I believe the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why to devil tries so hard to get Chritians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God. (Donald Miller-Blue Like Jazz)

A friend posted this on Facebook and it hit me in a strange way. Something I have been pondering lately is how much knowledge I have, hence all the reading I talked about in my last post, but how much of it is getting to my heart.

I am on to something the Lord is trying to teach me. I will continue to be still to be refreshed in the Lord and find how He will help me not have so much head knowledge but be authentic, and have it all in my heart. I pray now Lord you will help me now not be distracted any longer by the enemy or my own bad choices that are causing religion or habits that are useless in my heart and life. Where do I go from here? In Jesus Name, Amen

Be still and know that I am God.

Love to you! More later...

Wait!!

Wait on the Lord.


I grab so often for things, like if I don't grab and look for it then I will not hear the Lord.  I seem to grab so much so often that I don't even really know for sure if I am hearing Him or not.  I have to remember one thing and remember it clearly forever, I am not God and I am not God of my life....He is perfectly capable of being my God and I am not.

*(picture from google image search)

The things I grab for are all good.  A new Christian book talking about testimonies, talking about the ways of the Lord, life with the Lord, things important to the Lord.  Christian music constantly.  I love Christian blogs and formats and schedules of how to do things in life as a wife and mother and homekeeper.  Womens Bible study at church.  I ask myself what am I looking for.  What if these things I am grabbing for are the only things that are keeping me from actually listening to the Lord?  Busy mind, nonstop, need to wait on the Lord.  What would my heart and life be like right now if I just waited on God, spent time on my knees and with His Word alone.  All of the things I listed above are good, and He would use them to counsel and guide me as He felt led, but only then, not when I am grabbing looking, searching for answers when I have not sat as His feet long enough to listen to what HE is saying to me first and through His Word.  


I have been watching a show lately that is speaking to my heart, Make it or Break It...and it is elite gymnasts training for the olympics.  The more that I watch it the more I feel the Lord showing me how life is like a race, training for things, keeping focus, not losing focus, obeying the coach when he knows what is best for the athletes life and has his best interest at heart.  I thought wow, I recall there are scriptures that talk about the race, running it, keeping eyes fixed on Jesus, run for the prize, run to win, etc.


I looked up several just doing a search on race in my Bible app on my phone.  There are many.  So right now I wait, I be quiet, and I start to learn about this new life I am in, new life as a child of the Lord, and learn to keep my eyes fixed on Him in this race called life, throwing off all that hinders me.  


Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.


What has the Lord been teaching you lately?  


*Update on my Reshaping it All goal, I have until Sunday the 26th.  I have been walking most evenings 1-1.5 miles and doing T-Tapp DVD exercises and also have gone and done a few classes at my gym.  Moderation and not excessive focus and doing things I enjoy.  I have continued fasting my middle of the day meal each day, eating some snacks most days usually around 2pm and some days I have gone overboard, but I get right back on track with God's help.  He is working in me and teaching me to sew to my Spirit and not the flesh, and showing me how the Spirit and the flesh are constantly at war...Galatians 5:16-26.  I learned a lot the past week or two from studying and understanding some of the fruits of the Spirit and what are NOT the fruits of the Spirit.  Also seeing how this really is not about the weight at all but about my heart.  I have lost 3 1/2 pounds and got down to size 14.  That is not my focus but just a reward for learning to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus :)


More later...love to you!

Tip of the Iceberg

Thank you for stopping by! I spent a week away from the Internet and email and what I learned in that time is that I have a lot of decluttering to do, and mostly in my mind. I feel I have not even gotten past the tip of the iceberg and have so far to go in my walk wih the Lord.

It was an eye opener to see how I cluttered my mind with many many things on the Internet, all great things, but not the best for me. Many Christian blogs, Bible studies, kind words on Facebook, and these things as good as they are, were something to keep me moving and keeping me from being still. I see now how much more I need to be still and I also see how it will not be comfortable, I see I will have trials that I can't run from. But if I want to fully surrender to the Lord and let Him teach me and refine me, it's what I must do. And I think doing it joyfully just working on praising God through it all, because after all...He IS on my side. I also learned that I need to let God love me and I saw how I have a root in my heart or a lie that I believed for so long that says I am not good enough and that I am not worthy of love and one minute of me rushing past His call to be still and I miss the truth. I am so special and so deeply unconditionally loved.

More later...share your thoughts and what things the Lord may be teaching you lately. Can you relate to any of these things?

A week off :)

I will be taking a week off of the computer and phone/internet to spend time with my family and balance out my priorities.  I will be back posting starting again next Wednesday, June 15th.  Be blessed this week and keep seeking God and resting in Him...the perfect dwelling place!  Love to you :)

Persevere

I just want to encourage anyone reading to never give up.  Persevere.  No matter how deep of a pit you feel like you are in, God will bring you out, just look up and cling to Him.  He is doing things in my life now and I am loving just resting in His grace alone.  He is all I need.

I have been meditating on this scripture and I may keep on doing that another week or longer as long as I need, and it is working its way into my heart and daily life.

Galatians 5:16 Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of your flesh.

Today I was breaking it up thinking ok, walk.  Walk means I do that all through the day, walking through my thoughts, my actions, my chores, my conversations, etc.  And to do it by the Spirit, who lives in me, who walks with me, who never leaves me, who wants to be my best friend, who is my constant companion, who is the ultimate counselor and the list goes on, how lucky I am!  (we are!) Gratify.  I will not gratify.  I will not do, I will not chase, I will not run after, I will not satisfy.  the Desires.  Things that I could lust after.  Things I run after.  Things I focus excessively on.  my flesh.  My little toddler in me that wants it her way, now and whatever I want I want it, opposite of the Spirit.  So I thought ok, breaking it down and thinking on this constantly, renewing my mind with this scripture, is truth.  I will continue dwelling on it.

More later...love to you!

Today

Today was the day that I allowed myself a treat, once a week.  I enjoyed it, not like I used to, and it left me just wanting more and more and it is not the best feeling.  I think my resistance muscle is stronger now and the Lord is teaching me to lean on Him and realize good choices before just grabbing and running ahead.  I am glad for that.  I am about to go and take a walk because I feel I could just grab more food.  I am avoiding the kitchen right now and chugging a lot of water.  Oh I just realized I need to be praying some scripture or looking up to fill up on the Lord, this will help indeed!!!

I am for the moment using a tool of in a journal writing what I eat each day.  That is helpful to look back at, but honestly thats not what is helping me.  What is helping me is to feed my Spirit and its changing me within, and helping me not to give into my fleshly desires.  There is that scripture I am reminded of...

Galatians 5:16 "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

That is the key I am learning and I feel I do not have to look past that.  Thats where I need to be right now, walking by the Spirit.  I always thought there was more I needed to figure out, but feeling now that is a lie and I need to just walk by the Spirit more each moment.  Period, no more analyzing or figuring out, rely on God for His wisdom and understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

Thinking of posting some before pics and maybe some after pictures, but will see if that is what the Lord wants in this journey.  Maybe just heart stuff....

More later!  Love to you :)

Be Still

Thinking on practicing Gods presence the verse comes to mind...be still and know that I am God. Be still. That has been a challenge for me. Being still helps me to recognize the Holy Spirit leading me. Being still helps me to not grab at the first thing my flesh wants, but helps me acknowledge God and ask Him what He wants in that situation. Oh a big one, being still helps me to not miss God and have to go back and fix a whole lot of things because I ran by Him and did what I want.

That's what's on my mind right now. Be still.

I Really Am That Big?!

So yes, I have 50 pounds to release never to see again.  I have seen it go before.  I am at this now in this 65 days of Reshaping it All and always with Thin Within.  Its in my head.  I have been doing well for a week.  I am seeing now how much I REALLY have to change my focus, permanently!  New thoughts and focuses forever.  Its the scripture:


Romans 12:1-2 ....

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 


I saw a picture of myself from today and I was in shock.  I was feeling thinner from exercising and eating less and better choice foods, and then I saw the picture and thought, "WOW, I really am that big!?"


Why is it that I think I'm not that big.  I honestly don't feel as big as I look, but what a trick of the mind that is.  SO pray for me if it comes to your mind throughout your days.  I need prayer, I need my mind renewed so I am forever changed and free.  I will never give up!  Even if I fall down and get discouraged, my hope is in Jesus and I am never giving up!  One choice at a time!


Lord help me see what you see and think like you think.  Help me to make one right choice for You at a time and never give up.  In Jesus name I trust and pray, Amen!

31 Days to Clean

So I am on day....22 of the 31 day e-book.  I am really enjoying it and when I wake up I look forward to just reading the days reading (Mon-Fri) and I get a little nugget of wisdom and truth each day, its really nice.  I have not been able to keep up with all of the Martha tasks but I have been doing other cleaning and home managing routines I have learned over the years so that is taking the place of that. The part I am really getting ministered to with is the Mary challenges. It touches on so many areas of life that us moms and wives deal with in our walk with God and helps explain it in simple but deep type ways. I can't wait to see how many things have changed in our home when it's over. Not me changing it myself that's for sure...God is helping me know what to do when otherwise I would be doing it all and not getting anything but overwhelmed and unfocused.

So far things I have gleamed from it are:

• Making a list each night or morning for that day of things I want to get or need to get accomplished.  Keeps me more focused and purposeful through the day.  Making a home cleaning routine has helped me, a revamped one where I put a list on my fridge of the things that need to get done and I got a lot also from iheartorganizing.blogspot.com.  I got my list from her and she personalized it for me for $3 and I got it laminated for 1.50 at Office Depot and have dry erase marker with magnet next to it...it makes it simple and clear to see so I don't have to go look at my phone or some other list.
• About the curse on the home or work at the home, that is talked about in Genesis how its all unproductive work, and is never complete.  Then to realize that and start learning how to clean and keep my home joyfully as unto the Lord because its got to be done and its not going away.  Better outlook here I was refreshed with.
• Making a schedule for the day so that you learn what you are doing with your time.  She gave a site where I got an ebook called "Tell Your Time" and this helps in 30 pages to really get to the core of your time and organizing it, easily.  I am halfway through that and already see it will be nice when I complete it.  I see I waste a lot of time procrastinating and also on the computer, although looking at Christian blogs and reading Christian books, etc, its too much and I am working on letting go of that some and having balance as God leads.

There is much more I hope to share on this but this is what is on my heart at the moment.

Take a listen to this, its life! :)

(I know this is not the original singer but this girl just ministered to my heart and I thought she was a sweetheart!)

Where do you struggle in the home? Have you found any resources or books or things that help with keeping the home and doing it joyfully so its not a burden?  Do share!

More later...love to you!

Kim