"A Marathon"

DAY #67 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us." Hebrews 12:1 HCSB


Life is said to be like a journey - and it all begins with one step. If our lives are to be considered as a marathon, then we certainly do need to go into each step prepared and determined to finish wtrong and well. We need to persevere through the tough times. Jesus is a perfect example for us to look to. His life was lived well, as a marathon -- although it was short-lived here on earth, those 33 years He persevered and finished the race well, once and for all. He didn't just finish, He won! He came and did what He was called to do -- the work of the Father.

Just as Jesus did, we must remain faithful to our calling -- even when thoughts of discouragement or quitting come in, we need to persevere and remain dedicated to our calling. Jesus did ask "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me? Yet not as I will, but as you will." He told the Father of his true thoughts and feelings, yet He still wanted to follow the Father's will, not his own.

When we face times of trial, doubt, fear, discouragement, etc... we need to be honest with God and tell Him how we are truly feeling, and He will reach down and touch our hearts and spirits, and heal us. We always want to be in the will of the Father, not our own plans and desires. Remember anything that comes against you, no matter how big is always smaller than our Father God in Heaven. He can handle ANYTHING! NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE for Him~ and nothing is impossible for him that believes! So prepare, persevere and stay determined to finish the race set before you.

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!



"Prayer Now"

DAY #19 -- 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction; be persistant in prayer." Romans 12:12 HCSB

Prayer is important... and should be something that is done all day long, each and every day. Persistence does pay off. Is there something that you are hoping for, or something that is afflicting you... for most of us, that is probably a resounding YES! Well, then this verse says that you should be persistent in prayer.

What is the definition of 'persistent'?
–adjective

1. persisting, esp. in spite of opposition, obstacles, discouragement, etc.; persevering: a most annoyingly persistent young man.
2. lasting or enduring tenaciously: the persistent aroma of verbena; a persistent cough.
3. constantly repeated; continued: persistent noise.
4. Biology .
a. continuing or permanent.
b. having continuity of phylogenetic characteristics.
5. Botany . remaining attached beyond the usual time, as flowers, flower parts, or leaves.

So, in spite of opposition, obstacles or discouragement we are meant to be persistent and persevere through and pray. We are to rejoice in faith and hope, knowing that our Creator and Father is watching over us and that He is in control of the entire world, and our little life in that entire world. Having faith in God that He will take charge and fix our problem should allow us to be patient in affliction or times of trouble. God is our Father and our friend. Prayer is just simply communicating with Him. It doesn't always have to be a long drawn out 'Oh gracious Heavenly Father, hear our humble cry...'; it can be a simple 'Help me Lord...'.

Most of our big prayers are at mealtime, or at bedtime or the like... but we should be communicating with God all day long. He knows what we want, and He knows what we need, but He still wants to hear it from us. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 it says, "...pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV) Continually, means it should be always on our lips. If we are to continually breathe in and out, then that means we breathe in and out ALL the time. It just comes natural to us, that our body just does it. Prayer should be the same.

Usually we keep trials, troubles, despair, discouragement, tough decisions in our minds... we think them over, try to fix them ourselves, sometimes we let ourselves get filled with bitterness or despair. The mind is a battlefield... yet we are to turn those problems over to God, and not dwell on them. His power is greater than our power, His thoughts and ways are always higher & greater than ours. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9


It has been said, "Pray as if it's all up to God, work as if it's all up to you." (Anonymous) and that is so true. However, it is all up to God so you can pray accordingly. If it's God's will for you to have that desire, then He will grant it under certain circumstances. If it however is not in the will of God, then God will grant you something else to fill that void. Yet His love is always the best filler!

So, open up your heart today, NOW, and more times throughout the day... it may be a quiet whisper, or a regular voice tone, or even a loud shout. It may even have to be a prayer in the mind. Take authority that He has given over your rough situations. Ask for healing in your own body, or for those around you. Ask for those desires that are sitting in your heart unfulfilled yet. But please don't forget to THANK Him for all He has done for you... that is an important part of prayer too. But first of all, remember to repent and ask forgiveness, so that you may BOLDLY go into His throneroom. We can repent for the sins we commit in THOUGHT, WORD & DEED, intentionally and unintentionally, consciously and subconsciously. (Some things you have done require forgiveness, and you don't know that you even 'sinned'.) Jesus' blood covers and cleanses us clean as the snow. You can even tell Him your struggles, yet remember the devil is listening too, and he likes to add to those, so you can pray those in your mind or you can speak in tongues (if you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit), cause that confuses the devil. HA HA HA! Remember we are to NOT FEAR the devil... there is NO fear in God. The devil is under our feet, and you can stomp on him throughout the day while you go about your day, and especially while you are praying! You are an OVERCOMER!

"Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." (Romans 16:19-20 NIV)


Have a great day, be blessed and be a blessing!

"He Persevered and so Must We"

DAY #18 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited." Proverbs 24:10 HCSB

WOW! What an eye-opener... doing nothing limits your strength... I had to read this verse in other translations and in the context of the chapter to really understand this verse. I really like it in the MESSAGE version... whoa! "If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place."

NIV: "If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!"
KJV: "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."
NLT: "If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small."

Wow! Jesus Himself persevered under all the trials He had to face for us. He is the perfect example for us to follow. How well do we handle crisis', pressures, times of trouble or adversity? Technically our strength is small anyway, as it is His strength that sustains us. I do not want to be seen as one who 'faltered, fainted, or failed', yet I really don't want to be seen as one who 'did nothing'. I do not want to limit my strength or the Father's strength in me. What about YOU? Have you spent a lot of time 'faltering, fainting or failing'? Well get back up, and pray for added strength and a renewal from the Father! He wants us all to be a part of the impossible. He wants us to showcase His strength, to show Him off to the world. Nothing exciting can be done in our own strength anyway. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

Sometimes however, we sit back and do nothing, and think God will do it if we just ask. All we need is faith after all. Well I was reading my 'card-making' magazine and in the back in the fun quotes section was a great quote (I used it as my facebook status this AM too) - "Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel." ~ Author Unknown. This statement is super true. We cannot just sit back and watch God be God and expect BIG miracles in our lives... we sometimes need to dig in and 'get a little dirty'. I still think back to the quote from 'Faith Like Potatoes' too... when I think about miracles and impossibilities. "Condition for a miracle is difficulty; condition for a GREAT miracle is impossibility!" (~Faith Like Potatoes 'Angus Buchan')

The verse above in the MESSAGE translation is still ringing in my ear... "If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place." There wasn't much to you in the first place? That's a hard hit... We need to persevere all the more in times of trouble and despair.

According to dictionary.com, the definition of 'PERSEVERANCE' is:
–noun

1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
2. Theology . continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.

I would have to be led to say that perseverance itself is not a noun, yet is an ACTION verb. The 'steady persistance' sounds pretty active to me. So c'mon, get off your butt and get into action!! Persevere and Pray hard, and DO SOMETHING. Whether you fail the first time you try, or whether you get a great outcome, keep going! Try, try and try again. If you fall, get back up. If you falter, get your balance and keep going. If you faint, allow God to bring you back to your senses and strengthen you to KEEP GOING!

Just like yesterday's message (found here), if you are tired, weary, discouraged, disheartened or if you are one from today's message, that is faltering, fainting or failing... Look to God! Don't have that relationship with God... it's as simple as A,B,C to get on the right track! DO IT TODAY!

1. ADMIT you are a sinner. (Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God") Tell God that you are not perfect, that you are struggling, that you are a sinner. ('Cause yep, we all are.) You also have to repent of that sin... be sorry for it, and TRY not to do it again. (But when you do, 'cause yep we all are tempted to, just repent again.)



2. BELIEVE in your heart that God is real, and that He sent His Son to die for YOU. (His Son now does live again, as He was raised from the dead by His Father) Sin is only punishable by death... Jesus has come to make a way. (Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.") Don't be afraid to ask God if He is real, He wants you to seek Him from your heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to show you, and guide you into the truth. We all know, but do not truly understand the full meaning of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life."


3. CONFESS your faith in Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. ("If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." Romans 10:9-10 NLT) Let God know that you want to change, you want Him to fill the voids or holes in your heart that you tried to fill yourself with things of the world. Some of you have tried drugs, alcohol, sex, work, etc to fill that void in your life... but it can only be filled by LOVE! The Love that the Father has for each one of us.


When God hears you pray this pray with your own words, from your own heart, He is blessed. The angels in Heaven rejoice when a sinner repents. "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent... In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15: 7 & 10) When you pray this prayer, and allow God to move by the power of His Holy Spirit, you will NEVER BE THE SAME! (Let me know if you've prayed this prayer... for the first time or for the 101st time... just send me a comment, I won't post it if you don't want me too. I'd love to pray alongside you. Even if you just write your name. Thanks!)


Press in, and press on!

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!