Gods favor

Lately I've been praying for Gods favor. I want him to have his hand on everything I do and everything I am a part of. Gods favor isn't necessarily designed to make our lives perfect though. Gods favor is designed for us to fulfill his purpose in our lives. When we look at Gods favor in the bible an example is when Mary finds out she's pregnant with Jesus. The angel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Do you think at first she thinks she has Gods favor, I bet she's probably terrified. She just found out she was pregnant and she is a virgin. Then an angel comes and tells her she's favored. She had no clue in the moment what amazing plans God had for her. Our purpose for Gods kingdom is going to be hard. We're going to be prosecuted and judged. When we live out his will for us it doesn't mean that we won't experience that, because the bible definitely tells us we will, but it means God gave me this purpose and he is going to be with me to do this thing! I wish Gods favor meant roses and lilies everywhere I went, but more than that it means him bringing us through his will in our life. So God what is your will for my life? What purpose do you have for me? I know that you will help me accomplish your kingdom here on earth. Those are the questions and statements we should be asking if we haven't. Everyone's looks different. For me I see things differently when I'm living out his purpose. I feel his favor. To describe it I feel like I'm in the right place spiritually, a sense of peace.
     I do think God can give us favor wherever we go if we are living for him, but that doesn't mean everything for us will be perfect. Take a look at Joseph.

Genesis 39:3,4,5
When his master (Joseph's master) saw that the Lord was with him(Joseph) and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and because his attendant......(verse 5) the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.

Joseph was well-built and handsome, and his masters wife had her eyes on him. She repeatedly tried to get Joseph to sleep with her, but he always said no. One day she caught him by his cloak...

Genesis 39:11-23
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me?" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us? He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home, Then she told him this story: 'That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and give him success in whatever he did.

Reading this shows us that Joseph had trials and even went to prison. No matter where he went though, the Lord had his hand in everything he did and everywhere he went. Jesus DOES NOT promise us life to be easy, but when we have his favor and are drawing close to him and his purpose in our life things can go a lot smoother. Think if Joseph had slept with the woman...I don't think the Lord would have given him favor with the warden. I think Joseph had favor because of the man he was. Even though Joseph was in prison for over two years, when he got out he ruled Egypt. Talk about God's favor.

I want to have God's favor and live out his purpose for me. His purpose for you will look different. When we follow him and commit to him it opens up the door for his blessings to come into our life. It can make the rough places smooth. Think and pray about your purpose and go after it. You only have one life, so live it to the fullest for the King of Kings. Let others see that you have God's favor on you like Joseph.

prayer:
Father, thank you for your favor on my life. Let me continue to find and fulfill the purposes you have for me. Bless all that I do for you, so others may see and come to glorify you. We pray in your Sons precious name.
Amen.

Coming near to God

On a daily basis, I want to be close to God. I want to wake up and spend time feeling His presence and drawing near to him. Yesterday was quite the day for me, kinda hectic. Van broke just shut down in the road while I was driving brake quit working, gas, steering wheel, it was all locked up. (Praise God no one got hurt and we were fine) So I was stuck in the middle of the road, not able to get ahold of my husband with two little ones. Then it started pouring! I believe that, just one of those things could have recked my day. When we draw close to God, those things that could reck our day just don't. Instead of feeling the disappointment and frustration as my top emotion, I feel God's presence. His presence over shadows all the other emotions that are not from him.

James 4:7-10
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

God gives us 5 ways in this verse to come close to him:

1-Submit to God
    This means to yield to Gods plans and authority over your own. Submitting God shows him your commitment and faithfulness to him.

2-Resist the devil
   When you resist the devil, you are standing firm and not letting temptation or earthly desires get the best of you. When you heard a voice in your head that is messing with you, you shut it down and speak the truth of God.

3-Wash your hands and purify your hearts
    This represents cleansing yourself of sin, repenting and turning away from evil. We purify ourselves by letting God cleanse us of our past and give us a new future that puts him at the head of our life.

4-Grieve and cry
    No this doesn't mean God wants us to be sad to get closer to him. I feel close to him when I experience HIS JOY! But to get to that place we need to be delivered. He wants us to let our emotions go, and show grate remorse for our sinful ways. When we release all this emotion and sorrow for our past, it opens up the door for Holy Spirit to fill you up. I see it as getting the nasty out to let the amazing in. Release to Receive.

5-Humble yourselves before the Lord
   When we are humble we see that our worth comes from God. Our importance comes from God. Show God you are humble and submissive to him, this allows him to lift you up.


Let God know you are serious about him and serving him, and that you want to feel his presence everyday!!!

prayer:
God, I know that on a daily basis I experience situations that could wreck my day. But I want to feel close to you. I want to feel your presence over all the other emotions I have. Help me to go through these steps to draw close to you. Let my will go, and let yours be done.
Amen.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. For me being a mom is the hardest job ever but most rewarding. Some may think I started early, even at the time I thought I did, but boy did God have a plan for me and I'm so grateful for that. I realize Mother's Day can be joyful for lots but also hard for lots many people that struggle and yearn for this but haven't had it happen. I just want to encourage you to pray and seek God because he does have a plan for you!! Just because you may not have a physical child does not mean you cannot lead someone else and be an example to them! I'm praying for you today if that is your situation. For those of you that are mothers know that motherhood is one of the most rewarding jobs but far from easy. It takes a daily commitment to show patience and grace. One thing I like about Mother's Day is everyone posting pics and saying how grateful they are for their moms and how they wouldn't be who they are without them. For me that is so true, my mom has shown me how to be a woman, a Godly woman. I still call her all the time for advice and prayer. As a mom I want to lead my kids to Jesus. I don't have it all together and I can't always know the right answer, but that's not my job. My job isn't to be the perfect mom, but to show my kids the perfect Father, Jesus Christ. 

Proverbs 31:28

Her children arise and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her.

the call

How well do you know the bible? Do you have scripture memorized? Or are you newer in your faith working on learning some verses? Either way God is pleased when we read his word, but he doesn't just want us to read....Sounds crazy but more than he wants us to read his word, he wants us to put it into action!!

James 1:22-25
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says, anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does. 

When we don't know what God wants us to do he may speak to you through other people, or he may speak to you through his word. When we read the bible he doesn't want us to read it to know what it says but to do the example that he gives us in his word.

James 1:26-27
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight reign on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Read some scripture today and see what God is telling to not only know but to do! Not everyone will have the same calling in life, but God does want us to look after those in distress and to keep ourselves from the pollution of the world.


prayer:
What can I do to show you to the world today? How can I be an example? Lord show me the way for me. Help me to hold my tongue and use it as an encourager and not a harmful weapon.
Amen.

YOKE

Some days do you feel like you have a lot of energy ready to take the day. Worry-free and full of joy!! That is awesome!! Other days do you feel so burdened, in a dark place and just worn out! We don't want that. When you step back and reflect on different days, you can find out what determines the load we carry for that day. Do we carry a load of sin, bitterness, or a hardened heart. Or do we carry a light load one that shows joy and peace. Some people let their yesterday define today, but you don't have to do that. If you have been exhausted with life and its circumstances, lets change that today!!! Lets kick the enemy to the curb and team up with Jesus, so when we run into hard situations Jesus is there to take the load for us. In the bible Jesus says, "my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I've heard this verse a ton of times but didn't know what a yoke was. Egg yoke? haha NO! A yoke is a wooden crossbar linking two load pulling animals together.

That is what a yoke looks like, were not talking about an egg yolk here folks lol. And these animals usually are pulling a wagon or load of some sort. In the bible it mentions yoke several times and I want to show the context of 2 of these verses.

Matthew 11:29

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jesus is saying here that if you are worn out and struggling come to Him. He will give us the rest we need to be sustained. He wants us to take his yoke upon us so picture yourself linked with Jesus in the picture above. How cool is that, when we are yoked with Jesus he carries our burdens. We don't have to get worn out so easy and fast with our life circumstances if we are connected with Jesus. Another time is talks about a yoke is in Galatians.

Galatians 5:1

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

When we are burdened by the yoke of slavery the person attached to us is not Jesus but the enemy. He hangs right on and drags us down making every day drudging and a big burden. When you command the enemy to leave and invite Jesus it can transform your life. I know situations that I could let overwhelm me and wear me down, but when I have Jesus right there he wants to take my burdens from me so I can have a stress free, light load. It takes faith, but letting go of your load with be a weight lifted off you! Just think about that this week, talk to God let him know what burdens you and that you want to be teamed up with Him so he can lead you on the way!

prayer:

Thank you that you take my burden and make it light! Help me cling to you so I can be yoked with you and go where you want me to. I trust you with my life, let the faith I have bring others to you so they can be yoked with you too!

Amen!