Saturday, April 30, 2016

Thanking You in the valleys....

Good morning all-

I've been blessed to be on my husband's business trip soaking in a little of Florida's beautiful sun and ocean scenes.  It's been a fun trip.  Honestly, my husband and I haven't been on a trip by ourselves since our honeymoon.  We had kids right away and we took family vacations, which were absolutely wonderful.  I can see though, that us spending time together, reconnecting and finding our way back to each other is even more wonderful.  When you take time to connect good things happen.

So I'm connecting and it's not just with my husband it's with my Lord and Savior.  I've learned a lot about how much time I actually was taking with God before, during and after my trial.  I can tell you I spent a little time with Him before, I ramped up and spent hours and hours with Him during the trial and now, I can say I'm spending some time with Him but it's different.  I find myself talking to Him throughout the day, thinking about the Scripture He gave me in the morning and going to bed thinking about all that He has done.  And as I wake every morning, I say, "Thank you."  It might not be about anything in particular but I'm just so thankful for my time with Him.

My biggest lesson learned this month, to believe in His will and have faith that He knows me and my circumstances.  Why you ask?  Because faith came from the trial and faith broke me of my idols and faith set me free from many of my fears.  I'm still a work-in-progress so don't hear me wrong.  It's just that I've learned to capture every negative thought, not believe in myself more than my Lord and really see things with His eyes not mine.  Hard lessons win great rewards.  My reward was to fall in love with my God stronger, harder and hopefully, deeper.

My greatest desire is to win the hearts of women for Him.  He has taken me through many journeys in my life and my love for Him has grown day by day.  Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the purification of my heart  and ministry more than the journey of the last year.  I have found Him in the valley and watched as He held my hand up the mountain, over it and to the promise land.  I know I have never loved Him more because now I need Him first thing in the morning and before I go to sleep at night.  Man has a way of infusing his own spin on life.  He believes he understands all things but no one does but God.  Jesus prayed for us, He gave us prayers to pray and He loved us unconditionally.  No man can do that.  Even if you can pray for your enemy, it's hard for us not to try to repair our reputation.  Jesus knew that on the other side of this world was peace, prosperity and grace.  He knew that the world we live in is evil and man's heart could be evil.  Even with all that, He laid His life down for us and gave us a heart to yearn for Him.

I've never yearned more.  I've never needed Him more.  And I've never been this thankful about anything in my life. It's hard for us to forgive. It's hard for us not to want all the glory and power.  We think we achieve that when we get to the top of our careers or make a bundle of money.  The truth is that true success means you trusted in Jesus to make you His steward and that every step was guided by His hand, not for our individual glory, but for His.

I hope this day finds you well and I hope no matter your circumstance, you seek Him mightily.  The only way to get through a trial is to hunker down, spend time with Him in reading and prayer and only look at today.  Looking out past today will only make you more depressed.  Tomorrow will come soon enough.

My heart is for you and every one of those that could hit this blog by accident.  We are all on a journey full of valleys and mountains.  Let's climb them together with our Savior.  Day by Day, step by step, we will reach the pinnacle if we trust Him with all our hearts.  I  leave you with the Scripture He gave to me this week.  It's a confirmation of my life's purpose and I am committed to see it through.



Isaiah 42:5-7 (NIV)

This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Nothing in this life is easy.  Whether you know God or not, you will go through trials.  However, when you know God, your trials bear fruit.  Something to think about today, don't you think? I want any hardship in my life to bear fruit for generations, don't you?  Be well my sisters and pay this prayer out loud.  We all should want to open the eyes of the blind!  In Jesus name we proclaim.

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