God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!

Chris served in the military for four years so that had our family living on a military base, living the military life. I definitely had to trust God with the care of Chris because I never knew if one day he might deploy or have other work to do. On the other hand, when we were in the military a lot of things were covered, so I didn't even think to look to God for. Financially we had the same paycheck every month. Our house was covered by the military. Medically we were covered 100%, never having paid a medical bill. Our house was in a gated community where a Marine stands on guard. We felt very secure in many ways. Now that Chris works as a civilian life has really changed for us. We have no clue who our neighbors are, our medial bills are already piled up. Sometimes we think why did we leave the comfort of the military? Should Chris just rejoin? Although there is NOTHING wrong with being a part of that life, God has other plans for our family. But those other plans He has for us, call us to learn to trust him in EVERY area of our life. Sometimes I wonder, why God doesn't just give us what we want...hahah. The truth is if everything was taken care of and secure, we wouldn't look to him near as much. He wants us to GROW! To look to him when situations are fussy, to trust him with our finances and health. If life was perfect, what would we cry out to God for. Our pastor says God cares more about our character than our comfort. I really believe that. As much as I want to never have problems in life, God wants to use those to develop our character and dependence on Him. God also during those times shows us incredible things. When we put all our trust in him and cry out to him we get to see how he works. AMAZING. God has blessed us with great friends and relationships since we been here. God had a purpose for us. In other areas God has used people in our life to be an answer to prayer, so much so that it brought me to tears. It's all God. Growing isn't always easy, but when we do it opens up our eyes to His work that we don't pay attention to otherwise. 

Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:31-32

Therefore do not be anxious, saying,"What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

We may not always get what we want, but trust God and pray because a lot of times he does give us the desires of our heart. 

prayer:

God help us to learn to trust you in every area of our lives. Let us know that when we look to you, we see the amazing ways you work in our lives. If we are struggling in trusting you, give us hope. In your name.

Amen.

my yeast

Galatians 5:9
A little  yeast works through the whole batch of dough. I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.

Yeast grows the dough. Yeast grows and changes whatever it contacts, silently, slowly from the inside out. Completely changing its original form. A small ingredient or thing can effect our whole lives, good or bad. Jesus can be the yeast in our life making us a holy batch of dough. He can grow and transform us. Evil can also act like yeast in our lives infecting everything it encounters, but if we have Jesus, he is stronger!! He can transform us and use us for good.

Matthew 13:33 
He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Most of the time yeast represents evil when they talk about it in the bible but in this verse it symbolizes growth in a good way. Yeast is just one small portion of a whole recipe, but without it you won't have a loaf of bread. Jesus one new thing to add to your life, but he changes it completely. The kingdom of heaven is the same way just grows and grows the more people it encounters, like yeast.

John 6:46-51
No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Jesus calls himself the bread of life. His bread does what no other bread can do. It brings spiritual life and kills spiritual death. He will always be our nourishment. Don't just taste his bread, continually eat it so we can have life in him and him in us!!!!

Just like Jesus can change your life, we can do that to others by leading them to him and showing them him through us.

prayer:
You are the bread of life. I need you every day Jesus, more than I need food. Heal, take away anything that could effect me from being like you. You are whole and help us to be more like you.
Amen.

Identity

Who are you? What defines you? For some they might say  their job or their what they spend most of their time doing. But our true identity is found in Christ. We are NOT what other people say about us. We ARE what God says about us. We are NOT how the world sees us. We ARE how God sees us. I was blessed enough to have been raised in a Christian home where my parents taught me that who I am is in God. That doesn't mean I always stayed true to that. I suffered for a time thinking I was how others saw me. That was the enemy. Knowing who you are in Christ takes time. It doesn't happen over night. Because of our sinful nature we don't automatically see ourselves as God sees us. We see a clouded version usually interfered by satan. We can see ourselves this messed up way even because of people we love and our close to us. They may not even mean to mess with you, but satan can use the craziest things against us. Say someone tells you your useless, if your are so caught up in what other people see in you, you may think I am useless and start to act that way!! If your identity is in Jesus Christ someone can tell you that and you may think, I may not be helpful in a certain area, but God has purpose for me and to him I am precious and useful in ways that he sees and you don't. (Jeremiah 29:11) If you read the bible Jesus claims wonderful things over us, we need to start believing them. We are a child of the KING! We should care what the KING thinks most!

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Galatians 3:27-38
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

To me this last verse says God doesn't look at the outward. He is looking inwardly at us. We are all God's children. You are not defined by even being boy or girl to God. You are his child, his precious child and he claims the truth over you, not the lies of the enemy. So if you feel clouded, come to God and he will give you purpose and identity! Let what God thinks about you resinate in your mind, not what others think. And if you do that, you will start walking around a lot differently :) I know this from experience :) I read an inspiring story about a girl who got sucked into an airplane propeller and she survived but had to have a fake arm and eye. She had a scar on her face and half her head was shaved because of the procedures at the hospital. She said at first it was hard because she was what her outward appearance was. (Usually all put together, fashionable) Then she started learning that God gave her identity, that all this outwardness was nothing to him, but it was her beautiful spirit! It showed me to really love myself for what God sees in me not the world.

prayer:
God you are so good, that you call us your sons and daughters. That we get the privilege of calling you are Father. Help us to know that we find who we are in you, and you alone. Let every word that is not of you that other people say or put on us fall to the ground and go to hell where it belongs. Let us believe the truth that you write about us in your word.
AMEN!!

Waiting....Patiently?

Even before Jesus was sent to earth, God had those who loved him wait. They didn't understand why and we don't usually know either. Waiting can be such a hard thing because we are living in a fast paced world. Where a question is just a google click away, a loved one is just a facetime away, and a long travel is a short flight. The more advanced technology gets the more quickly we are able to do things. We get instant results, and if we don't we find something that will. Well thats not how God is. He doesn't change with time. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We have to learn to be patient, and TRUST God's timing in our lives. This isn't something learned overnight, this takes time to instill this way of thinking. Our sinful nature doesn't instinctively trust God in all circumstances, we have to have new life, new way of thinking, to gain a new trust in HIM! There's a story in Exodus about the slaves wanting to be free, they had to wait on God.

Exodus 2:23-25
During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.


Luke 3:23
Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry...

Now look at Jesus, even he had to wait for God ultimate plan for his life. He didn't start ministry til he was 30!! Talk about being patient.

Romans 5:6
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

On top of that Jesus knew he was going to crucified on the cross, but he was one with God and trusted him and his timing.

Are you waiting for something in your life? Perfect job, to get married, to get $? Jesus waited 30 years. God knows best, that doesn't mean the enemy doesn't try to get in and mess us up. Praying for God to give his timing, even when the enemy comes to destroy it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.

He wants us to trust in his timing even if we don't understand it. I mean think about it, we question God's timing when its hard or not convenient for us, but step back and look at all the times it has been good for you! Have you ever thought to thank him for that? Or do we just complain when its not what we want it to look like. It can be such a difficult thing to understand, all i know is that God loves us and Jesus trusted God enough to lay down HIS LIFE!!! And if Jesus trusts in God's timing no matter what that looks like, then I want to too.

I am...

In the book of John Jesus says "I am" seven times and giving us seven different meanings.

John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

Just like after eating a nice big meal we feel satisfied, Jesus compares that feeling to how he can satisfy us spiritually. We need food physically, and we need Jesus spiritually. Their is no in between with these things. When I am full I am relaxed and my body is pleased. When I am full of the Spirit it brings me so much joy! I feel full of life. I love maxing on some food, but nothing satisfies me more that when I am full of the Holy Spirit! Once you experience this you will agree :)

John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Picture yourself in a dark room, when you flip on that light it brings light to the whole room and makes a lot more visible than before. Jesus does this in our lives when we allow him to shine his light upon our lives. He reveals stuff that we had no clue were even there!!! Just because we have a relationship with Jesus doesn't mean we allow him to shine his light throughout our whole life, sometimes we need to just say Jesus shine light on this ____ area of my life. Reveal to me your will and bring light to the dark areas. Sometimes we think leaving darkness in our lives hides our mistakes, sins, past, but I've learned all it does is give the enemy a foothold. The enemy loves darkness and we don't want that!! Asking God to light up our life and giving him access to our sinful areas takes the bad shines his light right on it. I have had experiences when I was doing wrong things and hiding it. This gave the enemy power over that area of my life. When I surrendered to that sin and gave it to God, he made the rough place smooth. The enemy tries to make it destroy you, but God can actually turn that into good!! "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good....." (Genesis 50:20)

John 10:11
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep."

We are his "sheep" and he loves us and looks after us. The fact that he sacrificed his life for us because he loves us that MUCH!!

John 10:9
"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture."

We cannot enter salvation except through him. He is the door for us to get to heaven. When we enter through that door we have eternal life with Christ and his protection.

John 11:25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Jesus has the power of life. We can experience eternal life by excepting him as our Savior.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

Jesus is saying that since you have seen him you have seen the Father. Not only is he way, truth, and life. He is the only way! To get to the Father you have to get to Jesus, by doing this you accept him and experience him.

John 15:1
"I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener."

Grapes symbolized Israel's fruitfulness in doing God's works on earth. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.(Matthew 7:18) So if Jesus is vine we wanna be the good fruit of his tree. We want him to be heavenly father so we can bear good fruit!!

prayer:

Jesus you are the I AM! Help us to learn more about you in these seven areas. Especially today let your light come to the dark areas of our life were "hiding from you." Show us how you can take a mess and turn it into a message to bring others your light!

Amen!

Armor

Ephesians 6:10
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 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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given so that I fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

This verse shows us that this world has a lot more going on than what meets the eye. There is a constant spiritual war whether we see it or not. This scripture tells us we need the full armor of God. Helmet of salvation, sword of the spirit (bible), breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, belt of truth, and shoes of the gospel of peace. We can picture this as a physical armor that God is putting on us, but the elements are spiritual. Having salvation, knowing the bible so you can use it when evil comes your way, being righteous, holding on to our faith and the truth from God, and shoes of the gospel of peace to spread peace that he intends for us all over. And let the spirit take over when you pray. Also Paul is writing these letters in prison, and is physically in chains and even though he is in these horrible circumstances he wants God to make him FEARLESS!

If you want a whole different level of learning about the spiritual world a good book is The Final Quest.

Just like when playing a video game, we need to fight off the enemy with our armor. We find that in growing and being strong in Christ. In my mind, the more knowledge you have of God's word the bigger your sword is. We can ask God to cover us daily with his armor, but it is also our responsibility to work toward these strengths!

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Is there an area of your life where you feel you are lacking God's armor? Studying this verse and what each piece of armor means can help you realize where you have strength and where you need to gain more strength.

prayer:
I pray God that you would help me to be fearless for you! That I would be suited up in your armor to protect me from the enemy. Greater is the one inside of me than he who is living in the world!
Amen!

Simon Peter

It is better to be a follower that fails than one who fails to follow.

Simon was a fisherman from Galilee. When Jesus was walking by the sea he called Simon and said follow me and I will send you out to fish for people (Mark1:17). Simon followed Jesus and Jesus renamed him Simon Peter, Peter meaning rock. When Jesus encountered Simon Peter he was an ordinary fisherman that became a new person with a new identity. This did not make him perfect just because he chose to become one of Jesus' disciples. We may wonder what Jesus sees in us to call on us, but when others saw Simon the fisherman, Jesus saw Simon Peter the rock, and unshakeable, strong, firm rock. Jesus could have chose anyone, but he wanted a real person willing to lay down their life for Christ. 

Matthew 16:25

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

Jesus sees us as He intends us to be. 

Jesus uses ordinary people to manifest extraordinary!!!

Peter even though he failed at times did some awesome things for Jesus. He spoke at the Pentecost, telling the confused people that the Spirit was upon them. He used to be a fisherman, but he was no longer that he was a strong rock for Jesus! Jesus calls people that could except his will and fulfill it. 

Matthew 16:18

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not over come it.

Jesus may be calling you to do something, whether big or subtle. Always listen to his voice you never know how he may be speaking to you! Remember none of us are perfect, but Jesus forgives us!

prayer:

Lord, let us learn more about you today! Help us to know that you don't always call the prepared, but you prepare the called. Let us be encouraged by Peter and to be a rock for you!

Amen!

Fishers of Men

"The same thing that marks every aspect of Jesus' life was a driving sense of cause. "THIS is who I am, THIS is what I do, THIS is where I am going....and why don't you come too?" He was a man on a mission. That's what swept strong men along in His wake. That's what persuaded them in a heart beat to drop their fishing nets or hammers or ledgers or whatever else they were doing and follow HIm. Suddenly whatever had preoccupied them seemed pallid and tame and slightly irrelevant. The Man who called them was a burning Reality, A Great Light, How could they help but saddle up and trail along?
A real man knows where he is going."

This is a paragraph in the book Tender Warrior by Stu Weber. This paragraph changed my husbands life. This doesn't just mean men, if your a disciple of Christ you have purpose. We must find the purpose outside ourselves, our purpose is found in Him.

Once my husband showed me this paragraph it is really motivating! It shows that Jesus was confident and a leader. When we carry those same traits that Jesus had we can get others to follow Christ.

Matthew 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, praying their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

At once and immediately is the words they described to how the disciples responded to Jesus' request. This is how I want to be. This is how we should be, it shows that they were not worried about what they were leaving, they knew their heavenly father would take care of them. I want faith like that, obedience like that.

Matthew 8:1

When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.

People flocked around Jesus, he has that presence where he goes. We have that ability to carry the Spirit where we go that can draw others to us so we can lead them to God.

Our purpose as Christians is to do that! God can do that through us in MANY different ways!! So don't look at other people, look to God and he will lead you.

How Jesus Calls Us To Love

Love is the motivating power in all our relationships, without love there is nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:2
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Jesus places a lot of emphasis on love in the bible. When we chose to have a relationship with Jesus we chose to love him, but we also chose to love others unconditionally because that is what he calls us to do. It is a commitment and when we chose to do this we are being obedient.  Jesus says if we love him he will show Himself to us.

John 13:34-45
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

When we show unconditional love to others it shows Jesus we are his disciples. It can be hard to love like Jesus loves. When people chose not to accept your love, are mean, abusive, ect. Love Love Love.
This isn't picked up overnight, this has to be intentional and is an action not a natural reaction, because of our sinful nature we are born with it is not our first instinct. But by spending time with God that can change. Think about when you spend a lot of time with someone, you start to pick up their mannerisms or accent or anything like that. It really does happen. Same with Jesus. We can't just say we love him and expect us to naturally love others especially when they hurt us. We need to spend time with Jesus and digging into his word so we can learn how he acted and let them become part of who we are.

In John 21 Jesus is talking to Simon Peter.
John 21:15
"Simon son of John do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes," Lord he said, "you know that I love you. Jesus said, "Feed my lambs"

John 21:16
Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

John 21:17
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you."

We show Jesus we love him by being obedient and he calls us to love unconditionally and take care of his people (sheep).

prayer:
Lord, help us to reflect the life you've lived by loving unconditionally, loving those who love us, and those who hurt us. To shine your light and be a disciple for you.
Amen.

Fear vs Freedom

I think everyone struggles with fear. I don't know anyone who isn't scared of something. I mean take one look at this world and you will see something that would give you a reason to be scared. God doesn't want us to live with fear. We can either stand still by fear or move forward towards God. A lot of times we don't take the next step God wants us to out of fear. Satan usually uses that to drive us away from God. Something will happen to us that says....well maybe not. We need to be lead by the Holy Spirit not by our head. Our head can be full of a fearful way of thinking when the Holy Spirit gives us perspective. I saw a quote one time that says don't follow your heart follow the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I loved that.

Isaiah 41:10
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 right hand.

This is basically Jesus saying I got your back.

fear is the manifestation of the satan
freedom is the manifestation of God

If you don't know what that means manifestation- an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something. When we are free in Christ we embody him. When we are trapped in fear we embody the enemy. There is a song that says, "where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom" (Freedom by Bethel) it is actually scripture: (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

John 8:36
So if the Son has set you free you are free indeed.

Galatians 5:1
It is for the freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Fear is bondage. Bondage is slavery. When you have fear you are a slave to it.  And it is a burden you carry around, but Jesus can break those chains.

Psalm 119:45
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

When we seek what God intends for us we will walk in freedom. It is what he wants for us and what we should want for ourselves.

Psalm 118:5
In my anguish I cried out to the Lord and he answered me by setting me free.

Joshua 1:9
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.

God wants us to be courageous for him and not scared because of what satan pulls. I know this is not easy it is an everyday battle we all face. But we can wake up and ask God to make us strong and courageous for him.

Acts 18:9
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."

God spoke to Paul and told him that he needed to speak up for Christ and that he would protect him. Because Paul was not silent others became Christians and established a church and wrote two letter to the believers.
It was a good thing that Paul listened to God and spoke up. It is hard to be bold for God, but you have no idea what God has in store for you if you do. Look at Paul. He went through lots of hardships, but God had a plan. God can take your fears and turn them into living freedom. You never know what the Lord has planned for you if you speak up for him.

prayer: 
Fear is not from you God. Replace the fear of ____ in my life with the ability to be free in you. Protect me from things that place fear in my life, but also help me to identify that satan places this fear in front of me, to keep me from you. Remove that barrier, so you and I can be united.
AMEN!