Don’t Forget To Remember…

❤️ Purposefully remembering what God has done is a powerful practice. Remember what God has done, who God was and is, and what He has said He will do.

❤️Developing a practice of remembrance will keep our minds fixed on God, and keep our hearts connected to His grace.

❤️So what are some of the things you can purposefully reflect on and thank God for? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

❤️Remember He sent His one and only son to die for your sins and for the sins of the world.

❤️Remember He created you and this world, and praise Him for it.

❤️Remember He has filled you with His Holy Spirit to remind you of His words and transform you into the likeness of Jesus.

❤️Remember the grace and love He has for you.

A prayer for forgiveness:

God, please forgive me for the mistakes I’ve made. I know I mess up sometimes, but I know You are a Father who forgives His children. As I move forward, help me to learn, grow, and change for the better. Because of You, I am made new and my mistakes do not have to define me. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“You forgave the guilt of your people— yes, you covered all their sins. ” Psalm 85:2

#YouVersionBiblePrayerTeam #YouVersionBibleApp

Advertisement

Resting in His Finished Work

20140512-125812.jpg

In Psalm 23:2 when David says, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures”—he’s saying, “My shepherd makes me lie down in His finished work.” With His own pierced hands, Jesus created a pasture for the soul. Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of the shepherd when, with work completed, he sees his sheep rest in the tender grass? Can you imagine the satisfaction in the heart of God when we do the same?

His pasture is His gift to us. This is not a pasture you have made. Nor is it one you deserve. It is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Your Shepherd invites you to nestle deeply hidden, buried, in the tall shoots of His love—and there you will find rest.

From Traveling Light, Max Lucado

20140512-125112.jpg

When Things Don’t Go As Planned

20140313-035219.jpg

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. T’s crossed. I’s dotted. You even prayed about it and was sure things were going your way. There was peace. There was joy. And then the door slammed shut. Hard. 

I had this happen to me a few weeks ago. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I prayed. I lamented. I asked GOD to show me the lesson. What did I miss? What did I need to learn from this?

Maybe you had a dream vanish, a relationship suddenly go south, a friendship ran its course, a deal went sour, and big plans fell through. Maybe you were in the middle of something great and God called you to move out of it. Or maybe for you it was bunch of little things that together, became seemingly unbearable. 

God moves in ways we seldom understand. We must let go of judging the situation as failure. Couldn’t it actually a blessing? 

What??

Yes.

GOD has an awesome way of redeeming the broken situations and the hurting people and creating something beautiful from it.

 

Here’s a few examples: 

He took a team conflict between Paul and Barnabas and created two successful ministries instead of one. 

He used Joseph’s forced exit from his home to deliver two nations from starvation. 

After Peter publicly rejected Jesus three times, God made him the founder of the modern church.

When Jesus’ earthly father Joseph relocated out of concern for their lives, a prophecy was fulfilled that verified Jesus as God’s Son.

Don’t misjudge the situation as loss. We are super conquerors in Christ. Once we let go of judgment, we find freedom from grief, anger, and disappointment.

There’s nothing like change to reveal how we truly handle change. How many times do we kick and scream against it? With our carefully marked itinerary in hand, we get mad and try and take back control. 

There’s a popular saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” I don’t think God would ever maliciously laugh at us, but I do think He wonders why we thought we had the right to determine our course in the first place. 

Who’s plan do we operate by? 

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” Proverbs 16:9

Dealing with a change in plans requires us to have God’s thoughts as our focus. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24 that if we want to follow Him we must deny ourselves. Following Jesus requires a change in our plans. We must relinquish our desire to plan, scheme, and insist our way through daily surrendering our lives to Jesus. 

While salvation is secure through our Savior Jesus, the struggle to make Jesus Lord is a constant giving up of our plans for God’s plans. 

When your plans change, look for something unexpected. Look for something amazing that changes your course and gives way to God’s life-giving plans. Look for something that came about because of those changed plans.

Surrender. 

20140313-034325.jpg

Let God Overwhelm You Today

20140126-110525.jpg

I am your all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present Father.

You may feel lonely, but don’t believe it. You’re never far from Me.

I Am is always here – delighting in you, watching you, adoring you.

I know you better than you know yourself, and it brings Me great joy to show you My love. I pleasure in caring for you.

Come.

Let My love overwhelm you today….

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I am far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! Psalm 139:1-6

These are my notes from my devotion time today. His loving presence is wonderfully, fantastically, overwhelmingly, almost too much to handle. It makes you feel like you’re going to spontaneously combust! It’s miraculous. It’s where I crave to be all the days of my life.

Let God overwhelm you today.

Go ahead….invite Him in right now

Live Like Someone Left the Gate Open

20140115-050402.jpg

Good morning friends!

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalms 118:24 HCSB)


It’s a brand new day. It’s 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it. Decide that today is going to be different.

The enemy doesn’t want us in God’s Word because he knows what a warrior we become when we read and follow it. So, that’s where we need to be every day.

God has a blessing with your name on it. You always have a place to run to. Always. That place is God.

So jump up! Rejoice! Grab a delicious meal of scripture and time with God! And live today like somebody left the gate open!

Today’s a gift – that’s why it’s called the present 🙂

In All Things….Remember

20131208-125711.jpg

I’ve had quite the week. One child extremely sick and facing emergency surgery. Mom in another hospital facing the same thing. Me, coming down with bronchitis, sinusitis, and strep throat.

No matter what mountains we’ve faced this week….or will face in the future….one Thing remains solid.

His name is Jesus.

And those mountains?

They take one look at GOD and melt, melt like wax before earth’s Lord.

Whatever you’re facing, just remember who you belong to

Satisfied

20130802-070028.jpg

It’s going on 6:30am and I’ve been sitting for over an hour and half holding a sweet sick child as she struggles with a cold. She’s finally sleeping. Due to her severe neglect she has a lot of sensory processing disorder issues and developmental delays that GOD is healing. Amen! This causes some confusing feelings in her especially when she doesn’t feel well. She and I are very close and when anything goes on, happy or sad, she wants Mama! She and I spend a lot of time together. She trusts me. We have a kind of “short hand” between us. I know what she needs faster than anyone just by a look, or a sigh. I can read her quicker than she can read herself. I know her. I’ve spent a lot of time studying and listening to her. My voice brings her confidence when she is confused by the messages her little world is sending her. Just the sight if me makes her relax. She often says, “I need you, Mama.”

I am blessed.

As I studied and reflected this week on Psalm 63 and the deep satisfaction GOD brings into our lives….His love, mercy, faithfulness and provision moved me. As soon as David woke he was aware of his need, his deep thirst for GOD. Even more so than the need for a drink. David was in the wilderness and knew thirst.

Because he had spent time with GOD in his life before the wilderness came, he knew GOD. Really knew Him. Our GOD is faithful. He knew GOD could quench his thirst, satisfy his hunger, fulfill his every longing. And, when GOD satisfies it isn’t with a quick snack. No, it’s a satisfaction from rich, solid foods that fills you up full and gets you through this thing. GOD knows David better than David knows David; knows what he needs better than he does. He holds David steady no matter how shaky the ground feels beneath his feet. One glance in the eyes of Daddy relaxes David. David has strength and confidence in a mighty, loving GOD Who is passionate about him. Who pursues HIM. Who is consumed with HIS love for him.

GOD is that crazy about each one of us. As I sit here holding a sleeping child and know how deeply I love her. How much I gladly do for her. How I am passionate about the love I have for her; how much I want to fulfill every need, every hurt, every longing that she has, I am blessed and confident. Confident in knowing my GOD can and will do all of that and so much more than I can think of or imagine for each of us.

HE is here in each of our lives sweet sisters! THIS is our Daddy! HIS love is perfect and pure. HE knows us better than we know ourselves. And, HE is there. Right there in front of you. Behind you. Beside you. Rest in HIM. Drink HIM in. Dine with HIM. HIS love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on you.

Blessings and love to you all xoxo.

In His Peace,
Christy

*I’ve been away from you dear friends and I’ve missed you. I’ve been away writing. I’ve written over one hundred daily devotionals that I will begin to share with you here soon. GOD is GOOD!

I’ve also been busy helping and organizing our growing ministry. GOD has truly blessed and we know HE will bring more to us. Things have also been very busy at home. We have children moving into full time ministry across the world from us, and traveling around busy with ministry here, and training up our newly adopted little one in the way she should go so that when she too is older, she won’t depart from it (Proverbs 22:6) . When you give your kids to GOD HE says ok, and we submit!

The Ultimate Sweet Spot: Friendship With God

20130131-082125.jpg
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4


David discovered a truth and shares it with us: if he finds his life’s delight in the Lord, all his desires are fulfilled. To delight in someone is to find joy in their presence, to welcome their unique qualities and to express pleasure in their company. When we make the Lord the object of our delight, spending time in His presence and reveling in His character, our deepest heart’s desires gradually align themselves with His own. Soon, what we want is what He wants—-and how delighted He is to honor our heart’s desire by keeping us in the center of His will…..and the center of God’s will is the ultimate sweet spot.

When we have a right-standing relationship with God we have a life of freedom, liberty, and delight….you are God’s will. And all your common sense decisions are actually His will for you, unless you sense a feeling of restraint brought on my a check in your spirit. You are then free to make decisions in the light of a perfect and delightful friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will lovingly produce that sense of restraint. Once He does, you must stop immediately -Oswald Chambers

There’s nothing this world can offer that can beat what it feels like to be right in the middle of God’s presence. Moses knew that, and thats why he didn’t even want the promised land with all its glory if God wasn’t with Him.

There’s also nothing like the feeling of being out of His will for our lives. I’ve been at a place where I knew God didn’t want me to be. The spirit rose up in me and said, let’s get out of here. The worse part about hell is being completely away from God. Being away from God in this life is hell on earth.

Being with God is what allows us to escape the fiery furnaces of life without even the smell of smoke on our clothes! Being with God is where armies are defeated, lives are changed and victory is won…..even when it seems all is stacked against us. Being with God is where the anointed power of God rests. Being with God is indeed the ultimate sweet spot.

Directions For What Path To Go On, And The Steps To Take To Get There

20121205-064119.jpg
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. (Psalm 119:105,106)

God’s word both directs us on which path to go on, and what steps to take to get there.

I love thorough planning. I like to have a plan in place but then be very fluid within that plan; allowing for His divine appointments and His Spirit to move. When working with a team I like to be thorough and simple in my instructions….here’s what I want you to do, and here’s how I want you to do it.

The light of His word exposes truth and righteousness…..sheds some light on the subject for seeing ahead to what’s coming down my path, and what I’m doing in the right now

His word exposes the right direction, while keeping us sure footed, preventing us from stumbling or stepping into a trap…..or entangled in false values (sound familiar? Been there? Done that? Me too…and I didn’t like it and I’m not doing that again!). On such a path there is no danger but a heritage and joy. The guidance of the Lord’s instructions allow us to rightly divide right and wrong.

God loves us. He’s safe and we can trust Him. Firmly vowing to follow His word and plan for our lives is definitely a step in the right direction. If we love Him, we will want to obey Him (John 14:15). We have a powerful tool to guide us in obedience–His word.

Here it is:

If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’ll keep getting what we’re getting………..

…………If we don’t like what we’ve been getting, then we need to stop doing what we’ve been doing


There’s a new day dawning. Firmly…..I said, firmly this time……vow to trust God for a change and follow Him.

God’s Memory Loss: He says no more and He means it

For I will be merciful to their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins. Hebrews 8:12


The Message translation says it this way:

…..kindly forgiven, with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean

When God forgives you of your sins, and then the next day you bring it up……

He says, What are you talking about?

When He says He remembers no more, He means it….and that’s it

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

This YouTube video says it so beautifully. I just never get tired of it. Check it out here

If you are reading this, and you feel that pressure…..that dread that comes when you’re not sure if you died today, that you’d go to heaven, be sure right now. Go to this link: Settle It. Come back to this post and let us know about it. Nothing but love and support here.

I love you deeply. Walk freely forgiven with the King.

20121109-063517.jpg

Continue reading