Philippians 1:3-5....JOY

Scripture:
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,
in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now
(all Scripture quotations are from the NASB unless otherwise noted.)


Observations:

-Paul is thankful for the saints in Philippi, and filled with joy whenever he prays for them.

-he is joyful because of their "participation in the gospel" from the very first day he met with them and shared the Good News of Jesus life, death, and resurrection.

Application:
Joy.  Paul uses the word joy six times in Philippians, more times than in any other book.  It seems to be a theme.  Paul uses the word gospel nine times in Philippians.  Do you think there could be a connection?  I most certainly do.
Remember that Paul is in prison as he writes this letter.  It is not prison like we think of today.  He was basically under house arrest in quarters he rented in Rome.  He could not leave the house to preach the gospel, but was allowed to have visitors with whom he could freely share.  He was also chained to a member of the Roman guard and I can't help thinking "talk about a captive audience."  How many guards must have heard Paul share the gospel!
Paul was in prison awaiting the decision of whether he would be set free or sentenced to death.  And yet he had found joy. To read more click here

Study, Meditate, Obey

I have moved into the book of Joshua for my Old Testament reading.  The LORD had some instruction for Joshua as he stepped into the role of leader of Israel after Moses' death.  These words in particular caught my attention, "Study this Book of the Law continually.  Meditate on it day and  night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it.  Only then will you succeed.  I command you-be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:8-9, NLT1

I am convinced that those instructions are not obsolete.  Yes we have pastors who preach, books that teach, seminars and conferences that inspire and equip, but there is no replacement for spending time studying The Book.  I wish I could share with you the wonderful things I have heard from the women in my Bible Study group-for some this is the first time to study it for themselves and they are excited.
Notice that word "continually" in these verses?  We have to pick it up over and over and read it for ourselves.  Once a week just won't cut it.  One of the wonderful benefits we have in Christ is that the Holy Spirit is right there with us and He can illuminate God's Word for us as we read.  What an amazing gift!  What an incredible resource!  We don't have to wonder how to live in this world, God has laid it out plainly for us all to see.  We don't have to wonder who to believe, God is the source of all truth.  If you have followed my writing for very long you have heard me say it over and over again, my greatest desire in writing is that you will be inspired to pick up this precious gift we have, God's Word, and spend time with Him there.  I am here to cheer you on!

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

A Call to Discipline

Would it surprise you to learn I am lacking discipline lately?  I have been struggling for a few weeks just to do what I know I should and finding all kinds of silly excuses not to.  Even my prayer journal has been hit and miss, with more misses than hits last week.  How timely that Courtney over at Women Living Well posted this on her blog:

5-weeks-5-disciplines-5-challenges

The time has come to stop praying about it and confessing my failure everyday and start doing something.  I am somewhat limited on physical activity at the moment as I am nursing a sprained knee and sprained ankle.  My sweet son Matthew pointed out that I do not have to live with these weak ankles.  So I went online and found some suggestions that I am going to put into practice beginning today with the Ankle Strengthening Program.  With my good ankle I worked through most of these today. (The one using the towel was a lot harder than it looked.) 

The other thing I need to work on: getting to bed at a reasonable time.  10:30, lights out for me.

Ken and I decided to enlarge the pond in our backyard and began work on it this past week.  The first two photos are from this past winter- notice the size of the water feature, the little pond was not much bigger than it.

My amazing hubby dug a huge whole in the backyard-
16x9 feet at it's widest and  two feet at it's deepest,
with lots of shelf space for plants!

Below is the current stage of the pond- notice the size of the water feature- it is the same as the "Before" photos.   Still a lot left to do- including choosing plants, and adding a bog area.

I sat out by the pond this morning and enjoyed my quiet time by this peaceful spot.  I enjoyed the sound of the water spilling into the pond as I contemplated what the Kingdom of God is like.  Then Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like?  How can I illustrate it?  It is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds come and find shelter in its branches."  He also asked, "What else is the Kingdom of God like?  It is like yeast used by a woman making bread.  Even though she used a large amount of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough." 

 Luke 13:18-21, NLT1

What if I am that tiny mustard seed?  What if I am that little bit of yeast?  My part--your part--in the Kingdom of God may seem like a small or insignificant role.  Yet when we do our part God can take our wee offering and do something incredible with it.  We have no idea the impact our individual lives have on the whole world, or what God can accomplish if we will simply do what He asks of us.  I am dealing with the effects of weakness in a part of my body that I never give much thought too, except when I am in pain and can't walk very well.  I don't even want to think about what my lack of discipline could be doing to the Body of Christ.  In love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the whole body for the building up of itself in love.  Ephesians 4:15b-16, NASB  (Feeling convicted yet?)

Courtney's challenge to develop some discipline has come at a good time.  What about you?  Are you up for the challenge?  Leave a comment below about what things you want to work on and let's encourage one another as we strive to be the women God wants us to be in 2012.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy, Deb

Letting Go

My time is short today and so I am sharing what I wrote on my other blog this morning as I feel it is an important message on forgiveness.


Ephesians 4:29-32
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.  Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you.


Observations:
More things to put on the list of what it looks like to be renewed in the spirit of the mind, and put on the new self:
Our speech should be wholesome, is good for the building up of the body, gives grace to the hearer.
Paul reminds us that we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and our lives should not bring Him grief.
We need to let go of ALL bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor (insistent shouting to be heard in public?), slander, and malice.
We need to be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving. Remember our new self is in the likeness of God (4:24) and these are His characteristics.

Application:
We can't just look good, we need to be changed from the inside out.  These are characteristics that do not come naturally to us.  What strikes me immediately is that I talk too much, and I am not a person prone to a lot of words.  I have let a lot of things slip through my lips that never should have.  How many of us grew up with the saying, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."  Oh, we often try to cover it up as simply joking around, but I know how hard those kinds of words can bite and sting, whether meant in jest or not.

I feel I should take a moment here and address that word clamor.  Webster's defines it as, "noisy shouting, a loud continuous noise, insistent public expression."  I fear that all too often we believers engage in this kind of thing in the public forum.  1 Thessalonians 4:11 says, "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you."  I am not sure but what we lose more to the enemy with our boisterous public outcries than converts to the Truth.  Just because the other side is always looking for a fight does not mean we have to give it to them.  This is one of those times when I really feel that God's way is not man's way.  Sometimes we just need to be quiet, both publicly and privately.

I read a great blog post related to this thought yesterday, "With the confidence of those who have been vindicated by the resurrection of Christ, we don't need to be vindicated by the culture.  That ought to free us to speak openly about what we believe, but with the gentleness of those who have nothing to prove.  Let's not boycott our neighbors.  Let's not picket or scream or bellow.  Let's offer a cup of cold water, or maybe a grande vanilla latted in Jesus' name."  (link to original blog post)


How easily we can be led down the path of bitterness and anger.  Somebody did us wrong.  Somebody injured our pride.  Isn't that where most of our bitterness and anger come from?  It is the old self rearing it's ugly head, the one that is focused on me, me, me.  Remember what comes at the end of these verses?  Be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving.  That forgiveness is taken even further- we are to do it just as Christ forgave us.  How many hoops did we have to jump through for His forgiveness.  Is it conditional on me never failing again?  How many times have I asked Him to forgive me for the same thing I did just yesterday?

After our study Wednesday night one woman asked me about forgiveness.  How do we do it?  And are we supposed to forget?  I shared with her a little of my own experience and feel led to share with you as well.  I am a survivor of both sexual assault and a couple of sexually abusive encounters by trusted family members.  I carried around all kinds of baggage for years; anger, guilt, shame, fear.  My nights were often filled with nightmares.  All of that baggage I took with me into my marriage and it very nearly destroyed it.  I went through a healing process that started with forgiveness.  I was no longer able to confront two of the men involved, one had died and I had no clue who the other was.  They did not ever ask for my forgiveness.  But I chose to forgive them.  It was a long process and a lot of prayer for help from the Lord went into making me willing to forgive these men.  But there came a day when I knew that if they were to come to me I would be able to say to them, "I forgive you."  I couldn't wait for that day to come before I reached that point of forgiveness.  What I mean by that is, that if I had waited for them to come to me I would still be in a very dark place, because they were not coming.  For my own sake, for the sake of my marriage, my children, my family, the church, the Lord, I had to forgive.  And the Lord did a wonderful thing in that moment.  It was like being made new.  A relationship was restored.  No more nightmares, no more bitterness, no more putting upon my husband the wrongs of those other men.  And I have forgotten a lot, which really surprises me.  The face that haunted me, I no longer see.  Those moments of time in my life often feel foreign to me now.  I know they happened, but they have become rather blurry in my memory.  I had a right to be angry about what was done to me, but the choice I made about what to do with that anger for many years was sin.  Oh, there are not even words to truly convey the freedom that comes when we forgive.  Not words to convey the lifting of one's heart.  Not words to convey the changes in one's mind.   I am not here to say that the road to forgiveness is an easy one.  I am here to say that it really is true what they say; harboring unforgiveness is more harmful to us than the one who offended us.  I do want you to know that we have a Helper to see us through the process, to change our hearts, to heal our wounds, to set us free.  It is truly paradise with the Savior, and it can begin right now, today, if we will follow Him and do what He says.



Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

It's Okay to Ask Questions

A little section from my reading in Mark is on my mind tonight: Mark 9:32-35.
"From there they (Jesus and the disciples) went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it.  For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, 'The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.'  But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him."- Mark 9:30-32, NASB

Maybe the disciples thought Jesus would question their lack of understanding.  Some of them had witnessed Him bringing Jairus' daughter back to life.  It was just in the last chapter; which as far as I can tell was maybe a a week or two earlier; that Jesus had told them He was going to suffer, be killed and rise again after three days (sound familiar?) and Peter took Him aside to rebuke Him.  And six days after that low point in Peter's life Jesus took Peter, James and John up on the mountain and they witnessed His transfiguration, saw Moses and Elijah, and heard the voice of God the Father tell them, "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him."  I can't be too hard on them because I can be pretty slow to understand myself.   I had never noticed before how Jesus had removed them from everyone else so that He could have this very important talk with them.  Maybe He was even giving them the opportunity to ask questions.    I am doing a study of Ephesians and last week we covered the verse that talks about our ability to come boldly and confidently to God. (Eph. 3:12)  This is one of the blessings we have.  We do not have to fear coming to Him, not with anything.  If we have questions- He wants us to ask.  I ask all the time; like a little child I can be full of questions some days as I read God's Word.  It isn't always clear.  That's why I believe the best way to approach Scripture is in prayer.

Moving on to the rest of those verses in Mark:
"They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, 'What were you discussing on the way?'  But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest."
Are you like me upon reading this-groaning in disbelief?  Why on earth would the disciples be discussing who was greatest when Jesus had just talked to them about what was coming and they did not understand?  I must tell you, I love the fact that I get together with a group of women every week to sit down and discuss God's Word.  I love that we share our thoughts and ask questions in our desire to understand what He is trying to say to us.  I love that I am sitting here on this side of the resurrection and have the Holy Spirit for a guide.  I cannot be too hard on the disciples.  The Lord has spoken very plainly to me at times through His Word and I don't get it.  Far too often I spend my time pondering things that have no lasting value.  And even more disturbing are the times when I ponder things that I know from my time in the Word are not good for me.  So I cannot be too hard on the disciples.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

The Source of All My Joy

"Send out Your light and Your truth; let them guide me.  Let them lead me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You live.  There I will go to the altar of God, to God--the source of all my joy."  Psalm 43:3-4, NLT1  The NASB reads "to God my exceeding joy."

I've been facing some interesting decisions the last few weeks and seeking God's guidance.  These verses really spoke to my heart.  I am sensing that God is leading me to make some changes.  The process He is guiding me through is causing me to take a good look at how I spend my time; look at what things have become priorities in my life.  I am pleased with some; while others it is time to bid farewell to.  You see the Lord has been doing a bit of illuminating and while I like much of what I see, some things have become a part of my life that are not helping me to become the woman God intends me to be.  

In the time that I have left on this earth I want to be led by Him.  I want a life that is consistent with someone who goes by His name.  As I allow more and more of my life to be conformed to the image of Christ my joy increases.  I love where He is leading and I am having a wonderful time walking in the paths that He has laid out for me.  Still, I can get side-tracked and wander on paths that were never meant for me.   Much left to contemplate in my quiet moments with the King.


Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

The Spirit is Willing...

"Keep alert and pray.  Otherwise temptation will overpower you.  For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!" (Matthew 26:41, NLT1)  These words of Jesus to Peter that night long ago in the garden are just as true in my life today.  I wonder--even after sharing the Passover meal, even after Jesus pointedly telling them that He was going to die, that one of them would betray Him, and that this very night they would all desert Him-- did they still not get it?  As I read this morning I wondered how they could have fallen asleep when Jesus told them to stay alert and pray.  I caught myself thinking, "Not me.  I would have stayed awake and prayed.  I would have sensed the urgency that this night held."   I would have been just like Peter, "Even if everyone else deserts You, I never will."  (heavy sigh) I would have been just like Peter...which means I would have fallen asleep in the garden too.  That is a tough reflection for a Friday, but a good reflection looking forward to a new week.  Forgiven!  All the mistakes of this week are forgiven.  Tomorrow is a fresh start.  Tomorrow begins another day to practice being alert and praying; each day is a chance to grow stronger.  I love that God is a God of more than just second chances.  His love knows no limits.  No matter how many times I fall He has always been there with waiting arms to pick me up again.  I've identified some weak areas I need to pay particularly close attention to next week.  I love that God has already given me everything I need to win this spiritual battle- just read the first chapter of Ephesians if you've any doubt.  Forging ahead as a child of the King!

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

Confession

My quiet times have felt rather dry the last few days.  I didn't really expect anything different this morning, in fact I put it off for quite a while.  I've been going through the motions, but I think I have not been listening very well.  Could it be that I am in Exodus to start with, the part that deals with instruction about how to build the tabernacle?  It has felt kind of dry.  Have you ever thought about how much detail is given.  Every bit of its construction was important to God.  Do you believe that He is just as much concerned about every little detail in your life?  "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" -1 Corinthians 6:19, NASB.

This morning He is telling me that I need to pay attention to some of the details I have been neglecting.  It does matter how late I stay up, how early I rise.  It does matter what I choose to clothe my body with, what I choose to clothe my spirit with.  It matters what I put into both my body and soul- what am I feeding on?  This God, who has lavished His love upon us, is concerned about every detail of our lives and He has given us instructions for our own temples that are just as detailed as those He gave to Moses for the tabernacle.  If I am going to be serious about becoming the woman God wants me to be this year, than I better get serious about some of the details.  Shortcuts and laziness just won't cut it and are not what He deserves from me.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

Guard Your Heart

"Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Incline your ear to my sayings.  Don't lose sight of my words.  Keep them in the midst of your heart.  For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body.   Above all else guard your heart, for it affects everything you do." -Proverbs 4:20-23 (From the NASB and NLT)

Those verses seem to be a continuation of yesterday's thoughts which I first titled, Be on Guard, but then changed my mind and ended up with Holy And Blameless.
I have been keeping my daily quiet time routine for over 11 years now.  Too many times, even this Mary heart, has neglected it.  My family always seems to know.  I bring more tension into our home when I have not guarded my heart.  I am quick to find fault; not very patient, kind or loving.  When all that my heart has meditated on is me.  When all that I have feasted my eyes upon has been the world and it's ways; that affects everything I do.

It all started with conference speaker Becky Tirabassi who shared her book Let Prayer Change Your Life and a notebook for journaling prayers.   I've changed it up some over the years, but it was her challenge to commit to spending daily time in prayer that started me on this journey.  She connected time in the Word and time in prayer.  Two things that I had always done, but not with the purpose of hearing from God each day.  Reading His word and looking for what He might be saying specifically to me- that was a new idea to incorporate.  These daily times of sitting at His feet and listening to His Word, times of praise and confession and thanksgiving and bringing my requests before Him- these are the things that guard my heart.  Life is so much better for everyone around me when my mouth speaks out of the abundance of a heart that has spent with the Lord.


Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

Are You Listening?

My New Testament  reading for today was from Matthew 12.  The pharisees are at it again and Jesus responds to them this way, "But you would not have condemned those who aren't guilty if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.'"  You know, I read that somewhere else just recently.  Just last week, as a matter of fact, in Matthew 9:13.  Jesus was speaking to the pharisees that time too.  "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.'"

It would appear that the pharisees did not do what Jesus instructed them.  The Scripture He tells them to learn is from Hosea 6:6 where the LORD says of His people  "I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.  I want you to know God; that's more important than burnt offerings."  The book of Hosea is a pleading from the prophet for the people to know God.  "Oh, that we might know the LORD!  Let us press on to know Him!"  -Hosea 6:3, NLT  He says very pointedly to the priests of the time, "Don't point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame!  Look, you priests, my complaint is with you!" -Hosea 4:4, NLT I am pretty sure the pharisees would have been very familiar with this book.  But for all their knowledge it could be said of them, "My people are being destroyed because they do not know me." -Hosea 4:6.

I can store up all kinds of knowledge about the Bible, quote verses from memory, go to church every Sunday, do all the right things, and still miss knowing the LORD.  I need more than knowledge, I need understanding.  I strongly believe that understanding only comes when I spend time meditating on the verses I have read.  When I spend time praying about how to apply God's Word to my life.  When I spend time searching the Scriptures to learn more about God.  When I, like Mary, spend time sitting at His feet and listening to His Word, not just reading it, but really listening to what God is saying to me.


Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

His Burden is Light

There is excitement in the air at our house.  Tomorrow classes will resume at the university where my husband teaches and our son attends.  This week I am adding a new role- leader of a women's Bible study at church and online.
"Take My yoke upon you.  Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." -Matthew 11:29-30, NLT.  As I read those verses this morning I thought, how can Jesus say that?  How can He say "My burden is light?"  I am fixing to lead a Bible study- me, the shy one, the one who prefers to sit at His feet and listen to His word, the one who takes on jobs where I can be behind the scenes rather than in the public eye.  How can He say His burden is light?!  I started to focus on the earlier part of that verse: For My yoke fits perfectly.  I love how the New Living Translation renders that.  He has perfectly fitted me for the work I am to do.  What is this burden He has laid upon me?  It's not the Bible study, it's not the writing, it's not the housework or anything else -it is simply to be obedient.  God is with those who obey Him- I read that this morning too, in Psalm 14:5.
 "The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks God." -Psalm 14:2, NLT    Sadly, the psalmists answer was that God could find no one.  When God looks down over the human race today, that is not what I want Him to see.  I want Him to find you and me seeking Him, gaining understanding and wisdom from the time we spend with Him each day.  That is the heart that motivates me to write this blog, to be available as a tool to lead a Bible study, to pray for the women I come in contact with.
In Proverbs I read, "Wisdom is a tree of life for those who embrace her.  Happy are those who hold her tightly"- Proverbs 3:18.  I thought about Adam and Eve, removed from the Garden because they might eat from the Tree of Life and live forever. We have access to that tree!  It is not some tree in some hidden garden- we have access to Christ.  We have access to wisdom through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we read God's word and meditate upon it.
All of those thoughts brought me back to "His burden is light."  As I began to pray I thought of Moses at the burning bush.  God had a plan to use Moses.  He wanted Him to speak to Pharaoh and to the people of Israel, but Moses saw his weaknesses and feared he could not be the leader God wanted him to be, even after all of God's reassurances. This angered God and so He appointed Moses brother Aaron to speak for Moses.  I can relate to Moses.  Words flow when I write, but speaking is another matter.  When I have to speak to people face to face I often struggle for the words that come so easily when written down , and they never sound as good to my ear as when I pen them.  I prayed about what I perceive to be my weaknesses,  and  realized that I want to be obedient above all else.  I will go where He leads me and do what He purposes for me because I know He is faithful.  I know that He will give me everything I need for the tasks before me.  He has perfectly fitted me for what He wants me to do.  I hope that I come out on the other side of the next few weeks with a real understanding that His burden is indeed light.


Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

Avoiding Power Failures

It was a dark and stormy night...which left us without power yesterday morning.  Being a rainy morning it was dark in the house.  Too dark to sit at the kitchen table and try to have my quiet time.  No internet, no cup of tea, no heat.  It was a good morning to just linger under the warm covers.  So that is exactly what we did.

Web Image

I was thinking this morning about our own personal power failures when we do not spend the time we need with the Lord.  In my read through the Bible this year I am currently in Genesis.  I arrived at the portion of Scripture that related how Abraham's servant finds a wife for Isaac.  Abraham tells his servant, "He (the Lord) will send His angel ahead of you, and He will see to it that you find a young woman to be my son's wife."  -Gen. 23:7b, NLT  When the servant responded with doubt about his success, Abraham reaffirms his statement, "The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success." -Gen 24:40a, NLT

Abraham knew where the power for success in this mission lay- it was in God alone.  God was not some stranger to Abraham, he spent a great deal of time with the LORD.  Through that relationship He had come to trust the LORD and God had even commended Abraham for his faith.  The success of whatever I do, be it writing a blog, leading a Bible study, raising a family--whatever my "mission"-- it is vital that I am connected to the power source.  Me without God is like my house without power, everything looks fine, but nothing works.  I want my light to shine when the switch is flipped.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,

Deb

Out with the Old

Stock photo from the web.  

Have you ever felt like the little girl in this photo?  At the start of every year I begin thinking about the clutter in my home and what needs to go, what needs to stay, how I can better organize.  This morning I am thinking about the clutter in my life and the cleaning out of my heart I need to do.

In Numbers 33: 51-53 Moses shares this word from the LORD, "When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and destroy all their high places.  And you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I (the LORD) have given the land to you to possess it."

In considering how this section of Scripture might apply to me I began thinking about the things I have allowed in my life that do not honor God.  Things I have kept in my life that pull me away from a life that brings honor and glory to Him.  Many of those things are attitudes deep within my heart such as old hurts I have held on to or areas in my life that tempt me in ways that are harmful to my life and walk.  Others are activities that I engage in, things that ask for my time.  It can be a struggle at times to find balance in these areas.
And have I told you about my weakness for chocolate and what that does to my waistline?  I tell myself it is just that "over 40 weight gain," but there are things I should be doing, and things I should stop doing, that would really help me obtain and maintain a healthy weight.

How overwhelming it can be; looking at the big picture of my life and identifying "inhabitants" I need to drive out.  There are things in my life I feel the Lord has been calling me to destroy that I have been stubbornly clinging to. When I really stop and think about it, I am amazed at how much control some of these things have over me.  I am not pleased with that realization.  So, in my desire to become all that God wants me to be I am going to start taking steps to be rid of these things.  It is not something that can be done all at once.  As I prayed it over with the Lord this morning a couple of things kept coming to mind and I made a commitment to Him to start right away cleaning out those areas.  If I am brave I will even make an actual list this week of all those things I need to drive out or destroy and keep it tucked away in my prayer journal until next January.  If I am brave enough...there is something about writing specific things down that makes them very real, that makes it hard not to deal with them since I have actually acknowledged that they exist. Hopefully I will be able to celebrate a year of successes in my campaign to be the woman God desires me to be.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,

Deb