The ONLY Resolution you need to make!

In 2008, I resolve to . . . .

What did you resolve to do in 2008? Did you write it down? Make a list? Was it longer than your grocery list? Did you make any resolutions or goals at all?

In years past I have had goals and resolution lists longer than the Constitution and all it's amendments. . . . . ok . . . maybe not quite that long . . . but close! And each year I felt like a big fat loser in looking at how many resolutions and goals I actually kept or obtained in the 12 months God gave me that year. So last year I decided to do things differently. . . .

I didn't make any goals or resolutions! I figured - if you don't make 'em, you won't fail at keeping them! :)

It worked! :) I am happy to report that I didn't fail at keeping any sort of resolutions this year. And I am still the same weight as last year, my house is just as messy, I saw the same amount of friends, and my spending habits didn't change. :)

Is that good? . . . . yes and no.

I do have to say though - it is nice to not feel like a failure at the end of the year. :) But I also would have loved to have felt a little toner, had a few more dollars in my savings account, seen a few more friends, and had my house a little cleaner (but not done by me! hee,hee) - amongst other things.

However, God has been teaching me a lot the past couple years about learning to just "BE". Be in- the moment, the situation, the day, the presence of friends or family, the happiness, the sadness, the good times and bad, etc.


And above all - He has been reiterating to me the importance of the only resolution and goal I ever need to have - not just each Jan. 1st - but every day -

Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

As well as . . .

Matthew 22:36-40 - "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

My only goal and resolution in 2009 and everyday of my life is to be a Lover of God - to seek Him first - His kingdom and His righteousness - and let Him take care of the rest! He can do it! He does it all the time! We just have to trust Him to follow through with His promises when we follow through with ours!

If I am loving God with all my heart - the rest will come . . . I will love myself more (because I will know WHO I am in Christ and how God sees me) - which may lead to taking care of myself more - toning up the gravity-induced sagging areas, resting more, etc. It will lead to loving others more (as I have learned to love myself) - so more time will be spent with family and friends. It will lead to a more balanced approach to how I spend my money (which I've done fairly well at - but there's ALWAYS room for improvement!). It may even lead to a cleaner house . . . . . maybe . . . maybe not. :) It may just take off the stress that I feel about it - realizing that people and God are so much more important than a clean house!! A friend may pass away tomorrow . . . but the messes never will!! They will only continue! So . . . choose people over cleaning any day! That's my philosophy! :) (so - come visit me . . . but expect to be able to write me a note in the dust on my furniture! . . . . ok . . . it's not always that bad!)

I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!

I know that God LOVES new beginnings! He invented them! If 2008 hasn't been the best year for you . . . look forward with anticipation to a new beginning in 2009! Seek God first and foremost - and you can't go wrong!! Give Him your worries, your resolutions, your goals and ask Him for His! They are always MUCH better than anything we could dream up!!

Go DEEPER in 2009!

L :)

A Setup for the Miraculous - The next level!

Well folks . . . God is good! It is good to trust Him! :)

I can't go into details, but let's just say that God is providing for our needs!! :) He has provided some money towards our furnace issue (which still isn't resolved and we have been living on space heaters), and for our daily/monthly expenses! Did I tell you God is good?! :)

We are still seeking 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinions on our furnace and asking God for His FINAL opinion (of course). I trust Him to meet our needs completely to fix it!!

Praise the Lord!!

Keep trusting Him for your needs and go a little deeper with Him today! He loves you more than you know!!

L :)

To Know Him Better

I have a prayer for you today. My heart is yearning and aching for you to know God better. That is what this blog is all about. I am not just spending my time writing for my own benefit . . . but for yours. I long to see so many people go deeper with God - to really KNOW Him - to really LOVE Him - to really know HIS love.

It's not always comfortable going deeper though.

Dive down deep in a pool of water and your ears start to hurt - the pressure is incredible and painful.

Many people think that going deeper with God will feel the same way. I think that is why so many people avoid it. They are afraid of the pain. They are afraid of what might be lurking deep underneath. What will God find and expose? If He is light, what will that light shine on in the deepest recesses of our heart? Compared to God and His glory - anything and everything will be filthy. That's good news. There shouldn't be any surprises there. We ARE like filthy rags compared to God (Is. 64:6).

As you get closer to the light (or the light gets closer to you) - you will see the dirt even more so. But don't be afraid of it. Don't just continue to live in the dark or be afraid of the light because of what you might find.

We are all "dirty".

But the good news is . . . we can become clean!

It's not through our own efforts . . . but God's . . . Jesus' to be exact. HE is the one that takes our dirt and gives us HIS righteousness!!! (Rom. 3:22, Rom. 10:4, 1 Cor. 1:30, Gal. 2:21, Phil. 3:9)

Wow . . . can you imagine . . . someone saying - let's trade clothes . . . I'll take your filthy rags - and you can have my clean and newly pressed clothes. Keep them. They are yours now. I will also take all the dirt that is on you and put it on my skin. Here - you can have my freshly showered and glowing skin in return. How about your heart? Need a new one? Is yours hurt, hardened, dead? You can have mine!

The choice is yours.

He won't take anything from you without you willingly giving it to Him.

Many of you reading my blog have known the Lord for many years. But this is my prayer for you today . . .

Ephesians 1:17-20
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope of which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms"

Do you understand what that just said?

ASK God for HIS Spirit (the Holy Spirit) of WISDOM and REVELATION . . . SO THAT you CAN know Him BETTER! :) Awesome!

And not only that - but pray that God will enlighten you (open the eyes of your heart . . . not just knowledge in your head - but experience it in your heart) to know the HOPE of which he has called you - AND . . . the His AWESOME power - the same power that rasied Jesus from the dead!!! That power is available to work in you and through you . . . .for those that believe and continue to believe! (I want that!!)

Going deeper doesn't have to hurt like you think. Ask any diver what to do. You must open your ears (let them "pop" open) as you dive so that the pressure doesn't hurt your eardrums. There will be times of pressure build up . . . but that's just a sign to open your ears again/more. You are going deeper!

So - OPEN YOUR EARS today . . . . and let the Lord OPEN the "eyes" of your heart (your mind)! Going deeper can be exciting, thrilling, challenging, revealing, scary, incredible, overwhelming, peaceful . . . . indescribable!

Are you willing to try it?

I challenge you to dive in today. Go a little deeper with the Lord than you have ever dared. Let Him in to places in your heart (and mind) that you have had closed off to visitors. Let His light shine on areas you've kept hidden (consciously or unconsciously). It IS well worth it!

Go Deeper today!

L :)

A Setup for the Miraculous!

Have you ever felt "set up" by God? :)

Have you ever felt tested?

I'm sure most of us have. I know I have.

But I am grateful for it.

Why am I grateful? How can I be grateful?

I am grateful for the increase in faith that has developed out of the testing. I am grateful for the increased peace and patience that has come from it. I am thankful for the increased sense of love, power, mercy, grace, support, provision and more. I am a better woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and lover of God today than I was before I was ever tested.

How can I be grateful . . . it's basically a choice. Like most things in life - it boils down to a choice. Will I choose to be grateful, or will I choose to grumble, complain, get angry at God (or others), worry, live in fear, be depressed, question God, and more? When I look at the benefits/consequences of either choice - I like the results I get from the first one better! So I CHOOSE to be grateful . . . to be full of JOY in the midst of trials and testing.

I love the book of James. It starts off with just this topic - "Trials and Temptations".

James 1:2-4 - "Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Doesn't that sound like the kind of results you want . . . the better "benefits (or consequences)"? I will lack NOTHING! That's the road I want to take!

What have you been tested with lately? Relationships? Finances? Parenting? Work issues? All of the above? Here at our house we have been set up for the miraculous to happen . . . for God's glory to shine! How?

We are in need of more finances to make our budget work. Our kids are getting bigger, hungrier, and despite all my commands to stop growing - they keep disobeying - either that or their clothes keep shrinking! :) My husband and I have been praying for God to show us how HE wants us to handle our finances and how to bring in more income to meet our needs.

I applied for a job recently but didn't hear anything for 2 weeks. I assumed the position was filled. In that time, God opened up some doors for me to be able to write more - to a larger audience than my blogs reach right now. We knew this was from God and felt His peace in pursuing it. It is not a paid "job" though. But there is still peace to pursue it. God has promised to meet our needs (and then some!)! I also had a dream (that's too long to explain) that I felt the Lord was saying I needed to focus on writing, mothering, etc, and that THAT was my "job". I told my mom and sister that I didn't think God wanted me to get this job I had applied for. But wouldn't you know it . . ..

A couple days later - I had a job offer. I rethought everything. Maybe this was God sending His provision? I accepted the job. It seemed like a good thing - a God thing. In all practicality, it made sense. However, neither my husband nor I could shake that "check" - that Holy Spirit check in our spirit - that pit or knot in our stomach whenever we thought about me working. I knew that I knew that I knew that this was not what God wanted. Was this a test?? (it reminded me of the story of how God told Ivan and Isabel Allum they were to marry each other and Isabel was offered the "perfect job" - but taking it would have meant that she wouldn't be able to marry Ivan. She turned it down and trusted in what God said. You can read the AWESOME story here.) At least we were not being tested like Abraham and being told to sacrifice one of our kids (though . . . that would cut down on our expenses here. :) hee,hee. Just teasing of course!).

I turned down the job. It felt good. I was at peace again. I was ready for God's blessings to be showered upon us because I obeyed! :) hee,hee. (though i was still thinking about whether to take back the few C-mas presents I bought when I thought I was going to have a paycheck coming in.) I did expect God to move mightily in our finances soon! . . . . but . . . .

One day went by . . . . nothing. Two days went by . . . .nothing. Three . . . .and then . . . Brrrr. . . . Our furnace isn't working right. We woke up freezing (again - it's been acting funny since this past winter)! We called a heating and a/c tech to come out right away. Bad news. . . . . . we are leaking carbon monoxide into the house and have to turn off our furnace right away and not turn it back on! It will be between $2000-$7000 to fix or get a new furnace! Yikes! This isn't the "financial blessing" I was expecting. :) Now we are still over our budget each month, our cars are in need of repair, we don't have extra money for C-mas (it's all on a credit card right now) . . . . and we need a new furnace! I think we have about $50 in savings too!

So God . . . . you like to up the ante, eh? It reminds me of the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal - both calling down fire from their god to see who's sacrifice would be burned up. Elijah didn't just call down the fire . . . he made sure the sacrifice, wood and ground were soaking wet first . . . to make it seem impossible for it to ever catch fire. But what did God do? He showed up the other "gods" and burnt Elijah's sacrifice to a crisp! Go God!!

I don't have a clue how we are going to pay for all this. I don't have a clue how we are going to live on the income we have coming in now. But I do know this . . . God has ALWAYS taken care of me! I will continue to listen and obey ALL He commands and asks of me - because I know that HIS way has ALWAYS been better! It doesn't mean it's always been easy . . . . but the end result is soooo much better!! And what great stories I have to tell - of His grace, His mercy, His love, His power, His salvation, His provision and more!

So - where are you in your current struggles? What has your response been so far? How will it change after reading this? Do you trust God enough to choose to "consider it PURE JOY" - despite what the circumstances look like? Even if you don't think you can trust God . . . try it! What's the worst that can happen by choosing to be HAPPY during hard times instead of being miserable? :) Think about it.

I pray a blessing on you today - a blessing of prosperity, of peace, of joy, and of God's incredible love in your life as you CHOOSE to obediently follow Him and decide to trust Him - in EVERY situation (good and bad) in your life. You won't regret it!!

Going a bit deeper . . . .that's for sure!

Lori :)
ps - I will let you know how it turns out . . . but you can bet that God has it all planned out already! I'll have to share some of my other stories of God's provision, power and more later!

My sister just sent this to me and I thought I would post it.

Recipe for Miracles

Ingredients:
1 part of knowing who you are
1 part of knowing who you aren't
1 part of knowing what you want
1 part of knowing who you wish to be
1 part of knowing what you already have
1 part of choosing wisely from what you have
1 part of loving and thanking for ALL you have

Instructions:
Combine ingredients together gently and carefully, using faith and vision. Mix together with strong belief of the outcome until finely blended.

Use thoughts, words and actions for best results.

Bake until Blessed.

Give thanks again

Yield:
Unlimited service