Obedience everyday not just TODAY

Have you ever stopped to examine your life and actions when you’re in need of a blessing or desperately need the Lord to move on your behalf? During these times in our lives, I find that many of us live more righteously as if this would get God’s attention and cause Him to move quicker in our lives.  We oftentimes pray more often, go to church more often, praise more often, read our bibles more often, give more often, worship more often, and do all of the things that we’re supposed to do anyway.  I’d like to bring your attention to the following verse:

John 5:14 NLT But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”

Jesus said this to the man that he healed and gave the ability to walk.  I’d like to encourage you to live righteously everyday and not just because you are seeking something from the Lord.  The Lord requires that we do all of those things in obedience to Him and not simply because we want something. If anything, I believe that we should already be doing these things and they should just be magnified even more when we’re seeking something from the Lord.

Also, once you have received whatever it was you were seeking (probably even more than you asked), keep on living righteously. Don’t stop. Once you receive what you’ve been asking, don’t go back to living the way you once were, continue to walk in obedience to the Lord. Getting what you asked for is not a license to go back and live like hell.  Afterall, something even worse may happen to you!

Lord help us to not be obedient only when we want something from you but help us to make obedience a part of who we are. I pray that you allow your light and power to manifest in our lives so that we may have the courage and boldness to seek after you and live the way you want us to live like never before.  As we go through this week, help us to be mindful of your love for us and what you require of us.  Please make our paths straight and give us wisdom and discernment to hear your voice and walk along the straight path. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have a blessed day!

Have You Considered my servant (....)?

I wrote this 4 years ago. I found it in my e-mail and decided to share!

Have you considered my servant (insert your name here)?

Scripture reference: Job 1:7-8

How about that?  God knows Job's heart.  In the text, we can see that God already knew what Job would do.  He knew that whatever came upon Job, that Job would still praise Him and give Him glory.  When all of those trials came upon Job, he didn't stop believing in God.  In fact, at one point in the text, he said that "The Lord gives and he takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord." 

Can God say that about us today?  If He allows (notice that whatever happens to you or whatever you go through, has to be run by God first....satan has to get PERMISSION to bother you) you to go through trials/tribulations, do know that it is not for naught..there is a PURPOSE.

So, my question to you today is this:  Can the Lord say to satan:  Have you considered my servant (insert your name here)?  Is your heart in the right place? When you're going through trials, are you focusing on God or the trial?  Let's not edify our problems but edify OUR GOD!  Our God is AWESOME!

Join me in a quick prayer:  Father in heaven, I come to you right now thanking you Lord just for being WHO you are.  I thank you that your ways are greater than my ways and your thoughts are greater than my thoughts.  I thank you for having a plan already laid out for my life.  Lord I seek to do YOUR will and not my own.  Lord, I live to give you praise, honor, and glory.  In the name of Jesus, if I am not living my life in a way that always gives you honor and glory, show me that right now Lord so that I may seek through you. I do realize that I cannot do it by myself and that is why I seek you. I thank you for loving me Lord just as I am but Lord, I do not wish to stay as I am because I want to go higher in you!  I want to be what you have called me to be so that one day you can have confidence in me and say to satan, "Have you considered my servant (your name here)?
 
Have an awesome and blessed day! And if you are going through something today, you can rejoice because it is not the end, it is only the beginning....pushing you toward your purpose!

Be encouraged!

The Money Manageress

Proverbs 31:16-18 NLT She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night.

Reading and meditating on verses 16-18 above tells me that the Proverbs 31 Woman is a woman who manages her finances well! She is an accountant, investor and entrepreneur wrapped into one!

Verse 16 indicates that she researches a purchase before actually making that purchase.  She doesn't buy things on a whim. She knows the status of her finances and does not put herself in a bind to make purchases (accountant- keeping track of her money).  She makes sure that the purchase will be beneficial to her household.  She reinvests her money so that she will get the most of out it (investor and entrepreneur).

Verse 17 reveals that she isn't lazy. She works hard. She makes her money work for her!

Verse 18 tells us that she makes sure that her dealings are profitable. (There's the entrepreneur in her again).  She doesn't waste her time or money on things that won't add value to her (or her household).

The more I read this, the more I believe that she is managing the finances of her household.  Her husband has entrusted her to manage the finances.  Her family's wellbeing depends on the way she manages the finances.  Therefore she makes smart decisions when it comes to money.  "Inspecting a field before she buys it" tells me that she considers her purchase.  This means that she may not make the purchase right then.  In the same way, I think we should be more mindful of the way we spend our money.  We don't have to spend our paychecks before we get them or buy something just because "it's on sale."  I would like to encourage you to tithe, save and pay your bills first.  If you have money left, consider what you have left and what it is that you'd like to purchase.  How will the purchase benefit you? Your family?  I am certainly not saying that we shouldn't buy nice things for ourselves but I am saying that business should be taken care of first.

Today, I'd like to encourage you to take a serious look at your finances and the way you've been managing them. If you aren't doing well, make a plan and start now. There is no better time than the present.  If you are, keep it up! For Proverbs 27:23 says that we should know the condition of our flock. We should always know the condition of our finances.

Walk in love and faithfulness today! Be encouraged!

Becoming more...

Still discussing The Proverbs 31 Woman:

Proverbs 31:13-15 She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

By reading and meditating on Proverbs 31:13-15, I learn that this woman of virtue is business minded, smart and diligent.  I can also tell that she is a planner and a very organized person.

Let's start with verse 13:  She makes her own clothes!  Today, I know that it is highly unlikely that many of us would make our own clothes.  We don't have to make them but we can make better choices when purchasing them.  We can assure that we buy quality items and that we do not spend up all of our money doing so.  We can also make sure that they are wholesome and that our parts are covered. ;-)  In addition, this shows that she is not afraid to work.  She is working hard to get what she wants and needs.

In the following verse (14), the scripture says that she brings her food from afar.  This tells me that she makes sure that she buys the best foods for her family.  She takes the time to plan and seek out what is best.

In the final verse for today (verse 15), we see that she gets up early to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day's work for her servant girls.  This tells me that she is very organized and diligent. She's a planner.  She does whatever it takes to make sure that her house is in order. Getting up early is no easy task...at least it isn't for me.  I have to give myself something to do to rise before dawn.  On the mornings I wake up early, I have more time to plan my day and get everything done in the mornings that need to get done. 

So here is what I've learned today:  As a Proverbs 31 Woman, I must work hard, do what's best for my family and remain organized and diligent.  So why don't you join me today and purposing in your heart to work hard, put your family first and remain (or become) organized and diligent.  Our families certainly needs us to be those things. 

Be encouraged today and give someone a smile! :-)