As always, your prayers are appreciated!

I wanted to write down (type out) some of my thoughts that have been floating through my head about this verse that I came across during a group bible study:

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Often times, Christians wonder why they can’t hear God or see Him in their day to day routines. I know I do. It’s upsetting when we desperately want to see some sort of sign that “all is going to be okay” or that our “steps are ordered” by Him for us. When that sign is nowhere to be found, we sometimes question it. What we should be focusing on is our relationship with God the Father.

God can’t speak to us if we don’t know Him. It’s not a flaw in Him, but in us.

It’s just like life here on Earth. We can’t will ourselves to talk to someone we’ve never met, seen, or come into contact with in any way. It’s not possible. Likewise, God rarely talks to those who aren’t available to listen to Him. Perhaps it’s not a conscious decision to be distant from God. Maybe you’re desire is to seek him, but you aren’t open to experiencing him completely.

That’s how I’ve felt lately. I have so many things going on. I’ve got school, chores, and a new baby to attend to…my writing career (no laughter please) is completely on hold as I have absolutely no time to put coherent sentences together. I joined a bible study group because I felt as if I wanted to know my Father more deeply, to experience Him in a way I haven’t in a long time.

Just to solidify my thoughts on knowing God and focusing on Him more, I read:

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.” – Isaiah 26:3

This got me thinking about all the distractions I have in my life that often send my daily bible study to the back burner-

*facebook, blogs, email

*bottles, diapers, laundry, kitchen

*homework

These are things that I needn’t stress over. God is my Provider in every way. Somehow…each week…these things get done. What doesn’t always get done is my close, personal time with God. What a shame! This is something I want to work on. I want to be steadfast in my thoughts of Him. I want to love his commands and obey them wholeheartedly. I want to open myself to hearing from God again.

Join me?

Love,

Mrs. K

Almost daily, I find myself asking God to refocus my heart and mind to Him. This morning was no different. As I sat on my couch, with the sun shining through the blinds, I just closed my eyes and tried to think only of Him. Why is that so hard sometimes? To Do lists start floating through my head and pretty soon I have to start over again.

My life is much more fulfilling when I forget about the things of this world. All the books surrounding me didn’t matter. The candles, picture frames, and decor that decorate my mantle and that I deliberated on buying months before mean nothing to me. Our furniture, our beautiful house, my future plans- none of these are any good without Christ in my life. It’s refreshing to remember from time to time. In Christ alone- He gives me life.

Psalm 124:

What if the Lord had not been on our side? Answer, O Israel! “If the Lord had not been on our side when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us alive in their furious anger against us; then the flood would have carried us away, the water would have covered us, the raging torrent would have drowned us.”  Let us thank the Lord, who has not let our enemies destroy us. We have escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap; the trap is broken, and we are free! Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  (Good News Bible)

When I think about the trials and misfortunes in my life, the people that I felt as if left the world too soon, the struggles I’ve faced alone, and all the other happenings I would deem negative, I only feel blessed. Why? Because, like the above chapter suggests, I would be in so much worse shape if my Father in Heaven weren’t with me during these hard times. I don’t know where I’d be, but I know it’s some place I never want to be. I believe that God never leaves us. Our hardships aren’t punishments, they are tests in faith and character. God once told Moses, “I am who I am.” This, to me, means that our Heavenly Father is unchanging. He is there for each of us just as He was there for the Israelites, too. Not one miniscule problem in our lives escapes Him.

Reading this today brought me comfort. As many of you know, I’m pregnant! My husband and I are thrilled. I’m heading to the hospital today to see baby’s progress and hopefully get to find out the sex! Needless to say, I’m a basket full of nerves. I want to see my little man or baby girl and hear that all is well.

But if for some reason I don’t hear that news, I’ll just have to cling to God’s promise:

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

Will you join me in prayer for my growing family? I would really appreciate it!

Dear Friends,

 

It has been said that if Christians and Jews really understood the full extent of the power available through prayer, we might be speechless.

Did you know that during WWII there was an adviser to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England , for its people and for peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America.

If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know others who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.

Please forward this to your praying friends.
You don’t have to sign on, or sign up – just pray, and ask your friends to join you in prayer.

After all, the bible says in Matthew 18:20- “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”Also, in 1 Timothy 2:8- “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.”And Mark 11:24- “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Our nation does need our prayers despite whatever political beliefs you may hold and praying for our troops, specifically, has and will always be near and dear to my heart. If you’re in Alaska with me that’s 5 PM sharp! I hope you can make it. Set an alarm on your phone so you’ll remember. It’s too easy! I’m not sure if I’ve ever posted this song before but it was on my heart today so I wanted to pass it along.

Lord, Turn me into the wife he needs, the servant you deserve, and the person I want to be- if it may be your will. Amen.

Please forgive my absence here lately. I could use some prayers and I know all of you are good for it!

I’ll write soon.

-Mrs. K

Today, I opened my bible to Psalm 1: 1-3

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

I don’t know about you, but when I think about the person I want to be, the person I think God wants me to be- it seems so simple. That life would be enjoyable, wonderful, perfect. If I close my eyes and picture that woman, she has many characteristics. Some of these, I possess and others, I do not. It seems too easy, but I catch myself shying away from this person in my day to day life.  I guess that’s the struggle of being human. What gives me hope is the part in the above scripture that says “his (her!) delight is in the law of the Lord”. That’s what matters, isn’t it? It matters to God that we focus on his word and that we love learning more about Him. I can tell you that when I’m studying God’s word by myself or with my husband or with a study group, these times are precious ones. I feel happy- like I can do anything with God. I think that’s how he wants us to feel.

If we have a thirst for God then we’re headed in the right direction. It’s not enough to simply read the bible, but to study it and apply it to our lives could change everything. Will you pray for me for this very thing today? I would appreciate it

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves…He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does”. James 1:22, 25

This is quite possibly my favorite praise and worship song. May it inspire and bless you today!

“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and his ways past finding out.” (NKJV)

Many times we forget that Jesus walked among us, he was a real person who experienced joy and life. He also experienced suffering beyond what any of us could imagine. When things don’t go as planned in our lives, we often adapt the ‘poor, pitiful me’ outlook. We become a version of our teenage selves- you know, the time period when the world revolved around us. No one could possibly know how we’re feeling or what to do about the predicament. We feel alone yet we feel all eyes are on us just waiting to see what we’ll do with this obstacle. I know I’m not the only one who has ever felt this way.

Jesus experienced the ultimate suffering imaginable. Why not turn to him in times of trouble? The words that stuck out in my mind in the above verse were “depth” and “unsearchable“. I think we too often forget how beautifully complicated God can be. He knows us so fully. As Billy Graham said, He’s capable of seeing the past and future just as clearly as the present. We do not always know His master plan for our lives because it can be beyond our understanding. It can be so intricate and deep that we may not see where we’re being led. We may be so confused that His will seems unsearchable, but He leads us still. He reveals to us what we need.

12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Have you ever thought that if you could just change your mind about something then your whole life could change? This is one of those instances. Trusting in God through your sufferings, acknowledging how His suffering can relate to and change you, and simply deciding every day to hand over your problems to God–THAT will change your life.

Paul says to be wed to what is good. If you wake up every single day and, in a sense, marry your Savior- decide to rededicate yourself fully to Him, He can comfort you and keep you strong in every shortcoming, every struggle, every suffering that comes your way.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

I’ll be honest, I so often find myself praying for things I want instead of for His will in my life. I do try to change it when I realize it, but I know I do not always catch myself. The first verse is about complete submission. It’s about handing my entire life, my body, my thoughts, my heart, everything- over to God. How many times have I forgotten to do that this week? Verse two talks of a transformation of self with both eyes turned to God. Why is it difficult to think first of Him and His will for my life instead of my own selfish wishes?

Last Sunday at church, the pastor asked us to fill in the blank for this sentence:

“It’s just like me to be _____________.”

You’ll likely come up with both good and bad traits. Immediately these come to mind for myself- nice, lazy, nervous, frustrated, happy, etc. The list could go on and on. How would Jesus answer this question, though? By throwing out the negative answers to what “it’s just like me to be”, I could be more and more like my savior. Doesn’t that sound impossible, though? That’s what we’re asked to strive for despite how hard it may sound.

The verses that follow 1&2 give me hope, though. They tell me that I’m special. They remind me that I do have strengths that I can use in my Christian walk and that I’m never, ever alone. I feel as if God is telling me that writing is one of them. I’m not the most eloquent speaker nor am I a writer with perfect punctuation or sentence structure, but I can share God’s word this way. I can’t sing for the life of me, but I can make a joyful whisper We all have gifts that are God-given. What are yours? What do you want to work on?

This is what I want-

“It’s just like me to be chasing after the will of God.”