Blank Pages

Colossians 1:27-28 CEV

…the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory. We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ’s followers will grow and become mature.

Deuteronomy 4:29 New Life Version (NLV)

29 But from there you will look for the Lord your God. And you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and soul.

Jeremiah 29:13 New Life Version (NLV)

13 You will look for Me and find Me, when you look for Me with all your heart.

Blank pages can be very intimidating for writers.  I do not claim to be a writer.  The white that spreads across my screen can start to turn into a black hole.  Let me take you back to where Thoughtful Thursdays were birthed and why I’m writing them, while claiming I’m not a writer.  

Originally, these emails were sent out as being an uplifting piece in our inbox.  They were very simple and basic, a verse or a song that spoke loudly to me that week.  Very quickly, God started laying something bigger on my heart.  He started laying a message in pieces throughout my week.  Those pieces would come together and create a beautiful message that I felt led to share.  In time, I felt led to spread the good news across social media by sharing it on a blog that is freely open for anyone to read.  Throughout the last few years, there has been times where I haven’t been tuning in and finding the pieces throughout my week.  Those led to the blank pages that I mentioned earlier.  However, God always found a way to poke His way into my mind and lay the message out for me.  

Last week, I struggled to put anything on paper.  It is not that I’m in a bad place, or that I’m desperate for anything.  In fact, I’m completely comfortable.  I’m juggling life and balancing it all.  I started to divert from the “You have got this God” to the “I have got this on my own.”  I felt like I was forcing words on paper, rather than letting God work through me.  That is when I realized that I don’t need to write when it is not from Him.  I also realized that if I’m not actively seeking, then I won’t see the pieces He is laying before me.  If I’m missing those pieces, I’m missing the whole picture that He displaying for me.  When facing blank pages, they begin to turn into black holes.  Black holes can lead to darkness, feeling lost, alone, etc.  

My message today is this, be a NOTICER.  Be someone who is actively seeking the Lord.  Seeking the pieces that He is placing in your life.  Because if you don’t, you will be faced with blank pages.  

Be Blessed!

The Next Step

Romans 3:23-24, 28  Contemporary English Version (CEV)

23 All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve,[b] and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. 

Hebrews 11:1 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

11 Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.

2 Corinthians 5:7 New Life Version (NLV)

7 Our life is lived by faith. We do not live by what we see in front of us.

Did you know that the world’s strongest bridge is the Japan's Akashi Kaikyo Bridge?  It can handle 179 mph winds.  Irma brought us winds of 105 mph.  I can’t imagine 179mph winds.  That is one strong bridge!!!  

Many times in life we feel like we are faced with walking a tight rope.  We fear taking the first step.  We fear taking the second step.  We fear losing our balance.  And our greatest fear is the fear of falling, of failing.  

God looks at our tight rope as the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.  He “treats us much better than we deserve”.  He gives us faith that He will carry us across when we don’t have the strength, or guts, to take the next step.  He helps keep our balance.  He steadies our shaking bodies.  He tells us to keep our eyes on Him. He assures us over and over again, that He has our plans mapped out and they are mapped out for the good.   He may see the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, but we see a tiny thread.  We see the impossible, but He sees that it is possible.  Have faith and take the next step.  

Be Blessed!

No Longer the Loser

Hebrews 11:1 New International Version (NIV)

Faith in Action

11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Proverbs 29:18 The Message (MSG)

18 If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves.  But when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed.

Psalm 119:105 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

105 Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.

Psalm 119:130 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

130 Understanding your word brings light to the minds of ordinary people.

I have had a revelation about myself.  I have always loved competition, but in the end, I don’t get too upset if I LOSE.  However, my husband does.  He DESPISES losing at anything.  He always will ask why it doesn’t bother me and I can’t figure out why it doesn’t bother me.  I want it to “ruffle my feathers”.  I feel like if it bothered me, then I would persevere more to win.  Then  recently I realized that this “losing” disease has spread into other areas in my life.  At times, I give up the fight too easily.  That is when I realized that I lacked vision.  I don’t envision myself as a winner.  

Vision is not sight by the eye, but a function of the heart.  I can tell you what I would do to my house if I was given a large sum of money to remodel.  However, when it comes to personal goals, that are not tangible, I can’t “see” it.   

What are your personal goals?  What is your vision for your life?  No one person on this planet has the same fingerprints, just as no one person has the same vision.  You were born with a purpose, with a gift, with a passion.  If you are going through the daily motions of life without a heartbeat, I strongly suggest you reflect on your life goals and start dreaming about what path you are summoned to take.  

This was taken from http://www.jimfeeney.org/personalvisionfromGod.html

How can you get a personal vision of God's will for you specifically and walk that out in your life?

• The WORD of God will light and direct your path.

• PRAYER. God often gives vision in response to it.

• Personal PROPHECY, properly given and carefully evaluated.

• DIRECT REVELATION by the Holy Spirit.

• ​​In the MULTITUDE of trustworthy COUNSELORS.

I know that God places things in our lives at the right time.  He has placed this reality in my life at a time in which I am ready to take on the challenge of fighting for the win.  

Be Blessed!

The Snooze Button

Romans 12:2 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.

Matthew 5:16 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

16 Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

Ephesians 5:14-16 The Message (MSG)

11-16 Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness…It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,

Climb out of your coffins;

Christ will show you the light!

So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

I am a snoozer!  I will hit the snooze button multiple times if my phone is sitting next to my bed.  I have discovered that if I put my phone in my bathroom, which is a good little hike from my bed, I am less likely to hit snooze.   Hitting snooze does nothing for me other than give me a few more minutes of sleep, which in all reality I’m sitting and thinking about what I should be doing rather than sitting in bed.  Getting up at 4:30 in the morning is nuts, but I have found that starting my day in the word then going to the gym is the way that God intended me to start my day.  He empowers me in what I read in His word and then continues to empower me in either my workout and/or a conversation (or 2 or 3 conversations) with other women at the gym.  I then listen to a podcast type phone call recording on the way home from the gym to continue to keep my mind from hitting snooze.  These phone calls help me play less mind games and really get into action.  All of these things happen before 6:30am, if I don’t hit SNOOZE.  

God does not call us to be “snoozers”.  He wants us to live each day to the fullest, basking in His love.  We have to “use our heads” and let His words be in our heads daily.  If you are a spiritual “snoozer”, you may be lagging in your prayer life, being tempted in your social circumstances, lying dead in your actions, missing opportunities, etc.  

I’m not saying to get up at 4:30am and go through my actions.  What I am saying is that when your spiritual alarm clock goes off, don’t hit SNOOZE.  Don’t put off a prayer that needs to be whispered.  Don’t put off a good dead that needs to be done.  Don’t put off lifting someone up that seems like they are lost.  God did not put us here to “snooze” through life.  He put us here to be difference makers.  

Be Blessed!

Feed Your Faith with Friendships

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

It Is Better To Have a Friend

9 You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone, because then you will get more enjoyment out of what you earn. 10 If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble. 11 If you sleep alone, you won’t have anyone to keep you warm on a cold night. 12 Someone might be able to beat up one of you, but not both of you. As the saying goes, “A rope made from three strands of cord is hard to break.”

Proverbs 27:17 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

17 Just as iron sharpens iron,

    friends sharpen the minds

    of each other.

I would like to start today with an analogy that a dear friend shared with me.  

When planting a seed, you don’t plant it in the darkness where it will not receive the nourishment it needs to grow.  You find the best soil, a place with little or no shade, and then nurture it with water and fertilizer.  

Sometimes we find ourselves in a dark place.  A place in which we are not getting the love and nourishment we need for our hearts to flourish.  We need to surround ourselves with people that encourage us.  We need to feed our minds with inspiration through reading, listening, or watching things that give us determination and grit.  We need to nurture our hearts, minds, and body.   

Friendship is a gift from God.   When you feel like you have a connection with someone that is going to align with your goals, you need to grab onto that friend and find more.  These relationships will continue to flourish and grow.   The definition of tribe means “a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest” (Webster).  Having different supportive tribes that surround you daily is so important.  If you don’t have a supportive tribe in your workplace, find something that fuels you.  Put inspirational quotes around you or listen to podcasts.  Be intentional on fueling your mind.  This is vital.  If you have a “tribe, be open to allowing others in to be nurtured as well.  Once you have that, don’t let it go.  

Be Blessed!

When God Gets In The Way

Philippians 4:6-7 New Life Version (NLV)

6 Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:11 New Life Version (NLV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope.

“Sometimes God gets in the way to show us the way.”  

So many unanswered prayers float around us.  We may never know why they were unanswered, or they may unfold completely differently than we had planned.  I have had several life events that have unfolded completely differently than I had imagined.   I have also had several unanswered prayers linger above me.  

I am really beginning to understand the power of prayer.  Everything that we pray for God can do, but there are a lot of prayers He answers “no” too.  There is a reason for the stern “no”.  However, those frustrations and disappointments stir up feelings/emotions within us.  Those feelings/emotions are a gift from God.  Those known to be spiritual growing pains.  What is God teaching us through those seasons?  Reflect on your life and look at how your life plan has had twists and turns.  What were the outcomes?   Were they different from what you imagined?  What were some lessons/growing pains you experienced?  The biggest test is whether or not we TRUST Him even when He doesn’t give us what we want.  

Be Blessed!

The Stepping Stones of Life

Psalm 84:5-12 New Life Version (NLV)

5 How happy is the man whose strength is in You … 6 As they pass through the dry valley…they make it a place of good water…7 They go from strength to strength….8 O Lord God of all, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. 9 Look upon our safe-covering…10 For a day in Your house is better than a thousand outside. I would rather be the one who opens the door of the house of my God, than to live in the tents of the sinful. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and a safe-covering. The Lord gives favor and honor. He holds back nothing good from those who walk in the way that is right. 12 O Lord of all, how happy is the man who trusts in You!

Philippians 4:6-7 New Life Version (NLV)

6 Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 119:105 New Life Version (NLV)

105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:130 New Life Version (NLV)

130 The opening up of Your Word gives light. It gives understanding to the child-like.

The following vision was placed on my heart this week…We find ourselves standing on the banks of a river, called “Life”,  with whitewater rapids whipping all around us.  We take our first step into the rushing water and the power of the water takes us with it.  However, when we look down at our feet and we see a stepping stone being placed before us.  We know that we have to move forward so we do so anxiously and very fearful.  We find our balance and then another stone is placed before us.  We look around at the rushing water and start to feel anxious, but then find our focus on the one rock that is holding us steady.  It is our “safe-covering” and our strength in that moment.  Then another stone is placed before us.  It doesn’t look stable or safe, but we can’t do anything but go forward and have FAITH.  We say a prayer, take a breath, and then take the step, finding peace and strength once our feet are fully placed on the stone.  We move slowly from stone to stone, until we have found land, the valley in which we can celebrate and soak up the calmness around us.  

We can only get our strength in from Him.  We also can’t stress about how situations will turn out.  We have to focus on taking one step at a time, knowing what our goal destination is, but we have to focus on how He is getting us there.  If you are doing all you can in the moment you are in, that is all you can do.  If you are praying over each step that you take, even the scary unstable steps, you will be safe.  

The prayer from First 5 devotional today was this…

God, this has seemed so big and so overwhelming that I’ve almost given up.  All you ask of me is that I do the next right thing.  It’s easy for me to react in fear or uncertainty.  Yet You will lead me:  

          ONE CHOICE,

ONE RESPONSE,

ONE ACTION, at a time

through Your Word, and through the Holy Spirit.  

So today, take one step, one prayer, and one breath at a time.  

Be Blessed!