A little inspiration for today-God will help us through.

I love this! I myself have felt like I just couldn't take anymore on my current journey. Through scriptures, friends, praise and worship music and many other of God's tools I feel I got this!! Even though from time to time I feel lost or alone, HE always reminds me I am not! God will solve it we just have to be patience and trust in our Lord!

The Joy of the Lord in scripture and a song

  I was watching TV this afternoon while my son ate his lunch and I popped on facebook to scroll through the feed. Right away I see a post from Casting Crowns. 


**Hey believer. The enemy is coming after your time in God's word today. Punch him in the face and read: 2 Corinthians 4. I dare ya**

TV on pause and began to read the 4th chapter of 2 Corinthians. As I was reading along I started singing "Yes Lord, yes Lord, Yes Yes Lord Amen." My son said "Mom why are you singing while reading?" At that point it hit me why I was singing. I had just read "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 8-9). And low and behold my disease came about. See I have this "disease" of song lyrics popping in my head and coming out of my mouth when I hear "key words." This happens all the time!! It is really bad when reading the Psalms. Some may think it is fun and silly but I say it is seriously distracting. I had to go play the song Trading my Sorrows so I could get it out of my head long enough to finish the passage. 


   I finally finished the challenge reading and the funniest thing happened! My four year old son started singing "I'm trading my sorrow, yes Lord yes yes yes yes Lord, AMEN!" (the amen was sung at the top of his lungs).


   While 2 Corinthians 4 was a great read I truly believe I was meant to see this "challenge" to read the passage to cause my disease to pop up to remind me of one of my favorite songs to remember my favorite part of the song: I'm blessed beyond the curse for His promise will endure. And His joy's gonna be my strength. What a wonder God is with the way He links several small things together to make a big picture!!! These words were a beautiful reminder that no matter what I am currently going through or how how I am feeling today I will always have the strength to make it through because God love's me, and God is joyful to be my friend and with him by my side and Jesus in my heart nothing will ever get me down!!


  I challenge YOU to read 2 Corinthians 4 and see what you get from the reading. We all will need something different from each of the scriptures we read. I hope it fills you with joy as much as it did me!

My theme song: I am stronger than you think by Fireflight

I can not tell you the number of times I have cried out "Lord, help me stay focused and not let the enemy hurt me anymore." I have been battling with Satan so much over the past few months. I am thankful to my friends whom showed me that when Satan fights us the hardest we have something amazing about to happen just around the corner. It took me a while to really see this as a truth. After several personal experiences I now know it is 100% true. I have had some crazy days where I promise you I was attacked all day long. Negative thoughts, extreme sadness, wanting to just give up, and even lack of belief. It has been overwhelming! Thankfully God placed a wonderful friend in my life whom could say just the right things to open my eyes to see I was being attacked by the enemy and I had to fight back with prayer. I would stop what I was doing and pray, and pray hard with tears flowing down. Every time, yes I said EVERY TIME, I would feel better. I would calm down and perk back up and later that day, the next day or a few times a couple days later I saw what Satan was trying to keep me from. So many wonderful things have happened when I just kept my faith, prayed and continued to trust in God. I have seen the power of the Almighty!

Scriptures I use to help remind me of the good around the corner:

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good"

(Genesis 50:20)

"And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast"

(1 Peter 5:10)

"God works all things for the good of those who love him"

(Romans 8:28)

Re-Routing Negative Thoughts: Daily Devotion from Proverbs 31

I struggle with negative thoughts daily. I often find myself getting upset over something I have thought up which isn't even true. I feel the enemy loves to do this, to plant negative thoughts in our mind to drag us away from God. Thankfully as my faith grows so has my ability to recognize these moments and put a stop to them. I really enjoyed today's devotion from Provers 31: Re-Routing Negative Thoughts. I hope this is as helpful to you as it was for me. 

Re-Routing Negative Thoughts

Sharon Glasgow

November 18, 2014

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)

The screaming and fighting in the back seat were brutal! It was a fight to the death. As I tried to break it up, the car swerved off the road. Semi-trucks were passing me, going 80 miles an hour, as I pulled over to stop the fight.

A few weeks ago, I drove through the beautiful Appalachian Mountains and picked up our newest family members — a Royal Palm Turkey and a Red Bourbon Turkey. They were not happy about being confined to a cage or being stuck next to each other. Hence, the deadly fight in my back seat. The Red Bourbon tried to cure his displeasure by lashing out in anger. He was on a mission to kill, literally. He hopped on top of the Royal Palm and went for the neck!

I called my husband in a panic. His advice? “Re-route their thinking; it’s stuck. Scream and hit the cage.” I followed his instructions and the fighting stopped for 10 minutes. Then it started again. I had to yell, bang on the cage and clap my hands to break up a few more fights until both turkeys finally settled down for good. We all made it home alive, and now they’re best friends.

As I thought about the turkeys’ stuck thinking, I could sense the Lord say to my heart: You are no different.

Ouch! When my circumstances aren’t what I want, my thinking gets stuck, too. Just that morning on my way to get the turkeys, I was alarmed to find the car was on empty and worse yet — I had no money in my purse. And I had left the house with no margin in my schedule to stop for gas or return home for money.

Yet without any money, I had no choice but to return home, which made me late. Worse, I had planned to drop my daughter at the airport and she missed her flight. I was not happy and boy did my family hear about it!

We all struggle with negative thinking at times; it’s a common battle. And that’s why it’s important to recognize negative thought patterns and learn how to re-route them. The good news is we can have control over what we think.

When we’re down, sad or hopeless, let’s take inventory of our thoughts. When we find ourselves jumping to conclusions, doling out guilt trips on others or replaying arguments in our mind, let’s consciously change our thinking. When I get in a funk, often it’s because I’ve focused too much on what’s bad. The apostle Paul advises us in our key verse, Philippians 4:8, to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

The next time you’re fighting negative thoughts, “rattle your cage” by remembering you have the mind of Christ. Take each negative thought captive and replace it with what Paul describes in our key verse. Scripture promises that when we align our thoughts with God’s, His peace, which passes all understanding, will keep our hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.

Lord, give me Your ability to bring every thought captive. Help me to refute negative thoughts with truth. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 2:14-16, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (NKJV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Looking for ways to replace negative thinking with truth from God’s Word? You might enjoy A Confident Heart Devotional by Renee Swope.

Visit Sharon Glasgow’s blog for more encouragement on re-routing negative thoughts and enter to win a free gift that will help you.

REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Take inventory of your thoughts for a whole day. Each time a negative thought repeats in your mind, re-route it with truth found in God’s Word. Place our key verse near you in a familiar spot to remind you of where to focus your thoughts.

- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/devotions/devo/re-routing-negative-thoughts/#sthash.uN8qNa1t.dpuf

Scriptures to get me through.

(Photo found at http://www.canichangemylife.com/with-god-all-things-are-possible/)

Over the weekend I felt like no matter how hard I fight or stand nothing I did would help my season. All my praying was getting me no where, being nice was pointless, I just could not do this anymore. As God always does he showed me numerous times that I needed to calm down, read scriptures and gather myself back up. In my Love Dare for the day, facebook postings, and The Power of a Praying wife readings they all told me the same thing: Continue to pray, God is listening and to be patient, God is working in ways that I may not currently see, or haven't opened my eyes to. Over the weekend five scriptures kept showing up. Needless to say these five were written down in my Prayer Journal. I hope these scriptures help you as much as they help me. God is Great and his word really does refresh our mind's and our soul's!!

"Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." 

(Galatians 6:9)

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it , and it will be yours"

(Mark 11:24)

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you;"

(Matthew 7:7)

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

(1 Corinthians 13:7)

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"

(Isiah 41:10)

The Entrusted Journey

My journey God currently has me on is a "at my wits end, surely you meant for someone else stronger physically, mentally and spiritually to do" kind of journey. "From the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke. 12:48). I personally know this scripture to be true but sometimes I feel as if I have reached my breaking point. I cry out "Lord how much more can I take?" At these moments I shake my head, and yes sometimes roll my eyes,  in understanding and agreement for the answer I am given. For the words I hear are: "the end is near. The end is near".

These words are God speaking to me reassuring me that I Can keep trudging on through the sometimes dry, bumpy,hilly, flat and often muddy roads ahead. Granted, at times I feel like I am grasping at loose mounds of dirt and praying for any kind of foothold, other times I am singing praises in the rain and splashing through the mud puddles like a happy child with no worries in the world. I can honestly say my faith alone has seen me through most of the trek, and of course the hand of God helping me back up when I slip and fall from time to time. But what I have to remember is I CAN do what God is asking me to do. I can make it through this bone drenching storm filled journey! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phillipians 4:13)

Despite the enemy's many efforts, I will continue this current journey God has laid out before me, rough terrain and all! For at the end of my path is a beautiful shimmering glittery rainbow showing me that all the wear and tear, bumps and bruises, falls and breaks was worth the journey. I have learned so many lessons from this voyage in just a few short months and know I have many more to learn. I already am a stronger and better person from my travels through the storm, and know I will only be stronger and God fearing at end of this bumpy road. What Satan had planned to be a bad situation God has made into good.

Now not all of my journey has been rough terrain.  Many moments have been beautiful! As I kept my faith and prayed with all my soul many times of my journey were like walking barefoot on beautiful lush grass roads. Many moments felt like drinking from cool clear streams of water to quench a lasting thirst. I have seen so many situations in my travels that have no other explanation of reasoning other than God answered my prayers. He heard me through the loud crashing thunder of the storm! God heard me and God answered me!

I will survive this crazy journey I am on, mind you not without its scars, but even Jesus left his scars for all to see after he was risen from the grave.The scars of my travels will not be ugly, for they will be the opposite.  They will be beautiful reminders of what I have gone through, what I have survived , and what I have overcome. Though God may have to nudge me forward when all I want to do is drop down on the ground, cross my arms and legs and say "that's it, this is as far as I go", I will eventually make it through! Until the day I see my beautiful rainbow I will grab my bible, umbrella, hiking boots and first aid kit and continue down the crazy beautiful journey God has entrusted me with.