Pulling On Joy, Again

This morning, it took everything in me to get out of bed. I am so exhausted! (It's not from partying, either.) Yet, I still had responsibilities, and I pressed in to work. Right now I'm willing myself to make it through today. Pray my strength...

But one thing I'm aiming to do is to not complain. I'm trying to become a person that is always a light of joy, so that others can be blessed by the joy of the Lord they see in me. So, I'm casting this burden on the Lord, and letting Him care for me.

I wrote a post a while ago that's appropriate for today. And, to be honest, my brain is so tired, it's taking some effort to string these few sentences together. I hope you enjoy and have a blessed day!

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With all of the chaos that’s going on in the world today, it may be a bit hard to find some joy. It’s so easy to focus on everything that seems to be going wrong: the job you can’t find, the money you don’t have, the inspiration that you’ve lost… How can one find joy in the midst of so much despair?


I love the scripture that where it talks about David encouraging himself in the Lord. (I Samuel 30:6) Often encouragement comes down to us deliberately choosing to look past the problem and see the God that is always there. No matter what we go through, God is always orchestrating things for our good. We just get so caught up in the process that we tend to disregard the positives sometimes.

Don’t let this happen to you. Whenever you feel despair knocking at your door, block it out by remembering the goodness of the Lord. Remember how He helped you overcome obstacles in times past. Remember where He sent unexpected blessings in your time of need. Think of how He sent His mercy when you knew you deserved punishment. Take heart in how he rescued you from destruction.

God is so good! And He is the same God today that He was when He walked you through all of those other valleys of darkness. Don’t lose hope! Reach deep inside and pull up some joy! The joy of the Lord will give you the strength to make it through! (Nehemiah 8:10)

Verse of the Day: Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

Go, Ti! It's Your Birthday!

Brownies!
My bday 'cake'...

I am praising God for another year of life!

God is sooo good! I've seen some doors close, but a lot more have opened. God has proven His faithfulness, and kept me in perfect peace. I have no reason to complain.

I've had a year of great health: No hospital visits, no prescriptions, no real trauma in my body. Grateful!

I've moved to new employment: I'm loving what I'm doing, couldn't find a better commute, and I get to have a life!

I have family and friends who love me: No matter how I may act, my family and friends show me so much love. God has truly blessed me with a group of people who have enriched, blessed, and inspired my life.

I am reaching for my dreams: This blog is doing so well. Thank you all for reading, commenting, and supporting! I am thankful for all of you! It's so humbling that you all choose to visit every day to get some spiritual refreshment. Thank you!
I'm also grateful for the fabulously wonderfully gifted, smart, and motivated teenagers that the Lord has placed in my care. Helping them grow in their Christian walk has pushed me to a higher level of accountability, and I'm proud to take on the challenge.

This coming year is going to be just as awesome. I'm expecting great things from God. I'm also expecting to do great things for God. He has blessed me more than I deserve, and I am happy He has called me His own.

I pray you all have a blessed day too! (Afternoon Ti, anyone? We still need to get our devotion on! I'll be back later.)

Verse of the Day: (My favorite!) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

Go On And Do It!

Good Morning and Happy Monday! I hope your holiday weekend was as pleasant as mine (minus the two days spent at the library). I enjoyed some good food, my family, and friends. Now, let my busy week begin!

When the Lord called Gideon to deliver the Israelites, Gideon was so skeptical that the Lord was with him. Gideon questioned God picking him. He balked at even considering that the Lord would favor him. Gideon's insecurity led him to test God several times with fleece.

Yet God went along with Gideon's tests. He showed Gideon that He was with him and assured Gideon that He was working with him. And once Gideon started acting on God's call, you never saw Gideon wavering again. What you did see was the miraculous working of the Lord through Gideon's hands.

Many of us have heard the call of the Lord ourselves. We've tried to question whether God really wanted to use us. We've tried to offer up our own little "tests" to prove that God is really with us.

But how many of us move past the questioning stage? How many of us actually step out in faith once God proves that He's with us?

Is there anyone still in bondage because we're too afraid to step out in faith? Are you missing out on experiencing miracles because of your fear?

Don't miss out on your destiny because of fear! God may have called you to do something so extraordinary, unheard of, and peculiar... but if God's asking you to do it - you can't expect anything but spectacular results!

Your life is supposed to be full of God's glory, but if you aren't doing what God is asking, how can His glory shine through?

Verse of the Day: And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. Judges 6:12-16

I'm Thankful Today

Today is turning out to be one CRAZY day! I have been running around since I landed at work. I'm just now getting to sit down and settle my thoughts.

Today I would like to share some things I am thankful for:
- I am alive! God is good.
- I still have my health and strength.
- My father is still alive and has not gotten any worse. I would love to see improvement, but I am grateful to have my daddy on this side of heaven.
- I have amazing family members and loved ones who would go out of their way to help me and make me happy. - I love you guys!
- I'm blessed to work at a job I enjoy. So grateful.
- Jesus loves me. - Sounds cliche', but it's really the most important thing of all.

What are you thankful for this week?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Don't hurt yourself at the table on Thursday or in your wallet on Friday! I'll be back on Monday.

Verse of the Day:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords.

His faithful love endures forever.

...

He remembered us in our weakness.

His faithful love endures forever.

He saved us from our enemies.

His faithful love endures forever.

He gives food to every living thing.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.

His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-3, 23-26

Woke Up This Morning With My Mind On Jesus!

This morning I woke up at four in the morning. I repeat - FOUR - in the morning!

For a girl who sets her alarm for 6:30, but doesn't get out of bed til 7ish... this might have been an issue.

But as I laid there, a song was ringing through my spirit that tells of love for our Savior. As I lay in my bed, I realized that there was a reason why I was awake. Instead of rolling over and trying to get a couple more hours of sleep, I allowed my heart to sing it's song, and I meditated on the goodness of the Lord. I even took some time to talk with the Father.

It's amazing what love will do. It has a way of overtaking your entire being. I remember times when I was crushing on certain boys - I would stay up late daydreaming about them, think about them during the day, anticipate our next time seeing each other. My every spare moment was spent consumed with how much I was head over heels.

How much more should we be thinking about the love of our Father? Like David, we should long to dwell in God's presence all the time. (Psalm 27:4) We should anticipate spending time with Him. Our heart's should be full of longing for His touch.


It was so good to bask in the presence of the Lord this morning. And you know what? Right now I'm not even sleepy or tired. I'm wide awake and ready for the day. My morning worship has set the tone for my day, and my spirit is already primed and listening for the Lord's voice. My whole demeanor is another place. God is good!

Do you wake up bright and early to worship? Or, do you fellowship with God in the evenings? Although I'm a morning devotion girl, I usually spend that quality time in the evenings. After this morning, though, I might just consider switching up my routine. Either way, there's something about spending time with God.

The next time you wake up at an odd hour, don't just roll back over... It might be the perfect time for you to spend with the Lord.

Verse of the Day: O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.  Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Psalm 63:1-3

Thanksgiving WEEK!

Okay, before we break out our Black Friday schedules, Christmas decorations, and holiday songs, we need to take some time to remember that holiday that comes before Christmas: Thanksgiving.

Showing how appreciative we are of the people around us, the blessings we have, and the love that we share is important. None of us really deserve anything. But the Lord saw fit to bless us with so much. The least we can do is stop and show some gratitude.

When Jesus performed a miracle for the ten lepers only one took the time to come back and thank Him. I'm sure the other nine were grateful to Jesus as well, but it was the one that showed his gratefulness that impressed Jesus. The former leper returned because he realized that Jesus was the Christ, the living God. With this realization, he wasn't only healed, he was made whole.

When you take the time to consider the blessings you have, you can't help but recognize the hand of God on your life. When you think about where you could be and how your life should be going, you can't help but see the greatness of God's work in your life.

And in those moments when you stop to give praise and thanksgiving, you open up yourself to the Spirit's ability to make you whole. When your heart is uplifted towards heaven, the Lord can do a greater work on your inner man to bring you closer to Him and change you more and more into His image.

So, don't just let this week breeze by! Make sure your days this week are sprinkled with moments of thankful praise!

Verse of the Day: And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. Luke 17:15-19

Thanksgiving Friday!

Happy Friday, Everyone!

This week I am thankful for God's wisdom. I have been juggling so much, and just to be able to know what to do, when to do it, and what to leave alone has been a blessing. Looking at how some people are overwhelmed, stressed, and breaking down... I am grateful that I have peace of mind in the midst of all of the things swirling around me.

I am also thankful for open doors. God is showing His favor for me. I have run across some great people and some great information that is helping me so much in my purpose. I am also finally getting the confidence to walk through some doors that God's been holding open for me for a while now. I may have been apprehensive before, but I am taking on God's boldness! I'm so excited about what God has given me the privilege to do for Him.

Finally, I'm grateful for love. I am reveling in the love of the Father. I may not have a man, boyfriend, or boo, but I am blessed by the Best: I am loved by pure Love itself. There's nothing better.

Enjoy your weekend!

Verse of the Day: And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:16, 18