Quality Time

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 There is a saying called "having quality time over quantity of time." Many people have lives that are so filled with busy activities they barely have time to sit down and just rest. Seems it is easy to commit to too many things to the point you may become overwhelmed. Even a stay home mom can be guilty of this trying to be on committees and commit to different activities that you can become wiped out and no good to anyone. Especially disheartening is to see well meaning parents who put their child in multiple activities and no down time at all.   During all this rush to please everyone do you try to please God? By this I am referring to giving Him more than a "God is great" prayer. He wants your time and he wants you to rest in Him.  Instead of running all over the place  you need to make sure you run to Jesus. Why not start today and spend some good time with Jesus. Trust in Him, submit your activities to Him. He is waiting for that quality time with you. PRAYER: I need you in my life on a daily basis. Help me Lord as I seek to truly make you number one and cente my activities around you. In  Jesus' name. Amen.

Time For God?

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30(NIV) 

How does your day begin? Maybe grab the newspaper or turn on the news. Next hop in the shower, check Facebook, then eat and off you go. Is time alone with God in there anywhere? Why is it it is so easy to do everything else but the one thing to help us grow spiritually we neglect. Many are great church members but after that one or two hours each Sunday sort of put God on the shelf for the next six days. This makes Satan so gleeful as he can trick you into thinking Sunday is enough. Believe me, there are many people who go to church who are no different than the world. There are many in church who do not really know Jesus. Perhaps they have been tricked into believing Sunday church attendance is the thing to do. Oh my goodness, doing anything else is fanatical.

 I am happy to say I am a fanatic! I wasn't always. I too was like that. I thought my childhood baptism and joining church was enough. I found out otherwise and on 19 March 1975 became a "new creature" and born again. Do you want to grow closer to Christ! Spend time with Him. He is there waiting for you. 

PRAYER: I need you in my life not just on Sunday but 24/7 around the clock. Forgive me for making excuses. In Jesus' name. Amen.

DISCONNECT AND REIGNITE

The world we live in of 2013, at least in the United States, needs to take a disconnect and decompress break at times. When computers run slow we freak out. When the satellite dish gets interrupted by a storm we wish for cable. If power causes things to "go down" we are beside ourselves. Look around you and observe people. How many people are humped over and have their faces stuck in their mobile device? How many drivers do you pass and see their scary addictive behavior of texting and driving? It is kind of nice to get away from all this. One of my favorite old commercials is one where a guy is in the wilderness trying to park his truck somewhere where there is not a cell phone signal. As the saying goes for one cell phone company, "More bars in more places' we sometimes need "less bars in less places and therefore more relaxed and happy faces".

The pace of life requires us to be intentional about setting aside peaceful quiet times. My favorite thing to do is go up to my favorite state park nearby and relax, pray and end with a hike. No mobile devices just me, the birds, the sky, a squirrel or two, and God.

Has anyone reading this lost their zeal for spiritual things? You just do not feel close to God or Jesus anymore or maybe never did? Church may be a drudgery for you. God wants you to have joy in your life. Maybe it is time to "reignite" the fire or passion for Jesus or light it for the first time.

To get excited about Jesus you need to make sure your heart is pure and that you are regularly reading his word. Satan does all in his power to get so many distractions around us in order to squeeze out any time for Jesus. We are so caught up in things we think are important when in effect the only thing really important is what we are doing down here for eternity. Our time on this earth is relatively short in the big scheme of things.

James 4:8 says 'Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.' To come near you need to humble yourselves before God and be sincere in seeking Him. Hebrews 3:15(NIV) says 'As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."'

My friend do you want to be able to hear from God and be able to have a calm peaceful spirit? You can. Start your day each and every day with prayer, which is simply just talking to God. Make time for Him each and every day some way. Get alone and get quiet whenever you are able to help you "reignite" that passion for things of the Lord.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord that you hear my prayers. At times I am so rushed that I just forget about you. I know that hurts you and makes you sad Lord.I know you have a wonderful plan for me yet at times I just ignore you. Help me as I diligently try to seek your face daily and resist the temptations the enemy throws at me to forget about you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

 

Click link and enjoy a wonderful worship song.

http://youtu.be/JiD0_Krgbo4

SNACK OR MAIN COURSE?

 Would you rather have a yummy main course meal full of wonderful things to eat or just a simple snack? Snacks are great but we need more to grow, survive, and thrive.

In your walk with The Lord do you treat Him like a snack, main course, or are you dieting? By this I mean do you crave God's word or do you barely "eat" enough to consider it a meal? Do you fast or starve yourself from your spiritual nourishment or are you hungry for it on a regular, hopefully daily, basis. Maybe you are a "spiritual anorexic"?

If you ate only one meal a week your body would soon become weak and sick. Similarly if we partake of God's words in the Bible for only a few minutes a week do you suppose you would have the spiritual strength for the battles ahead in your life? The answer is of course "no". Why is it in life when people get busy their schedules rarely include a daily quiet time? It should be right up there with showering, brushing your teeth, and dressing. A quiet time is a "spiritual dressing" of sorts. Satan convinces many well meaning people it is a little overboard or fanatical to do more than just that "sacred" hour on Sundays.

Would you have friends long if you did not give them time? Of course not. You get to know people by spending time with them. Jesus wants you to want to spend time with Him. If there is no desire maybe you need Him in your heart.

Psalm 107:9(NIV) says 'For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.' Matthew 5:6(NIV) may be a familiar passage for some readers but have you really given it much thought. 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.'

Are you ready to feast on Jesus?

PRAYER: Lord I confess at times I have been too busy for you. I go through my day and at times give you little thought. Forgive me. I will no longer allow Satan to distract me with other seemingly more important things. Nothing is more important than reading the word of God and praying. In Jesus' name.Amen.

CONNECTIONS

 

In my travels I get a kick out of everyone on their portable "life saving devices" or at least that is what we modern era folks look like constantly thinking we have to be connected. People almost look like robots rushing through concourses at various airports constantly on these little devices. Oh what on earth will someone do if they can not get you on the phone? How did we manage to survive without our communication devices 24/7 before this?

Every now and then you should seek to find peace without being "connected" all the time. It is necessary to just get away at times and just relax. You do not need to know every friends' Facebook status. Life will still go on.

When thinking of being connected, I was thinking our best and most important connection is with Jesus, yet how many of us fail to even give him any time in our day? We rush about doing all sorts of "necessary" things without even caring to have the power to resist Satan by getting daily into the word of God for a dose of the truth.

Are you guilty of putting God on "hold"? Right now you can change that. How much time do you spend on your wireless devices? Maybe try to budget your time and give Jesus some too. Do not make it legalistic in the sense you are just checking a block. But sincerely ask God to help you make time for Him and give your device a break for a while.

Isaiah 26:3(NIV) says 'You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.'

PRAYER: Lord Jesus it is my desire to let you be my biggest "connection". I know I have been at fault in neglecting time with you as I give more and more time to all the little "communication toys" I own. It is my desire to grow more in Christ and let you have first place. In Jesus' name. Amen.

TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES

Do you rush through your day hardly stopping to take a break or a
breath? You may use the all too familiar excuse that you are working
and no time for a break. Try to get yourself out of your cubicle and
outside to enjoy God's creation. Our lives are often times filled with
non stop activities such as meetings, classes, clubs, sports, shopping
and much more. In this busy time God is often forgotten in the
equation. Somehow all the other things make the "to do" list but the
most important thing, spending time with Jesus, takes a back seat to
everything seemingly more important.

Through a ministry I have been a part of now for over 16 years now,
Moms in Prayer International, formerly Moms in Touch, there is a thing
called a "DAWG" day which I encourage ladies, and men, to try to make
time for sometime. It stands for "Day Alone With God" where you simply
get away from your home and distractions and go someplace quiet, safe,
and peaceful and pray and read your Bible. My area of choice here
happens to be a state park nearby. You just sort of get time to
regroup, think, pray, confess sins in your life, and study God's word.
Even if you only have two hours to spare, try it sometime and leave
the cell phone off.

It is during these times of peace you have time to appreciate what God
has done for you. To "smell the roses" is to truly appreciate God's
mercy and goodness. We can not fully tune in to God if we are
constantly distracted by things in life so it is necessary to have
that time alone.

Psalm 46:10(NIV) says 'Be still and know that I am God.I will be
exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.'

PRAYER: Lord I need to insure I do not allow the busyness of life to
squeeze you out. I know the enemy is thrilled when I do not make time
for you. Forgive me Lord. I can not expect to know you by only giving
you one hour on Sunday. My desire is to seek your face and make time
for you daily making sure other things do not come first. In Jesus'
name. Amen.

HE DIED SO YOU COULD FORGET HIM! NOT!!

How much thought to you give to being a Christian and living for Jesus each day? Does it even cross your mind or do you wait till that one golden hour on Sunday to crack out the Bible and head for your place of worship? Do you even care about Jesus and what he did for you? Do you simply coast through your day to day life without thanking God for all the blessings he has bestowed in your life? If you are blessed to live in the United States do you take your First Amendment rights of Freedom of Religion for granted? Do you think of Jesus only in time of a tragedy such as during 911? Do you treat others like Christ would treat them? Really?

There was a small book 'My Heart, Christs' Home' by Robert Boyd Munger which I saw several years ago about meeting with Jesus in the various rooms of your home. It said if He visited you in your family room, and He is there with you, would you have to put away certain reading material and get the Bible out instead. Would you maybe have to turn the TV channel before He came in the room? Or perhaps put different clothes on? This little book went through each and  every room with similar illustrations. This book makes a good point and that is that the Lord is with you and loves you whether you give Him the time of day or not.

 How easy it is to flip on the television and zone out but make little or no time in your day for God. Look what Jesus did for you! He died so you might live! He paid the ultimate sacrifice. He does not demand you love Him but it says in Matthew 11:28 "Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." He loves you even when totally ignore Him or forget to thank Him for all the blessings in your life. He loves you despite the fact the only prayer you may utter is "Thank you for my food.Amen". If you treated your spouse the way some people treat our Lord and saviour your marriage may not last long. To know Him you need to spend time with Him.

What is stopping you from wanting to be closer to the Lord?

PRAYER: Father forgive me when I have given you little if any time during my busy days. Forgive me for simply checking off my obligation to attend church then living like I want to the rest of the week. Forgive me for not thanking you for all the wonderful things you have done for me. Forgive me for taking my Bible for granted as evil forces always would like to make it illegal. Lord I love you and thank you for what you have done for me. In Jesus name.Amen.

 Click on link for a song of worship and praise.
http://youtu.be/Aq8P5i9U7-g

UNSUBSCRIBE HERE

In this fast paced technological world we are a part of today, whether we like it or not, it is a challenge to not go overboard on too many busy activities,communication devices, and too much email clutter. We can waste so much time just uncluttering our junk email to get to actual notes from friends. Imagine if your regular mailbox by the roadside  had 100 pieces of junk mail per day. It could get to be a bit overwhelming.

In life we have to manage our time or we can get ourselves way overboard and end up having a mental collapse if we are not careful. I like it on emails that come in when at very bottom it reads "Unsubscribe Here". Yeah!!  You mean I can stop getting this and opt out? Even seemingly good things from Christian groups, news groups, and political items that keep us informed can tend to be time killers if we let them. You have to choose what to read and what to send to the trash.

Your activities you choose to be involved in can be like that. Let's say, for instance you are not working,  and feel you have to justify your existence by jumping into every meeting and every volunteer activity to just fill up your days perhaps to 'prove' to someone you matter .That is not really necessary as you matter tons to God and He is the only one that matters anyway. It is okay to volunteer  but if you are never home and spending more time at church or at a volunteer place and neglect your family and friends then it can be bad. The key is 'balance' as my friend Kim in Iowa used to have on her personalized license plate.

 You may be working full time and still volunteering for committees and clubs. You may in fact have valuable talents and skills but life only has so many days and hours. You need time to relax some too. Our society, at least here in America, tends to be constantly going. Do something and try to drop an unnecessary activity robbing you of precious time or the next time tempted to volunteer stop and just say no for a change.I am not saying to not help others but to have balance and use common sense.

 Get away and alone with God. Consider taking your lunch hour in a park where it is quiet and just praying and 'talking' to God. This would be a great time of physical, emotional, and spiritual renewal.

 The Bible says in Isaiah 30:15 that "in quietness and confidence is your strength." Turn to God and ask him to help you be able to 'unsubscribe' from some of the busyness in your life. Psalm 46:10 reminds us "Be still and know that I am God." How do you expect to 'hear' from God if you clutter up your life and do not leave time for Him?

 PRAYER: Father I thank you for times of refreshment and relaxation and times of peace. I know peace will not happen unless I take an effort to get rid of things in my life that are unnecessary. Forgive me Lord when my schedule has squeezed you out. Give me discernment in which activities to be involved in. In Jesus name. Amen.

THE TO-DO LIST

You get up in the morning and most likely if not going to a job still have many jobs to perform  and have a 'to do' list to follow. Does this 'to do' list include  having a quiet time with God and praying? If not why not? If you want to grow in Christ and not just be a 'Sunday Christian'  or a church member then you need to make some sort of effort to get to know the Lord. Being a Christian and following Christ is not just about being 'religious' as some think, nor is it about going to church. It is about knowing the Lord and wanting to spend time with Him. You should not plan your day without also writing down 'start the day with the Lord.'

Did you know scripture tells us to "Search the scriptures" (see John 5:39) and also to"teach them to our children?" Deuteronomy 6:6-8 tells us "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates". When you do not make time in your day for growing close to the Lord that means you are allowing the cultures thoughts into your mind instead of God's word. Many today are believing lies and justifying sin primarily because they either choose to not believe the Bible or because they listen to the worldly secular news more than the truth in God's word. Be careful as Satan can deceive you and take you captive. 2 Corinthians 2:11 says "so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes." Satan can get you to believe lies and water down God's word. Do not allow that to happen!

What changes do you need to make in your daily schedule to allow Christ to have first place in your schedule? If you do not desire his word perhaps your love for him has grown cold.  Do not allow the worlds way of thinking to squeeze out the truth of God. 2 Timothy 3:15 says "and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." Parents have a big responsibility to not just feed and clothe their newborn, but to be reading God's word to them even as they lie in the cradle. 

"Thy word is a lamp unto my path and a light unto my path".(Psalm 119:105). Right now take a moment and write down your schedule for the day and make sure you put 'Read the Bible' and 'Pray' on there. If you do not know where to begin why not start with the book of John or Psalms. Desire Gods' word more than gold. In Psalm 19:9-10 it says "The fear of the Lord is pure,enduring forever.The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;they are sweeter than honey,than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned." Another good verse is Psalm 119:72 which says "The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." Do you find God's word more precious than anything? It has everything you need to get you through each and every day if only you would make time to put Him in your day.

Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us to "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Do you? Really? Then let Him know by making him first priority and spending time in the word each day. If you love a person you want to be with them. Likewise if you love the Lord you want to get to know Him by reading the Bible. Start today and put God first!

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the Bible. I am grateful to live in a country where I can read it freely without being arrested. Help me to not take it for granted and to find it and dust it off and start learning how to defeat the enemy. Give me the desire to do this and do it daily I will resist the devil and he has to flee according to James 4:7. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link this wonderful day the Lord has made and be blessed.
http://youtu.be/gVi4jth2XSg