Jocelyn's 3rd Birthday!!!

Today is Jocelyn's 3rd birthday I can't believe it! She is such a funny little firecracker! She loves to sing and play pretend! She is the best big sister and entertainer! 3 years ago was the craziest day! My brother made an awesome video of the day she was born/ birth video!

Happy Birthday Jocelyn we love you!!!!!!

don't run on E G.

A lot of times we pray or come to God when we think we need him really bad. We will start praying when someone close to us is sick or when we really need financial help, but what about the other times? Are you going to God daily and thanking him for your blessings? It is an intentional task that we need to make a part of our everyday lives. Think of it like this, your on a road trip and your gas is getting low, you don't just drive until you run out and then sit in your car hoping someone will bring you gas. You have to make an intentional stop at the gas station and get filled up. That is how it is with Jesus. We can't just go along and then when a problem happens sit there and wish for something good to happen, no you have got to make the move to go to Jesus. Fill yourself up with his fruits love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control. On our journey we may hit a construction period or an area in our life that needs worked on or God's way of saying detour and having us go a different path. If your always full of gas on a road trip your good to go. In the same way in life on our journey if we are full of Jesus we can feel good to go. We don't need to worry about the construction zones ahead because we know what is inside us will get us through!! I've had times in my life where God has completely changed my path from what I thought it would be, but since I had Jesus it made me knew I wouldn't run empty because He had a purpose and a plan to prosper me. When I found out I was pregnant for the first time I was really young, I was in shock. I had a completely different plan for myself, but God had the RIGHT plan for me. During that time I grew more than I ever had in my life. Looking back it grew me closer to him and I had to rely on him soo much. It was the biggest blessing, it brought me my family I have today and I couldn't be more grateful to God for changing my plan and giving me his own. When you hit a construction area in your life rely on God he is your tank :) with him you can get through it, doesn't mean it will never be bumpy! Trusting God with our life is hard because we don't know why we go through things, only he does. One thing I keep in mind that helps me is saying ya know what God is having me go through this to grow me for a reason, I trust that he has a purpose and plan that will benefit me or someone else in the future if I trust him in this time. Let God fill you up so you can pour out on others his love and grace. Thats what he wants us to do not just believe that he did it, but to do it too!

Numbers 14:21
but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

prayer:
We come to you today Lord, some of us may be feeling empty....fill us up. Holy Spirit pour out on us. Let us shine a light to others on rough paths so they can learn that with you my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Amen.

words=power

Our words hold so much power. A speaker Putty said something like you can speak 2 different things when you talk...towards the kingdom of light or toward the kingdom of darkness. Every word you speak has power so choose them wisely. I challenge you today to focus on speaking words of life and uplifting words. Let the negative words in your heard be shut down and don't let them get to your tongue. 

Matthew 12:36-37

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

We are held accountable for everything we say. My goal is to have more words of life than death. Words of death cause pain and hurt for many people. If you struggle with negativity focus first on quitting swearing.

Matthew 5:37

"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

Swearing and making promises we cannot keep is not of God. Instead just focus on saying what you mean and following through with that. If your going to do something say it and mean it! This is how Jesus wants us to live. In James it always says don't swear by heaven or by earth or anything else. Our focus is to be a man or woman of our word! Our words reflect our heart. You can't solve your heart problem by fixing how you talk, but you must ask Holy Spirit to fill you with a new focus of lightness not darkness. As your perspective and attitude changes, so will your speech. 

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:6

A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.

prayer:

Proverbs 19:14

Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight.

Also if I have darkness inside of me causing me to speak words not pleasing to you that you would bring light to my life and fill me with your joy so that the joy in my heart will reflect in the words that come out of my mouth!

slave no more

Today I was reading a verse really just hit me, its 

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

When we accept Jesus we get freedom in Christ. Jesus did not die on the cross for us to be slaves, but for us to be set free. This verse uses fear, but it can be anything. You can be slave to addiction, fear, anger. When you are a slave to something it has power over you. If you are addicted to cigarettes for example then they have control over you. You cannot go without them, you need them. Jesus says we don't receive spirits that make us slave again to fear or whatever it is when we accept him. You may be dealing with something in your life where you feel a spirit not of God is present. I had a scary situation where my youngest daughter had an allergic reaction to eggs. It was severe enough to scare the crap out of me. For days I was in a panic type mode in fear that she would have another reaction. I know the fear I was experiencing after was not of God. I knew this wasn't how I wanted to feel, but didn't know what to do about it. When we carry these things we feel weighed down. I physically felt tired because it was exhausting. I knew I should trust in God, but what was I gonna do if it happened again. When your a mother you have so much love for your children that when something bad happens to them it breaks your heart. The enemy got to me that day, and many days after. I was full of fear and anxiety that was stealing my joy. After talking to my mom one day I don't know exactly what she said but she said you don't have to have this feeling Kayla. I know you know that this isn't God and he can take that away from you. I was tired of being worried, physically and emotionally. I prayed and said God I lay this fear at your feet. You are the only person who can give me peace. In the bible it says perfect love casts out fear. And I want you to fill me with Your perfect love. I was a slave to fear, but you have freedom for me, and I accept that freedom. After I did that, I was full of joy. That doesn't mean I never had a worry again, but it meant that I had Him to take my worries. Whenever I have an anxious thought in your head just say God I give this to you, I trust you and I trust your plans for me. I want to see others being set free from the enemy. I fully believe you don't have to have these awful things control our lives!!! Thats what Jesus is for, thats what he died for! We need to take that seriously.

prayer:

Jesus we come to you and lay at your feet our issues. When we try to carry these burdens ourselves it is exhausting and a joy stealer. We know that you can take them and replace them with your spirit which is full of Joy and freedom. We praise you.

Amen.

two become one

As a family, and as husband and wife, under one roof you must be united. When you blend two people together it takes time to adjust. Through that process we need to stick together remembering your for each other not against one another. I saw a quote one time that said "No relationship is all sunshine, but two people can share an umbrella and survive the storm together." You need to show unconditional love and forgiveness. I think forgiveness can be a hard one even for your spouse. We often hold grudges. I've seen people do it for years. God doesn't do that to us and certainly doesn't want us to do that to our spouse.

Matthew 12:25
Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

God knows you need to be on the same team to get through anything especially obstacles. When hard situations arise do you stick with your spouse or retract? Oneness is marriage even plays a part into your child's life. My 3 year old already understands a lot and wants that for my husband and I, if we are having an off moment she notices. Yes life isn't all sunshine and we don't need to pretend that it is, but maybe look for the light in all circumstances and give your spouse grace.

Ephesians 5:31-33
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Wives need to be shown love and husbands respect. As wives what can you do today to show your husband you respect him? And husbands what can you do to show your life you love her? A good book to read is the 5 Love Languages. It shows how you can better love your spouse by meeting the needs they have. And if you aren't married its still a pretty cool book to check out so you can understand how to meet others needs outside of marriages like friendships, co-workers, ect.

My marriage isn't perfect, but I've noticed the closer we come to God, the closer we come together. When God is at the center of your lives and marriage it allows him to bring you to closer unity. If your marriage or relationship is going through a rough patch, pray together if possible or on your own. Tell God you need to be brought together. And share an umbrella with your partner ;) Don't go through things alone, God gave you that person for a reason!!

prayer:
God thanks for your grace and love that we receive daily. Let us remember to show that to our spouse DAILY! Soften our hearts so we are quick to forgive and slow to anger. Unite us!
Amen.

regrets

Everyone has things they wish they could do differently.. We all wish we could have learned our lessons without having to go through the pain and experiences we did. I went through a phase in life where I was making poor decisions. I was listening to what my friends were telling me instead of the voice of God. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I did it anyway because it seemed fun, but in the end it left me feeling full of regret and empty. Although I didn't always participate in these bad decisions I was around it a lot. Just being around people who are making bad choices can put a damper on you, and it definitely did that to me. Those bad decisions we make can affect us the rest of our lives. We didn't understand why our parents told us the things they did but it was because they had a bigger perspective and didn't want us to regret our decisions. The amazing thing about God is his forgiveness. When we have a relationship with him it is present. Our past is completely forgiven.

Philippians 3:12-15

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have take hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 

Jesus calls us to forget what is behind, part of doing that is forgiveness. Jesus calls us to forgive ourselves and others, this is so hard because some things people do to us seem impossible to forgive, but with God all things are possible. Letting go and letting God! Focus on your present situation with God moving forward toward the goal God has for us! No matter our past, we need to release that to God. Giving his access to this area of our lives allows him to work and transform us so that the past is the past and the future is a new person of faith and obedience.

2 Corinthians 7:10

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 

When people are only sorry they got caught that is worldly sorrow, but when people are sorry and want to change themselves to be more like God that is Godly sorrow. When we see that we messed up and need to change it brings us to Christ. And in Christ it leaves no regrets, but a fresh spirit of hope in the future and joy in the moment.

prayer:

God, let us bring our regrets to you. We know that you forgive us and renew our spirit. I pray that anything that is holding us down from the future you would deal with in Jesus name. Let us be renewed and have hope in our future not letting our past or sins have any hold on us. 

Amen.

authority and faith

Have you ever had a teacher you didn't like or someone in charge of you that you just couldn't stand? One year I had one of those teachers. Even though I didn't care for her behavior or the way she went about things I had to treat her with respect because she was my authority in the classroom..

Titus 3:1
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

Romans 13:2
Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

This verse shows that God put authority on this earth for a reason. Our mother and father when we are children are our authority. There is no perfect person in charge except God himself, therefore even us as parents we sin. We aren't aways gonna do it right, just like our teachers, pastors, presidents. Although these people have control over us to some degree the only one who has power over our spirit is God. He is the ultimate authority! The president for example can create laws that we have to abide by, but only God can change our hearts. When Jesus came to earth he brought an authority that no one had access to before him.

Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and on earth.

Luke 1:9
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

Luke 10:17
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through your name.

This shows how God gave authority to Jesus, who gave it to his 12 disciples, which was then given to 70 disciples. This shows us that the authority Jesus had when he walked the Earth we can have inside of us. Though we may have other people in charge of us, we hold a much higher authority inside us then the outward authority they hold. Jesus wants us to be a reflection of the way he was when he was on earth. To do this we have to look at the authority and power he carried with himself everywhere he went. This doesn't just happen over night but through a growing relationship and strong faith in God. You cannot have authority in Christ without faith in believing. In Mark 9:17-29 its shows how those two go hand in hand. The stronger the faith the higher the authority to do his work. We gain this faith by knowledge in Christ and by believing with no doubts. Always let God be your lead wherever you go, so when you do encounter sinful authority, He can be your guide.

prayer:
God you are the ultimate authority in our lives, we are so grateful that you are the perfect one to do this job. We are also so thankful that you sent Jesus to this earth to show us the Godly example of it. Let us carry around your presence that ripples around us everywhere we go.
Amen.

Eve

I was reading about Eve in the garden and it was saying how she was letting what she couldn't have get the best of her. I thought wow that is so true. God had given them everything in the whole garden, except he told her not to eat fruit from one tree. I bet there were lots of trees with lots of good fruit, and only one was off limits. The serpent reminded her of what she didn't have. Satan does that to us a lot too. Whether its our friends nicer cars, house, situations, ect. Store display shelves can be the worst lol. Always reminding us of what we don't have. Those things aren't bad and it's not bad to get them, but God doesn't want that to be our focus, especially if its something he doesn't want for us. I believe God wants the best for us, but he also knows the best for us, which means we don't get whatever we want. God wants our attention on him. Eve lost sight of God and couldn't let go of the one thing He said not to have in the entire garden. Do you sometimes sit and think about the one thing you don't have? Instead we should be looking at what God has already blessed us with!! God gave Adam and Eve so much, in fact everything but one tree!!! We need to shift our focus on what God has given us and what he wants us to do with that. He gives you a home for shelter, or the gift of compassion to help others, whatever it is. Eve let that tree become an idol she put it over Gods own words. Sometimes we constantly strive for what we don't have making it an idol. Working hard for things is not wrong, but working for THINGS over GOD is.

If you read Genesis 3, it is the story of the fall of man.

Satan can also make things seem attractive so that we will want them more than we want the right things. He may make money seem more attractive than time with your family. Eve allowed her contentment to be undermined by Satan, she lost focus of all God had given her. Eve's sin has come down and we are still living in that sin today. We act this way. Greed gets the best of all of us. But praying for a spirit of contentment and wisdom will help us grow into being more like Christ. Writing a list of your blessings puts satan further from getting into your mind in that area. It can be to easy to focus on what we don't have, but God uses Eve's story to show us for a reason that when we do that it is sin and leads to more sin: greed, idols, ect.

Genesis 3:1-7 
Now the serpent was more craft than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, " You must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die." "You will surely not die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God< knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing tot he eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

prayer:
Jesus you know what is best for us, we don't always listen or understand that. Give us wisdom to trust your plan for us. Let us not be distracted by earthly idols that take our focus off of you. You are the best gift we could ever receive and let us not forget the price you paid, that we too often take for granted.
Amen.

multiplied

Do you ever feel like what you have to offer Jesus is not enough? I know I have definitely felt like that, how can whatever I have be enough for such a BIG, God?

Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only fives loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

In the bible Jesus took 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and turned it into more than enough food for 5,000+ people. He multiplied what was given to him.  When we feel that we aren't good enough, God sees that he can use us and multiply whatever we give him: our gifts, time, money, talents. The disciples were trying to send the people off because they didn't think they had enough, but Jesus looked at that and saw more than enough. He fed everyone that was there, which was thousands, and there was still leftovers. No matter how little we think we have, Jesus wants us to offer it up to him. When we do that it gives him the ability to transform nothing into something!! Also Jesus didn't just POW put food into everyones hands. He had the disciples distribute it. We just want Jesus to work miraculously for us, and sometimes he does, but other times he wants to use us or others to display him. Jesus sees what is good in you and just like the bread and fish if we offer ourselves to him he can multiply that.

Jeremiah 30:19

For them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.

 (Check out ESV too it uses the word multiply)

This verse is talking about restoring Israel and Judah out of captivity. We may not be in literal captivity, but our hearts and our minds can be. Captivity means to be imprisoned or confined. We have all been there. Jesus restored them and said he would continue to multiply them bringing honor to them. He can do that to us too. He can take what was once imprisoning us and use that to break us free and multiply us in that area being even stronger than before. As a christian I want to decrease, so Jesus can increase in me. I want him to take my strengths and make them even bigger. I want him to take my talents and multiply them for His will. 

prayer:

Jesus, you are capable of taking anything and transforming it. We pray that you would transform our hearts and minds to be like you. Decrease our sinfulness so you can increase in us, making us all you created us to be. Multiply us and our strengths. In your name

Amen!