I Hate Debt!

It's true; I confess - I hate debt. It's not that I think it is wrong, or sinful, or unethical - I just don't like it for myself. Beyond a mortgage, debt is a real bother to me.

However, due to some recent circumstances, we have had a significant increase to our debt load. This weighs on me a lot. I want it paid off and the sooner the better.  Because I am a number cruncher and actually enjoy that type of thing, I can spend a lot of time devising and analyzing plans to get rid of the debt.

As I was conversing with God about this matter one day (and I do nearly everyday), He led me to Matt. 6. I realize that when the scripture was written, there were not chapters, verses, headings, etc., but I found it interesting that in the latter verses of chapter 6, one heading is 'Jesus Teaches About Money', followed by the next heading of 'Jesus Teaches About Worry'. Hmmm, that's a message right there!

When I began reading the section on worry, I noted that verse 25 specifically cautions against worry. The remaining scriptures in that passage are in reference to the provision of our everyday needs. Worrying about money and/or provision is not a new thing....it's been going on for centuries! :o)

Our word worry is translated from the word merizo which means 'to divide into parts'. The word suggests a distraction, a preoccupation with things, causing anxiety, stress, and pressure. That's exactly what worry does. It causes us to be distracted, to feel anxious and under pressure.

Thankfully, Jesus didn't just stop with telling us not to worry. He told us how to gain victory in this area with these 3 fundamental truths:

1.   vs 32 - your Heavenly Father knows you need them. He is God - He knows full well our needs. Though circumstances catch us off guard, they are not a surprise to He who sits on the throne!
2. vs 33 - "seek ye first, His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." It doesn't get much simpler than this - we focus on God's business and He'll focus on ours. Moreover, we are not to be distracted with our daily needs while we are focusing on the Kingdom!
3. vs 34 - don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. One day at a time, that's the way we are to live. God have the Israelites manna for one day. Jesus taught us to pray, "give us this day our daily bread. [emphasis mine]" We need to learn to live in the moment.

As I have meditated on these truths, I have begun to experience peace regarding our additional debt. Although the desire for it to be gone still exists, it is not a continuous burden for me. I know that God will take care of it in His time and with His method.

Many have experienced financial hardship in recent years. God is aware of your circumstances and He has your back. He knew this day was coming. Stay focused on Him and His Kingdom, living for the day in front of you, and know that our loving God has a plan and it is a good plan!

Grace & Peace,

Dawn

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Good Friday Reflections

I posted this blog exactly a year ago and wanted to share it again:

I have been reflecting today, Good Friday, on the sacrifice that Jesus made for the whole world. The History Channel aired a special about crucifixion, which I watched. They talked of Jesus and the excruciating pain he experienced as he suffered on the cross. We get the word "excruciating" from the word "crucifixion". It is the most horrific, gruesome way to die. But it was not just death, it was torture as well, and on display for all to see. It was a way to discourage uprisings against those in power. In effect, to say, if you get out of line, this is what will happen to you. Crucifixion was greatly feared. Juxtapose that to what the cross stands for today: salvation, hope, redemption, the most widely recognized symbol of Christianity.

They said on this special that aired today, that there was no comfortable position on the cross that Jesus would have ever been in. When he raised up to exhale, pain like lightning would shoot through his feet and legs. When he would breathe, the wounds on his back would be reopened as they rubbed against the rough wood of the cross. When he would support his weight with his leg muscles, he would be in tremendous pain. When he would let his hands support his body weight, unbearable pain would race through his hand, arms and shoulders.

He did this for me, for you. We see in John 19:27 that as he hung there on the cross suffering, he was concerned for his mother's welfare as he told John, "Here is your mother." And it says that John took a widowed Mary into his home to care for her. We were certainly on his mind as he suffered and died. He could have, at any moment, commanded legions of angels to deliver him, yet he chose not to. To understand what crucifixion actually means and all that it entails makes me love Him all the more!! I stand in complete awe at the plan and unconditional love of God to redeem and reconcile mankind back to Himself!!

When David penned these words about his own suffering, it was prophetic of Christ's suffering on the cross:

Psalm 22:14-18: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."

His sacrifice once and for all made the way for us to be cleansed from our sin and to be able to experience fullness of life in this life and in the life to come.

The sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday purchased the resurrection on Sunday. What an incredible price had to be paid! Dear Lord, let us fully be able to grasp how much you love us and know that all we have to do to be right with you, is to accept the sacrifice you so freely give us.

If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, I can't think of a better time than Good Friday to ask Him to be the Lord of your life! All you need to do is pray this simple prayer and mean it from your heart: "Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart and life and save me. I give you complete control of my life. I say that you are my Lord and I believe that God raised you from the dead. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer, please go and tell someone. Tell them how God has changed your life! You can even comment below and let us know what God is doing in your life!

~ Kim Dillingham

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Carefree

Having an eight year old son I recently asked him, "what do I mean to you?" He said to me, "you're my girl of love, you take care of me mommy."  There are times when  l just sit around with my children and do what they are doing to enjoy them. And I want to enjoy them with all of my heart, to spend time with them, to play with them, to love them to regard them etc...I don’t want to miss anything, I want to be there for it all.  A few days ago my two children were playing with two other children and I just sat there and watched it for a little while, as I could see not one of the children had a care in the world, nothing- they were not thinking about anything, but what they were playing and having fun. 

I have become more aware, through this, how God wants us to be- He is our Father of love. He takes care of us, and He does not want us to have a care in this world or a concern- and to walk carefree all the time, not a care, not a concern.  He wants us to enjoy life everyday much like a child who doesn’t have a care in the world. This is how He wants us to be.  Casting our cares on the Lord is a once and for all proposition- why??  Because He cares for us!  Worry separates us from God as it is a sin.  Worry, cares, concerns, - all of it - separates us from Him, and He doesn’t want for us to be separate from Him. Our fellowship gets broken when we take the care- why?? Because of disobedience.  We are continually exhorted in His word, not to worry, not to take a care.

1 Peter 5:7 - "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

One of the definitions of care is: A burdened state of mind, as that arising from heavy responsibilities; worry.

Children that are well taken care of, are not in a burdened state of mind.  We are God’s children and we are well taken care of, if we will humbly submit ourselves to His word, and release the care, knowing that He is our Father of love, the one that takes care of us.

Philippians 4:6 tells us to “be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer.” In other words He wants us to talk to Him about everything.  Jesus said that the cares of this life would choke the word- the cares of this life choke the word to where it becomes unfruitful.

John 15:8 says that the Father is glorified when we bear fruit. The verse before this tells us how- by abiding in Him and letting His word abide in us. This equates to fruitfulness. I need to know once and for all how to cast my care on Him and not take it back; I desire to be fruitful.  Taking it back is where I have needed help the most- I have cast my care on Him and then something else comes up that I am tempted to take- but I don’t have to take it, if He has it, He has it, once and for all. Don’t take the care. 

Be like a child that is enjoying life knowing that they will be taken care of- because that is who He is, our Father of love -He cares for you! He wants to spend time with us, carefree enjoying His presence and His goodness in every way. Psalm 16 says that in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of Joy, this is what he wants- our joy full, no cares, no burdens- just His love and presence.

Alexandra Fleege

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Spiritual Attention Deficit

I was recently talking to the Lord and thought I would spend a little time getting his wisdom concerning my youngest, who is 8 years old and of the male species. He’s creative and passionate. He’s perfect. I like to think he’s very much like me, except that he gets distracted very easily and he moves A LOT!  I’ve been told this is normal for 8 year old boys, but the lack of focus can get a little daunting. Feeling overwhelmed, I laid out my concerns to the Lord.   “Lord, he needs to work on focusing.  What can I do to help?” 

What I was about to hear stunned me. Like, "mouth gaped open, catching flies" stunned.  He said to me, “You could start by example, because He’s acting a lot like you — the way you’ve been treating me,”  It must have been obvious to the Lord that He took me by surprise because as I picked my chin up off the floor, He gently began to explain how easily I have been getting distracted.  He showed me that He has asked me to do a couple of things, and although my intention was to respond immediately, I became distracted by the bells and whistles of life.  Here I was, concerned about my son’s attention deficit, and it turns out that I have had an attention deficit of my own.  I’ve had Spiritual Attention Deficit. 

My life is full of things I love — and adore!  Add in social media and there’s just too much for this girl to give her attention to.  The truth is that I love the Lord more than any of these things, and knowing that I have been deficit in my attention to his requests was a big wake-up call for me.

Proverbs 4:20 encourages us, “listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice.”  This happens on purpose. The problem is that if I’m not careful to put actions to my knowledge, I fool myself into thinking that my knowledge is good enough.  James 1:22 tells us, “But obey God’s word. Do not just listen to it. If you just listen to it, you fool yourself.” I don’t want to be a fool. I also don’t want to use the excuse, “I was distracted,” when I stand before the Lord and give an account for my life.

When it comes down to it, the many good works that I may accomplish or the unimportant — but lovely — social media pictures that I may post pale in comparison to His request.  If He wants me to just sit quietly at his feet or write a book… His word to me trumps all. Or at least it should. 

Jesus spoke of this very thing in the parable of the sower in Luke 8:7 where some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked the seed. Jesus explains in verse 14, "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of [this] life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”  The “cares and riches and pleasures of [this] life” can cause us to not follow through with what we have heard and allow the Word, either written or spoken, to alter the course of our lives. This distraction can lead to being dried up, powerless and left wondering why life isn’t looking exactly like what God has promised.

Notice the last part of Luke 8:7, “and bring no fruit to perfection.” Have you looked around lately? Are you staying busy but not being fruitful? A fruitless life can be an indication of a distracted life.  What if the fruit you have doesn't look like it should?  Matthew 7:16-20 tells us that we will be known by our fruit.  “a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.” Corrupt? Wait a minute. How did we get from being distracted to being corrupt? Distraction can cause us to be corrupted or led stray. Have you ever had your attention captured by a magician. Magicians are skilled at distraction. The objective is to lead us away from the truth so that we believe something that is false…or an illusion.  The enemy of our soul is skilled at tricking people into living an illusion by distracting them.   The illusion may seen pleasant but ultimately it will not produce good, lasting, perfected fruit. 

Has “life” distracted you from doing something that the Lord asked you to do?  Do you ever feel like you are living an illusion, producing nothing lasting?

Let me encourage you as I have myself. Listen to His Word to you AND be quick to act on the instruction the Lord gives, be it to forgive, to pray, to stop complaining or to magnify Him.  Unlike the magician, our God is skilled at leading us into truth. Truth that will create a life that is laden with fruit as good as it is possible to be.

Hugs and Blessings,

Tamera Ford

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The Vinedresser

            Anyone who is around my family knows that “2” has been a very LONG and eventful year chasing Ezekiel!  He was the epitome of the phrase.  You know the one, I don’t even need to say it.   At the same time he has the sweetest most loving little soul.  Like his Daddy, I can already tell that words of affirmation are one of his strongest love languages.  He is constantly complimenting saying phrases such as “He’s a handsome baby”, “He’s so cute,” “Momma, I love you,” or “He’s the best friend I ever saw!”

            I believe the Lord has already been dealing with me on how I say things to him.  This discipline thing has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, far surpassing childbirth!  Brian and I have said before that it seems like each stage has gotten a little more challenging.  I’m constantly checking myself, my tone of voice, or if I just got after him because I was inconvenienced or because he needed guidance or correction because what he was doing could potentially be of harm to him.  Spanking appears to have little effect, time outs work for about 30 seconds, and it seems as if he keeps coming back for more and is constantly stepping over his boundaries.

          

            I read an article on strong-willed kids and the author stated, “Strong-willed children whose will isn’t broken often become leaders.”  I know my baby is a leader!  I want him to be a leader.  I want him to love Jesus.  I also want him to be obedient. 

            

            In the book Building Stronger Marriages and Families, Pastor Billy Joe mentioned, “If a child isn’t obedient to his parents, how can/will he be obedient to the Lord?” It’s spring and we have been working on our yard and flowerbeds.  As I was pruning back all of the old branches and leaves on one of the plants I couldn’t help but think about John 15. 

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;^[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will^[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

            Our children are OUR greatest, most important disciples.  Brian and I are continually learning how to most effectively shape our children.  If Z is having an attitude we prune back that branch.  If he is learning how to not call people names we prune that branch.  This list goes on an on.  What I am learning as I type this, like plants our children are going to grow, but year after year we are going to have to shape them until they become what they are becoming.  Really though it doesn’t stop when they are grown.   It is our job to teach them how to listen to the Father so that He can more effectively shape who they are.
            I do know one thing though and it was confirmed to me while listening to Bill Johnson’s Intentional Parenting.  I need to keep speaking over him.  I need to keep praying and prophesying over my children’s lives.  In Matthew 16:18 Jesus called Simon- Peter the Rock.  Even after this powerful statement Peter would make mistakes and deny the Lord, but he did become a great leader of the church.

Jesus spoke to Peter as a Rock while he was living as Simon the “broken reed” – Bill Johnson

            Speak to your children now as they have already become what they are becoming.  What we speak into our children’s lives could be the game changer!

            So right now I declare: 

My boys Ezekiel James and Levi John are going to serve the Lord.  They love Jesus. They are obedient to the Father and to His word.  Likewise they are obedient to their parents and are respectful to those around them.

I pray for increasing patience in my life during each season of their lives!  I thank you for a godly husband and father for my children.  Strengthen his walk with you Father.

Help me to be a better wife, and a stronger  “neck”.  And that you will forever get all the glory!

                                                            In Jesus Name,

                                                                        Amen

            Those of you who have been through this stage: Pray for me!

            To those of you who are getting ready for it: I'm praying for you!

                                                                                  ~ Calla Cuff

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