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Becoming

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“So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul – then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.” – Deuteronomy 11:13-15 

Moses was reminding the Israelites before they would enter the promise land to remember to follow God’s commands and not rebel as they did in the wilderness and the Lord will bless them.  

Have you ever had the thought that if you could just make it to your next goal, your next destination that everything would be better?  

In my life I have lived in moments where I thought that if I make it to the next milestone, to the next goal, when I get all these things, my life will be better. Several years ago, I was at a point in my life where I had a great job, in a leadership program for work, I was married to the guy I love and was finally debt free. Yet, my heart was in anguish, and I was confused on my purpose in life. I thought that I was at the point of arrival I had been praying for. 

I’ve been wrestling with this internal dilemma for years, and I started coming to the revelation that maybe the end destination isn’t the goal at all. It’s about the growth of who I am becoming within the process of getting to the next destination. 

Recently I was in a spin class, and our instructor made a comment that resonated with me, she said, “I am always in a season of growth.” For a moment I was like wait what, I’m not the only one and then she followed up with that she is continually growing that it’s not about the destination it’s about the growth. After that class in the car ride home, my mind started to think about the concept of growth and for some reason for me the Israelites are always what I think about when I think of growth. I think I resonate (not proudly) with dealing with the consequences of my actions and going against what the Lord has told me and recognizing my mistakes and coming back to him.  

While I think that God was 100% committed to saving the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, I think he also just wanted the hearts of his people to purely want him. Which is what he wants from us.  

The growth in our lives is the refining moments that get our hearts where they need to be in our relationship with Christ. Making it to the promised land didn’t mean that the growth was supposed to stop. It continued. In every season the Israelites had to listen and follow God. Just as God is asking the same of us.  

The wilderness taught dependence.  

The Promised Land required faithfulness.  

One season was about learning to trust God for daily manna.  

The next was about trusting Him while planting vineyards, raising families, governing a nation, and resisting the temptation to become like everyone around them.  

Sound familiar? 

The location changed.  

The need for transformation never did.  

We often imagine life in chapters:  

“Once I get married…”  

“Once I have children…”  

“Once the babies sleep…”  

“Once I’m healthier…”  

“Once I finally conquer this sin…”  

We expect arrival.  

But God seems far more interested in continual formation than final arrival. Every new season simply uncovers another layer of our heart that He wants to redeem.  

For me personally I struggle with the seasons of plenty like the Israelites because life seems to get a little easier, I start to feel like I can handle life on my own, whereas when I am in my wilderness seasons or harder growth seasons, I tend to depend more on God and listening to his word, diving in more for answers because he is my rock when I am not strong but yet I when life gets easier I tend to jump off the rock and start working on my own instead of being faithful to the rock that was there for me.  

I started reading more about the Israelites and in Deuteronomy 3:21-29 Moses is speaking about how the Lord told him that he would not be going into the promise land.  

Let’s be real if I was Moses, I would be begging the Lord to let me go in too. You asked me to lead this selfish group for 40 years to get to this place and we are getting there and I don’t get to go in? The Lord told Moses to go to the top of Pisgah and look at the land from there, but he would not be crossing the Jordan. Then the Lord tells Moses, “But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” The human instinct in me is to be mad for Moses, but the Lord had bigger plans. Moses had been through so much in 40 years, he had wisdom to share with Joshua but Joshua was the one God chose and when God makes those discissions do we tend to fight him about it or do what he ask of us and encourage the person that is taking over? Moses grew in those 40 years and the Lord used him to lead the people and that was what God intended for Moses.  

What about our own lives? What about when we have been prepping and pushing for one goal and the Lord says, no, not yet. It has happened to me more times than I would like because sometimes Morgan’s plans start to interfere with the plans that the Lord has for me.  

As I mentioned earlier, I was at a point in my life where I had been pushing my plans, the corporate girl, married wifey status and trying to make it all work but my heart was in anguish because I could feel God telling me, this isn’t the life that I have planned for you. You have been trying so hard to do your plan, you aren’t listening to me anymore. (ouch, gut check much?) Then I got pregnant with my son and God started to teach me Surrender in a whole new way that I never knew. (Link to that story here) Several months after he was born, I got pregnant with my daughter, and she was born 1 year and 4 days after my son. The first year of her life was extremely hard for me. The perfectionist in me to be the best mom, wife, employee, all the things to all people and God corrected my heart again and said I’m not asking you to be all the things to all people. I want you to be mine and if you can commit to me then the other areas of your life will align.  

Not saying that my life has gotten easier and problems disappeared, but they have become manageable because I see God instead of the problems and in all transparency not every day is like that but when I start on the right foot putting God first, it changes my perspective.  

Growth is a necessity in life, in our walk with Christ, in our relationships and in self-discovery but the thing that we have to realize is that while we may be putting in the work to change, God is the one actually making the change. He is the one that is making the muscle change and grow (he created our muscular system), the plants produce a harvest, (we plant it, he makes it grow out of the seed).  

Our life is not about arrival, its about becoming.  

Becoming who Christ is calling you to be.  

To become who Christ is calling us to be, we must look back at the Israelites and look in our own hearts and ask ourselves: 

  • What are the idols in our own life preventing us from getting to God? 
  • What weeds are in our heart garden and choking our growth? 
  • What is stealing God’s attention in our lives?  

Just as weeds steal sunlight, water, and nutrients from healthy plants, tolerated sin slowly steals our affection, our attention, and our capacity to hear God’s voice clearly. Not because God moves away, but because something else has begun occupying the space He desires to fill. 

So maybe the invitation isn’t to constantly strive for some impossible version of ourselves. 

Maybe it’s this: 

The Christian life is not one long journey toward finally arriving. It is one long invitation to continually surrender. 

The wilderness required surrender. 

The Promised Land required surrender. 

Exile required surrender. 

Restoration required surrender. 

Different landscapes. 

The same invitation. 

And perhaps that is what sanctification really is—not climbing a ladder toward God, but repeatedly opening another room of our heart and saying, 

“Lord, I didn’t realize this part still belonged more to Egypt than to You. Help me clear it out so there’s more room for Your life to grow.” 

Who is the Lord calling you to become? 

Lord, I thank you that, you love us so much that you will fight for us. You will save us when are drowning, you will lift us up and you are always there when we look for you. Lord our days are not perfect and I pray that for myself and anyone that reads this post will realize that you are more concerned about our hearts and refining our hearts to be more like you than you are about the destination we end at. Lord I pray that you will be with us like you were with the Israelites, that you will guide us and love us even on our worst days. Lord may the highest place we reach be at your feet and then we have done it all. We live in a world consumed about “making it” and you’ve never asked us to “make it” you ask us to come to you. May we come to you always. In your son’s name, Amen.  

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Light the Path

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Psalm 119:105:”Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 

Do you ever desire to just know the plans that God has for you from start to finish?  

I’ll be very honest, I do. I would like a map, bullet point system of how to handle the messy parts of life, how to rejoice in the beautiful moments, and do everything that he asks me to do.  

A month ago, at 430 in the morning as I drove to my work out class, I started to wonder about when you are driving down a dark road with no road lamps, but there is a car in front of you so your auto brights turn off and all you can see are the taillights of the car a ways in front of you. You can only see what is right in front of you, unlike if there was no car in my path my brights would be on fully and I could see the sides of the road, the impending deer, the curve I should slow down for, I would be depending on my navigation skills and my own eyes with no one leading the way but I would be able to see things in front of me.  

Then I started thinking. Isn’t that what our life with Christ is like? When we don’t follow him and we just do it our own way or the world’s way, we see the path but it’s up to us to just figure it out. Where is we were to follow the car in front of us (Christ) and we followed the speed limit and continued on the road we wouldn’t have to constantly be on the lookout for deer or the curve the car in front of us would slow for the deer and would show us when to break to prepare for the curve. 

We are driving on the dark road of life and we are either following the car in front of us or we are doing it on our own.  On the road we have our secure vehicle carrying us, headlights that illuminate the road in front of us and the tail lights in the distance reminding you where you are headed.  

And yet we keep driving. Not because we can see everything but because we can see enough.  

We want God to illuminate his plan in our journey – the destination, the detours, the obstacles, the timing, the outcome. Instead, he gives us enough light to take the next step. The headlights reveal only what is immediately before us. The distant taillights are the promise, the calling, the direction He has given. Everything in between requires trust.  

There are seasons when God could reveal more but chooses not to. Not because he doesn’t love us or is withholding from us, but because moving too far out in front of us to where our bright lights come back on might hinder our dependance on him. If we could see every obstacle ahead, we might be tempted to turn around, take control, or become consumed by fear.  

Instead God let’s us encounter things as they come.  

The deer.  

The curve.  

In those moments, that is when we discover whether the vehicle carrying us is trustworthy. Is our relationship with Christ in a place that we can grieve openly and honestly, is our relationship so trustworthy that we can be open and surrender to our savior?  

Perhaps the lesson isn’t that God promises an obstacle free road. It’s that he promises to be present for every obstacle we encounter.  

As I studied Psalm 119:105 God started to reveal himself even more.  

The lamp unto our feet – is our Bible. Giving us the knowledge to not stumble over the roots of false values and philosophies.  

I was then directed to Proverbs 6:23 “For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light and correction and instruction are the way to life” While this section of Proverbs is talking about adultery, the beginning talks about the teaching of our fathers and mothers and how we should keep our fathers commands and not forsake our mother’s teachings.  

As we think about our relationship with Christ, he gives us the commands within the Bible on how to live and the teachings we get from those commands and scriptures are the light which will guide our steps on these dark roads.  

I’ll be the first to admit I am constantly being taught and corrected and if you ask my parents, especially my mom she would tell you I always seemed to take the hard road because I never listened. She wouldn’t be wrong because there have been many parts of my life where I have refused to listen to wise advice because I wanted to see for myself. I wanted to see if God would fight to get me back and while you are not supposed to put God to the test, he does love his children and he will come find you. He will rescue you from the pits of hell if you will let him.  

As I continued to study the cross references, I was led to Psalm 19:8 “The precepts (rule/ principle) of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” The light that God gives us comes from knowing and following the commands he has given us. Which is why when we follow him we don’t have to put our bright lights on and depend on ourselves. His words will light the way in our lives.  

If you question his words, his commands, look at Psalm 12:6 “The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.” Gold doesn’t have to be refined 7 times in actuality but the point that David is making in the Psalm is that 7 is the number of perfection or completion. God’s word is perfect, it’s complete. We just have to read it,  put it on our hearts and follow his commands.  

You may read this and think okay Morgan, that is good and well and I do believe that but how in the heck do you do that in real life?  

You don’t know my life; it’s hard.  

I get that I come from the school of hard knocks and I’ll be the first one to tell you that I have not followed all the things God has told me to do. I screw up daily, but my heart just wants to follow God and I am human. That is not an excuse for my sins and not listening but it’s a self-awareness that I won’t be perfect but like David, I can continue to have a heart that pursues God daily.  

God chose imperfect people to write the bible because the only perfect person was his son Christ Jesus. He wanted us to see that through our mistakes he would be there. He would give us guidance to help us move forward. Does he give us the full road map so we know when we need to make a u-turn, when the deer is in our path or the curve ahead. No he’s not going to. Trust me I’ve prayed for that and still haven’t gotten it. But I will tell you what I have gotten. Hard experiences that brought me closer to God in my relationship with him. He has taught me to learn to catch my negative thinking and turn it around. He has showed me the people in my life that are there for me. He has shown me how strong I am through giving me hard things to handle. The road that God has for us is not easy but it is worth it. When you let God light your way, it doesn’t get easier but it does start to mean something so much more, so much deeper.  

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the car in front of me at 430 in the morning that inspired this post. I thank you for John Knitter posting how he felt to remind me why you have it on my heart to write. Lord I thank you for the seasons of just enough and plenty. I thank you for guiding my path and I thank you for the person reading this post. Lord you have different paths for each of us and I pray that this would be our reminder from you to let you guide our steps. That your words would be forever imprinted on our hearts. That you would change us from the inside out. Lord I am not perfect and I won’t pretend to be but Lord I pray that you will be with me as I continue to pursue you with my whole heart.  

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HOPE

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“through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character: and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  Romans 5: 2-5 

  • Faith delivers us from our past 
  • Hope grows us as we learn all God has planned for us.  

Christ being born was a sign of hope to the world that God was fulfilling his promise of a savior to the world. If God fulfilled his promise then what makes us think that he won’t fulfill his promise now?  God has brought us through the depths of our past to better places and God will continue to do that.  

God showed me that hope stands for:

Hold  

Onto Faith  

Pray  

Expectantly 

Having HOPE is holding onto our faith in God and Pray Expectantly that God will continue to show us his faithfulness. We may be in a waiting season; God may be pointing you in another direction but having hope in the Lord is trusting that his will and way is better than ours.  

This post was going to be earlier this year but I started praying over it and asked God to really show me what hope is. It turns out God started showing me that I had the skewed perception of hope, I was thinking that hope was a wish from my heart that I could hold onto but God showed me that hope is so much more than that. God showed me that Jesus is our true hope and that when he has led us to a place, he won’t leave us, but we have to cling onto the hope that God has performed miracles before and he will again. We are not alone.  

God sent his son to the be the light in this dark world, hope is our light in the darkest places. Hope isn’t wishing for God to do something, hope is knowing that God has brought you through the tough places before and he will do it again. Hope is knowing that God sent his son for you and isn’t going to leave you in the places that he has brought you.  

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Consistent

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“but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

The love of God is constant. From when we are on fire to when we are sinning God loves us. Our relationship with the Lord has to be constant to receive his word. We can’t just jump in one day and say hey Lord love you, thank you and be gone the next until a tornado rips through our lives then we come back. He will still love us even if we do that but our ability to withstand the tornado is stronger when we have that constant relationship with God. It doesn’t mean the tornado isn’t coming it just means that he will give you the strength to withstand. He allows us to come back after our period of separation and covers us in His grace and provides help but when we have the constant connection with him we start to see him in the midst of the storm instead of allowing the storm to consume us.

I used to be the person that would circle back to God when my life was messy and in what felt like shambles. I would go back to the same verses and pray that things would get better and they eventually did and then I would leave God right where I found Him until I needed him again.

Would we like it if God had that kind of relationship with us? I don’t need to use you right now, so peace out? No, we wouldn’t stay around for that, but the best thing is that we serve an amazing Father that is patiently waiting on us to come back, just like the father of the prodigal son with open arms.

But seeking God constantly helps to see him in the midst of the storm. Over the years I have wrestled with depression and still do but now on the days when I wake up heavy I cry out to God, I spend more time in the word, I seek him first because I know that this feeling will eventually pass and my God will help me see past the immediate pain I am in to continue to press forward to what is past the depressive episode.

Seeking him is hard at first until you feel the arms of the father surround you even on your darkest day.

I have laid on the floor, crying out to God, just hoping that he will hear me. I cry out in agony just wanting to feel the comfort, to feel something other than the pain, the heaviness and even when I can’t speak, and all I have is tears, he meets me right where I am. It’s not like I feel a person hug me but my heart feels this peace that I know can only come from God. It’s this stillness that comes over me and gives me something to hold on to.

Being consistent takes time.

Maybe it starts by circling back at first when life is messy but I challenge you to remember those moments when he meets you where you are. Hold those times in your heart, commit them to memory when the Lord shows up. Because when you think back it will create a calling to be close to the Lord again because you know of his grace and strength. Follow that calling. Even when you don’t feel that calling, keep searching for the Lord.

In the hard moments I encourage you to pray, talk to the Lord. Grab the bible and start to read. Turn on worship music and start to praise the Lord. When you call out and search for him he will be right there to meet you. He wants a relationship with you.

I chose the verse from 2 Corinthians because Paul was dealing with pain. He knew anguish, he knew that life was hard and he had to overcome but he knew that with God he could overcome the pain. God is our main resource, our life line. Where we are weak God shows his strength. He picks up where we leave off.

When I encounter depressive episodes, no matter how tired I am to read a devotional, even if its only 5 minutes. I turn on worship music and I talk to God and tell him I am in pain, I am hurting and I don’t understand why but I need you. I need your strength to get through this day. I need your strength to get me through and he meets me where I am. My days are far from perfect and the depression doesn’t go completely away but it doesn’t control my mind. I start to feel lighter each time I turn to him. I also know that I must take care of myself in those moments to equip myself to be strong so that God has good equipment (me) to use to work on. That means for me working out, eating right, getting more sleep, letting my husband know that I am in a funk, and being honest with myself that I am struggling and I need God.

I need God everyday but especially those days when I am in a dark place. He is there for you as well. You just have to reach out to him. The love of God is constant, start consistently moving towards Him and you will experience a love like no other, a peace that is beyond understanding. He is calling for you even in the moments when you feel alone, scared, anxious, tired, angry, hurt.

When you make it out of the darkness remember to praise His name and remember what He has done.

Lord I pray for the person that read this post. I thank you for them and that they are here for the purpose you placed on their life. Lord I ask that you draw near to them and remind them of your strength. Remind them that you will not leave them. I pray that you will surround them with your peace that only you can provide and show them what it is like to truly know you. Lord bless the person reading this post, the people in their lives and help them where they are struggling. Meet them right where they are. In your sons name, amen.

I do not own the rights to this song but love Elevation Worship and Brandon Lake. This is an amazing song about God’s love.

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Perseverance

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

The Lord spoke to Joshua when he was to lead the Isrealites into the promise land and He told Joshua just as He was with Moses he would be with him. To successfully lead the Isrealites, Joshua had to trust God, be strong and courageous.

Even when you feel heavy and the weight of the world is on your shoulders you still have to push through. Just like Joshua. Push through the uncertainty, the lack of strength, the voices inside of your head telling you not to and this is stupid and worthless. Push through with courage and strength from God.

God has called us to be warriors not worriers. He calls us not to be timid but reminds us that God give us power, love and have self control (2 Timothy 1:7).

In my last post, Lighting up the Lies of the Devil, I talked about what are you holding on to that the devil told you that is holding you back. When life gets hard, as it always does, what do you do? Do you sit down and give up believing the lies from satan that you are not enough, you don’t have what it takes? OR do you fight back? I hope that you fight back. There is always going to be the moment that life will knock you down but you also have to stand back up. Life is not about what knocks you down, it’s about how you stand up.

There have been things you have been learning to overcome your whole life and there is a purpose for that. You may not know that purpose now but I promise you one day, God will show you why. I’ve had insecurities about being enough for others, having enough money, worried that my work ethic isn’t good enough on the way to burnout. I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety and having the strength to keep pushing forward. Beating myself down trying to maintain what the world deems as enough but the truth is that God already made me enough. He has made YOU enough.

Those obstacles that you are constantly fighting to get through are going to show you that you have the strength, you are enough because God said you were and he will always provide a way when it’s his will for your life.

Maybe you keep getting knocked down because that road you keep trying to go down isn’t meant for you. What if you are meant to get up and go in another direction? The direction that God is calling you to. Will it be hard to turn around? Yes. Will it require change and sacrifice? Yes. Will it be worth it? Absolutely. Trials produce perseverance and perseverance produces character. (Romans 5:3 & James 1:2-3)

When I was 15 until I was 21 I worked at a hot dog/ ice cream shack and when I would work day shift and see people leave their job to come get lunch I used to think to myself and pray to God, one day I will have a job where I can leave and enjoy lunch. I will have a job with benefits, a salary and good people to work with. Did it happen right away. No. It took time. When I was 21 I started a job at a boutique that opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities for a job. When I was 24 I got my first job with a salary and benefits. When I was 27 I finally made it to a job where I have great benefits, a great salary, great people to work with and I get to go out for lunch and enjoy it. It took over 10 years, with a lot of bumps in between. This may seem trivial to you but this one area of my life has impacted others areas of my life and my faith in what God can do for me.

Little by little God gave me what I was asking for to ensure that once I got all of it I could handle it. Little by little I was thankful for the small wins and did I question why I couldn’t get it all at once, of course I did but now looking back on it I kept pushing forward in the hope that one day God would provide.

Trusting God is hard work but the return of love, protection, provision and so much more will enrich your life tenfold. The God that holds tomorrow in his hands also holds you. He has a purpose for your life, don’t let it pass you by because you won’t step out in faith and trust Him.

God I thank you for the person that is reading this blog. I thank you for your words of wisdom and guidance. Lord I pray that you continually work in our lives to persevere through life’s obstacles and that you will provide us with guidance, strength, courage and love every time we stand back up. Lord I pray that when our internal flames start to dim that you will reignite our flames to move forward in the purpose you have for our lives. Lord thank for you our challenges, thank you for your love and thank you for another day to follow your will. In your Son’s name we pray, Amen.

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Lighting up the Lies of the Devil

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“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full Armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6: 10-17

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3

The devil will tell you lies to deter you away from the will of God. Unless we are familiar with the truth that God speaks about us we will think that the devils lies are the truth.

In my experience it starts with sin and insecurities and then the devil will build lies around it saying that you are that sin and that you will never change. Trying to hold you in a position of defeat from the beginning. But God says that if we will turn away from our sin we can have freedom. The goal is to not to sin and live a life for God’s glory, but we are human and mistakes will happen but we must earnestly seek forgiveness after the sin and try and not to sin again. The devil knows you just like God does and he knows that there are areas of our lives that make us insecure and he will pick those apart to try to keep you for the Lord and living a life of freedom. The difference between the Lord and the devil is that the Lord loves you and does not want to cause you harm, the devil wants you under his control(misery loves company).

In the last 20 something years especially, the devil has attacked my insecurities of never being enough, my confidence in who I am as a person and my worth. I have struggles with depression and anxiety because I have listened to the devils lies telling me that I don’t belong in my position, that I don’t deserve love, I don’t matter to anyone. But the TRUTH is that God created me and called me worthy, loved, and his child. That is TRUTH that I need to believe.

Here is what God says about you:

  • Ephesians 2:10 – You are special
  • Jeremiah 29:11 – You are created with Purpose
  • Jeremiah 31:3 – You are loved
  • Psalm 139:13-14 – You are unique
  • 1 Peter 2:9 – You are important
  • Psalm 103:12 – You are forgiven

When we call out the lies of the devil we no longer give them power. In order to do that we have to use the sword of truth mentioned in Ephesians 6. When we continually listen to the lies that the devil keeps speaking we are letting the devil kill the light within us. We all have a light within us that should be shared with the world but when we listen to the lies of the enemy we dim our own light because we do not think that we are worthy of sharing our own light God placed in us when we were created. BUT please hear me when I say that YOU ARE WORTHY! God created you for a purpose and you are not meant to live a life of depression and darkness, you are meant to live in the light to grow and blossom and share your beauty within.

I planned this post last week and planned to post it before now but I didn’t feel worthy of writing this post and I had to dig into the word, ask God for forgiveness and pull myself out of the trap of the devil. I say that to say I am not perfect nor will I ever be but I do know that I serve a God that will forgive me and teach me how to work on not giving into sin. The devil will try and stop us from sharing the word of God but don’t give up and give into the devil. Pursue the Father that loves you and wants a relationship with you. You are stronger than you know and you will continue to get stronger if you lean into God’s word and continually go to Him in prayer. Life will not be easy but God will always provide his strength to help us get through. ” I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13.

Lord thank you for another day on this earth, thank for your forgiveness, mercy and grace. I pray that the person that is reading this may be renewed by your strength and that they come to you in the good and bad times. I pray that they know that you are their God and you will always be there for them. Lord I ask that you protect them as they go through battles that you would strengthen their minds and that you would bless them and keep them. Lord I thank you for the person that is reading this and I ask that you remind them that they are loved and that you created them on purpose for a purpose and that you will never leave them of forsake them. You have a plan and you will work all things out for good for those that love you. Lord I pray that if they do not know you that they may have their hearts soften to know you and to love you. In your son’s name, Amen.

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Obedience & Fear

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“I took you form the ends of the earth, from the farthest corners I called you. I said, `You are my servant`; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” – Isaiah 41:9-10

“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

God has a plan for every single one of us, whether we want to admit it or not, he does. God created us for a purpose and on purpose but in order to fulfill that purpose we must be obedient and not give into fear. Over the course of my life there have been choices to make and every time there is a choice to make there is also fear. Walking in obedience with God can bring up fear and the devil knows the lies to start speaking to you to make you question what God is calling you to do.

So how do we combat fear and be obedient to God’s instruction?

We have to dive into God’s word about us and understand who God created us to be. We also have to be in communication with God by prayer.

Growing up I always heard I was a child of God but it wasn’t until I was older that I truly understood and believed that statement. God sent his son to die on a cross for our sins and all those that acknowledge that are co-heirs with Christ (brothers and sisters). When you dive into the word of God he speaks of our power that he has equipped us with. 2 Timothy 2:7 “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self discipline.” If we have power, love and self discipline where does fear fit in? It doesn’t! The devil uses fear as a distraction to try and keep us off the path that God created for us.

So where does obedience come into play? There are times when God calls you to do something and you will experience fear but you do it anyway. When I graduated college (War Eagle) I was still interviewing for jobs and before an interview in Birmingham I got in my car and prayed to God, if this is the door I am supposed to walk through please open this door, show me the plans that you have for me. That day on the drive up I was almost in a wreck because someone pulled out in front of me but I was not hurt. I lifted my hands in the air and said “Thank you Lord!” and then a still small voice spoke to me and said, “You have to trust me.” and I said okay I will (that’s a way to get someones attention). That day I had a great set of interviews and eventually moved to Birmingham a few weeks later. God has had a hand in my career moves and life before then and ever since. He also introduced me to my husband and helped me start to get healthy and take care of my body. In those moments of working through new things there has been fear but I have to make a decision, live in fear or live in God.

Fear often speaks lies such as is this the right move, am I good enough to work there, will things ever change, you will just be stuck and nothing will ever happen for you. But when we walk in God’s obedience he will strike down the lies and open doors that we never thought would be there. But YOU have to listen to GOD and follow through.

When being obedient the 2 things I know that work best for me is diving into the Word, because it provides strength for my soul, and constant pray with the Lord. With the Lord, we are allowed to feel fear we are just not meant to stay there.

Prayer is our communication with God and we have to be honest with him about how we are feeling and asking for his direction. When I am walking in his obedience and I feel fear creeping in, I call out to him and ask for his help to combat the fear and show the way that I am supposed to go. I pray in different ways, there are days when I write my prayers out in a notebook, I talk to God while I am driving, I sing praise music to him and sometimes I just cry, tears are still communication with God.

Just as the two verses at the beginning of this post said, we are chosen by God to be his servants on this Earth to lead others to Christ but he also instructs us to not be afraid for he will uphold us in his righteous hand. God has a plan for each and everyone’s life that is meant for good not for bad. We will experience problems and we will face trials that will cause us to fear but if we cry out to God for help, for strength, for a way out I promise that he will provide it. It may not always be the way that we think it should be but God’s plans are greater than what we could ever dream of.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this day, I thank you for the person that is reading this blog and I thank you for your love and encouragement to start this blog. I pray that you be with every person that reads this blog that they may learn to call out to you in the good and bad days, that they will follow your plans in obedience and that you will rip the fear and lies of the devil out of them. Lord I ask for your protection over them and that you will bless their lives. Lord thank you for your strength to get through the good and bad days and thank you for your word that gives us strength, guidance, hope and love. Thank you Heavenly Father, in your Son’s name, Amen.