Tag: focus

Trust and Lean

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

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Trust in the Lord.

You mean trust in my own strength, right?

No, trust in the Lord.

But I know what I want.

Need.

So does God.

In fact, He knows best.

He wants your best, sees your future, and will bring all things into fruition if you trust.

Trust in Him, not in yourself.

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With all of your heart.

All of me?

Even that corner that wants to do things my own way?

Yep.

Trust in the Lord with ALL of your heart.

And lean not on your own understanding.

I cannot trust my own understanding of my very own life?

But I know me better than God.

You do?

God created the mind with which you think.

He created your heart that beats, producing life.

He understands you more than you understand yourself.

So lean not on your own understanding.

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In all your ways, acknowledge Him.

All my ways?

Even when I want to go my own way, because I feel it’s best?

When I want to go down pity’s path?

When I want to follow my sour mood to worry’s house?

Yes.  In ALL your ways acknowledge Him.

And He will direct your paths.

Well, I do want Him to direct my paths.

When God directs my paths, He brings His perfect peace.

When I follow my own path, not trusting in Him, worry and dread are my companions.

But when I trust in the Lord with my whole heart, and trust not in my own way, God will walk with me and peace will be my companion.

Remind yourself how faithful God has always been to you.

And begin again, trusting Him every step of the way.

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Give Me Jesus

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I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

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When everything else is stripped away…

Give me Jesus.

When life doesn’t go according to plan…

Give me Jesus.

When you stand aghast at life swirling seemingly out of control around you…

Give me Jesus.

When you simply cannot comprehend what God is doing…

When you want what He has taken from you…

When your heart is bleeding from the pain of life…

Give me Jesus.

His peace and love will bring you comfort as you remind yourself Who is still on the throne…

Who knows the beginning from the end…

Who holds your heart in His hands…

Who died to save you.

Jesus.

Just give me Jesus.

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My Rock

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There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2

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Jesus is the Rock upon which I stand.

He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

He is evermore.

Everlasting.

Secure.

Safe.

He stands tall, unmovable, unshakable.

Even on stormy days, He stands fixed.

On my own, I waver with the wind.

My own strength fails me over and over.

Lies creep into my brain, training me to believe Satan’s identity of me instead of God’s.

There is more.

There is life.

Renewal.

Redemption.

Restoration.

When I hold onto Jesus’ hand, clasping His hand in mine –

His strength becomes my own.

His peace floods my soul.

His identity for me becomes my own.

Stormy days still come.

And will continue the rest of my days.

But holding onto God and clinging to Him changes everything.

His anchor keeps me grounded.

Grounded and rooted in love.

His love.

Choose to grasp His hand and dwell in His love.

Choose.

Then once you have chosen Him,

Choose to stay.

Always.

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Clothed With Him

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The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

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In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.

We are nothing without Him.

Mere shells devoid of purpose or real change.

With Him, everything changes.

When we are clothed with His mercy, we give others compassion.

When we are clothed with His love, we give others significance.

When we are clothed with His forgiveness, we give others freedom.

When we are clothed with His peace, we give others rest.

He continually pours out His blessings to us, so we can spread His character to the ends of the earth, blessing others with Himself.

His mercies are new every morning.

His precious ways are counted among the saints.

Taste and see how God is good.

So very good.

Allow Him to fill you up with His goodness.

Every morning.

Watch His good news spread to the thirsty souls near you.

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Peace

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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

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God wants me to be at peace and rest about everything?

Yes, because He commands us to not be anxious about anything.

Even my children?

Yes.  Even my marriage?

Yes.  Even the uncertain future with our broken world?

Especially, yes.

When God asks us to not be anxious about anything, He knows we are unable to do that in our own strength.

He provides the road map to peace.

With absolutely every piece of your busy life, pray about it.

Seek God’s face about each aspect of your life.

Thank Him for all He has done and will do for you.

When you pray and seek His will with a thankful heart, His peace will wash over you.

His peace, which passes ALL understanding, will arrive.

Not only will His peace arrive, but it will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

He will guard your heart against fear.

He will guard your mind against lies.

When you fully submit your requests to God with a thankful heart,  He will blanket your heart and soul with a peace which passes all understanding.

When you choose to give ALL of your worries to God, thanking Him for all He is, His peace will take over.

His perfect peace, which we cannot possibly understand.

When you give up control,

When you submit your will to His,

When you thank Him from the top of your head to the tip of your toes for all He has graciously given to you,

He will come, bringing His perfect peace.

He will come.

He wants to come.

He cannot wait to give you His peace.

Keep submitting and thanking, following His will for your life.

Every single day.

You will become radiant with His peace and what a witness that will be of Himself.

The world needs peace.

Only the peace of God will last and what if you, reflecting His perfect peace, could literally show the world a glimpse of God’s saving grace?

What a witness you will be.

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Quiet Your Heart

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He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Psalm 107:29

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Quiet your cluttered mind.

Remove the noise of life.

Stop running around with your endless lists.

Be quiet and be still…

Focus on God.

Look back at His faithfulness to you.

Read your list of details or blessings.

Believe in your heart the truth.

That beyond a shadow of a doubt, God is real.

Then you will know..

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God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

He was and is and is to come.

He created all things.

He holds the world and all of you in His hands.

That He is God…

So, be still and know that He is God.

Rest and trust.

Be.

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Stay the Course

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He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Those words were whispered to me today.

Stay the course.

Trust in God´s plan.

Knowing and believing He is in control.

Even when you´re confused about what to do…

Keep pursuing God.

When hope seems to die regarding your precious child…

Stay on your knees.

When bricks continue to fall on your head…

When life becomes too overwhelming…

Rely on God´s strength.

Allow God to flood your soul with His continual peace as you faithfully pursue His plan.

Stay the course.

God´s plan will unfold.

He will defend you.

In the mean time, stay the course.

Photos by Marcin Kolodziejczak,  Salomon Riedo, & niko photos on Unsplash

Still Loved

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The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Revelation 22:21

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I am trying, Lord.

I am trying, yet I am failing.

It seems as if I am failing, yet I know I am not.

I am trying to be who You want me to be.

To everyone I love.

To everyone I meet.

To whomever You place in my path.

But I seem to fail more than I succeed.

My needs jump right in front as top priority more times than I would like to admit.

Why can I not keep You first in my life?

When I look at others, why do I let myself block the precious view of You?

You are in my husband.

You are in my children.

You are in my students.

You are in the lady at the corner market.

You have given me countless opportunities to serve You every day.

Yet, no matter how much I want to serve You in my actions, I fail.

Falling down to serve myself.

My needs first.

I will keep failing and be filled with disappointment when I do not keep asking You to fill me up with Your wisdom.

Your strength.

Your love for every person.

We only have one opportunity for each momentary interaction.

One chance to look at the other person and see You.

May You remind us to love others with Your love.

May You remind us to speak life into others with Your love.

May we bless others through Your love as You have blessed us.

May we see others as You see them.

Your precious child.

And may we see ourselves that way as well.

Loved by you, flaws and all.

 

Walking Towards Whom

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All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

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Who are you walking towards for comfort?

Jesus?

Or Satan?

We are all walking towards one or the other.

Walking towards Jesus will give you life.

You may have momentary sorrow as you empty your selfish needs before His feet.

But that choice, choosing Jesus, will bring peace.

Life.

Walking towards Satan will bring death.

Maybe not immediate, and the feeling will be almost satisfactory.

But that choice will certainly bring death.

The absence of peace.

Regret in the morning.

Our choices in life bring us closer to one of them.

Our choices in life bring us closer to either Jesus or Satan.

Life or death.

Every time.

To whom do you walk towards….?

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Fresh Start

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Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24

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Do you ever wake up and declare this is the day?

This is the day I will become saintly.

Who God made me to be.

I can remember declaring this as a young girl.

Several times.

It would be my new fresh start:

From this day on, I will cheerfully obey my parents.

I will dutifully keep my room clean and treat my brother as a human.

I will keep my mouth shut and opinions to myself!

But on our own power, they are doomed to failure.

Doomed, actually, from the start.

They last mere moments.

However, when covered by God and His strength through us, we are destined for glory.

His glory will shine through us, touching precious souls.

I love fresh starts.

Declare today a fresh start.

Purpose to live for Him.

Cast every thought to God, focusing your mind on Him.

Lay every desire at His feet and let Him guide your steps.

Invite Him to do a mighty work in you, so you can be all that you can be and more.

Amen!

Photos by Mitchel Lensink & Charlotte Rush on Unsplash

Bless Your Mommy Heart

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He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Psalm 113:9

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As mothers, we wear our emotions on our sleeve.

We break our backs for our children, desperately crying out to God for their redemption.

Even if that’s not you and instead you have nieces or nephews or care deeply for other children, we all deeply love.

Sometimes, as soldiers, we become solitary, holding all the burdens in our tired hands.God wants to walk alongside you, helping you every step of the way.You can trust Him completely.

A gentle reminder from God for you this day:

I love your children even more than you can possibly imagine.  

They are mine.

I see them.

I know them.

I know their deepest sorrows and greatest joys.

I recognize their desires in life and I am present with them always.

Letting go of them is not easy, but as you do, remember I am God and I am their Father.

I hold them in the palm of My hand.

I will never leave them or forsake them.

When you lift them up before Me in prayer, rejoice that I am already working.

Rest, knowing I love them even more than you are able.

Their joys and sorrows are mine.

And as their future unfolds, I am already there.

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Our Focus

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Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Proverbs 4:25

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It’s not about me

or you.

Life.

Our lives are not to be lived for us.

Really?

Really.

Jesus is our focus.

Our lives should be lived for Him.

To realize His purpose.

To be used for His glory.

Sometimes life throws us a hard choice.

Our flesh screams no, but God’s spirit in us whispers yes.

We know.

Maybe if we remember why God put us here, we will listen to His voice first.

Because He is in every circumstance.

What does He want you to do?

And will you do it?

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Focusing on Jesus

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He said, “Come.”  So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Matthew 14:29

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When life is swirling around you, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Completely.

Step out of the boat and go.

When your focus is Jesus, He will provide all of your strength.

But the moment doubt pores in, you’ll sink.

Your focus will shift to you and your circumstances without God’s help.

Fear and panic will be your guide.

However,

The moment you turn back to Jesus and ask Him to step in, He will.

He will reach out His hand, continuing to guide you to safety.

Rescuing your heart and mind from death.

When Peter stepped out onto the water, his focus was not on the waves, the water, or his inability to walk on water.

His focus was on Jesus.

Only when the Peter began to rationally think about his circumstances instead of trusting Jesus, did he begin to sink.

But when Peter focused back on Jesus to save him, Jesus immediately stepped in.

And He will always do the same for you over and over again.

Every. Single. Time.

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