Have a Seat!

I've mentioned before that I consider myself to be a Martha. I am a person that likes to make sure that everything is in order, on point, and all details are addressed. I feel more at ease putting together projects and activities. I like planning and organizing. Just like Martha, I always want to put my best foot forward and make sure that things go forth in excellence.

The question is, when God shows up am I too busy worrying about what I'm doing for Him that I miss out on His arrival? When the Lord just wants to sit and talk to me, am I too concerned with arranging some grand gesture that I miss out on a powerful word? In my focus on trying to please Him with my actions, am I overlooking times for relationship building?

We all want to use our talents and gifts to make God smile. We want to use what He's given us in a way that will make the Lord proud. I'm sure Martha was an anointed hostess. She was vibing in her gift when Jesus came to visit. She probably felt that she was doing her part to make Jesus happy. She probably felt that all of her running around behind the scenes was needed for Jesus' comfortable stay in her home. No wonder she complained that her sister wasn't helping out.

Yet Mary recognized something that Martha missed. Mary saw that Jesus had come to their house for a reason. He didn't come to eat fabulous food or look in wonder at the decor of the home. He came to talk with them... He came to minister to them... He came to reveal more of Himself to them.

So Mary plopped right at Jesus' feet and drank it all in. Martha missed the memo.

Are you missing the memo right now? Are you running around preparing all these grand gestures for the Lord when all He really wants is to sit and talk with you? Are you so busy looking at what needs to be done/has to be done/should really be getting done that you're ignoring the fact that God is saying it can get done later?

More than anything God wants our hearts. He wants a relationship. He wants intimacy.

Sure, He appreciates your actions. He enjoys the fruits of your labors. But what He loves more than anything else is you. He wants more of you.

Before, during and after all of your planning, arranging, and organizing, make sure you take the time to sit at the Master's feet. Take the time to listen to what the Lord is saying. Before you run around getting busy with what you think will make Him happy, take some time with Him to really hear what is on His heart.

Verse of the Day: Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:38-42

Carrying a Heavy Load?

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful time in prayer. I just sat and unburdened myself at His feet. It felt so good to just let it all go and give it to Him to handle.

The Bible tells us that we can give God our burdens, and He cares enough about us to carry them for us. Our heavy loads weigh nothing to God, and in His infinite wisdom He can solve any problem we have in less than a moment. We would be fretting for weeks.

Often we get so caught up in calling ourselves responsible, or trying to do it all, or thinking that we're so capable that we wind up carrying heavy loads that crush us. We pack our schedules til we're stressed. The cares of this world pile up and overwhelm us. Our sense of duty leaves us weary and worn.

But, we have a God who can handle all our burdens. More than that, He's willing to take all of them on His shoulders. He loves us with a love so deep that all we have to do is hand it over to Him, and He'll take care of it.

So, you don't have to worry or fret. You don't have to be stressed or overwhelmed. Your Heavenly Father is ready, willing and waiting to take on all of your concerns and cares. Just give them over to Him, allow Him to minister to you His love and rest, and follow whatever plans or steps He gives you to take.

Yep. It's that simple.

Isn't God amazing?!

Verses of the Day:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Nice to be Needed?

Can you guys at least
get in a single file line?

Lately, I've been feeling a bit needed lately. It seems like no matter where I go: home, work, church - even with friends - I'm being asked to do something. Everyone needs me. You do this so well... Yours always is right... I wouldn't even know where to begin... You're so creative...

I mean, it's nice to know that people recognize your strengths, but I haven't had the chance to relax and just be! I can't sit and chill without fulfilling some request first it seems.

As a result, I haven't been my usual self. And I find complaints slipping out of my mouth on a more regular basis. Plus, a lot of what I'm being asked to do is not being done with the right attitude. I realize I need to take a step back and look at the example of Jesus.

Jesus was the man. No matter where he went, crowds showed up. They were ever-present with their questions to be answered, their sick that needed to be healed, their demons that needed to be cast out, their spirits that needed to be enriched. And even when Jesus was able to get away from the crowds, he had to deal with the questions from his disciples.

Yet Jesus knew what was necessary to retain His sanity. He would take time away to Himself to pray with the Father. (Matthew 14:22, John 6:15) He also served from a position of love. Even when he was tired, he was moved with compassion by all who came to Him for help. (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34)

If I stay in right relationship with the Father, I can be constantly reminded that my life is not my own. I am not here to serve my own wants, but I am here to serve on God's behalf. If I remind myself of the love that He has for me, I can show that same love to all the people that look to me for help whether it's a small or large request.

It may take me a minute to fully grasp this truth, but I will definitely try. I don't want to turn into a mean old lady. Plus, I want to live a life of love. Jesus is my example, and if He was able to deal with all the demands on His life and still be filled with compassion, I can at least make the effort to do so as well.

Pray my strength...

Verse of the Day: And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. Matthew 14:14

Take Advantage of the Quiet Times

After the excitement and bustle of yesterday, I am relishing the relative calm of this morning. I'm actually sitting still and able to collect my thoughts. Right now I can actually focus my thoughts and get my bearings for the day.

The quiet moments provide the best opportunities to hear from God. When God was making Himself known to Elijah, He sent a windstorm, earthquake, and fire. Yet God was not in those occurrences. The Lord came to Elijah in a still, small voice.

It is in the stillness we hear what will carry us through the storms, quakes, and fires of life. When we take advantage of the times of serenity to get before God and hear His voice, we will have what we need when all we hear are the winds whipping around us.

Too often we allow the quietness of life to lull us to sleep, and we miss out on quality time hearing from the mouth of God. If everything is fine around us, we don't press into the Lord's presence as fervently, we don't feel the pull to make sure we hear from Him.

However, when the winds start to blow and the world shakes around us, we are quick to call out His name. In our times of distress, we start to pray more fervently and even go into deep prayer and fasting just to hear an answer from Him about our situation.

Nothing is wrong with crying out to God in our times of need. But wouldn't it be awesome if we already had a word from God that we could hold onto when the storms came? Wouldn't it be a great feeling to have the winds come the day after you spent time conversing with the Father and you have the exact tools to get you through the trial?

Don't let the quiet days keep you from God's company. Continue to go before Him even in the good times.

Verse of the Day: And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him... I Kings 19:11-13a

What A Day!

Hello, folks. Today I'm clinging to the standard of the Lord. My cries of "Jesus!" are genuine prayers for His help and support. This is just one of those days. I'm so busy my head's spinning!

I'm steadily reminding myself that God will not put more on me than I can bear. Breathe in... Breathe out... I'll be okay.

How are you today? Hopefully, you're not as busy as I am. I'll check in with you this afternoon, and we'll have our tea then. I'm confessing that my day will end better than it began!

Verse of the Day: When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. Isaiah 59:19b

Wake Up!

It takes a lot for me to awaken fully each day. Despite getting out of bed, showering, and driving an hour to work, I still am not fully alert until I’ve had something to eat and about two cups of hot tea. I can literally feel the grogginess until I’ve had my morning pick-me-up.

Recently I had noticed that my spirit seemed to be nodding off as well. As I went about my days, attended church services, and even spent time in prayer and study of the Word, I could feel that the connection I had with the Kingdom of God was not as strong as it should be.

I had to take measures to “wake myself up” to become fully alert to the things of the spirit. I had to shake myself out of the funk and press in to the Heavenly realm. For me, that meant that I had to spend some time in prayer coming against the enemy and stirring up the gifts that God had placed inside of me.

All too often the cares of life and busyness of everyday occurrences can distract us into a passive attitude when it comes to the things of God. We can drift through life thinking that we’re okay just because we’re saved and living according to the Word of God.

Still, there is a big world out there that needs the God we have! There are people hurting who need our touch of love. Someone needs to hear a word of encouragement that comes straight from God’s throne.

But if His ambassadors are not on the job, the world will never experience His love. Daily we should be influencing the world for Christ. We should always be alert for any opportunity to share the goodness of the Lord. Our ears should be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in order to follow any directions that He may have.

Don’t let another day pass by where your spirit lies “asleep.” Wake up! Shake yourself and go be a blessing to somebody today!

Verse of the Day: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men… Matthew 5: 14, 16a

Hold on a Sec...

There used to be days where I would wake up and step into a whirlwind of activities, errands, responsibilities, that kept me running here and there until I fell into my bed exhausted at the end of the day. On those nights I would drift off to sleep with a slight twinge of guilt because I knew that God received zero quality time while I zipped around all day.

I have learned to purpose to set apart times each day when I can spend time with my Heavenly Father. Whether its five minutes, or an hour, I make a point to pause and acknowledge my God each day. Usually our time is in the mornings before all the noise and distractions can kick into high gear. Sometimes I wait until my lunch or at night before I go to bed.

No matter the time of day, all God wants is for us to personally show Him attention and love. We take the time to go to work, watch our favorite television shows, drive through our favorite food joints, catch up on our favorite celebrities... the least we can do is take a few minutes to have a conversation with the One who enabled us to accomplish all those things.

As you go about your day today, make an effort to still yourself and spend some quality time with God. You’ll be amazed how much He can share with you in a short amount of time. Plus, as you continue to make it a habit, I’ll be those things that seem so important right now will lose their place on the totem pole as your life is enriched with God’s Presence.

Verse of the Day: Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:2