Walking In His Will

Walking in God's will for our lives isn't always the easiest thing to do. Often times understanding what He is asking us to do can be challenging, and even when we are sure we know what we're supposed to do, we sometimes have to push past our desire to either do it our way or ignore His instructions completely and run the other way. 

Sometimes when God asks me to do something I struggle with surrendering my will to Him. Even though He has shown me time and time again how much He loves me; yet for some reason, I believe that I know more about myself than he does, which is ridiculous!  I'm certain he says to himself daily, "Oh, Lori, What will I do with you?" 

These days so many people live their lives enveloped in noise; stereo and television, or from behind a computer screen; noses firmly planted into social media, totally penned into the thoughts of others. Those thoughts become our thoughts and before we know it, we miss His thoughts and His plans for our lives. 

Instead of staring blindly at the poster after poster on Facebook, inventing our own interpretation of the wisdom they carry, we forget to put everything past Him; and forgetting that anything we read or see, should align with His word or be discarded. The best advice I was ever given concerning the word of God was simply, "Don't read books about The Book, read The Book. 



When we over think things; something which I have done so many times, and believe most of us do instead of turning to our maker for advice, we miss out on spending time with him as well as his wonderful advice and even the gifts He has for us.  

Remember Abraham? Although He was madly in love with God and desperately wanted a son, he was very skeptical of God's promises, which was infuriating to both his wife, Sarah, and God.  
Maybe, he was afraid that God's promises were a mistake, maybe God was confusing he and Sarah with a different, younger couple. Or maybe he didn't think he was qualified for Gods plans at all, after all, he was older and had made mistakes in his past. 

The truth is, God loves us in a huge way, and there is nothing we can do about it! Running from Him and His will for our lives changes nothing, it only prolongs our discomfort and His. 
He is our 'Good, Good, Father, and He loves us more than any really great earthly father ever could, and that's a lot!

He knows what lies ahead for us, so He has already made plans and prepared a few different ways for us, because He knows we never take the easy route. His plans are always always better than any we could ever make for ourselves. So knowing that, why do we run and why do we ever worry?   

Matthew 6:34(ESV)

34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Five years ago the Holy Spirit began prompting me to 'Go home.'This came at a strange time in my life; my mom had just died, so there was really no reason for me to change my entire life around and move back to a place I hadn't lived in nearly forty years. It made no sense at all. Despite my own reluctance,  I soon found that the desire of the Holy Spirit was firmly planted within me. I was going. There was no getting around it. Although my friends and family couldn't understand this sudden desire on my part to change my life so drastically, I felt like I was being pulled by my umbilical cord to the place where I grew up. I have since learned that when I am walking in His will for my life nothing or no one can prevent things from going the way He wants them to go.

Isaiah 43:18(ESV) Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 

As with all of us, there seems to be no end to a change of seasons. Franklin Graham says it is always "one thing after another." and that is the truth. 
When I try to handle things myself, I only seem to muddy the waters. When I try to run, there is no escaping, He catches me up in his huge loving arms and makes me all the more thankful for his mighty love for me. He has a way of reminding us and making us cognoscente of the fact that we can do and be nothing without him, at the same time, we can do all things with him! He is always a gentleman, incapable of lying, a gentleman who watches over his flock and always keeps his promises. 

The move back to my home town has meant a great deal of independence for me, and some very interesting moments embracing my growing up years. I have had the opportunity to revisit and remember many people, places, and things.
I have experienced joyful moments as well as some painful and very difficult ones. 
Jesus has been with me through each and every one of them; encouraging me, coaching me and giving me instruction and the words to say many, many times. 
My relationship with Him is like none I have ever experienced in my life. 

In spite of all of the hardships, I have obeyed him and I consider each and every moment, no matter how wonderful or difficult it has been, a great blessing to me. He shook me up, opened my eyes, and placed me in the loving care of people who have tutored me in His ways. He has displayed His sovereignty for me to see with my very own eyes and He has whispered things to me that only He could have known. It has been an amazing and overwhelming five years of my life. Five years I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. 

If there is anyone reading this who doesn't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I urge you to reach out to him, talk to him. He will hear you and He will listen. 


John 20:28-30(ESV) 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29. Jesus sad to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."  

  
Walking in His will may be difficult at times, but the rewards & adventures are priceless. What are you waiting for? 

That Tiny Voice is Your Best Friend.

"How in the world will you ever hear God talking to you if you don't turn down the noise? "

That is a very good question for most of us. The first thing we do when we wake up in the morning is to grab our phones so we can see if we missed out on anything while we were sleeping. 
Then we drag ourselves out of bed and before too long we are engaged in some other form of media. Facebook, music, the news; whatever it is, it is a distraction and it is preventing many of us from hearing His Voice. 
By His Voice, I am talking about the voice of God. The Holy Spirit, who is not a figment of our imaginations. He is real and he wants to talk to us.
The Holy Spirit was the departing gift to mankind from Jesus when He ascended into Heaven.
The more we pray and praise and the deeper we develop our relationship with God, the more active He becomes and the more He shares with us.
 
 1 Corinthians 2:14  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 

Learning to use discernment when listening can be difficult, especially when you live in a world where negativity flows like water. Where people are afraid to have Faith and talk about it and where people are being murdered because of it. Some are afraid that in talking about it, they may upset someone or say something that is not what others may consider Politically Correct. For some, revealing their relationship with the Holy Spirit has had negative results. People have thought they were using drugs, gone off the deep end mentally or were just strange, even though the Bible clearly says that His sheep hear his voice. Our all knowing God knew we would struggle in this area and prepared us through Matthew.


Matthew 7:6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you"  

Encouragement and enlightenment are desperately needed to overcome this fear and lack of knowledge and fully receive the gift God gave all of us. Those who are on fire for God realize the importance of not only reading their Bible daily but also, taking part in Bible Studies frequently with others and getting into a habit of praying as much as possible. It is through prayer that we encourage and obtain a strong connection with God. We must be open to listening to the things God speaks to us. 
Be Brave, for when we choose to ignore this gift, we are conveying to Him that we don't believe in Him, we don't have faith in Him and basically that we don't trust Him.

Hebrews 10:15-17  And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”¹⁷ then he adds,“I will  remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

We then miss out on forming a deeper bond with Him and we miss out on things He will tell us that will make our lives easier because this is the kind of relationship that He planned to have with all of us. The Holy Spirit was Gods gift to His people when Jesus ascended into Heaven. It was kind of a  down payment on our heavenly inheritance, which Christ secured for us at His death on the cross. Because of this, we are assured of our salvation. No one can break the seal of God.

2 Peter 1:21 ^"For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

There are many different names for the Holy Spirit, most denote some function or aspect of His ministry. The Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of God’s people. He directs, guides, comforts, and influences us, as well as producing in us the fruit of the Spirit. He provides the intimate connection between God and His children. All true believers in Christ have the Spirit residing in their hearts. The Holy Bible was literally "God-breathed," by the Holy Spirit, God was the author and inspiration and it was through His words that it was written. The writers of the New Testament were moved by the Spirit to remember and understand the instructions Jesus gave for the building and organizing of the Church, the doctrines regarding Himself, the directives for holy living, and the revelation of things to come.

 2 Timothy 3:16-17  ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
 

Galatians 5:22-23 

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.

 The Holy Spirit is also known as the Comforter / Counselor / Advocate. All of those words are translations of the Greek parakletos, from which we get “Paraclete,” another name for the Spirit. When Jesus went away, His disciples were greatly distressed because they had lost His comforting presence. But He promised to send the Spirit to comfort, console, and guide those who belong to Christ. The Holy Spirit also “bears witness” with our spirits that we belong to Him and thereby assures us of salvation. Before Jesus left, He said things that confused the disciples and they said to one another...

“What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; 'because I am going to the Father’?” John 16:17  

Jesus had to make his disciples understand that, He was the Son of God and therefore they were sinners. He does this through the conviction in our hearts that we are not worthy to stand before a Holy God, and that we need His righteousness because judgment is certain and will come to all men one day.
Jesus promised that the Spirit would teach His disciples “all things” and bring to their remembrance the things He said while He was with them.Those who deny these truths rebel against the conviction of the Spirit. This prompted some to refer to Him as the Convector of Sin. 

Romans 8:26  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, from this He has been referred to as the intercessor. 

Romans 8:14-17¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 

Don't be afraid to make Jesus #1 over all other people, places, and things. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit with the knowledge that His words are only words of Love, guidance, and reassurance...never mean or unkind. Mean and unkind words come from spirits of the underworld who act as impostors and are sent to destroy your Faith in God and yourself. Find pastors that you can be fed by and be a sponge. Respect yourself and Love others the way Jesus called us all to do.

Blessings For A Spirit Led Day!  

Church, Making it a Relationship Instead of a Religion

"Going to church doesn't make you a christian any more 
than parking in a garage makes you a car"   ~ Woody Allen ~

Some of us attend church every single Sunday unless we are out of town or dreadfully ill, others attend when they can make it due to jobs, family ties or simply when they get time, and some attend on holidays or when the spirit moves them. No judging here, my lifetime church attendance record has been spotty to say the least as have my experiences attending different churches. I have gone to a  variety of churches in my life including Catholic and Assembly of God, Calvary Chapel plus several others of Christian origin.

I finally found my home church nearly two years ago and I am crazy about it, the church is without a doubt the capstone of my week. The pastor where I attend service and his wife are wonderful people who bend over backward to help members of our congregation. They are rock solid, they have been there for many of us more times than we can count...I have come to think of them as family. Because of this, I drive roughly forty miles every Sunday rain, sleet or snow to worship and praise Jesus with this small group of like believers. During the past two years, I have bonded with many of these people, gone to their weddings and baby showers and I have seen new born babies arrive in their mothers arms on their first outing to church and then sat back and watched them grow into toddlers, they are all so precious.
My church is a wonderful place, the hugs are plentiful, the message is always good, coffee hot and the cinnamon rolls are always fresh and yummy and made with love. I feel blessed and thankful to be a part of such an awesome church family.

Our pastor is very through, he wants to make certain everyone has a clear understanding of the message he is delivering and he makes certain that we do so. His desire is that each time we walk out of church, it will be with some new knowledge of God.

I find that people who attend church handle the message they hear in a variety of ways. Some people thrive on those words and study and think of the word of God daily. They say Good Morning to God and delve into scripture and worship music throughout the day, every day becoming stronger in their faith. Others attend church regularly, see the value of it yet are done with it for the most part by the end of the day on Sunday and still others forget what was said by the time they get to their car. Some have no intention of doing anything that might inconvenience them or deprive them of something else that they may want to do instead, yet for some reason, feel the urge to attend church anyway, this is especially true of those who don't remember to go until Easter or Christmas.

Any of the for-mentioned may not be doing what you do, but when you surrender your thoughts and heart to God, He will shower you with Grace sufficient to love all of them...no matter what choices they are making and He will also give you the power and words to encourage those who stay away to make an effort to be fed, because faith needs food to sustain life. Going to weekly service strengthens our relationship with Him and the stronger the relationship you form with Him, the fuller your life becomes and with that comes the promises and the destiny He wants for you.


As for me, I love everything about Sunday! I enjoy an early breakfast, My usual breakfast is a smoothie made up of some fruit and vegetables, some almond milk and sometimes some nut butter (I love almond) or protein powder. However, on Sundays I like to do something really special and one of my favorites is waffles. I try all different kinds like buckwheat, apple cinnamon, bacon cheddar but one of my favorites is Pumpkin with Apple Cider Syrup.
It is divine, and if I have the time I like to go the extra mile and whip some honey into a hunk of butter to slather on the hot waffles. These waffles with some crispy bacon and scrambled eggs will make for an over the top breakfast.

I love saying Good Morning to Jesus and giving thanks for the breakfast He provided me the skills to prepare. He knows that I love spending the day with Him, not just Sunday, but everyday! He rides shot gun with me and provides me with a constant source of companionship every day of my life. I enjoy spending my days focused on his peace through quiet and prayer. He helps me focus on those who need His love and strength so through Him I strive to show by example that they too are loved by a God who loves them unconditionally. All we must do is have faith...

Hebrews 11:1-39 (ESV).11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Fearing Fear Dedicated to my oldest daughter.

Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me

My oldest daughter has Epilepsy and is plagued with the anxiety attacks that seem to go along with the illness. Every three years she has to have a through check up, which includes a blood draw. Although she hasn't had a seizure in over three years, her last two seizures occurred while she was having her blood drawn.With this in mind, it is only natural that she be frightened of the procedure. For those who are not familiar with the illness, a seizure can mean the loss of driving privileges for 3-6 months or forever depending upon the severity and frequency of the seizures. For an independent, super active young woman like my daughter, that would be catastrophic! Each time her dreaded appointment date approaches, her anxiety level goes through the roof, she doesn't get enough sleep and is unable to eat just thinking about it.


This last time when her dreaded appointment date finally arrived, she called me very early and I reminded her of her faith and that I would be praying. I even went so far as to ask her to call me prior to the procedure and I would talk her through it, if she wanted me to. After talking to me she wisely threw some clothes on and went to the gym. While she worked out, her prayer warriors did their thing. We prayed for complete healing, peace, serenity and a successful, seize free appointment and that her anxieties would diminish and flee from her, leaving her in peace.

 Job 3:25 (NIV)

 What I feared has come upon me;

    what I dreaded has happened to me.    

When my phone finally rang, I was thrilled to hear her voice. It was small, yet very strong, ringing with happiness when she said to me "Mom, it went really well, I didn't have any problems at all." I was relieved, thrilled and thankful, all at the same time! She told me of the wonderful nurse on duty who was so kind to her and made her laugh and that it was over before she knew it. It is now behind her for another three years and I have faith it will not present a problem for her ever again.
Prayers were answered, God is good all the time!

Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV)

⁶ Be strong and courageous. 

Do not fear or be in dread of them, 

for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.

 He will not leave you or forsake you.”

It is only human to be afraid or fearful. We each have things that scare us to death and although our fears may seem foolish or silly to others, they are real and anything but funny to us. How easily we forget to look to God, pray and not become immobilized by our fears. The more we focus on those fears, the more power we give them. Our fears may belong to us, but we must fight to prevent them from owning us. 

I like to refer to it as The Nike Rule...  Just do it!

Jesus wants us to live a life without fear and He will help us. Once we march through our fear or that fear comes upon us and we survive it, a calm overtakes us and it is the best feeling imaginable.
We wonder what in the World took us so long to look them in the eye.

The following is a list of various fears people have. 
The Phobia List   I am fairly certain that you will find as I did, that you are thankful to be the way you are.

Stay blessed!

Who Knew? Dedicated to Love INC

“The woman I was yesterday, introduced me to the woman I am today; which makes me very excited about meeting the woman I will become tomorrow. ”
― Poetic Evolution

Isn't life grand, just when we think we are pretty cool God puts us in a pot and turns up the heat! We never know when it's going to happen either, no outsmarting our creator!
I do volunteer work for a non profit in my area called Love INC  (Love in the Name of Christ). They offer a plethora of wonderful things to Black Hills area residents who struggle financially or otherwise. They welcome volunteers with big smiles, even bigger hearts and some time to spare. For more information about them look here. http://www.loveinconline.com/
On Thursday evenings Life INC is in full swing. Area churches and others are encouraged to volunteer their time, energy, groceries and child care skills to assure a success. A hot meal is prepared and offered prior to a variety of classes relating to child care, finances and pulling your life together in general.
I was volunteering in the kitchen one evening last fall when one of the staff told me I was welcome and encouraged to sign up for a class if I wanted. I looked over the selection and decided on a course called Jobs for Life.
My three years of college didn't prepare me for what I am learning here. The instructors and mentors are wonderful. The text/work book for the class says "The Journey is the reward" on its cover and that is a fact! I have met some truly magnificent people there and as I feel my own growth, I am also able to observe the growth in others.
After class lets out those interested typically go somewhere for coffee. It was during one such outing that one of the instructors decided without my knowledge, to video me with her iPhone while I was talking. For me to say that I wasn't prepared to see myself like that is an understatement.

Whoa! What an eye opener. Like I said previously, just when we think we are pretty cool....the Lord is up there working in his mysterious ways!
This is not a class for the faint of heart or anyone who doesn't welcome a crash
course in constructive criticism because you get it all there, along with a plentiful helping of humble pie  and a pride buster thrown in for good measure. I highly recommend it, if you think you can handle it.
What a tremendous service this class is. With the proper attitude and a great big smile you can learn a great deal from it. Thank you Jesus for your trickery! How in the world can we be annoyed when our blessed savior opens our eyes?
If you are inclined to have a pity party after you have been severely humiliated I strongly suggest you make yourself a pan of brownies and get over yourself. http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2013/09/jack-daniels-salted-caramel-fudge-brownie-recipe.html
A bite or two of these bad boys will expedite your recovery...all is not lost!

Smarts vs. Passion

I was so thrilled when I found this article, it is one of the closest descriptions of myself I have ever read...

There are smart people and there are passionate people. Smart people show up, do good work, and then go home. Passionate people can’t help but show up early, drive everyone crazy with ideas, suggestions, and numerous attempts at solutions that result in both success and failure. They stay late, and they annoy the smart people because they make the smart people look lazy. When they fall down, they can’t help but get back up and try again. Smart people annoy the passionate people because the smart people are just trying to get the A. Passionate people don’t care about the grade, they care about learning something, and being better.

Smart is boring, and easy, for the smart ones. Smart is safe and smart is average.

Passion is life, and risk, and adventure, and unpaved roads, and massive fulfillment.

Written  By Whitney on January 30, 2014

 .

I am a very passionate person.

Being so has gotten me in trouble, caused me to loose sleep, caused me to annoy the holy hell out of several million other people and caused me to cry myself into a stupor many times.

On one hand it is the most frustrating way to be and on the other hand, I wouldn't change it about myself if I could. Being passionate has pushed me to complete things that I would have otherwise walked away from. Being passionate has kept me caring for people who I probably should have forgotten long ago and being passionate gives me tenacity.


I am passionate about many things...

1. My Savior. How can I not be? Just reflecting on that very word...savior... brings alive a passion within me like no other. dictionary.reference.com/browse/savior noun 1. a person who saves, rescues, or delivers, 2. the savior of the country. 3.a title of God, especially of Christ.

2.  Development & Writing are my favorite outlets and with any luck, they are skills and passions that will somehow manifest themselves into a career of sorts. These are my favorite go to-s for cold snowy days and sleepless nights. Taking bits and pieces from here and there and putting them together in an enormous collaboration that hopefully, prayerfully will result in the precise goal I am seeking.                                                                I thrived fooling around with My Space...remember that thing? I had more fun fitting the codes for teeny frogs into tiny spaces and rattling on about whatever I liked best at the moment. I miss that...now everyone is on Face Book, and all that true creativity is not an option. Instead of creativity there are mindless posters and so many guidelines and rules it doesn't fulfill that same desire to be creative that My Space did. Sorry Face Book, I hate to break it to you, but even my eighty nine year old mother called it "in your face" and she wasn't far off. People struggle to calmly scroll down their home page without jumping in somewhere they have no business and attacking their so called 'friend' for offering an opinion that differs from theirs...God forbid! Discovering and chatting with friends, both old and new is their redeeming grace. 

3. Cooking is the first of my two favorite tangible ways to creatively express a passion. I am a very particular eater. I don't use cake mixes nor do I eat meals from the frozen food section of the grocery store.        I want my meals to be made from real food. I see people in the grocery stores loading up on helper this and helper that, frozen this and frozen that and although I am thrilled that those products are available for those who hate the kitchen and hate cooking, thats not for me,           I love it all! I confess to being a small scale Martha Stewart wanna be, I enjoy all things kitchen, even cleaning it....yes..I said cleaning it. When you get the kitchen all cleaned up and sparkling, the heavenly aroma of Carrot Cake coming from the oven, fresh flowers on the table, a bowl of fruit on the counter and coffee of course, ya gotta have a pot of coffee (or tea) ...it is the best room in the home. The room to relax in, the room friends and family always seem to gather in the most. The kitchen is after all, the heart of the home.

4. Plants & Gardening: What better way to express a passion for life and living than to work with soil, digging and planting, weeding and watering...cultivating new life. Just think for a minute about how excited people get in the spring! They can hardly wait to go to the nursery and buy plants and all the needful things for their gardens. It is a passion that stirs deep within us. Tilling the garden, adding fertilizer, tilling again...making the rows and planting the seeds. Watering and weeding, cursing the zucchini that was too small to pick this morning and the size of a baseball bat tomorrow afternoon. With the sweat and hard labor comes the rewards...the pride you feel when you can serve friends and family vegetables and fruits you have grown yourself. Fresh salsa or jam made from the fruits of your labor, salads made from freshly picked greens tossed with home grown tomatoes and dressed with magic potions like Spicy Coconut Cilantro Dressing made from fresh herbs and coconut oil. These things supply a feeling of victory that only a summer garden can provide, a feeling that can not be compared.

I am blessed to have these passions and I am eager to discover new ones.Thankfully when I trip, stumble and fall I have the passion God gifted me with to put me back on my feet, on the right track... and heading towards the Mark

Acts 14:15 KJV
¹⁵ And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein

*This was a fun blog to write, I am learning how to add some new things in an effort to make reading it more fun for you. Note the underlined words, when clicked on they will take you to the directions or recipe of the underlined item.