Duty or Delight- Week 2

How I pray this study is moving in your heart and soul! I found that this week, it was hard for me to get my scripture "down pat". :) OR word for word...so I am going to retype it here before we go any further.

Confidence Booster #2 I Am Redeemed!!!!

Power Verse #2 Ephesians 1:7-8 We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Acceptance and Satisfaction. If we are all honest, those two things have been or ARE part of our motivation for life.

We all want to be accepted. To fit in. To feel like we are an important part of something. At the same time, we also want to be satisfied. Satisfied in our relationships, our jobs, our family....our "religion".

Tammie describes acceptance and satisfaction as "Cavernous Hungers" that tug on our human soul. Goodness knows I could share example after example of trying to satisfy those hungers. BUT, I can also look you straight in the eye and say the only way those hungers will ever be satisfied is with THE One and Only...Jesus Christ.

This week we dove into three statements. Eat More Bread, Drink More Blood, and Remember Your Redemption. Each of these sections had WOW moments for me,but Drink More Blood was my standout section.

Revisiting the cost of Jesus sacrifice for MY sin was much needed. I believe that if we are not careful, over time we can become almost numb to the magnitude of His sacrifice. That is a very dangerous place for a Christian to be.

We look back not to glorify past sin or heap guilt upon ourselves..NO. We look back to awaken or stir our hearts to gratitude! Sometimes we need WAKE UP OUR ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!

Why?

Because today, yes today...

There is someone who needs to hear that Jesus loves them right where they are. They need to hear that regardless of what they have done or haven't done....

His blood is enough. He died to ATONE...(fancy word for cover, cleanse, reconcile and to FORGIVE) our sin. ALL of it.

EVERY last one. Jesus is enough.

If we have become numb to this in our own life then how in the world can we effectively share the power of the gospel with another? May we never forget.

As I prepared for Tuesday morning's group God gave me a few verses in Psalm 65. This Psalm was part of my daily reading..it was "assigned". :) I can not express to you how excited I was to SEE our first two confidence boosters referenced in these verses.

Here is Psalm 65 (ESV)

Praise is due to you,[a] O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
2 O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!

From verse 4 Blessed is the one you choose...Booster #1 I Am Chosen.
From verse 3 you atone for our transgressions.....Booster #2 I Am Redeemed.

Oh friend, I am praying that today you realize just how precious you are to your Savior. He went to great lengths to Redeem you. You can, as verse 4 says be satisfied with the goodness.....He is enough.

Alright enough of my rambling. I want to hear from you.

First. Which of the three statements meant the most to you and why?

Second. Take some time to watch this video. The lyrics to this song have been on my heart for two weeks. Let's not forget what Jesus did for us.

I pray that this song will move you into a personal time of worship of your Savior.

I Am Chosen....Duty or Delight Week 1

I am so thankful you are joining us! What a week we have had. God is so faithful isn't He?

Click here for this weeks video and then COME BACK...

And share with us your thoughts regarding week one, "I Am Chosen". I am praying for you and look forward to reading how this study is impacting your heart.

This week, would you make some time and pray for the author Tammie Head? Let's thank God for her obedience to write and her willingness to pour out her heart.

I am getting up from here and headed to start week two homework! Let's keep pressing in even when it gets tough.

Hugs and prayers,
stephanie

(Do you remember the question? Which of the four pitfalls resonated with you and why. Also, did you have a WOW moment? If so, share a little of that!)

You Are Invited!

So here it is! YOUR invitation to join a small group of us online as we work through Tammie Head's Duty or Delight.


Excited is not even close to what I am feeling as we begin this journey. I believe with all my heart God is going to do something massive in each of our hearts. My prayer is that we will have courage to stick with it, even when it is hard.

Our pastor is preaching through Nehemiah right now and this verse from chapter 6 has become my personal "theme" verse as we begin Duty or Delight. "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down."

So...

Will you join us? Click here for more information.






(I need to say thanks to Chloe for helping me with the video and yes....I was in my house cleaning clothes and slippers..because that is how I roll at home!)

Holy Living - Guarding Your Heart

On this journey to holy living, the very first thing God has impressed on me is that I must guard my heart. Proverbs 4:23 says:

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Above ALL else. Pretty strong words aren’t they?

Guarding our hearts has to become more than a nice Susie Sunday School phrase.
Guarding our hearts must become a way of life. As one of my daughters like to put it, let’s talk about the “why” before we talk about the “how”.

WHY GUARD YOUR HEART?

Our heart. The place where choices are made. It is the unseen holding area of our emotions. It is our core being or the center of our spiritual man.

Contrary to popular belief, following your heart is absolutely the worst thing you can do. Why? Jeremiah tells us that The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick. (Jeremiah 17:9) Look at how the Message words the same verse along with verse 10.

The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things .I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.

God tells us way back in Genesis 21 that “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” (vs.21b)

We are born with a sick, deceitful, wicked heart. A heart of stone. A heart, that when untouched by the holy hand of God, WILL bring harm. A heart that will hurt, disappointment and will guide us in a way that is opposite of the way God has purposed for us. BUT…look what God offers us in Ezekiel 36:26

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

That is our God. Once He has replaced that old dark and deceitful heart, it is our job to guard the new one.

Luke 6:45b tells us that out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Quite frankly, what is IN that thing is going to come OUT. Look at the first part of verse 45:

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil.

Friend, we may fake it for a while. We may memorize some scripture. We may sit in Sunday School, go to Worship and even attend small group Bible study…but at some point

What is IN will come OUT.

Why do we guard our hearts? As a Christian we guard our hearts because…..

First God tells us to. His word is truth and when He says guard something it’s not for His health, it’s for ours!

Second. God has detailed, thought out plans for each of our lives. He has specific fruit that we are to produce! (Check out Luke 6:43-45 and then go read John 15) I speak from personal experience when I say this: A divided, wicked, unguarded heart cannot fully accomplish what God has planned. Ask me about the year 2005 and I will share with you what happens when you serve with a divided heart.

HOW DO WE GUARD OUR HEARTS

The first thing that comes to mind is what I call the P4-8 verse. Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

The longer I am intentional about holy living the more this verse enters my mind. I find that as I scan the radio, I hear “Is this song praiseworthy? Is it true?” OR, as I’m flipping through the DVR to see what is recorded, “Is that story line honorable? Is it lovely to me?” AND yes, in conversation…”Is this conversation pure and truthful? Is it building up or tearing down. Are your words bringing me glory?”

P4-8 has become the measuring stick. It is the power tool for me!

Holy living starts with guarding our hearts. Not guarding FROM something…but guarding FOR something.

We are guarding so that we are READY and properly positioned to be used for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Guarding Our Heart is simply:

Protecting the place where choices are made.

Being intentional about what we allow to influence the unseen holding area of our emotion and the core being or the center of our spiritual man.

Guarding our hearts, I dare say is imperative to holy living.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Holy Living

Last fall, I knew that God was calling me to REALLY enter into Philippians 4:8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

That passage was and is to become more than lip service, it is to become my way of life. I honestly thought my word for 2012 would be “whatever”. But it isn’t.

My word for 2012 is: Purpose.

As 2011 came to a close and I finished reading through the Bible, each day the word purpose or plans seemed to pop up in the passages I was reading. The last verse I memorized for 2011 was the very familiar Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that HE who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” God seemed to be weaving a theme together.

Here is just a sample of the verses that God placed in front of me the last few weeks of 2011.

Isaiah 46:10b My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish my purpose.

Isaiah 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Job 42:2 (Job speaking) I know that you can do all things, and that no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Purpose.

For so long I have felt my purpose has been to be the best wife, mom, pianist, teacher….that I can be.

Wrong. I was created with one purpose.

My purpose is to glorify God. Your purpose is to glorify God.

As He began to place PURPOSE on my heart, He was also placing scripture about holiness in front of me. Remember Philippians 4:8? That was just the start.
I continue to hear “Guard your heart, be careful what you expose your mind to. Ask yourself if this (book, show, song…) is a ‘whatever’?”

Guard your heart. Purpose. Two “themes” that I knew God would somehow weave together. And He is. Which is the reason for this focus on holy living.

2 Timothy 2: 20-26 has become my chunk of scripture for this focus on holy living. I am sharing verses 20-22 here from the NIV because that is the translation that God used to connect my two themes for the year.

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart

My purpose is to glorify God. I can’t do that if I am an unclean vessel. Look at how The Message states verses 20-21:

In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.

Holy living is making a conscience effort to not just read God’s word, but to apply it. TO LIVE IT. Why?

It’s simple. God has plans for me, for you. We have PURPOSE.

SPECIAL PURPOSES. He says nothing can thwart or hinder those plans from happening. He WILL accomplish them. This life, MY life is not about me at all. It’s about bringing glory to my Savior. THAT is purpose.

I believe He has special purposes planned for us each day. Holy Living is as 2 Timothy 2:21 says (from The Message) being the kind of container God can use…

A container that is focused on whatever is:
True Honorable Just Pure Lovely
Commendable Praiseworthy Excellent

This week, I'm asking God show me what changes need to be made in my life. They may be small things and they may be big! What He asks me to step away from maybe okay for you...no judgement! :) I'm approaching the week with anticipation, expecting Him to move in my life. I pray that you will join us!

Waiting for My Go

For so long posting on my blog was effortless but since August I have struggled. Part of that struggle was because I felt like I did not have freedom to post. Don't get me wrong, my head would say, "Oh that is a post!" but the Holy Spirit would say "Wait...you are not ready to post that yet."

Most of the fall, I've been waiting for God's "WAIT" to turn into "Go."

I feel in my heart that "GO" is coming in January.

I'm thrilled and excited and praying that the two of you who still stop by will join the conversation. The topic you ask?

Well...it was birthed from this post.

I shared the link to this post on my FaceBook page back in October. Under the link in the comments, one of you said that you agreed, but you were honest enough to say what I believe a LOT of us are feeling! Here is this precious friend's comment:

"thanks, exactly on my mind already last week or so, I just don't know how, you know? Seems like everything is a no, honestly I feel sort of stuck. I am praying though, anyways, thank you for sharing"

If we are honest, there are times we ALL feel like everything is a "no". This comment pinched a nerve in my heart and I have not been able to forget it.

Let's talk about it! Let's start a conversation...bounce ideas around...better than that...

Let's open up God's word and see what He says about personal holiness and purity! And HOW IN THE WORLD, do we live a holy life in this unholy world!

I'm praying you will join us, goodness knows we need each other.

January..

As we begin a new year, will you join me? Let's walk this road together and encourage each other to apply Philippians 4:8 to our everyday life.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Thanksgiving Days 3, 4 and 5

As I'm counting the things I'm grateful for, my precious daughters hold an extra special place. We've been home from our mission trip a little over a week now. I can honestly say, I have never been more proud of them.

Serving on the school team with some of favorite ladies and my daughters was incredible. Precious memories were made. Honestly, my heart is undone and I can hardly speak of this trip without tears.

Here are just a few pictures from the week.

Emma hanging out before dinner one evening. Laurel Lake Camp was the beautiful place we called "home" while there. I would love to escape there for a few days and write music.



Chloe playing with some of our "props". These shoes belong to my friend Sarah and were part of our program. Emma attempted to walk in them as she tried to be a supermodel...but since that wasn't what God made her to be, it didn't work out for her.



Chloe and Emma with Scratch. (My friend Michelle) Scratch was the STAR. :)


This is my favorite picture because it was a Ebenezer moment for my baby. Emma had the privilege to help our Shelter team serve dinner one evening. She is still talking about meeting the people staying at the shelter and serving them dinner. She says that she is going to ask to spend time at the shelter next year. (If God tells us to go back.)


At the end of our program, the girls have learned that being who God designed you to be is the best. They did a short karate demo at the end. This was taken at out very last program on Wednesday night. We had three programs that day and we were all tired, but God brought some very special children that evening and it was an honor to serve them.



Moving through my thanksgiving list, this year I'm incredibly thankful for God's word. This year, I have been reading through the Bible. I can testify to the fact that each and every time I sit down and say "God, speak to me today. Show me how to apply this to my life.", He does. His Word is powerful, yet tender and always life changing. His Word is my lifeline and I can not imagine doing life without it or Him!

Finally, tonight I am thankful for Sabbath time. Since Deeper Still in June, God has been placing the concept of Sabbath time in front of me. I have been hit and miss at taking concentrated time to sit still and quiet with God. After our mission trip, God REALLY impressed on my heart that I needed to have some daily "Sabbath time". Each day this week I have done just that. Tuesday, the girls were at school and I had the house to myself. No t.v., no computer. Other than my Bible, no books not even my Bible study. Just me and God. I read a little then was still. It was incredible.

What a special time He and I have had. I'm just beginning to understand the reason He commands us to take Sabbath...to REST. He continues to use my life verse to woo me to take Sabbath time.

Deuteronomy 33:12

“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long,and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.”

My children.

His Word.

Time with Him.

Three things that have changed my life and for that, I am thankful.