Tag: desires

Ready my Hands, Lord

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The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hands. Psalm 37: 23-24

Are your hands open or closed?

Ready or resistant to all God has for you?

Are you holding onto your life with close-fisted hands, unable to see past your today?

Often, when we close our hands to God, we place ourselves back in the driver’s seat.

Back in charge we remove God from the throne, resulting in our closed hands. Our grip closed too tightly on how we see our future. Our todays. And our past.

Why do we close our hands to God?

Fear of change. We tend to love routine, yes?

Fear of making the wrong choice. We all want to follow God’s plan, yes?

But closing our hands to God points ultimately to fear of completely trusting God.

We cannot see God sitting next to us on the couch, but He is.

We cannot see God moving in our life, but He is.

We cannot see God going before us, clearing the way, but He is.

God asks us to live with open hands to Him, allowing Him to move us closer to His loving arms.

When our hands are closed, gripping our own desires, we become closed to new things.

Closed to what God has for us.

Closed to the beautiful future God plans for us.

Look back at the faithfulness of God in your life.

Look at the many details He’s given, providing proof He sees and knows you.

As you fully trust God for your life, open your hands.

Release your grip tightened around your will alone.

And ready your hands as instead God pours His life into you.

Photos by Milada Vigerova, Andrew Moca, Eugene Chystiakov, Cristofer Maximilian, &  Patrick Fore on Unsplash

I Refuse

Published on by amylinnea1 Comment

..to allow my child’s negative attitude bring mine down to their level.

..to participate with fear when it whispers into my ear.

..to give worry any seat at my party when I know God holds my future in His capable hands.

..to withhold forgiveness from those who don’t deserve it.

..to filter life through a negative lens.

..to dwell on justified wrongs from others instead of living within my blessings from God.

..to participate with negative attitudes from those around me.

..to focus on what I don’t have, switching to all the blessings I do have from God.

..to agree with the lies from the pit of hell, instead purposing to agree with who God says that I am.

..to find my worth in ungrateful children who have not matured to what God has given them.

..to rely on the world to give me my worth in their terms.

..to define my value in the world’s unreachable standards.

..to stoop to the devil’s level as he tries to fill my head with destructive thoughts.

..to rely on myself, instead relying on God and His Holy Spirit to fill me with His power and all truth.

..to be a door mat, ignoring my God-given desires, quietly asserting my value within my home.

..to be ungrateful, instead smiling as I remember all the good things God has given to little ole’ me.

..to forget what my salvation has cost my dear Savior who sacrificed everything.

..to define parenthood on the ungrateful whims of children no matter their age.

..to seek my selfish desires above what plans God has for me.

..to expect more of others than they are capable; God is everything, filling in holes created by others’ lack of compassion or thought.

..to keep pursuing my own selfish ambitions, instead asking God what He has for me and my future.

..to listen to the devil as his only purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy all that I hold dear.

May God give us His strength to purpose our thoughts only on Him.

He is all that we need.

May God fill us up with His strength, power, peace, and love as we go forth spreading His purpose to others.

Listen, my friends, to our Lord, ignoring your flesh and the devil’s deception which foil God’s plans for you.

Photos Priscilla Du Preez, Drew Beamer, Miguel Bruna, Clay Banks, Heather Ford on Unsplash

God’s No

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You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. Proverbs 19:21

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Is God’s no His mercy towards you?

Is His answer of no an extension of His grace?

When we pray, we do not always get what we wish.

Our heart’s desires are not always given.

But isn’t that the mercy of God?

Doesn’t He know best?

Sometimes an answer to prayer is no.

No doesn’t mean God has forgotten you.

That He doesn’t love you.

Sometimes His great love is shown to you through an answer you do not want.

Through His no.

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So the next time His answer to you is no, remember His goodness.

His knowledge of time from the beginning to the end.

His desire to give you every good thing.

When Jesus prayed in the Garden for His suffering to be avoided, God said no.

It was no because God had greater things in store.

Jesus asked, but He also prayed for God’s will to be done.

God’s will done in your life might also mean no.

No for certain things.

But yes for others.

Pray for your heart to align with God’s.

So when His no arrives, you still expect nothing less then goodness from the heart of God.

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Point of Life

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Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2

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So, what is the point of life?

Why are we here?

What is our purpose?

I’m asking because I’d really like to know.

Do you ever feel as if it just doesn’t matter one bit what we do?

We can pour years into a marriage and they can up and leave or pass away.

We can pour our very life into our children and they can grow up and walk away- from you and every value you placed into their heart.

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I’m wondering about material things too.

Yes, I love a nice place just like you…

But it’s all completely temporary.

I think back to my size 4 self who thought it wasn’t enough.

5 pregnancies later and my mom body will never recover.

I can work hard for yet another masters, because I love education.

But I can’t take that with me either.

My only thought about this age old question of ¨what really does matter¨ is this:

It’s not about us.

Our desires.

If you look at my list up there, you’ll see it all points to me.

When we focus on ourselves, when we put all of our life eggs into the one basket of self, we will be disappointed when our basket of eggs is broken.

Or if our basket looks broken, yet is not, because it doesn’t meet our standards.

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So why did God even create us?

For love.

For Him.

If we focus on God and what He wants us to do, we will be content.

From the balcony of heaven, will it matter the color of my dining room?

Will it matter if I drive the car of my choice?

No.

How can God use us for His purposes so we can be content?

To give hope to others.

To heap love, too.

We live in a broken world.

But God’s redeeming love surpasses all else.

His never ending mercy and undeserved grace creates security.

Safety.

When people have no hope, they don’t feel safe.

When people don’t have love, they have fear instead.

And they’re not content.

So, what is the point of life?

To generously love others through the power of God.

If we can minister God’s love to others, we will be content.

Ask God who you can bless.

Ask God to be His vessel through which His love can pour out onto His children.

Because the one thing you can take with you to heaven is a friend.

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