POWER UP WITH GOD'S WORD

What’s Your God-Given Dream?

 Ephesians 2:10

For we are God handiwork, recreated in Christ Jesus, that we may do those good works which God predestined for us, taking paths which He prepared ahead of time, that we should walk in them, living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live.

I love this verse. It sounds so simple: God created us. God prepared a path for us. If we walk the path, we will have a good life.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, real life isn’t always so simple. Some of us make a wrong turn and miss that path. And how are we even supposed to know what path to take? After all, there are a lot of paths out there to choose from.

Do you have a dream that doesn’t make sense? A passion that won’t quit? If so, that is probably the good works God predestined for you. Each of us are different and each of us have a different task here on earth. My task is different than yours, but yours is just as important as mine. If you don’t know what your task is, let God guide you to it.

God is such an awesome and loving God that when He starts our heart beating, His touch lingers for just a moment.

And in that touch, He creates us to be us.

And in that touch, He creates us to be unique.

And in that touch, He gives us talents, interests, abilities and gifts.

And in that touch, He pours certain passions into our heart.

And in that touch, He loves us as no other ever can or ever will.

So, what’s the answer to the question of what does God want you to do? He wants you to do something that you love because He gave you that passion. Something that you are good at because He gave you that gift. Something that you care about so much that you will spend hours and hours doing it and enjoy it.

That something is YOUR DREAM.

Your Dream is God’s Purpose.

Here is some really good news.  God dreams often seem impossible, but He gives us all that we need to accomplish His purpose and our dream. So no matter how crazy it sounds, God wants you to pursue that dream.  And it is when we pursue those dreams that we are filled with a joy and peace that can’t be explained. As we pursue our dreams, we are fulfilling God’s purpose for us. Some may not understand it; some will call it a hobby; some a waste of time, but focusing on our God-given dream is a divine task.

QUESTION TO PONDER: What do you care about? If money wasn’t an issue, what would you love to do more than anything else in the world? How can you use your dream to serve God?

FINDING MORE OF GOD’S POWER

 Romans 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The Bible is full of wisdom to help in any situation.

You can be a Christian without reading, knowing, studying, meditating, and understanding the Bible. But why would you want to? I became a Christian in my teenage years, but never understood the value of God’s Holy Word.

I understand the value now!

I could have avoided so much pain, darkness, and emptiness in my life if I’d understood the value sooner.

By studying it before the adversity comes, you’ll have a better understanding of God and his faithfulness. This will prepare you for any situation that arises. If you’re knee-deep in adversity or even feel as if you’re drowning in it, fear not. God is with you and it’s not too late to start today.

The value doesn’t come  from  reading the Bible. Reading it won’t change your heart or your life. Meditating on, believing, and doing  will!

So, whether you are in the midst of adversity or not, pick up that Bible today and you will never regret it. There is power in God’s words.

But the power doesn’t come from reading the words–it comes from being a DOER OF THE WORD. Mmm…maybe that wasn’t what you wanted to hear?  Maybe, you wanted  the easy way? God’s way is NOT the easy way, but it is the BEST way!

SHARING TIME:  WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN AVOIDING BECAUSE IT’S TOO HARD? 

Mary Did You Know by Mark Lowery

I thought I’d share one of my favorite songs with you today to celebrate Easter.  Here’s a wonderful video of Mark Lowery’s beautiful song,  Just click on the link and enjoy!

Mary Did You Know?

HAVE A WONDERFUL EASTER!

WHO’S IN CONTROL?

Proverbs 3: 26

for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about control lately

If you ask me, who is in control, I would, of course, give the good Christian answer—GOD . If you ask me who is my provision, I would, of course, give the good Christian answer—GOD. If you ask me who the source if my confidence is, I would give the good Christian answer—GOD.

And I believe that but….

On the other hand, I like to think of myself as self-reliant. I started working the same week I graduated from high school in…cough…stammer…uhm 1973 . I found a job the same week and have worked since then with the exception of one quarter in college when I saved enough money to take a break.

I put myself through college along with a few grants and scholarships—no loans. ME and MY WORK. I saved my money—bought my houses-bought my cars. ME and MY WORK

So, even though I say and believe God is in control, believe He is my provision, I’m not so sure I’ve ever depended on HIM the way HE wants. Because after all, for almost forty years, it’s been ME and MY WORK.

That is until lately.

I’ve been retired and only working part-time for the past few years. That was really awesome!  I had time to write and enough money not to worry!  And then it happened!

NO JOB! I actually didn’t freak out at first. I assumed something would come along at the last minute. But it didn’t.

The last check came and then it wasn’t ME and MY WORK anymore! Just me!  Oh, that’s right, I admit it—I forgot about God for a few anxiety-filled weeks. I worried, I grumbled to myself. I was more anxious than I’d been in years!

And it was driving me crazy!

Suddenly, my peace and joy was replaced with worry and aggravation. A lot of it and I didn’t like it. But I didn’t stop me from doing it until one day when I realized by worrying I wasn’t trusting God. I was NOT placing my confidence in God as my provider.

HE had been my provider all along but as with us fleshly humans, I forgot that for awhile..

So, now each time the worry comes back, I say a quick prayer: “I know You love me. You are all-powerful and I know you will work this out for my good.” Sometimes, it’s simpler and even quicker: “I need you or Your Will be done.”

The anxiety and worry are slowly being replaced by the peace and joy again. And that is wonderful!

We don’t, can’t, and won’t always know why things happen the way they do, but we always have a choice in how we react to them. We can choose to believe God’s promises. We can choose to believe God loves us and will take care of us. We can choose to stay in faith.

My life circumstances may still a mess, but as long as I keep my eyes on God, my faith remains steady. I now know that GOD truly is in control and my times are indeed in HIS hands

Psalm 105:4

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

A SUBMISSIVE WIFE??? REALLY??

Ephesians 5:  22

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

This certainly has to be one of the more controversial verses in the Bible—at least for women.  Men love the verse—even my husband quotes it from time to time. Most women brush the verse away with the explanation that it was a custom of the time and nothing to do with life in the 21^st century.

Really?

I don’t believe we can pick and choose what to follow in God’s Word so I set out to be a submissive wife. Not an easy task for anyone and certainly not for me for a variety of reasons. But let’s take a look at the above verse in context. Yes, wives are to submit to their husband, but husbands, you’re not off the hook. You have something to do as well.

Ephesians 5:22-29

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her  to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—

Did you get the point of the verses? If not, let me be very clear.  Wives are to submit, but husband are to put their wives first–above their own needs–above their own wishes. Husbands are to love their wives and take care of her needs and desires first.

My husband is a godly, giving, generous man who naturally puts me first. Knowing that, makes it much easier for me to be the submissive wife. I trust him to make decisions based on what’s best for both of us. And as wonderful as he is, I still have to remind him of his part in the above verses from time to time!

For those wives who are in a more difficult marital situations (whether your husband is a Christian or not), understand that there is a difference between submission and abuse. Never allow yourself to be abused in any way. God does not want someone to hurt you, physically or emotionally. On the other hand if you simply want things to be your way because that’s what you want, then I think you need to talk with God about it.

Being submissive isn’t about losing your personal choices.

Being submissive isn’t about being a doormat.

Being submissive isn’t about fear or following rules.

Being submissive is about showing respect to your husband.

Being submissive is about sharing your opinions and feelings, but trusting your husband to make good decisions.

Being submissive is about being a partner in the marriage, not necessarily the boss.

And husbands, the above holds true for you as well. Being a bully to your wife is NOT acceptable in any way. You are to be the leader, but if you don’t act like a leader you can’t expect your wife to follow you.

If you want a more submissive wife, then learn to put her needs before your own.  And not just her needs but her desires as well. Yeah, that’s what I said! Spoil her—treat her like a princess!

SHARING TIME: What’s your thoughts? Is being a submissive wife an outdated notion whose time has passed? Do you consider yourself a submissive wife—and what does that mean to you?

And the winners are….

I’m sorry this is a week late posting but I’ve been sick. But I’m feeling better now and so the winners Amazon gift cards in my BLOG CRAZY CONTEST ARE:

$20 winner

Karen 5026

$10 winners:

readrand

Pat Dyer

$5 winners:

Supporting Godly Women

joeym11

Faithfulacreshomestead

Jackie Layton

Holly Michael

ekjerkyforthesoul

Robert daugherty

Lee Carver

To claim your prize, email me at lduncan512@aol.com.  That way I have your valid email address to send the Amazon Gift card. Thanks for following my blogs.

Ahhh…LOVE IS IN THE AIR

God’s love is personal.

Psalms 36:5-7

God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.

Life has been difficult for me this past year and yet through the storms, God has shown His goodness and His love to me. And in fact, some of the events I wasn’t happy about have been the right thing for me. God knew that even if I didn’t want to know that. That’s where trusting God and His perfect love comes in.

HIs ways are indeed better than  our ways.

I’ll share my story and then you can share yours..  As this school year started, I didn’t have a job for the first time in 35 years. I’ve been retired for several years but worked part-time as a speech pathologist for my local school district. I loved it! Close to home and a great place to work. But budget cuts are budget cuts.

But I wasn’t ready to give up the job! I looked for other alternatives and ended up with a substitute position as an SLP. There was no reason it shouldn’t have worked out for me, but I had no peace about it. I eventually told them I couldn’t continue. And about that same time, I started developing complications to a treatment I’d had months earlier.

I’m still struggling with the complications and the treatment for the complications.

There si no way I could work anywhere right now.

In God’s great love, He arranged for me to have a stress-free time to focus on my health.

SHARING TIME: WHAT’S YOUR STORY OF GOD SHOWING HIS LOVE EVEN WHEN IT DIDN’T FEEL THAT WAY AT FIRST?

And the winner is:

It was a touch choise. I wish we could have given everyone a book but we chose Linda Finn as the winner of the book.

DEVOTION AND A BOOK GIVEAWAY!

I have an extra special treat today as a devotion today. My guest writer is Janet K. Brown who’s new devotional book  Divine Dining: 365 Devotions to Guide You to Healthier Weight and Abundant Wellness was released in December. Janet lives in Wichita Falls, Texas and loves to write, visit with grandkids, and travel with her husband in their RV. Divine Dining is her second published book. 4RV Publishing released her debut novel, Victoria and the Ghost, an inspirational YA.

Janet is willing to give away a print copy of her book. How nice is that!  This sounds like a devotional book, I’m going to be buying for myself.  Yes, I admit it–I need to lose a few pounds!  One of my goals for this year is to become healthier! And this looks like just the thing ot get me on my way. If you want to be considered to win the book, leave us a comment why. Winner will be chosen on January 28.

THE PROTECTION OF THE WREN CACTUS

   “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—“ Jude 24 NIV

If food compulsion is part of our carnal life, danger lurks whenever we leave God’s protection.

At a friend’s country home, we noticed a cactus bush three to four feet high with a nest of wrens on one side. We commented.

“That’s our wren cactus, our sanctuary for birds,” our friend told us.

On the other side of the bush, we spotted baby mockingbirds. Instead of flying to high places to be safe from the coyotes and deer, birds make their home here in a small bush. On examination, we noticed birds fly into the cactus without touching the prickly thorns. A larger animal would be unable to do that, so the birds make their nests in perfect safety right under the noses of their enemies.

Like the birds, God is our wren cactus. He protects us from certain defeat and destruction while in the presence of food that would tempt us. His loving arms encircle us. The enemy can’t get past His defense.

Prayer: When I’m at a restaurant or party, a pot luck or home by myself, I’m vulnerable without your hedge. Please protect me today, Lord.

I lost ninety-five pounds and have maintained the loss for seventeen years. One tool in my recovery remains the daily reading of inspirational books. I found my library incomplete when I searched for one that combined a twelve-step program with God as the Higher Power. The biggest secret to my success was giving up my will and letting God do it through me. I wrote a book of daily devotions that came from my journals and memories. This is one woman’s road for success. I pray these thoughts help others reach the same healing God gave to me. It’s all about God.

SHARING TIME: IF YOU WANT TO WIN THE COPY OF THE BOOK, LEAVE A COMMENT. Winner will be picked by my heart! The one that touches me the most wins the book! THANKS! Winner chosen on Jan.28.

And don’t forget–anyone who signs up to follow this blog or www.tiarasandtennisshoes.com between now and Feb.1 will automatically be entered to win Amazon gift cards!