A BLIND MOM CRYING OUT

February 1st Reading

Welcome friends and happy monday! Just a reminder that I blog Monday Thru Friday.The dailly bible reading can be found by clicking the date above or the link on the side of this blog.

Have you ever felt like you where in a NO WIN SITUATION?

I have to be honest raising a 14 year old boy brings me to tears many times. I told my son yesterday our relationship and communication together is crazy  and  some days makes no sense. Kinda like a squirrel chasing a rabbit! Now I know a squirrel chasing a rabbit makes no sense and that is my point. We tend to have little arguments that make no sense. We can battle and chase each other around  on one topic until one is proven wrong. If I say UP he means DOWN. If I say it's black he will say white. This chasing around and around can make one very tired, irritable and frustrated.
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Today in Matthew 20:33 two blind men cried out to Jesus for their eyes to be opened so they may see, immediately Jesus Jesus touched their eyes and they received sight.

This morning I am crying out to Jesus asking Him to give me spiritual sight so that I may SEE my son and our situation from a New fresh vision. Jesus I pray will open my eyes to understand how we both need to change.

In this verse the men needed their physical sight to see but I always believe we can make a spiritual application in everything we read in the bible. I feel very blind in my situation with my son at times. Raising a teenager that knows EVERYTHING can make you feel blind and lost some days.

I know when you cry out Jesus will  open your eyes. This morning I woke up very early and read today's reading and cried out to Jesus on behalf of my situation with my son whom I love very much.

I then  began to wake up the family and told my son to be ready by 7:50 or he would loose the opportunity of me driving him to school. Well, he came up at 8:02 and said he was ready to go. Jesus already answered my morning prayer and instantly laid on my heart to "DRAW BONDARIES" and do what you said. I am a sucker and always fall back on my word cause I  feel bad. Well today my son had to walk to school and even receive a tardy. Sometimes when we struggle with our teenagers we have to stick to our boundaries with love. I felt so bad because it was cold out and he was running late. But remember when I cried out Jesus spoke some fast wisdom and came to me this morning and opened my eyes to see how I could better establish our relationship. Being a mom is difficult and we want the best for our children. Taking control is hard when you battle with a teenager but its very important to learn to control in love.

Do you have a situation in your life that leaves you on the side of the road feeling BLIND?

Do you wish your situation could be touched and your eyes opened to see everything from the right perspective?

Girlfriends, Jesus will move with compassion over your situation but we need to "cry out" like the blind men did in Matthew 20:30. When they cried out Jesus stopped and stood still on behalf of their situation.

I pray today that Jesus will stop and stand still for my situation and yours. Please take time to cry out and tell God what you need. He will have compassion and Mercy on the hardest situations in life.

Matthew 20:30 "So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" 

Blessings,

Forgiving

January 28th Reading

Have you ever been forgiven?

Have you ever forgiven someone? 

Do you really forgive and forget?

Do you forget about your wrongdoing after you are forgiven?

I don't know about any of you, but I do know that I can easily forgive some people, or maybe I should say some "crimes" but other things are really hard for me to forgive.  Why?  I don't know!  God forgives me for all the stupid things that I do, so why can't I forgive the stupid things that people do to me?  It is so easy to be angry with someone and never really get over what they do to you.  It is also easy to get over it.

We all too often wrong our friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, or whomever, and think nothing of it.  We might talk about them, steal from them, hurt them, beat them, don't help them, or who knows what else.  When they find out or when we tell on our self, do we not expect them to forgive us and not hold that against us?  I know I hope they do just that.  However, when the shoe is on my foot, how quickly do I do that?  Regardless of the circumstances, I have come quite far in not holding peoples wronging me against them.  Once upon a time I would have cussed them out and even possibly tried to fight them depending on the offense.  Now I TRY to just realize why they might have done this to me and then move forward, even if they won't or refuse to apologize to me.  It is really not about me and that is hard to realize about yourself.  If someone is wronging me and they do not make amends, God will deal with them eventually in His own way.  I do not have to worry about it.

Today's verses, Matthew 18:23-35, tell us how the master forgave the man of his debt because he begged him too, but then the man turned around and choked a man in the street for owing him a debt and he begged to be forgiven too.  He ordered the man to jail until he could repay the debt.  The people had seen the mercy that the master had on him, and were outraged so they told the master.  The master turned around and asked the man how he could do such a thing when he had given him mercy for his debt.  The man got to go be jailed as well until he could repay his debt to the master.

God will deal with all of our problems, issues, concerns, and whatever else if we just ask Him to do so.  We do not have to worry about getting revenge on people, we do not have to worry about teaching people a lesson, we do not have to worry about anything! God has got it ALL under control and will be handling it according to His will anyways.  All we can do is accept that people are sorry at that moment and pray that the person does not make the choice to wrong us again.  If they do, then you can deal with it at that time.  This does not mean you have to be a fool, but it does mean that you do not have to walk around with anger, resentment, spite, or any other thing but love in your heart.  Love all people because they are children of God and know that we (me & you) will all make our fair share of mistakes and that no matter what, a sin is a sin.  No sin is greater than another.  I may lie to you, but you may steal from me, your family member may talk about you, your friend may be an adulterer, who knows???  It is not our job now or ever, to condemn or judge or treat them wrongfully, just love and try to deter them from committing the same offense.

Please find forgiveness for someone in your life that has wronged you in some way.  TODAY!!!  Not tomorrow, not next week, TODAY!  Ask God to forgive YOU for holding that person to a higher standard than God even holds you to.  Ask God to soften your heart so that you will not be so angry/hurt/resentful towards that person or people.  It is hard to forgive, but remember the sacrifice that was made for you to be forgiven of ALL of your sins, the ones you have committed, the ones you are committing now, and the ones you WILL commit.  None of us are any better than anyone else.

Trying to forgive and be forgiven,
Kari

Have a great weekend!

THIS IS YOUR DAY TO SHARE!

January 27th Reading

LETS HAVE A LITTLE FUN TODAY!

OK...ONCE I EXPLAIN THE DETAILS PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT SO EVERYONE CAN SEE THE REVELATIONS AND HAND OF GOD! IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO POST A COMMENT PLEASE LOOK ON THE SIDE OF THE BLOG AND YOU WILL SEE "HOW TO POST A COMMENT."

IN THE FUTURE WE WILL BE DOING PRIZES AND GAMES SO THIS WILL GET YOU USE TO TAKING A QUICK STEP TO COMMENT...

HERE IT GOES....IN TODAY'S READING EXODUS 16:6  IT READS "YOU WILL KNOW THAT  IT WAS THE LORD WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF EGYPT, BECAUSE HE HEARD YOUR GRUMBLING."

EGYPT SIGNIFIES A PLACE OF BONDAGE. A PLACE THAT IS JUST NOT RIGHT AND PRESSURE IS COMING FROM ALL AROUND, YOU KNOW THAT YOU NEED TO ESCAPE.

 WE HAVE ALL HAD A PERSONAL EGYPT. HOW DID YOU OR ARE YOU ESCAPING?

EXODUS SIGNIFIES THE "WAY OUT"

MOSES WAS LEADING THE ISRAELITES OUT OF THEIR PLACE OF BONDAGE AND INTO THE PROMISE LAND! GOD HEARD THEIR PERSONAL GRUMBLINGS AND WANTED THEM TO TRUST HIM AS  HE PROVIDED AND DIRECTED  THROUGH MOSES. MOSES WAS LEADING THEM TO A LAND FULL OF BEAUTY AND PROMISES. A PLACE OF JOY AND PERFECT PEACE!

GOD IS HAPPENING IN OUR PRESENT EVERYDAY. HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THE LORDS HAND IN LEADING YOU OUT OF YOUR EGYPT! IF SO PLEASE SHARE A LITTLE PARAGRAPH OF THE LORDS RESCUE IN YOUR LIFE!
WHEN AND HOW DID THE LORD RESCUE YOU!

SIMPLY AND SWEET PLEASE, I BELIEVE YOUR TESTIMONY WILL LEAD ANOTHER OUT OF THEIR EGYPT!

I WILL START...

THANK YOU JESUS FOR HEARING MY CRY OF GUILT AND UN FORGIVENESS FOR SOME REALLY BAD CHOICES THAT I MADE IN MY COLLEGE YEARS. MY SHAME KEPT ME IN BONDAGE.
THANK YOU ALSO LORD FOR HEARING MY CRY OVER MY TROUBLED MARRIAGE. I WAS HEADING FOR DIVORCE BUT YOU LEAD US TO A LAND OF NEW PROMISES AND A BEAUTIFUL MARRIAGE!

IF YOU ARE STILL IN A PLACE OF BONDAGE, I WANT TO PRAY FOR YOU! PLEASE KNOW GOD IS WAITING TO LEAD YOU OUT!

OUR SITUATIONS ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF OUR BELIEF SYSTEMS! DO YOU BELIEVE GOD CAN AND WILL LEAD YOU TO SOMETHING BETTER! I DARE YOU TO CRY OUT...

BLESSINGS SWEET FRIENDS,

HOW DO YOU CROSS OVER A CRISIS?

January 26th Reading

A crisis can come in all kinds of sizes and shapes. I come across one pretty much everyday with my three children!

A crisis can land in our laps at any given time. News from a Doctor, the loss of a friend or loved one, finance problems, unexpected accidents, marriage struggles and the list can continue to grow.

Whether the crisis is big or small today's lesson will allow you to stand still and hold your peace!
Look at today's reading in Exodus 14. Moses was leading the Israelites in a NEW direction and the approach of the Egyptian army coming upon them terrified the Israelites. They placed pressure on Moses to handle the CRISIS.

Moses DID NOT PANIC!

Moses had seen the power Of God's handiwork before. Instead, he extended a calm peace and gained credibility as a leader. Through this incident Moses became the nations "Go To" leader.

People are always watching you. We will all be a leader to somebody. If we can learn to lean on God in our crisis we will become a "GO TO"  leader for others. Life is full of the unexpected and everyone is looking for a credible leader when life fall apart.

I can remember my first GO TO leaders before I had a relationship with Christ. I went to these leaders because they modeled something amazing.
  In the midst of the unexpected I needed an accountable leader, let me share what I think makes an incredible leader.

1. A person who projects CALM instead of CRAZINESS
    In today's reading Moses said in Exodus 14:13 "Do not be afraid, stand still and see the salvation of 
    the Lord, which He will accomplish through you today."
    My past leaders taught me to stand still, take a deep breath and watch God take over.
    How often do we STAND STILL and SEE GOD take over?

2. A person that projects confidence instead of cowardice.
    Exodus 14:13"For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again NO MORE FOREVER."
    
3. A person that projects clarity instead of confusion.
    And the Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward"  
    Exodus 14:15
    Do you have a leader that will create a clear vision in the midst of your crisis to help you move 
    forward?

4. A person that projects competence instead of clumsiness
    "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong
      east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on
      their right and and their left." God took the seas which was the crisis and caused it to go back so
      they could cross and get away from what was coming upon them.
     Do you believe God can CAUSE the crisis to go back and then CREATE a solution for you
      to cross over?
     Do you believe God has dry land in the midst of your crisis?

Friends I pray you stand still and look to God and I promise you will see His hand do a miracle in your life according to His best solution!

I pray you GO TO an accountable leader to help you find a clear vision today if you are facing a crisis!

Blessings,
Heather

Passover

January 25th Reading

It is unfortunate, I think, that as Christians we do not know more about the Jewish traditions. Jesus, after all, was Jewish and celebrated the various feasts, festivals and holidays that are first given in the Old Testament. This summer, I had the privilege of attending a seminar that explained these holidays in great detail. I was enthralled by the information and the significance that carried over from the Old to the New Testaments.

The reading for today (click on the date above to go there) gives the Israelites the instructions for the first Passover. God was ready to bring His people out of Egypt. He was going to send death through Egypt to take the firstborn male of every household. God instructed the Israelites to select a perfect lamb for sacrifice. The people were to bring the sacrifice on the appointed day and slaughter the sacrifice at a specific time. They were to use some of this lambs blood to mark their doors. When death passed through it would “passover” the doors that were marked and spare the lives of the firstborn males inside.

God’s, perfect, firstborn son died to save us from death.

God also gave specific instructions about what to wear during this time (Exodus 12:11). The people were to be fully dressed including their shoes and walking sticks. God knew that the exodus would be quick. The people needed to be ready to leave Egypt quickly when the time was right. There would be no time for them to gather their things.

We never know when Jesus will return. We need to be ready.

This quick exit also meant they could not wait for their bread to rise. Hence the requirement of unleavened bread. There is more to the lack of yeast than just saving time, however. Leavened bread was an Egyptian introduction for the Israelites. God’s chosen people did not have “puffed-up” bread until they were in Egypt. Until that time, the bread was more similar to a cracker.

Exodus 13:7 really stood out to me. I thought it was interesting that God said, “Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders.” (emphasis mine) God did not want the yeast to be in the house! The yeast symbolized the evil ways of Egypt. The people were to look through the house and remove all of the yeast.

We need to look and remove the yeast from our lives.

I love that our New Testament reading also discusses yeast! Jesus said, “How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  (Matthew 16:11) Jesus was warning the disciples of the doctrine that the Pharisees and Sadducees taught.

Want to know more amazing facts about Passover?

Mark 11: 9-11 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

   “Hosanna!”

   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

   “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus entered the temple the same day that the people brought the Passover Lambs.

John 2:13-15 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

It was time for Passover and Jesus was cleaning the leaven out of his Father’s house.

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Jesus was the bread of life. Unleavened of course, because he was without sin.

The last supper was actually the Passover Seder a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday. “The Seder is an occasion for praise and thanksgiving and for rededication to the idea of liberation.”

The next day, Jesus was crucified at the same time as the Passover Lambs.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the Passover. There is so much more and so many more significant details, this is just the beginning!

Hugs,

Lynnette

Thank you God for your Word. It is so fascinating and filled with meaning. Please teach me and help me to discover something new each time I read. Thank you for sending your perfect Son to pay the penalty for my sins. Amen.

COME AS YOU ARE

January 24th Reading

                                                                     MATTHEW 15:26
                          "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."

Hello friends!
Just reminder,if you click on the date above it will take you to the bible reading for the day. Also, you may find a print out for the whole years reading on the side of my blog page or at my website. http://www.heatherbaxter.com/
I like to make a xeroxed copy so I can tuck it into my bible and check off each day as I read and journal!
In the next month I will be doing a quick video devotion on the blog page for that days reading. Instead of writing it out I will speak to you for a few minutes via video! I hope this makes for a nice connection! Let me know what you think!

As I was doing the readings for today I scrolled across the phrase in Matthew 15:26. I did not understand fully what this meant and after doing my research this morning I was even more convinced of Gods unconditional love.

You do not need to pretend to be someone else to appear more deserving to receive from God.
A Canaanite women was disparately seeking a healing for her daughter. This women knew Jesus healed and did miracles among the Jews. She pretended to be a Jew by calling out "O Lord, Son of David!" Only the Jews addressed Jesus in this manner.

Jesus DID NOT answer her. His silence made her more persistent

She may not have known Jesus but she KNEW to acknowledge Jesus as a rightful king, She also acknowledged Him as her king and master by calling Him Lord. Lastly, she prayed "HAVE MERCY ON ME, HELP ME"  These expressions are irresistible to God.

God extended His grace.

First Jesus said..."It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

In the Jewish tradition DOG was a term of reproach or insult. A gentile was often called a Dog because of ignorance.

She saw that the crumbs under the MASTERS table were enough for a Gentile "puppy" like herself.

Jesus taught in this scripture that He was called to the Jews first not the Gentiles. YET, He loved this gentile women and was MOVED with compassion and wanted to provide a miracle for her.

 If Jesus was willing to extend His grace to a gentile then  how much more, YOU His beloved child?

Many times our hopeless situations turn us to Christ. Do not ever feel unworthy friends. God is waiting to extend His unconditional love. Move forward and He will perform a miracle on your past!

We need to step away from our religious back grounds and past sins as this Canaanite women did.

This women came from a background of perverse people. In her religion they practiced prostitution and CHILD SACRIFICE. They refused to repent and turn toward the one real God. God had ordered their destruction see (Numbers 33:50-55.)

WOW, What faith she had to come into Jesus Territory. She was motivated to take such courageous steps considering where she came from!

Well, I have a pretty disturbing past myself, this morning I was remembering when I first turned my eyes toward Jesus how afraid and  unworthy I felt to call Him my Lord. I was full of shame and fear, resembling the Dog that was undeserving due to ignorance.

What a GREAT promise in today's message....COME AS YOU ARE!

The Jewish people regarded themselves as better than the Gentiles because they possessed the law, yet they did not keep the law. God displayed His love for ALL people in today's reading.

Remember, a right standing with God comes only through faith. Salvation does not come from keeping the religious law but  instead having faith in Gods promises and  the power to save when we COME AS WE ARE!

Blessings, 

OTHERS UNBELIEF MEANS ITS TIME TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF!

January 20th Reading

Have you ever experienced a time of struggle because of others disbelief? Do you desire to be positioned in the best place possible in order to possess all the promises God has purposed for your life?

God promises a destiny that is Full and Alive!

Gods destiny for your life will be COMPLETE, PERFECT, SATISFYING AND FULL!
However a time will come in which God needs to reposition you so that he may COMPLETE and PERFECT you. God will keep you satisfied and full in your season, lacking nothing until He completes His perfect work.

A sign or symptom in your life that represents a possibility for the need to move is UNBELIEF.

We can have seasons in our marriages, relationships, families and ministries. Sometimes Gods best is to reposition you amongst NEW FACES or NEW PLACES. When I say reposition it does not necessarily mean He is taking you completely out or away from your circumstances but placing you in NEW environments that stretch you to see His promises from another view. Many times we stay in the circumstance or situation and its full of disbelief. 

DISBELIEF IS LACK OF SUPPORT and many times others will "not support" the faith we need to have.

Look at Matthew 13: 58
Jesus said "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and his own house." Now He did not do mighty works there because of their unbelief.

The people closest to Jesus in His hometown and family did not believe in Him and His powers to heal and perform miracles.

Others disbelief and lack of support can and will distract us from allowing  God the ability to perform wonderful miracles in our life.  Disbelief is a STUBBORN refusal to believe or a REJECTION of something wonderful God has placed in your heart. When we are surrounded by people with disbelief it hinders the work of faith in your personal life.

In this passage of scripture the others lack of faith hindered Jesus and He did not perform because of their unbelief.

Did Jesus stay in that place or did He leave and join God where He was at work?
 If you look at Mark 6:6 it states that Jesus MARVELED at their unbelief and THEN HE LEFT AND WENT ABOUT TO OTHER VILLAGES in a circuit of teaching! WOW what a lesson we can learn!

Jesus did not let others disbelief keep Him Stuck while missing the miracles God wanted to perform through Him. Jesus was sure of what He hoped for and certain of what He did not see.

Friends don't let allow your circumstances and the lack of others support dictate your destiny! MOVE ON!
If you stay stuck in the ordinary it will be impossible to experience the extraordinary powers of God. Disbelief  of others will HOLD YOU BACK.
 STEP AWAY and realize God has a grand plan. Trust Him and allow him to REPOSITION you.

Maybe God has a new group of friends for you this year? How about a New church home? Possibly a new small group instead of the same friends closest to all the details in your life?

When we move to NEW places God arranges NEW revelations that will SUPPORT what He has already planned.

Do you ever get with family or friends that have disbelief in what Christ is doing in your life?

Do you have others that experience fear around you because they are not comfortable with how God is working in your life?

Do others get jealous and push you away?

Do you ever marvel at others unbelief because YOU KNOW GOD HAS PROMISED YOU SOMETHING SO SPECIAL?

Friends, please do not give up and doubt Gods powerful work in your lives. Allow Him to reposition you.

After REPOSITION comes more POSSESSION. 

If you do not allow Him to transition you, it may be the difference between experiencing a DEAD END or a fulfilled DESTINY.

He has a plan for all your DREAMS!

Jesus Moved passed the disbelief and God took Him into  many NEW PLACES with NEW FACES!

May God bless you as you seek His face and He orders your steps!


Blessings,

MY TOP TEN READS

January 19th Reading

I want to share some great resources with you today!

In Matthew chapter 13 it explains to us the purpose of parables. Jesus always used a parable when teaching. This method was designed to reveal spiritual truths in such a way that those who wanted to respond would understand and receive the truth in an impacting way creating movement in their spirits!

Jesus was a visual teacher! He gave great stories and illustrations to teach us a radical truth! The goal is to grab hold of a truth and for it to plant deep and get rooted producing a bloom of blessings while displaying signs of life!

God has something specific for us depending on our spiritual season. The past year I was going through a lot of change! God had bigger plans and needed to uproot me and place me in new territory for His kingdom visions! During this spiritual season I needed to grab hold of many truths so that I would respond and allow my spirit to move alongside of Gods plans.

I purchased many BOOKS during this time to help me understand what was taking place in my life! Books can be a great resource in creating a picture of what God is doing from an others point of view. I was moved from many GREAT books this past year! 

These books will help you respond and receive more in certain areas of spiritual truth! I know you will  be able to pick up on the path God was taking me through all the titles!

I hope these make for some great reads to add in your library this year!

TOP TEN READS

1. This is  the best book:  WILD GOOSE CHASE by Mark Batterson
The name hints a mystery. Much like a wild goose, the SPIRIT of God cannot be tracked, trained or   tamed. This book will help you understand visually how to follow the spirit through life. Most of us have no idea where we are going most of the time. And that can be unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name ADVENTURE!

2. SUN STAND STILL By Steven Furtick!
Just another book explaining the the presence of God in your life and destiny! He is also one of my favorite preachers! Check him out at ELEVATION church.

3.COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE By Andy Stanley
This was a great tool in helping me prepare and speak my messages better for the journey in 2011~This book offers a unique strategy for communicators!

4. THE ANOINTING By Benny Hinn
Explains the hunger and precious anointing on your life and how to prepare for it on your journey!

5. PUT YOUR DREAM TO THE TEST By John C. Maxwell
Do you dream Big? This book helps create movement to step out into your dreams.

6.VISIONEERING By Andy Stanley
This is my third year rereading this powerful book. This book helps you walk in the Blueprint that God created for your life and also helps you maintain the vision at all times!

7. GOD CATCHERS By Tommy Tenny
A book about divine destiny meeting human desperation! We are promised in scripture that when you SEEK HIM. You can be a God Catcher!

8. BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN By Jentezen Franklin
Its time to make it happen, learn to move with tenacity toward the dream God has for your life!

9. TO LIVE IS CHRIST By Beth Moore
Join Paul in His journey of Faith.

10. SOLUTION FOCUSED PASTORAL COUNSELING By Charles Allen Kollar
Teaching others to alter their perception on reality! I loved the wisdom in this book!

These are only a few of my TOP CHOICES. The illustrations and parables in these books CHANGED MY LIFE and CREATED MOVEMENT!

Remember God uses others to create a spiritual movement in your life! Let me know if any of these sound interesting and please share your great reads with me today! I am looking for some great books for 2011!

Blessings

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO BOUNDARIES?

January 18th Reading

Today I decided to give my children a MENTAL HEALTH DAY ! I declared a day off of school, Thanks to my friend Gidget on this fabulous idea!

At 6:30 this morning I could see the ICE glazed over the roads and the television stated area schools closed EXCEPT our school district! Even my bible studies got cancelled this morning! It was so icy, chilly, rainy and cold that I decided to let the kids sleep!
When they woke up I said "HAPPY MENTAL HEALTH DAY!" We all just finished a great breakfast and now we will enjoy this winter advisory kinda day!

In today's reading the part of scripture that jumped out in my life was in Matthew 12: 33-37

A TREE IS KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT

"Either Make the TREE good and its fruit good, or else make the TREE bad and its fruit bad."

HINT: YOU ARE THE TREE!

Are you planted in Gods yard or Satan's yard?

One side or the other, are you for God or against God?

Your time, thoughts, desires, efforts and activities reflects the fruit growing on your tree and can easily determine what yard you are growing in.

I think last night my tree got uprooted into Satan's yard  because my thoughts and actions where not very Godly after I was told NO about a picture I desired to have for our dining room! My husband drew some boundaries that I did not like!
 OUCH  it's easy to say that we are to make the tree Good and its fruit good but really hard to act on when you are in the midst of a crisis! I know this is the silly example but folks its my silly issue and it was a real tragedy for me last night and still  kinda today!

How do we stay with God and keep our tree yielding GOOD fruit when life seems difficult?

No matter what life brings, how do we bring forth good things when we feel hurt, upset, angry or afraid?

I go back to the basic boundaries I set in my life and  I must give myself a TIME OUT! I must renew my mind or I will not think and act like I should in that circumstance! Then the will of God will be out of place in my life and that means a whole lot more then a $30.00 PICTURE!  YES IT WAS ONLY 30.00!

Last night my tree was starting to drift to the other side of the fence but I grabbed a hold of what was happening and renewed my mind! The process did not happen that quickly, I first had to sit in time out and  then take a shower so that I could calm down and think without reacting! I guess I do not do well when a boundary is set! LOL!

In Ephesians it reminds us to NOT GRIEVE the Holy Spirit and to let all bitterness, wrath, anger and clamor be put away from you! When I work on the INTERIOR of my heart the EXTERIOR fruit on my tree will be GOOD!

I wish I always produced good yummy fruit but the truth is I am 100 percent flesh in need of God!
So I must be spending time in the word. I am convinced time and time again that Gods WILL is perfect and will be my number one priority. Even in the middle of a circumstance, KNOWING the goodness of Gods perfect will wins my heart back over every time!

So friends I pray you choose to plant your TREE in Gods garden.

You are on one side or the other....What side do you choose to be on? Do not let your circumstances scatter you  allow them to Gather you closer to Gods heart!

What circumstances seem to be scattering you today? Allow God to  bring forth good in your situation and gather you toward the good treasures He has stored up! Its hard sometimes but very worth it friends!

Blessings,

Wolves?

January 14th Reading

Do you ever wonder why you are put in a certain situation?  For instance, how did you get into the place that you are in at this, or that exact moment?  Personally, I have asked myself that very question many times.  God says in many scriptures that He will not put you in a situation that He has not prepared you for or that He will not cover you in. 

Today's scriptures tell us that when He sent out his 12 disciples that He was in fact sending them out as sheep amongst wolves.

Matthew 10:16 says " 'I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.' "

We must be prepared to serve where God needs us, but more importantly where He WANTS us to be.  Do not be afraid of where God may send you, it may very well be the best adventure of your life.  He may not send you out of your own home, there may be a person in your home that God wants you to show how to be a Christian and be a beaming example of God's love, grace and mercy.  

However, another part of the verse says to be as "shrewd" as a snake, what does shrewd really mean?  It means to be mischievous, clever, basically to be ahead of the game.  The verse also says to be innocent, so do not be underhanded, but do the work you were sent to do.  Do not give up easily, know that you will face adversity, know that some people are going to want to persecute you, know that there will be stumbling blocks, know that beyond all of the hard parts, the glory and blessing you will receive at the end for being obedient will far outweigh anything you had to endure on the path.

God will never leave you, He will never send you out to do His work and then let you fall.  He will always be walking with you or ahead of you to make sure that your course is ready for you.  God will deal with those that are not living according to His will.  His scriptures also say that their judgment will be worse than Sodom and Gomorrah's was.  I don't know about you, but I do not want any part of that!  I would much rather struggle now in life and then have my blessings pour over me on judgment day.

Matthew 10:14-15 states, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town."

There is an urgency to get your life right, to follow on the path that is intended for you.  To try your very hardest to separate yourself from the world as much as you can and find the life that is truly meant for you.  You were not made by mistake, God made YOU for a very specific purpose!  He has blessings waiting for you, blessings that will truly fulfill your heart.  Please make an effort to seek out God in your life and make sure that you are living according to His will, not to your own desires and wants.  Just because something is easy to accomplish does not mean that it is your path, it just means that it is easy.  Pray that God will make Himself very real to you in 2011, pray that He will show you what is meant for your life.  Be ready when He reveals things to you, it will be an exciting journey!  There will be highs, there will be lows, but there will never be a low that you are alone on.


Much love,
Kari

BREAKING BEFORE BLESSING

January 13th Reading

Jacob is a character in the bible that reminds me of someone! Yes that someone is ME!

God had great plans for Jacob,  however... he struggled with his character on many occasions. Jacob from the very beginning was wired with great influence but he was a little rough around the edges. No matter what he did or where he went he stirred things up.

The one thing Jacob had to realize was that a  strong, influential leader who goes his own way and seeks to benefit only himself cannot be an effective instrument in God's hands.

God had to break Jacob to make him useful. In his breaking process God was teaching Jacob how to serve God with his gifts and character and not himself.

Every single one of us will have an opportunity to lead somebody. But how does that look based on your character?

A mother leads her children, a worship leader leads music, a pastor leads his flock, a boss leads employees, a husband leads his wife and a father leads his children, a director leads her team.

A leader influences in both positive and negative ways.

Jacob learned to develop his character and change. In the beginning Jacob was forceful, intimidating, manipulative and greedy. After God began to wrestle with his character Jacob was a motivating and honorable leader, communicating esteem to others by serving them, thus inspiring them to act.

How did Jacob turn this crucial corner while allowing God to change his character?

A breaking had to happen. Jacob broke physically and emotionally. In the midst of his brokenness God began to change Jacob and bless him.

Jacob did not run from God in his brokenness he ran to God.
This is how Jacob received his blessing during his brokenness

1. Jacob got alone with God- All distractions had to be removed so Jacob could slow down and refocus.

2. Jacob was hungry for God- He desperately wanted to receive what God had for him.

3. Jacob was broken by God- He allowed God to break and change him.

4. Jacob was honest with God- he stopped pretending in order to let God work in His life.

Have you "prevailed" with God in this way?  God has a calling on your life and blessings friends, He cannot do anything of significance in the kingdom of God until we humble ourselves before God and seek his face. YOU MUST BE BROKEN IN ORDER TO BE BLESSED!

If you are in the midst of brokenness, allow God to change your character. I know it can be so difficult because we want CHANGE NOW!
Last night I visited a church I will begin to partnering with on the things of God this year and the pastor was speaking on our faith and belief in what God will do in your situation on HIS TIMING. He reminded us to not PUSH or try to manipulate with force Gods will.

Instead P U S H: PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS!

Jacob wrestled with God in today's reading and during that broken time Jacob PUSHED until God blessed him!

Friends I encourage you to PUSH and wrestle with God. Allow him to change your character into something amazing. Do not allow pride, stubbornness or ignorance to get in the way. God wants to use you in a wondrous way.....

I am thankful for the times I had to get alone with God and allow him to work on my character. I still have a long way to go but I know God has done a work and I have witnessed  blessings and dreams coming to pass....  Brokenness will always lead to blessing if you go to that certain place with God!

Blessings,

Heather

Keep your karma, I will stick to farming!

January 12th Reading

Please go ahead and move forward in today's reading. If you click on the date above the bible reading comes right up for you!
However, we are going to do another devotion from yesterdays reading! Lots of great reminders and lessons from those passages.

Today my friend Lynnette will be sharing a great blog about Rebekah and Jacob. In my blog yesterday I wrote about the WAVES in our lives and how we often feel we  need the answer or solution to every problem. Rebekah in the book of Genesis was a strong, resourceful, deceiving and cunning woman. She posed faithful but under it all she was a manipulating mover and shaker to every situation.

Take time to reflect again on that reading followed by this great devotion. Remember when the waves come into our lives we have to trust God and not create schemes to bring about our own way!

Happy reading and thanks so much for this special reminder today Lynette!

The word karma has been in my mind lately. I don’t know why God brought it to my attention, but He has. I decided to look it up. One definition that I found stated: Karma is the cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation according to that person’s deeds in the previous incarnation. Karma is part of Hinduism and Buddhism. This is not Biblical!

The basic idea of karma is: what you do will eventually come back to you. Hmmm... sounds familiar!

A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7

Reaping and sowing is a farming concept. Farming 101: if you plant wheat, wheat will grow. You wouldn’t sow wheat expecting to reap corn. That would be ridiculous and miraculous!

God uses this concept throughout His word. Job 4:8 says, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.

I can’t think of a better real life example from the Bible, than Jacob.  Rebekah and Jacob decide they want Jacob to get the blessings of the firstborn. Even though the blessing had already been promised to Jacob, by God (Gen 25:23), Rebekah and Jacob resorted to deception in order to secure the desired position and the benefits that accompany it. Jacob deserves a little credit as he initially questions his mom’s idea. But, it doesn’t take much for him to be persuaded to go along with the trickery.

The plan succeeds in deceiving Isaac and securing the firstborn blessing for the wrong child. This is where things start going downhill for Jacob. There are several repercussions to this act of trickery. To begin with, the firstborn learns about the trick and begins plotting to kill his brother. Out of fear, Rebekah sends Jacob to live with his uncle. This is the last time mother and son will see each other. Jacob is then deceived, in a similar way, by his father-in-law.

As Jacob painfully learns, sowing deception will reap more deception.

As a mom, I will be honest, I wonder what Rebekah was thinking. It is so far from the concept that I try to teach our children: treat others the way you want to be treated. It goes right along with reaping and sowing. If you are kind you will reap kindness. If you are giving you will reap blessings. If you love others, you will reap love.

It isn’t always easy to do the right thing. Sometimes our feelings get hurt and we want to retaliate. Sometimes things aren’t going our way and there is a chance to step in and steal the blessings that belong to someone else. Sometimes we follow the crowd rather than doing the right thing and standing apart. Sowing goodness and righteousness isn’t always the easiest route.

Thank God that we have Jesus! Even when we mess up and sow the wrong seeds, Jesus is there. When we confess that we made a mistake, God is faithful to forgive us and help us through the harvest. He can’t change the seeds we have sown, but He will not let us go through the reaping alone.

Thank you God for teaching me the right way to live. I confess that I am stubborn and don’t always think about the seeds that I am planting. Thank you for being faithful and patient with me as I learn Your ways. Help me to slow down and think before I plant. I want to be more like Jesus. I want to sow encouragement, hope, goodness and love into the lives of others. Please help me to nurture the good seeds that you have already planted. Please give me discernment to see the bad seeds and get rid of them before they take root. All of this I ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Hugs,

Lynnette

A WAVE PUSHES YOU TO HIGHER GROUNDS

January 11th Reading

Welcome to my Daily Devo friends! I am glad you visited today...

I am loving the accountability of being in the word daily. God is teaching me so much these past weeks I can hardly keep up! I feel a WAVE coming my way and I am preparing and getting ready. I want to walk on water with Jesus in 2011!

The past year God had been repositioning and stretching me in incredible ways. I know God is preparing me for higher grounds.

All kinds of waves come into our lives. A blog friend of mine put it this way "Waves can flow from a tide of blessings or come out of a storm" Happy or hard, they can overwhelm us if we end up treading water in our own strength.

Matthew 8:23-27 presents a story of Jesus and the disciples getting into a boat and then suddenly a GREAT wave or eruption covers the boat. The disciples panic with great fear crying out "Lord, save us we are perishing!"

Jesus then asks, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Jesus then brought about a GREAT CALM and stilled the wind and the waves.

Strong waves are produced by God to rock our boats so that we discover His presence in our lives!


God loves when we call out His name...when our boats are rocking! I am learning friends to call out His name sooner before I get sea sick  trying to find MY answers and solutions to every problem. I was very good at being strong , resourceful and cunning. But my boat never settled and that wave kept me covered in shame, fear and anxiety. The whole time Jesus was sleeping in my boat DREAMING about my future and waiting for me to CALL OUT HIS NAME   "Lord, SAVE ME!"


Matthew 8: 24 tells us that the boat was covered with the wave but Jesus was asleep. He was peaceful and undisturbed.

God is always Dreaming for us and ready to calm our storms when we lean on His strength and presence.

When Jesus DREAMS He  understands the Wave in our life.
The wave is tossing around the DREAMS of God.

D irection
R ealization
E xamination
A lignment
M otivation

All dreams are outside our comfort zone and will rock our boat. Its much more dangerous to dream than most people dare to believe. But its a great chase! To do this you must face danger and fear. Only with Gods presence can this be handled.

Saying you believe in yourself will not guarantee your success, but saying you don't believe in God will guarantee your failure. I love that perspective!
I truly believe  that a wave that covers our boat opens our eyes to receive the perspective above.

If a wave has come over your boat then Thank God for Dreaming during your storm.
He has a plan for you friend.... Direction, something for you to Realize, a Godly Explanation, new Alignments for us and Motivation to get us through the storm. However you need to fellowship with Him during the storm and trust Him in the storm. If you did not get a chance to read yesterdays blog I recommend that blog to help you understand how to fellowship with Him in the storm.

Remember with every great wave comes a higher ground. Allow God to move you to higher places this year!
Do not let the wave of discomfort, disappointment and displacement keep you from reaching the top. God will take you to a place of rest, comfort and beauty. But remember only if you CALL on his name. That was key in today's reading.

I am calling on His name today for certain areas in my life. How about you friend?

Don't wait till the Wave comes over your boat to call on His name because sometimes the waves we experience are not waves of blessings but waves of punishment. Remember Jonah and the Whale in the bible? Yes, that is a true story of a man that walked away from God.
 God allowed waves of punishment to purify him and bring Jonah back to God.

Have a great day friends, I am getting ready for a little snow storm coming our way tonight! Love those Snowy evenings by the fire!

Sweet Blessings

Are You a True Worshipper?

January 10th Reading

I think God is reminding me of something after today's reading and yesterday's word from Northridge's Worship Pastor, Paul Black.

 In Matthew 8:2 it stated A leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord if you are willing, You can make me clean."

Yesterday at church the message was about how God is looking for true worshippers. I was challenged yesterday with a statement that said...

"The object of worship is based on what we spend a majority of our TIME, TREASURE and AFFECTION on."

Now I will be honest, I try to regularly listen to God by getting into His word, talk with God, Point others to God, sing to God and Give to God by serving. However I am in a war every stinkin day friends!

I am so easily distracted and can slowly drift from regular acts of worship. Does anyone else drift easily or am I the one and only?

I know Jesus was distracted by the devil on several occasions But Jesus said to him, "AWAY FROM ME SATAN! FOR IT IS WRITTEN: WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY."

I may sound nutty but I have to repeat this many times lately! I feel the more I dream and step out in the will of God the more the enemy distracts me and desires for me to drift!
 Drift from the will of God and the amazing DREAMS.

My desire and key word for this year is STEWARDSHIP.  If I do not learn to steward the will of God and the Dreams God has placed into my heart I will drift and the enemy will own those dreams!

Idols will rob us of Gods greatest blessings. In Jonah 2:8 it states "Those who CLING to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." In other wards you FORFEIT THE DREAMS God has for you!

I certainly have idols that I need to work on because I DO NOT want them diminishing Gods best.
I began to think about what I worship....

If I worship decorating my house it steals from my other priorities

If I worship DREAMS I may confuse them with Gods DAILY plans

If I worship a TITLE I may miss the towel in which I am to serve and wipe an others feet.

If I worship MYSELF and all I want to do I become selfish and miss Gods best for me

If I worship money I will become greedy.

If I worship power I will become controlling

What do you spend most of your time, treasure and affection on? This will determine what you worship.

Ladies I know decorating is FUN but for me personally I have to be careful that it does not steal from what God has for me that day. I have to be a good steward of the will of God and that means daily I need to Love God with my whole heart(will), soul (emotions), mind(brain) and body(strength). If I can practice to live this out regularly by balancing the fun things in life and the priorities then the DEVIL will not get the best of me.

If I only show up for church on Sunday and then revisit it all the following Sunday I WILL DRIFT BIG TIME!

God wants us to become stewards of His dreams for our lives.

I challenge you to become a true worshipper in 2011.

How often do you get into Gods word?

How often do you talk with God?

What do you worship most?

Start with these couple questions and I promise if you make changes in this area NEW things will unfold in your life. The leper in the book of Mathew had needs in his life that may have been destructive and deliberating. God knew that he was a true worshipper and met those needs accordingly. Like I said God has blessings for you and me but we cannot allow an idol to rob us of Gods blessings!

Happy worshipping,

What are you doing?

January 7th Reading

In yesterday's blog, Heather spotlighted a man that has had quite the adventurous ride in his life.  He was a good kid, went to college or a trade school, had a career and then fell off from drugs and alcohol.  He has a "velvet" voice, a voice he proudly claims came from God.  I agree totally with him!  He has been clean for about two and a half years now and is really just trying to start over and get a chance to get a job and just live a "normal" life of a 53 year old man. He is probably one of the most humblest people I have ever heard speak on tv, and he gave EVERY glory to God.  He literally lived off of donations from doing voice overs on the side of the street and people giving him spare change or a few bucks here or there.

The part that hurts me to my heart about the whole story is what I heard about on tv about him.  There were broadcasters saying, why should anyone give him a chance to start over, his fall was due to his own poor choices.  He became an addict and alcoholic of his own volition, and therefore he is not due any second chances.

WHAT A SHAME!!!  No one should judge the road of another, they never know when they may be on the very same road, especially when they are not perfect themselves.

It is so sad to see that fellow man can jump right on someone and act as though they are somehow not worthy of a second chance.  God KNOWS had Heather not given me a second chance to stand up and do something worth value to others and more importantly valuable to God, where would I be?  Would everyone have continued to overlook me because of my poor choices???  Today's scriptures is about giving to the needy, and at that time in my life I was needy, very needy.  My Pastor, his wife, and Heather came along beside me and let me know that even though I had made mistakes, I was still VERY important to God and still VERY worthy of His love!  That was a horrible time in my life when I had to hold myself accountable to myself, God and then the court systems.  I was so far into my own black hole that I had self mutilated for a long while, didn't feel worthy to even live and contemplated how to end my life.  I only wanted to escape my shame, embarrassment and EVERYONE"S (or so I thought everyone) glares.

I am not, never have been, nor never plan to be a horrible person.  I truly only wanted to do right, to handle the situation I was in the best way I could, instead I screwed everything up horribly.  Once I had done this, I knew that God was upset with me, so then the depression started in, after that it was a done deal until someone saw a little glimpse of hope in me.  God still loved me, I just was needy right then and needed to be given a handout.  Not a monetary handout, but a handout to help me get up, dust myself off, and start over!  After I came clean about all that I had done, it was so relieving.  I so wanted to feel God's love in my life again.  As Christians, we MUST MUST MUST look for those people that seem to have it all under control and living okay and reach out to them and make sure that they are waiting on you at that very second.  It is so hard to be in a dark dungeon of your own making.  After I saw the light, I went to church the following Sunday and I swear to you, I KNOW my Pastor had prepared that very message for me!  Of course he didn't, but God put the very words that I needed to hear in his mouth for my ears.

Pastor Jim, Carole, nor Heather ever went around and boasted about how they helped lead me out of my dungeon, we never really spoke about it again.  They all made sure to check on me, and even some other very important ladies, Renee Robinson and Becky Vaudt, came along side of me and loved on me, and most importantly made sure to keep me accountable.  They all checked in on me from time to time, they weren't ever intrusive, just observant and loving.  It was exactly what I needed in my most needy time.

I urge you, and I mean that with tears rolling down my cheeks as I type this, please make an effort to reach out to needy people.  You do not have to tell anyone, in fact scripture tells us not to, you just do it because God wants and needs you to.  You never know the road someone else is going down, and they may very well be going down it all alone.  It is so dark and lonely doing it by yourself.  There are so many people that are homeless, hungry, alone, sickly, depressed, hurt, and whatever else that need YOU to come along beside them and love on them the way God loved on you in your darkest hour!


Matthew 6:2-4, “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Those people that reached out to me, will NEVER know how much I love them and care for them and about them!


Much love,
Kari

HOMELESS MAN WITH A DREAM

January 6th Reading

Hello friends!

I am excited to welcome you  over to www.heatherbaxter.com this New Year! God is expanding His dreams  that He placed in my heart long ago.
On the right hand side of the web sites homepage you will notice a link that will take you directly to this years bible readings. I know this will be easier for many of my readers. I listened to many comments all year long and our goal was to make it cleaner and more easy with the click of a finger for you to access Gods word. My blogs will continue to follow the reading daily.
Enjoy and please give me your feedback!

TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTION is one of my favorites! I can barely contain myself as I write this morning or maybe it was the cup of coffee I had...LOL!

Anyhow...as I was watching the daily news very early this morning a story came across my path and  it linked perfectly with today's bible reading.


A homeless man in Ohio had a DREAM/VISION and was discovered!

This man KNEW he had broadcasting gift with his voice. I have the video attached below...notice that he states in the middle of his talk that drug and alcohol got in his way and stole the opportunities and his prosperity's.


This story connected with today's daily reading in Matthew 5 :29 when Jesus makes a striking remark. "If your right eye cause you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than your whole body to be cast into hell."

What in the world was Jesus talking about?
Luckily for us, Jesus was not speaking literally otherwise we would look like a bunch of pirates running around! He is not talking about a physical eye because our physical eye does not directly cause us to sin.

Jesus is referring to the way WE SEE LIFE. If our attitudes, or outlooks and the way we view our future causes us to compromise, to quit or to sin we need TO CHANGE IT!

Jesus is trying to help us understand the vital importance of our VISION and seeing in the natural realm and the spiritual realm.

OUR EYES CONTROL OUR LIFE!

The enemy, who is the devil understands this. He knows if he can keep us from our God given dreams He wins! He can keep us focused on failures, SINS, mistakes, pasts, or anything else negative he can hinder our dreams and visions.

This verse teaches us to PLUCK OUT OUR EYE which is causing us to sin or shrink back from Gods visions. We need to get serious about the promises of God.
It is possible to CHANGE and see the future with GOD all over it and His will being done.
 However, we need to make a choice to change and move forward with God. He is the only one with the ingredient's to make your dreams come true.

Ted had a vision with his voice from day one. He could close his eyes and see a prosperous person. His vision was a DRIVING FORCE that helped push him past his sins and failures. I see God giving him a second chance and springing him into something NEW for 2011. He was not standing on the side of the road with a sign that said "I'll work for money" His sign was DECLARING HIS VISION.

 A vision is powerful.

We can remain homeless or we can allow our vision to Help pluck out our sin. In the passage of Matthew it was referring to the sin of ADULTERY. A sin that originates in the heart and mind of a man or women. This sin will kill like a cold steel blade. I have experienced this pain in my marriage.
HOWEVER, the positive vision of what could and should be that I did have when I was homeless in my marriage restored us to the DREAMS God had planned.
Plucking takes work and demands choices and changes, with Gods help all things are possible.

If we do not "pluck it out" the sin or stronghold will drive us to feeling homeless. And guess what...everyone has a stronghold. I certainly know the areas God is pointing out in my life and I will work with God on plucking them out. The devil will not DESTROY GODS DREAMS!

Lets not wait till we are homeless in our families, dreams, ministries, relationships, marriages and past mistakes lets focus on our faith and learn to meditate on a vision of what could and should be.

God has a plan for you my friends!

Hold your hands up high and look up to God and say "I want your DREAMS and VISIONS for my life, please help me to see you at work."

Finally write your visions down and claim what is in your heart!

Keep the faith,
Heather

He always has a plan!

January 4th Reading

God’s Word is full of His promises and plans for His people. We don’t have to search very long to find a promise for all of us or a specific plan for a specific person and the details of how the plan worked out. In today’s reading, we learn about the objective that God had for Abram’s life.

Genesis 12:2-3

“I will make you into a great nation,

   and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

   and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

   and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

   will be blessed through you.”

God had a specific plan for Abram. God shared the plan with Abram and promised to watch out for him. As Abram went forward, we learn that he was worshipping God and staying in relationship with Him. However, when Abram and Sarai went to Egypt, fear took over, and Abram quickly forgot that God was with him. Rather than trusting God, Abram took the situation into his own hands and decided to lie to the Pharaoh. The result was that the Pharaoh discovered the lie and kicked Abram and his entire entourage out of Egypt. The MacArthur Bible Commentary suggests that this must have looked bad to his servants and probably resulted in a loss of integrity for Abram.

After reading this passage, I began thinking about my life and my own walk with God. How many times has God made plans for me, but instead of waiting on Him, I walked ahead with my own “better ideas” of how things should go. How many times have I questioned whether God was going to come through for me and I decided I needed to take things into my own hands. What was the end result? Instead of following His perfect plan, I got in the way and ended up looking foolish and unfaithful.

In the second part of the reading today, we learn about another of God’s plans. In Matthew 4: 1-11, we learn about Jesus being in the desert. Jesus was fasting and seeking God before he began his ministry. The devil showed up and began to tempt Jesus. Where Abram failed, Jesus succeeded. During that 40 days, Jesus trusted God with His provision and protection. When the devil came and tempted him, Jesus knew God’s word he was able to resist the devil’s schemes. By remaining strong in who God created him to be, Jesus was able to fulfill God’s ultimate plan. If Jesus had fallen to temptation there in the desert, he would not have been able to go to the cross in order  to save us.

How can I apply this to my life? I am not always successful at resisting temptation. There are times that I don’t rely on Him, I try to do things through my own strength and end up falling to temptation. During these times of sin, I am not following God’s perfect plan for my life. What am I ultimately missing out on?

I can’t help but think of:

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

            And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

      And He shall direct your paths.

How much further would I go by remembering this during everyday life? His ways are so much higher than my own. He only wants the best for me. His plan is perfect. If I trust in Him, my path will be made straight.

Heather has been talking with us about God’s plan for us for 2011. His plan is good and I don’t want to miss out on any part of it.

Heavenly Father, thank you for creating a plan specifically for me. You are so faithful to keep walking with me even when I am not at my best. I confess that I am prideful and stubborn sometimes when I should be trusting and following you. I don’t want to live in your permissive will for my life, I want to live out your perfect will for my life. I don’t want to get in your way anymore. Please open my ears to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and teach me to submit to your ways. I want to live like your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Hugs,

Lynnette