As many of you know I like to plan. I like to plan a lot. So stepping back and allowing God to work in my life on His timetable has been a big adjustment for me. I know that God has an amazing plan for me, my problem is letting go and allowing His plan to work through me. So along came October. At church we began a sermon series titled “Living the Good Life” which really focused on trusting God and getting beyond myself.
This sermon series has been a huge blessing to me. I can honestly say that for the first time I have let go completely and have stopped trying to plan my life to the letter. I am turning to prayer to unload my worry and as I do, my load feels just a little bit lighter. I know that I am a work in progress and there will be days when it is harder to ride shotgun than drive, but I am feeling really fulfilled knowing how great it truly feels to step out from behind the wheel.
I stumbled on this video tonight and I had to share.
Let the Lenten season begin! Lent is a 40-day time of reflection where Christians consider the sacrifice of the Cross. It is a serious time meant for inward self-reflection putting our focus upon Christ—who gave His life so that we might experience life now and forever at its best.
Many Christians traditionally make a sacrifice during this period. This year I am giving up all fast food. I am already craving the taste of a Sonic cheeseburger and tots.
My sacrifice is so small it is almost insulting compared to His. But I will do it with a happy heart knowing my faithfulness makes Him smile.
The LORD is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to His name.
Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the LORD
forever. (Psalm 23, NLT)
This past Sunday Dr. Kratzer gave a great sermon on the power of prayer. I loved the title to his sermon, “When all else fails, read the directions.” So true. I am guilty of that for sure on so many levels. Directions? Who needs them? I dive head first into trying to put together my project and only after I am super frustrated do I turn to the directions to see where I went wrong. Now sure, there are a few times I sneak through without having to read them and have success, but that is a rare occasion.
The same is true in the bigger picture of our lives. We can plow through our triumphs and trials on our own, but the majority of the time we need help. And unfortunately, in more cases than not, we only turn to God and His word once we are trying to right our wrongs. How much easier would it be to just read the directions from the beginning and not have to backtrack? Loads. My prayer life is very new, but I am a firm believer in its power. Knowing that I can unload my burdens is an incredible gift, as is the power of His written word. One of my resolutions this year is to read the Bible and begin to digest all that is there for us to learn from.
One line of Dr. Kratzer’s sermon really hit home for me, “If God isn’t answering your prayer in your timetable, look up. God is at work.” And I know this to be true. I have prayed day and night for a healthy baby and while I have been blessed with two pregnancies, I have also suffered the loss of them. But I have faith that when it is time in God’s eyes, we will have our little bundle. There is no amount of planning or charting that I can do if it is not in His plan for us right now.
So I leave you with a quote from General Booth. I hope that if your light is out or flickering in the wind that you light it with prayer.
“The tendency of fire is to go out, so watch very
closely the fire on the altar of your heart.”
Fair warning…this post is a bit heavier than my norm…so for those looking for lightheartedness you may want to skip.
This past Sunday we attended church as usual. The topic for the sermon was how God steps into our broken world and brings healing, forgiveness and peace into broken lives like yours and mine.
He then shared something extremely personal with us. His son and daughter-in-law had lost their baby at the end of their first trimester that very week. He talked of how their hearts ached and how the pain at times just seemed too much to bear. Wow. A little all too familiar. But with the tears streaming down my face, his message reminded me of how amazing God is.
God’s ways of doing things don’t always make sense to me, but it’s hard to argue with God’s great power.
Pastor reminded me how incredibly lucky I am to have someone to take away my worries and my pain. Someone to unload to when things just seem unbearable. I pray every night with a thankful heart that God blesses me. As many of you know, my path to God was not one that was straight and easy – but one that had many curves and rocky roads, detours and dead ends. But with His amazing grace He led me to my husband who then led me to Him. I do not know if I would have made it out of my miscarriage the same person as I am now without the grace of God. It was knowing that He was holding my broken heart that made facing each day after bearable.
God’s great strength swoops up our heavy burdens and carries them for us. I am so thankful He is here to help.
Below is a video that was played at service that moved me and I thought I would share.
Today at church we had a guest speaker, Brent Peterson. He kicked off a new sermon series titled “What do I need to know? Life Lessons from the Heroes of the Bible.” I’m excited to hear the following sermons as today was very interesting.
My most memorable take away from today’s service titled ”God Can Be Trusted” is the following:
There is life only as we are living, loving and trusting in God.
This past Sunday we continued in a sermon series called “Are You Filled?” which is centered around the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Both Trevor and I have learned a lot in just the past couple weeks. The sermon yesterday had a lot of great messages in it and I wanted to get it logged in my “diary” so I can always come back to it.
The product of the Presence and control of the Holy Spirit in our lives cultivates some beautiful and fascinating character traits called the The Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control. Just as fruit appear in an orchard, the Holy Spirit brings gifts into our lives—things like a Christlike compassion for others, an exuberance about life that supercedes our circumstances, and a peace and serenity despite the sometimes harsh realities of life.
The Spirit also cultivates within us a willingness to stick with things, a graciousness in responding to people’s needs and an integrity of heart which offers comfort to those afflicted by the pain and heartaches of life. The fruit of the Spirit fosters loyalty in commitments, a gentleness in not needing to force our way in life, and the ability to direct and channel our energies and resources wisely. The Fruit of the Spirit are the outward expressions of Christ dwelling within us.
A quote I loved that was shared with us: “Powerfully and surely the Spirit works—sometimes dramatically; sometimes slowly, almost imperceptibly—in our lives to repeat the miracle of a new creation in Christ Jesus.” – Maxie D. Dunnam
The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives to help us not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk. The Fruit of the Spirit is not the fruit of human potential—it’s the fruit of God’s Spirit in the driver’s seat in our hearts and lives.
