Today being Friday, I thought I'd be posting a recipe of some delicious Chicken Lettuce Wraps, but that will have to wait. This is burning on my heart and in my mind, I have to share!
I am part of an online Bible study called Good Morning Girls. We are in the middle of studying the book of Ephesians and it's getting so good!
The past few mornings we have read Ephesians 5: 15-20 (NKJV).
"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
God has given us a choice. We can crave the Holy Spirit or spirits (alcohol).
We can finish up a tiring day with the desire for a strong drink or ask God to satisfy us with a drink of His Spirit! One leaves us empty and detached from reality, the other leaves us overflowing and in the most "real" state we can ever be!
Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but
whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.
But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain
of water springing up into everlasting life."
John 4:13-14
Could this Water of life, His very Spirit, be the same that flows from the throne?
I don't know, but what a picture that is!!!
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from
the throne of God and of the Lamb."
Revelation 22:1
Our wonderful Saviour, Creator and the Lover of our soul wants to fill us up! He wants to meet our physical, spiritual and emotional needs.
God is not far off(Acts 17:27), even so we are told to SEEK Him, GROPE for Him, ASK for Him.
Be encouraged today - God is near and HE alone is enough.
Usually trees and plants stop growing in the winter... they just survive. During winter they go through a stage known as dormancy. During dormancy, trees shut down for a short period, and then burst back to life in the spring.
Even in the winter we are called, as children of God, to GROW!
No matter the stage of life we find ourselves the word of God is relevant. It is alive and can feed our soul, if we would take the time to sit and "eat" it!
In the beginning wastheWord, and theWordwas with God, and theWordwasGod.
John 1:1
And Jesus said to them, "I am the breadoflife. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 6:35
If you are like me. it's hard to make time to sit and read your Bible, much less stay consistent at it.
A special group called Good Morning Girls has helped me in this area, and it may be what you need this winter too!
What Are Good Morning Girls?Courtney , co-leader of GMG, shares:
“Good Morning Girls” are a group of Christian women who email, facebook, twitter or text messaging to keep each other accountable for their quiet times.
The winter session will run from January 15th – April 15th.
Are you tired, stressed, sick, or depressed? Is it difficult to speak kindly to your spouse or kids because of negativity in your heart? I've been there before, and am not exempt from those thoughts and feelings again. One thing I've found that turns things around is lifting HIGH the name of JESUS!
Our dancing girl, worshipping JESUS!
July 2011
Turn on some praise music and worship the Lord! He alone can give you the strength, health and peace that you need!
"I will singtotheLORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being."
Psalm 104:33
I remember at my home when I was young, my mother has music going constantly - kids praise as well as worship songs (mostly on cassette, but sometimes on vinyl :o). My sister and I would sing and dance along to the music. It created an atmosphere of joy and peace. That's what I want for my family as well!
Having some musical instruments, ribbon on a dowel rod, or a tutu for little girls to wear are extras that add another dimension of fun! My daughter hears a worship song she likes and asks for her tutu! She is ready to worship the Lord and wants to dress up for the occasion!
Mo with her "glory ring" from Grammy ~ December 2012
"Let them praise His name with thedance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp."
Psalm 149:3
In the New Year I desire to LIFT my eyes to the Lord more often than not. I don't want to waste time moping about or feeling discouraged. My heart WILL delight in the Lord and I WILL rejoice in the joy of my salvation!
"I will singtotheLORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me."
Psalm 13:6
I hope you are encouraged to turn up the music and worship with your kids.
Blessings,
I'm participating inThe Gentleness Challenge over at Women Living Well. If you are a mother, I would encourage you to stop by Courtney's blog and read more about it. I will grab ahold of the opportunity and encouragement to be more gentle with my children. And I know that God will help me as I rely on His strength!
This past week we caught a BAD virus, no not the computer kind, the stomach wrenching, vomiting, chills kind of virus.
My poor baby boy caught it first - I was up all night with him. We caught winks of rest between bouts and sat in the rocker most of the night.
My Pooh Bear
Then it was my turn... so thankful for my mother-in-law who took my 2 year-old for a few hours so I could rest when my baby did. By 3pm I was feeling a bit better, so I went to check on my sleeping girl who had had a great time with her Mimi. As I adjusted her fan she sat up quickly and her lunch landed on the wall and her blanket. Goodness!
We were dropping like flies! (where did that expression come from?) My girl braved through the evening and her tummy finally settled around 9pm, just in time to fall asleep... or not. She broke out in a rash that would come and go all over her body. She tossed and turned all night. And then Daddy got the tail end of it all the next day. I have never seen a grown man balled up in a bed like that before... his toes curled in pain.
Oh, and my sweet MIL (and Pops) caught it too... probably from being a blessing to us all.
All that to say this... I haven't gone without food or some sort of physical nourishment for more than a meal time in a few years. Since being pregnant and breastfeeding my sweet babies there was never a good time for a fast. In my single years, especially at Bible School, I fasted often. This time was devoted to seeking God's heart, praying for breakthrough, focusing on the Lord and limiting distractions. Seems to many that a hungry stomach, growling for food would be a HUGE distraction, but I quickly found that as I said "no" to feeding my physical body and focused on strengthening my spiritual man I didn't need food like I thought I would.
But let me tell you... being on a forced fast, while breastfeeding and sick, drained me.
If I stood to quickly my world spun and got dark. My hands shook, my head pounded, but I knew my stomach wasn't ready for food yet.
When it was time to finally eat something, I started with a bland cracker. Later on I had a piece of toast with peanut butter - for that protein my body needed. That did the trick and I began feeling strengthened!
IF OUR PHYSICAL BODIES RELY ON PHYSICAL FOOD SO MUCH, DOESN'T OUR SPIRIT MAN REQUIRE THE SAME CONSISTANT NOURISHMENT, YET FROM
SPIRITUAL FOOD?
I realized once again this week that my personal need for food is so important and I don't function well without the right amount of nourishment at the right time. MORE SO, I absolutely need to filter what I take into my spirit man and I need to drink deeply and chew on the WORD of God daily for spiritual strength and health!
Here's an invitation just for you...
If you want to be encouraged and blessed as you seek God and feast on His Word this fall, here's a Bible study for you. It's online and it's simple.
It officially began today, but you can join in anytime!
Read more about this opportunity at Good Morning Girls. And if you want to connect with our GMG group on Facebook, let me know!
I pray that whether or not you choose to join this Bible study at this time, that you choose to read the Word. Seek God and you WILL find Him. He alone satisfies. He is the Living Water and our Living Hope!(my Mom has always told me so, and now I'm finding out for myself that it's true!)
May we all grow more hungry for God... that nothing else satisfies.
God bless your week,
Let me leave you with this song... it draws my heart to hunger after God like no other song.
