3 Sources of Energy

Couldn't we all use a little more energy everyday? Here are three things that help me immensely.

#1 EmergenC. I usually crash around 3 or 4pm each afternoon but I'm on a very limited diet of caffeine (not counting chocolate!) so I've found that drinking an EmergenC this time of day always helps me get the little boost I need to finish the day strong. Drinking water all day long helps too!

#2 GIVING in some way always helps re-energize me! Acts 20:35 says that it is better to give than to receive and Galatians 6:10 tells us to be mindful to be a blessing. I'm always on the lookout for ways I can be an encouragement to others. I have made a personal commitment that if the opportunity arises to pray with/for someone or to give a word of encouragement, I will take it. This one simple decision has made such a difference in my quality of life and I have already decided in advance how I'm going to respond to these situations so I don't need to fuss about it when they come up! I also enjoy baking little treats to give away or finding fun gifts or cards to give to friends when inspiration strikes. I keep to a $10 and under budget and dollar bins are GREAT!

#3 JUST DO IT. I think those people at Nike are on to something. I find that sometimes I just need to get off my patootie and start cleaning, cleaning, cleaning or whatever task I've been avoiding. Once I get going, I find energy to keep going. In fact, sometimes my hubby has to tell me to stop already and take a break! "A job begun is a job half done." Sometimes, we just need to get started. Making good decisions perpetuates making more good decisions because we reap the immediate benefit of feeling good about ourselves and how responsible we are being. Feeling good about myself gives me energy! Plus I like checking things off my list. :O) "A merry heart doeth good like medicine (or an energy shot, I say!)." Proverbs 17:22 *Oh, and whenever I mess up, I preach the gospel of grace to myself, read the Word out loud, and lighten up on myself. Otherwise, I might fall into a pit of despair and that's gonna do nobody any good at all.

The perfect house.

"In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. (Side note: I LOVE that Jesus does not omit things from us.) I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:2,3 NKJV

I dream about the perfect house. I spend time on Pinterest just looking at pictures of things I love and would want in my dream home. Outside of my hubby, having a dream home is perhaps the thing I want most in this life. But, God is realigning my priorities. After all, He's worthy. And that doesn't just mean worthy of my praise, it means He's worthy to have the final say so. Worthy to interrupt my life and do with it as He pleases. Worthy to govern it as He sees fit.

This is a new, well, fairly new concept for me. He spoke it to my heart a few years ago and it's taken this long for to me to be a willing participant. LOL! Oh how we fight our flesh!

The truth is I want security, comfort and beauty. All three of which are most certainly found in Jesus Christ. I see now that my desire for the perfect home is simply a desire for these three things. God is taking my desire to look upon beauty in this life and exchanging it for looking upon the beauty of His Son, Jesus.

"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and insistently require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord (in His presence) all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty (the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness) of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple." Psalm 27:4 Amplified

I think our quest to possess beauty in this life, whatever form that may take, often lands us in a heap of trouble.

"Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh (craving for sensual gratification), the lust of the eyes (greedy longings of the mind) and the pride of life (assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things)--these do not come from the Father but are from the world itself. And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever." 1 John 2:15,16 Amplified

Yet, when we surrender our desires to God and trust Him we can know true freedom. I have found this simple formula soooo beneficial to my life and ultimately, to my peace of mind: If God wants me to have it, I will have it. If not, it's because it's not what is best. God ALWAYS wants what is best for me. He has the greatest depth of character, the most amazing amount of goodness and generosity in His heart. He promises He has good thoughts, good intentions and good plans for me.  (See Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:17,18) I am confident of this because I KNOW HIM. I have become convinced of His goodness and have faith in it.

So if I never have my "dream home" in this life it's ok because:

"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 and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21 NASB

                                                                            AND

I have the perfect house in heaven that my Jesus is preparing just.for.me.

Note to self:

Our instant gratification society has done me a disservice. I am disillusioned about the idea of being in process and disappointed when I don't do things perfectly the first time. God never leaves my side when I experience hardship nor does He stop loving me, as I sometimes conclude, when I endure trials or suffering. He knows the best path for the best outcome. And He's proud of me when I have the courage, and what sometimes feels like the audacity, to step out and test my wings, learning from every mistake and being perfected through the practice of trial and error.

I don't expect our kids to just stand up and walk without going through a process first. And I don't scold them when they fall. I cheer them on at every single little step and encourage them to keep trying until they get it right. So it is with my Heavenly Father towards me. 

Be confident in His love. Try. Make mistakes. Fail. Learn and put it into practice. But keep coming back to Him until you get it right. He who promised is faithful. Faithful to complete the good work He started in you. The emphasis is on Him anyways, not you. His goodness. His faithfulness. His ability to transform. He is the Potter, I am His clay. So get your eyes off yourself and fix them on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith. Set your mind on things above and run as one aiming to win the prize.

Light of the World.

To celebrate Christmas I have begun praying a simple prayer: that Jesus would be exalted in my heart. As you observe the season with loved ones, here are just a few scriptures to lift you up and remind you that there is One who is the Light of the World and our source of joy and peace. May the light of Jesus shine in your hearts and spill over with joy on all whom you encounter.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

"The Lord bless you, and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine on you,

and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance on you,

and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?"

Psalm 27:1a

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end."

Isaiah 9:2,6,7a

"In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men."

John 1:4

"For He Himself is our peace..."

Ephesians 2:14a

"Then Jesus spoke to them saying, "I am the Light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the Light of life."

John 8:12

"For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God  in the face of Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 4:6

"I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."

John 12:46

"This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 

1 John 1:5

Lovingkindness and truth.

Psalm 25:10 "All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies."

Psalm 40:11 "You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me."

Psalm 57:3 "He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches Him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and truth."

Psalm 61:7b "...Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve me.

Proverbs 16:6 "By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for and by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil."

All of these are out of the NASB translation.

As I study the Word I sometimes see themes or re-ocurring phrases that intrigue me. I'm a list person so I just wanted a place to start compiling. Maybe these shall minister to you as they do me. I'm sure there are many more, I just haven't discovered them yet.

R.O.I.

Recently I read an article, which I've pasted below, called "Your Children Want You." In conjunction with that I wanted to share a thought I've been thinking on for awhile. My mother-in-law, who has such a great way with kids, has always told me to cherish the time they are little because it goes by so fast! True, true!

When it comes to parenting, I feel in a little over my head. Way over my head some days! I've always found it amusing that you can never be fully prepared to be a parent and if there was ever a job you wouldn't want to learn on the go it'd be this one! But I think God has a sense of humor and wants to let us know that really we can't do it on our own and must rely on His help. After all, they're His kids too! ;o)

A few years ago the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that I had a very short but distinct window of opportunity to win the heart and affection of my children and to take it! Now granted, they love me and their dad from day one, that goes without saying. But I mean to win their trust and devotion so we don't lose them later in life when it counts.

I remember sitting at my computer, probably on facebook!, and my oldest daughter was tugging on my arm asking me to look at something she was doing. She is always looking for my enthusiastic encouragement and hearty approval of anything she is doing but I kept shrugging her off telling her I'd be there in a minute. As clear as day I got a kind but firm rebuke from the Holy Spirit: if I kept putting her off as had become the pattern she would one day do the same to me. I had a flash forward in my mind to her as a teenager wanting to do her own thing without us instead of loving and valuing family time. And I had to think that my actions now echo into those all important years and beyond. I took mental stock: How many times do I say no when I could say yes? How many things do I put a priority on that could really be put off until later for the sake of engaging with my kids right now? Does my house need to be perfect or just good enough? What can I afford to lighten up about?

Kids really do spell love T-I-M-E. The best thing I can do right now is to get down on my kids level and play with them. Do puzzles, play blocks and playdough, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, sing songs, go on walks, be silly, let them help with chores even if it means more work for me, etc. Take an active interest in their life. I want my kids to learn first hand that mom and dad are their best friend. That they have our love and undivided attention. I want to put value on them now by caring about what they care about. So that they will listen when it's really important and trust us that we have their best in mind.

The hardest battle for me as a parent has been the laying aside of my wants/desires, giving up what I want to do with my time so I can give them what they need. We moms and dads get so little time for ourselves, and we need that to refresh, that's a given! But for the majority, let's use the "no greater love hath man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend" train of thinking and channel it towards our kiddos!

"Return on Investment" (ROI) is just another way of saying you reap what you sow. "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." 2 Corinthians 9:6 NASB

So commit to give generously. They really are little for such a short time and they are so much fun!

http://powerofmoms.com/2012/04/your-children-want-you/

I hate manipulation.

Jesus Christ is the greatest currency there is. The greatest that ever has been and ever will be. Tonight I found myself praying, "Jesus, just from my heart to yours, thank You for what You did for me. Everything you purchased for me and everything that gives me access to. It's mind-blowing. And I'm gonna take it and use it. And I know that pleases You."

Here's why I hate manipulation. It skews our perception of God. When we manipulate others and play games in our relationships, it messes with our ability to see God rightly. We don't truly believe that God wants us to USE every single last thing that Jesus Christ purchased for us when He died on that cross. And USE THE HECK OUT OF IT.

"IN HIM we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor which He lavished upon us....Ephesians 1:7 Amplified

I recently watched a teaching by Joyce Meyer about the phrase "In Christ." It speaks for itself. I've attached the link below. But here is the main quote that I drew from. "God doesn't see you, in you. He sees you in Christ. That's why when we pray in the name of Jesus we present to the Father all that Jesus is. "

MEDITATION: God sees me through the filter of Jesus Christ and all that HE IS.

http://www.joycemeyer.org/BroadcastHome.aspx?video=Identity_Theft_%E2%80%93_Pt_1