Saturday, January 29, 2011

Amazing

Something amazing happened to me this week, and I must give God all the glory for it.

Last April, I moved into a bigger apartment. I was so excited to have more space and not be so cramped. I thought this would help decrease my stress level. Several months after I moved, work cut our hours. I was strapped for money. I continued to tithe, because that is what we are suppose to do. I strongly believe that you can't afford not to tithe. My parents and I looked at my finances, and I should not have been able to pay all of my bills. But, every month everything got paid. It was amazing. Our hours were only suppose to be cut for the summer, but fall rolled around and we never got our hours back. Winter rolled around, and we still had not gotten our hours back. My bills were always paid, but it was stressful to not know how they were going to happen. I began to pray that God would pull me out of that situation. I went to my apartment complex office and told them the situation. They said I could cancel my lease but I would have to give a 60 day notice and pay $817.00. That was not an option for me. I was getting out of my lease because I had no money. I couldn't pull $817.00 out of my behind!! I began to explore the option of subleasing. It took over a month to find someone to sublease.

Finally, I found someone to sublease my apartment. I was able to move into a house with three other girls. Rent and utilities total to about $400. I was paying $545 for just rent before!! This is increadible. I began praying to God about what I could do with this extra money.

Pastor's sermon was right to me. I have always tithed, but it spoke to me in another way. I could give more now!! How exciting!!!! Right after last weeks sermon, I rushed home. I turned on my computer and began to look at where I spend money, how I could better budget my money, how I could increase my regular giving, and how much I could give to the expansion pledge. Anyone who knew me before Elevation, knows how this is a sign of true change.

When evaluating my money, I decided to tithe off of an 80 hour check, not the random hours I've been getting with cut hours. This was going to be my way of showing God I still had faith in Him in this situation. I wanted to show God that I still believed that He had a job for me that would be more stable, more emotionally, spiritually and intellectually and fulfilling.

Keep in mind, as you read on. This was last weekend. I got paid yesterday. So all the budgeting I did was for February. I had not actually tithed off of an 80 hour check.

Guess what happened this week? We got word that we would be getting our hours back. Everyone is back to a 40 hour week. How amazing is that? All I had to do was put it on paper and show God that I had faith in Him. I have given God all of the praise for this. I take no credit. He is an awesome God.

This story applies to everyone. Are you giving God all you can give Him? Keep in mind that He gave it all to you to begin with. Have faith that you will get a job. Have faith that your dream job will hire you. Have faith that the Lord is with you. Never let your faith slip away. Lean on God, no matter how hard this situation is. God is always good. He will always be with you, you just have to let Him be there.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Encouragement

I know that in some way or another, everyone will be able to relate to what I am dealing with.

I have talked about this several times. I am very unhappy in my work situation. My boss is inconsiderate and rude to the staff, my children are bored in my classroom (and there is nothing I can do about that), my co-workers are not the best influence on me, and I am not spritually, mentally or emotionally fufilled in my position.

I was emailing my eGroup leader about this. I was asking her for prayers. Her response has kept me thinking.

I have found that often in my walk that God doesn't take me to the next place until He's found me faithful in the first place. I am not saying you aren't being faithful but this may be a stretch of your character right now.

I am continually asking myself what I need to do to show God that I am faithful in my situation. I feel as if I am being faithful. I have yet to loose faith that He will bring me a job that I will be spritiually, mentally and emotionally fufilled. I have yet to doubt that God will pull me out of this. I continue to go into work every day with hope that something will be different.

I am praying that God show me what I need to be doing differently in this situation, as well as give me strength to do what I need to do!! I know God is with me in this. I have no doubt there!!

So, to you... you are unhappy in an area of your life. What is that area? What do you think you need to do differently to show God that you are faithful where you are? God can't take you somewhere else until you have finished doing what God has called you to do where you are at.

Love you!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Deer

Attention: Before you read this, you must know there is nothing biblical or prophetic in this post, just a little something that I thought of last night.

Last night I babysat my two favorite boys! Knox was not feeling well, which (sad to say) was great. He was all snuggly and just wanted to watch TV in my lap. He hasn't been like that in a long time. It was lovely! They went to bed just fine. I watched TV until Ryan and Danielle came home.

They got home a little after midnight. As I am driving through Matthews, I see a dear in the middle of the road. I didn't come close to hitting the dear or anything. But, that poor dear. Just hanging out in the middle of the road.

I am a country girl from a middle-no-where-no-stop-light-blink-and-you'll-miss-it town in South Carolina. Something like 10 acres of land my grandparents have (where I grew up). A decent size house and a lot of land!! A ton of beautiful trees on their property. My grandpa had to build in gates on the deck because deer would come up on our porch and eat the flowers. Deer would drink out of the pond. I mean, I grew up where seeing deer everywhere.

I feel so bad for deer. This was their land. They use to play, and graze, and live on this land. And, some fool decided it would be nicer to have a lovely housing development and through the deer out of their home. Not just deer, many other animals, but this is about the deer for me... :-)
Now these beautiful animals have to run across busy streets, highways and interstates risking their life for survival.

I hate that. There isn't anything I can do about it. In this situation, what is done is done.

I just had to show that poor deer standing in the middle of S. Trade some love.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Memory Verse 2 and 3

I spent this week memorizing 1 Corinthians 10:31...


Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

I have spent time trying to figure out what that means for my life. Currently, this means working for the glory of God. I had a very rough week at work. It seemed never ending, my boss did several things that I had to make myself repeat this verse, my kids couldn't seem to listen. It just wasn't a glorifying week. I left for my lunch break on Thursday in tears from frustration. This verse is just a reminder that I may not be happy where I am, but I need to press on for the glory of God.

Next week, I am going to memorize Romans 12:11-12.


Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”


1. What does this verse say?
In the most simplest of forms... This verse says that we should serve the Lord with zeal and spiritual fervor and we should be joyful and patient when we are suffering and be faithful in our prayers.


2. What does this verse mean?
To be sure I dissect this verse the best possible, I looked up the definition to several of the words. Zeal is defined as "eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something". Fervor means "intensity of feeling or expression". So, we should always be eager and want to serve the Lord. Affliction means "great suffering". So we should always have hope, patient in our times of suffering and faithful that the Lord will come through!!


3. What does this verse mean to me?
Lately at work, I have been lacking in zeal and spiritual fervor at work. God has given me this job and I need to be thankful for it. Even though it is not where I want to be, I still need to work with eagerness to serve the Lord. The part that is screaming out to me in this verse is that I need to be patient in my affliction. As I already discussed, I am not satisfied where I want to be at work. I need to be patient that the Lord will pull me out of this. This also means I need to be more faithful in my prayers. Our God is strong and mighty and will pull me out of this. He will answer my Sun Stand Still prayer. I just have to be more faithful when praying to Him about these things.


I am thankful for this verse. I am thankful for this way to go through a verse and help me realize what it truly means for me. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord in all that I do. Our God is an awesome God, He is.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Reflection on Week Two

Happy Sunday!! Here is my reflection on my second week on goals in January.

- Encouraging me to make a daily commitment to read my Bible
I did much better with this goal this week. I read my Bible every day and had some incredible incitements. I think having two unexpected days gave me the opportunity to make some sort of routine for myself.

- Understanding and growth in my Bible reading
Yes! I am gaining so much through my reading. I am working on memorizing a verse a week. And there is just so much to learn from that!! Because I do not just want to memorize a verse, I want to understand why it is worth memorizing.

- A stronger prayer relationship
A longer drive for work is giving me an amazing opportunity. I am spending my whole drive to work with God. I am praying to Him and listening to what He has to say for me. I am praying for my eTeam more than I ever have before. I am praying for my friends. It is amazing.

- Encouraging me to get healthy in January (NO MORE FAST FOOD!!)
I did great this week! I had Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday and McDonalds on Thursday. I only had McDonalds on Thursday because I was in a rush and it was the only place without a line. I am very proud of myself.

Other great things that happened this week:

I finally officially subleased my apartment. I am officially moved into the house. I am so happy about this transition. God is amazing.

My little brother joined an eGroup. I am soo happy that he took this step.

I had the opportunity to attend a Ladies Night hosted by Holly Furtick. Pastor Christine Caine came to speak to us. Her message was amazing. I will never forget what she had to say.

I got a new eTeam member!! I am so excited to see my team growing! God is so good!!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Jesus Tempted by Satan

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18.

I read this the other day when reading the Bible. I had to dig deeper into this. I have read all of Matthew, Mark and Luke. I never read much into the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan. But, coming across this verse in Hebrews, forced me to go back and read it again.

The story of Jesus being tempted by Satan is found in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13. My favorite version is from Luke. I feel as if it goes into the most depth of the three books.

After reading all three versions of the story several times, I gathered something that I had never quite acknowledged before.

Jesus, our Savior, the Son of God was led by Satan to the desert. Jesus was tempted for forty days and forty nights, by Satan. Jesus ate nothing during this time. Obviously, after all that time he became hungry. Satan told him to just turn a stone into bread. Jesus responded by saying, Man doesn't live on bread alone. The devil led Satan on top of a high place and told Jesus he could have it all, but Jesus had to worship Satan. Jesus said that we are to worship only the Lord and serve Him only. Satan took Jesus on to the highest point of a temple. Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12 and told Jesus to throw himself down. Jesus responded by saying we are not to put God to the test.

And after reading that and digesting it, I had a huge realization...

Satan will use the words of the Lord and tweak them just so we still believe it is from the Lord. That makes it very easy for us to fall into the trap of Satan's temptations. If we do not know the Word of the Lord through and through, it will be very easy for Satan to present us with pleasurable offers that sound like they are from God.

Personal Reflection on this... I was at a job that I loved. I had some of the best families in my classroom. I had amazing coworkers. I loved everything about the job. Except, administration wasn't that great. They treated us poorly. But, I was getting paid what I thought to be good money. I applied for a job, went on what seemed to be the worst interview ever, and was offered the job. They offered me more than I had ever been offered! I took the job without any hesitation. I thought this was totally a God thing. An amazing job, wonderful pay. Looking back now, I believe it was a temptation from Satan to chase the money. It sounded like it could be nothing more than an answer to my prayers though, so I snagged it in a heartbeat.

Satan is tricky like that. We must watch out for his ways. We must know God's Word well enough to know what is from God and what is from Satan.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered, "it is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Matthew 4:4 NIV


1. What does this verse say?
This verse says we can't live on just the things of this earth. We live on the Word.


2. What does this verse mean?
I feel as if this is very simple. We must live off of God's word.


3. What does this verse mean to me/
To me, this means that my life must be lead by Gods word, not anything superficial, the media, food, etc. My life is led by the Word of God.



I feel as if this is a great verse to begin this Bible memory verse journey. It symbolizes the importance of knowing Gods word.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

1 Corinthians 10:31

I know that today I was suppose to answer the three questions to my memory verse. But, this verse was in my devotional for today, and I couldn't leave this verse be. This verse is incredible! It is so simple but very powerful.

Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

That is quite a verse. Did you skim through that verse to see what I was going to talk about? I sure did when I get my daily devotional email. I skimmed right through the verse to see what the devotional was about. Slow down! Read it one more time.

Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

1. What does this verse say?
This verse says that whatever we do in our life we need to do it for the glory of God.

2. What does this verse mean?
This verse means that whether you are sweeping your kitchen, doing homework, driving to work, caring for you children, making dinner, doing your job, etc., you do it all for the glory of God. Seems pretty simple, but do we do everything for the glory of God? You can glorify God on your drive to work by spending time in prayer, not honking at someone who cuts you off, listen to a sermon. You can glorify God when making dinner by making a healthy choice in food. You can glorify God in your workplace by acting in a way to which your coworkers can see God through you.

3. What does this verse mean to me?
To me, this verse means that I can glorify God in everything I do. I can glorify God at work. I don't have to share the gospel with everyone at work on a daily basis, but dismissing myself from the gossip glorifies God. Having patience with my class glorifies God. Respecting my boss glorifies God. Honestly, these are all things that I do not do on a daily basis.

Dear Lord,
I am so thankful for you new mercies every day. I am thankful that when I do not glorify you in all that I do one day, you do not walk away and give up on me. You know that I have the ability to glorify God in all that I do.
Every day is a new day. I need your strength to go back into work today and glorify you in all that I do. I pray that when things do not go as planned, You will remind me that I can glorify you in a difficult situation. I pray that if I get sent home early today because of low numbers, you remind me that I can glorify you in my reaction to that situation. I pray that you give me patience with my class who was home with their parents for four days.
I have faith that through You my day with glorify God in all things.

In Jesus' name,
Amen


Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Memory Verse

Okay! I need to start memorizing Bible verses. I love how Pastor Steven can list off exact verses in the Bible! I want to be able to do this. I want to be struggling and know what verse to turn to for comfort. I want to be in a wonderful place and know what verse to turn to to praise God.

This week, I am going to memorize Matthew 4:4.

Jesus answered, “It is written:
‘Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.’”

My eGroup leader Nicki Koziarz is doing 30 days of studying the Bible in a way that Anne Graham Lotz designed. There are three questions for each verse. This helps you dig deeper into the verse and find its true meaning. While I begin to memorize a verse a week, I will be following Nicki's lead and getting into these questions for each verse. I will be exploring these questions every day in my personal life and post revelations! Tomorrow I will post the questions.

I am so thankful that God has put it on my heart to dig deeper into His word and memorize verses of the Bible for my personal growth. God is good.

Monday, January 10, 2011

One Week Check Up

I meant to do this yesterday, but yesterday was a busy busy day. So, here is my week one check up. How am I doing on what God has put on my heart to do in January.


- Allowing me to take a step down from leading a small group and join a woman's group
I have joined Nicki Koziarz's group. It is for "20 somethings seeking truth". Nicki is amazing. I am so excited about this group. Check the post where I talked about the group!!

- Encouraging me to make a daily commitment to read my Bible
:-( sadly I failed this week on this. I hate making excuses, but... this move has been stressful and I am trying to sublease my apartment. When I sit down to read, I can't shut my mind off from all the stress. I need to begin to work on this.

- Understanding and growth in my Bible reading
Again, I didn't do so well. More to come on this tomorrow.

- A stronger prayer relationship
I am working on this. I am spending quiet time in the car waiting to hear from God. This is something that I learned from a Clayton King book. I need more quiet time. I want to hear from God instead of telling Him my wants and needs. I am seeking direction from Him.

- Encouraging me to get healthy in January (NO MORE FAST FOOD!!)
I am so proud of myself on this one. I ate fast food two times this week. Both times I had Chick-Fil-A. From the lack of fast food, and the Special K diet I began, I lost 5 pounds in 5 days. I am eating Special K for breakfast and dinner. At lunch I am the hungriest. This is when I have been eating out. I am trying to eat a Special K protein bar for lunch and eat a healthy dinner at home.

So that is where I am at. Check back tomorrow for a post on my Bible reading.

Get Back

This week Pastor began the series Get Back Recovering Your Spritual Momentum. This was the first week of the series. It was incredible. I am going to post his four points, things he said, and how each point impacts my life.

Pastor began the sermon in 2 Kings 2:11. Elijah was going to heaven. Elisha had asked to receive double the spiritual power that Elijah had. Elijah said this was possible life Elisha was there to see Elijah go to heaven. Elisha began stalking Elijah in a sense.

1. Don't Play God When You've Got It
By this statement, Pastor meant that we should not act like we are God when everything we have came from him. We can't forget who got us where we are. All of our momentum starts with God.
-I try to never take credit for anything that I have in my life. None of it came from me. Just as one of my recent posts said, I gave my life to Christ and in giving my life to Christ, He has power of my life. I have no power over my life. I am so thankful for this statement.

2. Don't Blame God When It's Gone
You won't get momentum back through bitterness. When we are trying to do things our own way and it doesn't work out, we can't blame God.
-Just the other day, I was trying to do things my own way. It wasn't working out. I had to get myself in check and realize that I wasn't doing it how God wanted me to do it. I have to do it God's way or it isn't going to work out as He had planned. And when it doesn't, that is my own fault.

3. Find the Music
In 2 Kings 3:13-15 Elisha asked for a harpist. When the harpist began to play, Elisha heard from the Lord. Elisha knew how to use natural beings to create spiritual momentum. The example Pastor used for this was the background music when he prays. This isn't to spiritual manipulate us, it is to use a natural being to create spiritual momentum. Sometimes we have to change the atmosphere of our situation. We can't get out by trying harder we must receive the Word. In prayer we need to say that we are empty not stuck. Saying we are empty symbolizes that we can be filled.
-This was a big one for me. When Pastor said that we have to change the atmosphere of our situation, all I could think of was my job situation. I am not happy where I am at. I need to change the atmosphere at work or all together to make it a better place for me. I have no spiritual momentum at work because I am so unhappy. I need to change the atmosphere to get my spiritual momentum back.

4. Dig Some Ditches
In 2 Kings 3:16-20, "This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches". This was in reference to soldiers needed water. We need to act like we have our spiritual momentum even when we don't. Acting like we have it, and not getting down shows that we have faith in the Lord. When you dig a ditch, dig a big ditch.
-This was also a big one for me. It was very inspiring to be reminded that God can't do anything for me unless I am willing to work for it. I have to be willing to dig some ditches for him to make it rain. Or, I have to be willing to apply for some jobs for Him to give me the right job.

I am so thankful for this message, and don't plan on keeping my life how it was after hearing it.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Must.

Tonight, I must write about something God is putting me through. (Deep Breath)

I love to have things in my control, have things go my way, ya know! This has been the hardest thing about committing my life to Christ, because it isn't my life anymore. It is His life, and I am living it His way. If I live it my way, I have not fully devoted myself to Christ.

Well, while trying to move, I wanted things to go my way. I wanted things to have order, everything be finished by a certain time, have the money I was suppose to have to pay the girls, etc. Well, God didn't want it to go this way. God wanted it to go His way.

Tonight, I am very frazzled. The lady who is subleasing my apartment, was suppose to move in tomorrow. The apartment complex is being very slow about processing her paperwork. This is probably because I have already paid rent, and they are more worried about filling their empty apartments, then filling one that is already on a lease. The lady was suppose to finalize paperwork today with the complex. Except, they say it has to go through one more person now! So, she can't move in tomorrow like I would have liked.

I balled when I found this out. She is giving me the money that I am suppose to be giving the girls I have moved in with. Yes, you read that right, have moved in with. I feel awful because I feel as if I am moving in on the wrong foot. I was suppose to have money for them today, and I don't.

Thankfully, the Lord has blessed me with an amazing group of woman to live with. They are all very understanding about the situation and are not worried about it at all. I am so thankful for this! God is so good.

So, I am writing this to remind you (and myself) that in the midst of a storm, God is good. God is faithful, God is true, God is who He is. He will come through. He will come through His way. I am thankful for this reminder.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

New eGroup

God is so good. I wanted to write really quick about my new eGroup.

It was amazing. I joined an eGroup for "20-somethings seeking truth". God led me to this group, and I am so thankful for that. The leader is Nicki. She works for Proverbs 31 specifically with She Seeks. She Seeks began when Proverbs 31 realized that there was a huge gap of material between teenage years and married life. In the group she will be using material from the She Seeks website.

This sounds like the perfect fit. There was a small crowd tonight, but she says there will be more coming soon. I am so excited to meet woman in their twenties who attend Elevation and are looking to be fed. I don't have many woman who are my age and believe in the same things I do as friends. I can't wait to become closer to these woman.

I can't wait to learn from Nicki's leadership. I love how she started the group with an ice breaker.

There are outreach projects associated with this project. This was one of my goals for 2011. I can't wait to selflessly serve others in another area in my life.

I am moving, and trying to sell all of my furniture. Well, I have sold everything except kitchen items and my sofa. One of the members of the group Katie, is a counselor for mothers who lose their children because of addiction and are trying to get them back. One of the things these mothers have to do before they can have their children back is have a stable living situation. She is trying to furnish an apartment for one of her clients. She is going to let me know if she still needs a couch or any kitchen items. I am so excited for the opportunity to give them away instead of sell them. God is changing my heart, and I love it!

I am so excited for everything pertaining to this group.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

January 2011

A little more reflection of 2011 first... wow, I can't believe that January 2011 is here! I feel like 2010 just got here, and it is already over. 2010 was a whirlwind for me. God put me out of my comfort zone in many areas of my life. He had me start volunteering in eKidz. He gave me to be baptized on Easter at the Time Warner Cable Arena. That is an event that I will never forget. He used Brandon Hibbard to show me a part of myself I had never seen. He allowed me to become a team leader for eKidz. He told me to be a small group leader. Which, did not turn out as I had thought it would. I thought that if God told me to become a group leader He would use me in great ways. Maybe He did use me in a great way, and I just was not aware of it. He allowed me to fail in several areas of my life. I hate failure. I am not upset with God in anyway for the failures that I faced in 2010. I am thankful that He allowed me to experience these failures. That last sentence proves how much I grew in 2010. I would never have been thinking God for my failures without growth.

This January I am believing God for....
- Allowing me to take a step down from leading a small group and join a woman's group
- Encouraging me to make a daily commitment to read my Bible
- Understanding and growth in my Bible reading
- A stronger prayer relationship
- Encouraging me to get healthy in January (NO MORE FAST FOOD!!)

How sad is it that I think the last will be the hardest of all of them. I want to have more financial freedom in 2011. Cutting out the regular Panera, Panda Express and Chick-Fil-A visit will put about $150 back into my bank account in a month. Wow! To realize that I spend that much on unhealthy food hurts.

I think that not being in a leadership role of a group will be hard for me. I love taking charge. But, I also believe that not being in charge will be a wonderful thing for me. I will be able to delve further into the reading and prepare for the discussion, not what we are going to discuss. I am happy about that.

January is going to be an amazing step into the growth that God has prepared for me in 2011. I am excited.