live worthy and then gives the qualities we need to pursue.  These qualities are:

• Humility
• Gentleness
• Patience
• Tolerance
• Peaceful
• Hopeful

What I love is that in verse 7, God tells us that we don't have to try and do this on our own! We have the grace of Jesus to help us in our pursuit to live worthy.  He gives us the measure of grace we need to live our lives in a way that glorifies Him. 

When I read this, I realized that these are the exact qualities I need to help me RENEW my life. These are the things that are vital to a life well lived - a life worthy of the One who died for me! To live with all these attributes makes life so much better. 

I made these notes to remind myself of how these will work to help me in my longing to make areas of my life better

Here's my notes to myself about what I learned:

• To live in a way that will glorify God, these are the attributes I need to pursue and live out
• To renew relationships, these are the qualities that show love to others
• To renew areas of my life that are dry as dust, these are the attributes that will breath new life into those areas.
• All through the grace of Jesus!

I love how God gives us so much through His Word! He knows what we need to help us in our lives and that's why it's so vital to get in our Bibles every day. There is so much help to us as we go through our days. No matter what we are going through, God is there for us and He gives us reminders of His love, grace, and guidance through our Bible reading. 

You can read this passage of Scripture online at Bible Gateway HERE

Thank you for coming by and reading all about what God is showing me! I hope it encouraged you today.

Blessings - Julie

He Has Mercy For Us!

I am so thankful for God's mercies! Doesn't it seem like when one difficult thing comes up, then more and more follow? I know I'm feeling overwhelmed by so many things right now but I try to remember that God has mercy on me. It's not always easy to remember that when the cares and worries of my world try to overtake me.

That's why it's so important to be in the Word of God each and every day. He meets us through our Bible and through prayer in a way that nothing else does. It seems like my brain doesn't always immediately go to the assurances of God but to the worries. I'm not sure why that is, but it is true of me. I can feel alone, sad, pressed under the weight of troubles but the minute I open my Bible and start reading, these things lift. I feel relief because I know I don't have to figure it all out on my own - I have Jesus who loves me with an unending love! He will provide wisdom and guidance - all I have to do is ask.

He has mercy on me when I get weighed down by troubles and will lift them each and every time when I turn to Him. Oh, how sweet our Lord is!

If you feel overwhelmed by things, turn to God. Get your Bible open and soak in His love and promises. I can guarantee that you will feel His love, comfort and mercy!

You are loved!

Blessings - Julie

Suffering Well

 

It can be lonely when you're dealing with the difficulties of life. Things change around us but we have a hard time accepting the change. People who were in our life are no longer there. Things we could do one day, we can't do the next. It can be so defeating to our minds and hearts. If too much happens, we can feel totally overwhelmed and unsure of how to move forward.

"You may never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have." - Corrie Ten Boom

 

 

There is someone who never leaves us. He is there. He knows what it's like to be in pain, to have your friends desert you, to have life change drastically from one day to the next. Jesus went through all these things - and more - and He has compassion for us in our traumas of life.

I won't pretend that it's always easy to remember this. I won't pretend that prayer comes easily when you're at your lowest point. It can seem almost impossible to even look up let alone send the words up to the One we want to talk to.

We have had a very stressful time in our home for the past three years and it has been amped up over the past five months. Everyone is feeling it - all of us are on edge - we are all struggling. We get past one thing only to be hit with something else. My health has not fully recovered yet and I've had four bouts of diverticulitis over the past 3 months. Now I'm facing making the decision to have another surgery because I can't keep doing this.

 

But the Lord....

 

Is there anything more beautiful than these three words? Yes, we can feel abandoned by others. Paul knew this feeling. He says in 2 Timothy 4:16, "At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me." Here was Paul, standing before a Roman tribunal and there was no one there to stand beside him. Not even to give him moral support. He was alone. In the next breath, though, Paul says, "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me..." (v 17) Like Paul, we are strengthened. However, what really comforts me - what really gives me strength - is the fact that the Lord STOOD WITH him. He stands with us, too, beloved. Can you picture God standing next to you? He has his arm around you, supporting you, standing beside you as if to say, "She is mine and I am with her." What beautiful strength is found in this picture!

 

Sometimes we don't need to think about moving forward. In fact, maybe God doesn't want us to move forward at our present time. Sometimes we are being prepared for something. Sometimes God is wanting us to rest. If like me, you're feeling beyond exhausted mentally and physically, you need to fill your depleting cup with God's Word. I have had times where even reading seems like too much so I listen to my audio Bible. There are so many great apps for listening to the Bible or you may have a set on CD. It's okay to listen rather than read - we are still being filled. I also find praise music to be so comforting. There are so many wonderful hymns or contemporary worship songs whose words comfort and the music is relaxing. Perfect for those days where we just need to hear from God through song.

As Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:18, " The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen." God WILL rescue us from evil. He does bring us into safety. Our eyes need to be on the prize of the heavenly kingdom and our hearts focused on Jesus. I don't know any other way to suffer well and that's truly what I want to do. To suffer well means to show my faith in Jesus and my trust in Him. My prayer is that in all things I would glorify Him even if it means to suffer well.

Blessings - Julie

Preparing To Move Mountains

Are you in a situation where you wonder if God can use you? Do you feel so tired - sleep so much - that you question where you really can be used in God's kingdom? I do. My body is still recovering and I am still in many situations that affect my day to day life. I don't have the energy I used to have or the stamina. I have to take a nap most days and, believe me, this doesn't make me feel like I'm doing much for my family and myself, let alone God. But guess what? This is not our truth! Everything is exactly how God had it planned and He is preparing us for great things.

The rest I find myself craving right now is healing my body and mind. It's allowing me to spend time listening to teachings and reading/listening to God's Word. I have never been able to listen or study the Bible this intensely before. I never had time! I was busy raising and schooling my children or busy working or volunteering at my church. I studied as much as I could but never could devote as much time as I would have liked. It was a real desire for me to be able to do this. I can do it now - it's just not the way I had envisioned it! lol God knows me, though. I don't know that I would have slowed down enough to really study the Word the way I do now. I do it because I want to, of course, but also because my body won't allow me to do much more of anything that is strenuous.

I get frustrated some days because I can't even do my studies. My mind won't comprehend what I'm reading or I'm even too tired to pick up the pen for my study. That's where the audio teachings I listen to are so invaluable. I have one of these speakers...

it's a Klipsch portable bluetooth speaker that I hook up to my iPhone and listen to Christian teachings and/or music. It's a powerful little thing that makes listening so much easier and nicer. I have several Apps that are my favorite and I will be doing a post about these Apps very soon. I listen during the day and, when I can't sleep, I turn on a teaching and it helps me to focus on God and not my pain or the fact that I can't sleep. This is such a wonderful thing about todays technology!

So, I am trying to relax, allow myself this time to sleep. I am focusing on the positive things - the progress I've seen in myself - because I know that God is using all this. The things I've been through and all the things I'm learning now are going to help me to move mountains for the kingdom of God. It's the same for you, dear friend. Remember what the Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:4 -

"He comforts us in all our affliction, 

so that we may be able to comfort those 

who are in any kind of affliction, 

through the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Be patient and gentle with yourself, my friend, and know that we will be moving those mountains in God's good timing!!

31 Days of Hope - October 6

It was such a cool, cloudy day today. We had quite a bit of rain and it was down right cold! I'm not complaining because I would much rather snuggle up in a blanket then try and stay cool during the hot months. I think I can say that Fall has finally, truly arrived here and I'm so glad!

You are my shelter and my shield;

I put my hope in Your word.

 Psalm 119:114

This Scripture speaks volumes to my heart and soul. I can attest to the fact that the more I put my HOPE in His Word, the more I feel His shelter. We can't really know who God is if we don't spend time with Him. We won't know that all HOPE is in Him or that He longs to shelter us. 

I love the story in the Bible about the one, little lost sheep. 

What man among you, who has 100 sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the 99 in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep! ' - Luke 15:4-6 

This parable tells us that God rejoices over the one sinner that repents over the 99 righteous people that don't. However, when I read this story that Jesus shared, I also think of myself as that one little sheep. I am like that little sheep in that I have the tendency to wander away. Especially when I'm struggling with things and that is the worst time to wander away from the Lord. It's not something that I do intentionally, I think it's just human nature to try and "fix things" ourselves. However, when I get lost, God comes after me.  

I'm so thankful that God cares so much for us. He gives us HOPE when there doesn't seem to be any. He shields us and fills our spirit with HOPE and love that only He can give!

I wanted to share two pictures that I took today out my front window. They show perfectly the glory of the Lord in His creation. 

Many blessings - Julie

31 Days of Hope - October 5

It's another day of HOPE! Can I just tell you how thankful I am for God and how He meets us right where we are? If we're in a pit, He's there. If we're on a mountain top, He's there. All I have to do is reach out to Him and He quickly puts His hand out to me and draws me in.

Rest in God alone, my soul,

for my hope comes from Him.

Psalms 62:5

I have been resting my spirit these last few days. Feeding my soul with the Word of God and giving it the nourishment it craves. I am feeling so much better! I spent all day yesterday with Beth Moore on a simulcast based on her book, Audacious.  Oh, my...that woman can testify! I have page after page of notes written down and I know when I watch it again, I'll have even more notes. If you get a chance to read her new book, do it! 

I love that the more I dig into the Bible, the more I have my quiet time listening to God, the more I pray, the more HOPE I have. I actually feel quite silly when I realize that had I been putting God first, I probably wouldn't have lost HOPE in the first place. God is a bottomless well-spring of grace and love and HOPE! We just have to dip into this life giving spring!

I want to share with you a little face that has given me happiness and joy when I have had hard days. 

MITZI

I think the Lord gave me this precious little girl to help me remember He loves me unconditionally. She definitely loves me unconditionally! She is so funny in that she just can't stand it if she's not with me every minute of every day. If I do have to go out to the doctor or such, she chews me out royally when I get home. lol She has times where I have to go out with her because she won't go outside with anyone else. Oh, this sweet thing...I just love her so much!

I've come to realize that HOPE is tangible. Not only do I feel HOPE because Mitzi is a physical showing of HOPE, I can reach out to God in prayer and, through His Word, and that HOPE is there. It's felt, it fills the soul! I pray that you will feel that HOPE in very real ways through Jesus, who loves you and gave everything to give you HOPE. Through Him, we have the greatest HOPE of all - eternal life with the One who created HOPE in the first place. 

Blessings - Julie

Following God's Plan!

I really don't know how I would get through everything that I've been through in the (almost) six months without God. I can guess because I used to walk in my own strength, and quite frankly, I was a huge worrier and just would obsess about what "could happen". No more. I have such trust in the Lord, that I can rest my weary self in His arms and just deal with what happens moment by moment.

I'm not going to say that I'm just this "happy go lucky" girl but I'm not depressed or whiny either. I just have a calmness that only the Holy Spirit can give. I think the biggest issue I'm having right now is that I'm so tired! I'm having to get up early (for me) to do my push meds and IV's and then I have to do them again at night. I start them at 9:30, AM and PM, but the IV drip takes over 2 hours to finish, so I go to bed late and then have to get up and start them again. This is all new to me, but I'm getting it down and have a routine now.

Here's the biggest change I've seen in myself. I am realizing it's okay to do the things I want to do and I don't have to do all the things I don't. Most of my life, I've done things others have expected of me or demanded of me and I'm totally done with that - like toast.  I'm so tired of doing things that I don't want to do anymore. I'm realizing that if I had died, I wouldn't have done so many things I really wanted to do because I was so busy pleasing others or doing things that I thought I *should* do. How incredibly stupid!

I'm not talking about the every day things that we all have to do that we're not crazy about - like cleaning the kitchen or bathrooms. Those things are a must to live decently and healthy, in my opinion. I'm talking about working at something you hate or doing something you despise because someone else expects you to do it. Or giving up dreams because you don't think you can do it or your scared. Or no one in your life believes you can do it. What gives anyone the right to tell us our dreams are dumb or what we want to do is not worthwhile or right for us?

I'm making a conscience effort to let certain things go that I don't want to do anymore. I'm really figuring out what it is I want out of life and I'm going for it! I can't do a lot right now, but I can definitely plan. I'm writing down things that are important to me like getting deeper into my Bible and really understanding what God's Word means. What it means for my life. What God is telling me through His Word. Writing more, but what I want to write about. Painting and designing, but what I want to paint and design. What God puts on my heart - what His will is. That's what I want.

It feels so good to realize I can make these choices. It's a freedom I've never felt before because I'm finally realizing that it's best to follow God's plan. Not someone else's plan -  not my own plan - but God's plan. He is speaking through the Holy Spirit, to my heart, and there's nothing as beautiful or as glorious as knowing that God put certain things on my heart because He made me special and unique, just like He did you. Following His plan is the perfect plan and that's exactly what I'm going to do!

Blessings - Julie

Sunday Thoughts

For a person who is not feeling well, is in pain, or is dealing with any kind of hardship, there can be some very difficult days where you have a hard time keeping your eyes on the Lord and not on your circumstances. I've noticed this especially since I've had this knee operation that turned into a cut artery that turned into an 18" bypass. Many of you know about this, but I wanted to share my circumstances for any new readers out there. Add in the fact that my sweet little Yorkie is dying of cancer and you have the perfect formula for wanting to focus on the negative.

I'll be honest, I've had some really horrible days. Days where I've ranted and raved about what is happening. Questioning the why of it all. My very patient husband has listened but then gently reminds me that the Lord loves me, is in control, and has always blessed us beyond measure. I'm so thankful for this man who keeps me grounded in the Word and helps me to focus on what the reality is. The heavenly reality - not the earthly reality.

The things of this earth will pass away. The Lord tells us,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Instead of focusing on all that has happened to me and is happening now, I have to spend time in God's Word. When I don't, I become angry and too focused on this earthly stuff. Yes, it's horrible what happened to me and it's horrible what's happening to my sweet Holly. However, when I put it into perspective of the horribleness that my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, went through when they ridiculed him, beat him, and then nailed him to the cross, it doesn't compare. He went willingly, for me and for you, to give us eternal life so we can share in the heavenly blessings when Jesus comes back for us in the Resurrection. 

If you're going through a hard time, like me, I encourage you to keep a journal where you can vent (or if you have a patient family member, share your feelings with them) and then get right back into the Word of God. It's the only thing that will calm your heart and comfort your emotions.

God bless you on this precious Lord's day!!

Blessings - Julie