Planning!

I was asked to help out with Girl Guides, I love it, I really do! But it is such a huge commitment! Weekly meetings, camping, and other various activities. It is almost a part-time job!

I couldn't say No so I said Yes but now I am realising that I have to say No now because there is just way too much going on!



I think I need to listen to this again, Mark Driscoll does a great job in talking about planning. Planning is important in my life because instead of just saying Yes to everything I should actually take a minute to make a plan and see how that looks in real life! Another step my husband and I are taking in planning is speaking to a Financial Advisor. All of these things are out of my comfort zone, I am not an organizer and I am a 'small plate' kinda gal. If you throw to much at me my plate will break!

Anyone have tips for planning your week? Your finances? Or what area in your life do you feel is disorganised right now?

Priorities

I feel like God is teaching me a lot about priorities right now, from the small decisions to large!

A major decision we are facing is finding a new place to rent. On one side of the decision we would be near to church, close enough for me to take the bus to work and near to our church family (also near to family family too!). On the other side, we would be nearer to my husband's work, close to friends that we've known for years from living in that area & in a part of town that feels more open & 'country-like' to us. I am from a small town, so this 'big city' feeling I get living where we do now is not that fun for me.

Luckily I have some pretty awesome church family members that gave me great advice. I was reminded about how when we first started attending this church, how we said "now we feel like we are at home in this town". Where as before, I did not want to live here at all.

And then God reminded me that I need to get my priorities straight here!!! I truly believe that the decision to move farther away could mean that we stop going to church all together and start hanging out with only our non-christian friends. We've been there! Don't want to go back!

God should be the centre of our priorities!

This has me thinking… in what other areas of my life am I not making God the obvious priority? Are your priorities based on your selfish desires or based on God and His will for your life? Read the verses below, Paul speaks about how his own priorities have changed as he took up the cross! Does your heart desire "the fellowship of sharing His sufferings?".

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11

The INCONVENIENCE of CONVENIENCE

Source: http://www.kentonjenkins.com/Frustration_on_web.jpg

And this is how I feel today:

Phone rings, baby cries

TV diet, guru lies

Good morning honey

Go to work, make up -

try to keep the balance up

Between love and money

(From Trisha Yearwood's X's and O's)

I'd like to....

Kiss my husband to say good morning instead of good bye.

SIMPLE

Sometimes I think that families must have been so happy back in the old days; of course I don't really know but that's how I'd like to picture it. I'd like to own a small farm, have a large family and live off the land. I'd love to grow my own vegetables and fruit, have some farm animals, go hunting... just use everything that God has provided.... every muscle, every fiber, every food, every beautiful thing that He has created.

Instead we are just so lazy! All we care about is convenience! How to get things done faster, that is what our goal in life is. Get everything done, and faster, faster, faster.... until *gasp* your heart fails because there is too much stress in your life, too many things... too much!

I think that most of man's greatest accomplishments are our greatest downfalls.

We invented the microwave, junk food, meat that can sit in a box of rice on the shelf, fillers, preservers... Just make it CHEAP and make it LAST!!! Who cares about your nutrition, NOT the people that are getting you hooked on convenience.

We drive instead of walk, we watch instead of read. We gather around the TV instead of the bible.

Cars, houses, RVs, Big Screens, Cell Phones, MP3, Computers, Clothes, little stuff, big stuff, the stuff that he has that I don't. Stuff that I know I can't afford but that is what credit cards are for, WOW soooo convenient!

And what does all of that stuff cost? Our time, our money..... We have to work overtime, all the time.... Less time at home, more time working to pay for our home - that we don't have time to live in!

Children rebelling because they feel rejected, but really parents are trying to provide everything they could ever want.

How about the one thing that really matters? The one thing that will carry on even after death?

LOVE

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

DESIRE LOVE, NOT CONVENIENCE

DESIRE GOD, NOT THE WORLD

The Uncertain Future

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. James 4: 13 - 17

I think these verses speak for themselves. These are some of my favorite verses right now because I am faced with an uncertain future. Admist the struggle I know that God is in control and things will work out as long as I listen. It is important to include God in all of your plans, if you don't I can guarantee they will fail eventually. This is a lesson that I am sure we all have learnt. Let's make an effort to loosen the hold on our future so that we can finally be guided in the right direction.

Choosing to live the life

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other" Galations 5:16-25

"For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags." Proverbs 23:21

The passages above clearly state how we SHOULD be living our lives and the consequences for not doing so. The bible CLEARLY states how to live a happy life and how to avoid a hard life! So why is it that we CHOOSE to live the hard life???? Why are we so weak? Why to we choose to be blind? Why do we choose the tragedy over the fairy tale? We wasts so much time in sin, and avoiding the ways of the Spirit. Just think of what we could accomplish if we only listened and acted!

God help us all, help me to be wise in Your Word! Help me to see that life has a purpose and that it doesn't have to be so hard!

Challenge: Think of 10 things that you do that are sinful! Be honest! Then take time to think about each one and write your reasons for your actions. What on EARTH is more important to you then following the will of God. I hope you can't think of anything. Then think about what changes would occur if you were to stop that sin. What benefits or blessings do you think you would get? Do the blessings outweigh the consequences? I pray that you (and I) can overcome those sins, Lord help us! We are weak but in you we are strong!

No Temptation's Seized a Man that he can't Overcome

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

Thank You Lord. Today I have been faced with financial challenges and I have no idea what I am going to do. At first I felt stressed and worried but then I thought about yesterday and how I had asked You for help in every aspect of my life. I had also declared that I will wear Your yoke. And so I can only look at today's setbacks as a gift from you. If I truly believe that You will show me the way You'd like me to live and I know that You are in control.

The verse I have quoted above is a new/old favorite. I think I have an addiction.... I am a shopoholic. If I don't buy anything everday I feel like there's something wrong. It could be something small, groceries, lunch, whatever. Maybe God is curing me of my disease by taking away all funds possible. That's one way to look at it I guess!

So I am going to challenge myself with the challenge below. Thank you Lord for caring about me, through my troubles I know You are there, walking beside me. I pray that You will give me the will and the strength to conquer the areas in my life that need change. I thank You for challenging me today. Amen

Challenge #3: If there is something happening to you that you consider to be a hindrance, try to look from God's persepective and see if he is trying to teach you something. Maybe there is something in your life that you are doing that is not glorifying Him. Also for those shopoholics out there... try to buy nothing for oneday. Then try to only buy things that are a need, and not a want for a week. Keep your progress in a journal.

The yoke of God

Lord I am ashamed that I do not reach to you when I need help making a decision or when I am feeling sad, confused, or happy. Thank you for all of the blessings you have provided for me. I know I take everything for granted and when I start to look at my life I realise that I have much more than I deserve. You are a gracious God. Thank you for not leaving me when I tried to run from you. Thank you for waiting with arms wide open.

Lord I am selfish. Please rid me of my selfishmness and replace it with a desire to glorify you. Please ignite the fire within me and let it be a burning reminder of why I live. Amen

It is hard to stop and talk to God when we are emotional. Personally, I am going to try and go to God for everything. We cause ourselves so much stress when we worry about or try to change things that are out of our control. My best friend quoted a line to me from this passage today:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”-Matthew 11:28-30

I was confused by the word yoke, and so here is a devotional I found that explains it very well:

"My yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30, NIV).

These words that Jesus speaks seem impossible. How can a yoke be easy and a burden light? A yoke constrains. It's placed on animals to make them work slavishly. And a burden by its very nature is heavy, isn't it? But Jesus, as he so often does, encourages us to look at these things from a new perspective -- His perspective. The Greek word used for "yoke" in this passage from Matthew literally means "to team" or "to pair". When a farmer trained a new ox, he would yoke it with an older, trained animal. He would fit the yoke tightly to the experienced ox, but loosely to the inexperienced one. This meant that the experienced ox did all the work pulling the load while the inexperienced one simply walked beside him, learning how to do the job without having to pull any of the weight itself. What a wonderful description of what Jesus does for us!

When we team up with Him, He pulls the load while we walk with Him, observing, listening, and learning as we go. The Greek word used for "easy" in this verse can be literally translated "kind" and it means "beneficial" or "good". God's yoke is good for us. Being paired with Jesus helps us to plough through this difficult life successfully. The "burden" Christ places on us is simply the request to follow His lead. When we do that, what seems impossible suddenly becomes possible. For that reason, His burden is light.

How many of us are trying to pull our loads alone? How many of us resist yoking ourselves to Christ and following Him in all things? I know that I did for a long, long time. But chronic illness taught me that doing things my way, apart from the Lord, was doing things the hard and often unsuccessful way. Friends, no matter what your situation, I encourage you to take that easy yoke of Christ. In doing so, you will surely make whatever burden you carry light.

Challenge #2: Cry out to God everyday. Praise Him for His blessings and trials. Go to Him like you would a close friend. Instead of thinking "what do I want" replace it with "how can I glorify God". I pray that you (and I) may happily wear the yoke so that you may grow in the Lord everyday.

Patience is a Virtue (And a constant battle!)

Patience: the ability to wait calmly for something to happen without complaining or giving up, the capacity for calmly enduring difficult situations (source: http://www.freedictionary.com/)

It's easy to say patience is a virtue, but I find that statement to be an understatement. I beileve that if someone is able to be completely patient then that is more "God-like" than just a plain old virtue.

It's in GOD'S HANDS!

I have been struggling lately to process that fact in my mind. I have to realise that no matter what I do to try and shape my life - the effort is futile.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Notice how He doesn't say "For I don't know the plans you have for yourself but hopefully it will turn out ok".

If we are able to allow Him to direct our lives and go to Him when we are not sure what to do then everything is going to be just fine.

Good plan - sounds simple.

If only it were simple! If only we could call God on his mobile and ask him "So I don't know where my husband and I should settle down, can you just tell me what to do?"

I truly believe that God has a plan for us and if we are faithful then we will be able to follow through with that. I also believe that when we are not faithful and try to take things in our own hands we will faces challenges and be dissatisfied.

I long to hear God's voice and feel peaceful with decisions that I make and in order to do that I need to learn how to meditate. However when I try I find that my mind is still going a mile a minute. Along with many other things in my life that I am trying to improve (to be closer to God) this one will take some serious time and effort.

I want to start proposing some challenges each day, mostly for myself but also to challenge anyone reading this!

Challenge #1: Meditate and listen. Some good advice I recently found was that we shouldn't be setting a time each day to spend with God (penciling him in to OUR schedule) but throughout the day we should be meditating and spending time with God. (By the way I learnt this from the IBLP daily success emails, you should really sign up!) Another good practice would be to keep a journal and each day write down what you asked God about and if you feel you were given any direction.