A Deeper Walk With Holly

A New Season

2012-02-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

Precious One,

Yes, I see you. I AM watching you now…as you beginto gain understanding. All of the questions you’ve had…the uncertainties in your heart…and the years I chose to set you aside…they were all to fulfill my purposes.You see…My plan was always in process. Fromthe deepest depths of your despair…to the inner longings of your heart…I’vewalked with you leading the way. The voice you thought you never had…hasemerged from the ashes of your suffering. I have given you a voice My child…My voice.A voice to speak to the nations…a voice that will feed the hungry…and a voicethat gives comfort to the oppressed. It’s a new season that’s upon you,beloved. A season of restored Joy. So I say…get ready…GET READY! Because I’mabout to give you a glimpse… of what I’m about to do. I’ve seen the hunger inMy people…I’ve seen it precious one. I’ve seen their desire for more of Me. Andbecause of their hearts desire…I will pour out a fresh anointing of My Spirit.I will fill their house… with My Glory. Again I say… stand ready. And get Mypeople ready! Selah

In the lastdays, 'God says,' I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons anddaughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men willdream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants-menand women alike-and they will prophesy. I will cause wonders in the heavensabove and signs on the earth below. Acts 2: 17-19

*Holly
02/09/2012
'A Deeper Walk With Holly'

False Assumptions

2012-02-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

I’m sharing this post today with a convicted heart. For a few weeks I’ve been working on a post called False Assumptions and haven’t been able to get it quite right. I’ve pondered over it, prayed about it and laid it aside for a while waiting for the Lord to release me to share it with you. I haven’t understood why the Lord has been holding me back from sharing about false assumptions…until today. Sadly what I recognized today was how my false assumptions were coming dangerously close to judgment! When we don’t know the entire details of a situation and we observe the suspect behavior of another person, especially when it affects us, sometimes we have a tendency to make false assumptions and at times... judgments about other people.

You already know what false assumptions are… but I’m going to share with you what I found anyway…just to refresh your memory. J

Assume: a false theory; suppose to be the case, to take for granted or without proof. Presume. Guess. To believe something is true based upon general unproven observations and reports. Coining up a foolish or humorous insinuation about somebody or something that is probably not valid. To assume or make a guess either false or true.

What was on my heart, when I wrote the words below, was how our perceptions and false assumptions can often rule our thought life… and then in turn our behavior towards one another (Ecclesiastes 10:13). We often go by our own feelings or perceptions of what we think… or what we think we see… to determine the intent and actions of another person. We take our own perceived thoughts and observed actions, of another person or situation, and we make it out to be true. We often think we know intent and motive purely by our own personal speculation. We perceive or believe something to be true usually based on our own opinions, feelings, and emotions, our past or present experiences and hurts. We make assumptions based on our suspect behavior of others and our evaluation of them and their actions towards us… and a lot of the time…what we’ve heard through other people. The end result of viewing a person or situation in this light is not usually an accurate depiction of the truth. This approach can be very dangerous to our relationships and interactions with others…causing us to act, speak or think differently towards people or circumstances with unfounded proof. And…as I shared above we get dangerously close to making judgments! We’d be wise to guard our hearts against false assumptions!

Proverbs 3:7 MSG says; don’t assume that you know it all. The NIV translation say, don’t be wise in your own eyes. Matthew Henry’s commentary proceeds to say that the great hindrance to all true wisdom is the thought that we have already attained it. We should not trust our own ideas or wisdom; we must ask God to direct us.

So, my question to myself and to all of you is this…

“How many times do you think you’ve done that? Let’s says…just in the past month? “ How many times have you assumed or thought you had the answer to something or about someone… believing your information to be true? How many times have you found yourself trusting in your own ideas, observations and speculations… then coming to a conclusion that your ‘discernment’ was correct? How many times have you gone on false assumptions of a person or particular situation in your life to find out you’ve been completely wrong? And… not only did you assume, but to make matters worse, you’ve relied and acted on those assumptions and your behavior has reflected it.

Here’s a scenario…

You’ve assumed your thoughts to be truth… so you approach a situation based on that premise. You assume that you know the way a person’s feeling and why they have chosen to act a certain way towards you, or a situation you’re involved with, basing your conclusions on personal observations. You assumed why someone did what they did…when they did it…and how they did it…purely by speculation. You don’t have any true facts… it’s just your own feelings and opinions of the situation. You speculate on why a person responded, or didn’t respond the way they did. You assume why someone behaved or didn’t behave the way you wanted them to. You come to a conclusion of why a person shows interest or a lack of interest in something that’s important to you.

You observe the behavior… evaluate the situation… and make the conclusion.

False Assumption?

Any of that sounds familiar? I’m sure you relate!

As I began to search my heart as to why we engage in this type of behavior and what we could do to prevent ourselves from assuming in the future, here’s what the Lord taught me…

When I’m tempted to assume ANYTHING…I go immediately to Him. I go to Him …with my feelings, emotions, perceptions, insights and observations. I go to Him… asking and seeking His wisdom, guidance and direction regarding the matter and what I think I see. I allow the Lord to reveal the truth, knowing the truth will set me free (John 3:32). I trust in Him to reveal the intent and motives of the heart (Proverbs 21:2), of myself and the other person. I ask and pray that He’ll bring to light all that needs to be in the light (Job 12:22). And I pray that He’ll expose all darkness to the truth….His truth (1Cor. 4:5). I remain patient, loving and understanding with others (Ephesians 4:2); realizing we all have struggles and difficulties in life.

We should NEVER immediately assume ANYTHING! Maybe… just maybe… my observations (false assumptions) of the other person have nothing to do with me! Just maybe…this isn’t even about me. Maybe my observed actions of the other person has to do purely with what that person is walking through in their life in this particular season. Possible?

Truthfully, we have no idea what’s going on in another person’s life…unless we have firsthand knowledge. We have no idea what might have prompted him/her to act in a manner that they did…unless we have firsthand knowledge! The behavior that you thought…was directed towards you…might have NOTHING to do with you. The person on the other end of your assumptions…might be so immersed in their own personal struggle that their life unwillingly spilled out over onto yours in some manner.

Think about the person that you made your assumptions about right now and consider the words I shared above. Take a long hard look at your own behavior… before you judge someone else. We need to start extending a little more love towards one another instead of making assumption and judging each other. The next time you’re tempted to draw conclusions, offer opinions, share your input with other people and evaluate the intent and motives of some else’s heart…stop yourself and remember...GRACE!

*Holly

02/07/2012

Winds of Sorrow

2012-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

My heart is broken and I am in great sorrow.Romans 9:2

Onthis particular morning we hadn’t expected to go to church.We’d experienced a full week, fulfilled our Marriage Ministry commitment thenight before and were going to spend a quiet morning at home. But when Iawoke… I felt a prompting by the Holy Spirit to attend church despite our plans.

Because of our last minutedecision we were running a little late and my husbanddropped me off at the curb. As I stepped onto the property Iimmediately heard the beautiful voice of a woman singingacapella from across the way. As I stood thereawaiting my husband’s return, I felt the Holy Spiritdrawing me closer to the angelic voice, realizing it was coming from the chapel. I listened closely as the voicewooed me into its presence, remembering we had neverexperienced a service in the chapel before. As my husbandarrived… we agreed today was the day to do just that…so we headedtowards the chapel.

As we stepped intothe foyer I immediately felt a sorrow sweepacross the recesses of my heart. I felt asoft wind of sadness blow over me, moving throughmy spirit, in ways I’d never experiencedbefore. With each step we took towards the sanctuary thesorrow became stronger, my heart was moved deeper and tears began tosting my eyes. Everything in me wanted to turn around and walkaway. I had never entered a building and felt such and overwhelmingsense of sadness. It was this overwhelming feeling of sadness thatwanted to make me run… but the wooing of thegentle music was drawing me closer into its presence.

It wasn’t anoppression that was felt in the atmosphere; it was an awarenessthat sorrow had touched this place. I could tangibly feelthe winds of grief, heartache, andpain that had passed through these walls. They were softwhispers and tears of sadness that were calling out for comfort and hope. Ididn’t have any history of what took place in the chapel, other thanit was an intimate setting for worship and my son was married here.

Entering the sanctuary,as I struggled to hold back my tears, I felt the HolySpirit leading us to sit in the center of what was happening in ourmidst. As we arrived at our seats my naturalsenses still couldn’t comprehend the sadness that filledthe room. I began to feel so overtaken with emotion that all Icould do was sit there allowing the tears to fill my eyes. The only comfort I found... was listening tothe woman’s beautiful voice offer praises to her King.

Trying to get my eyes offthe sorrow, I began to look around remembering the day my songot married and what ajoyful occasion it had been. Sorrow and thememory of our happy occasion… just didn’t make sense.

“What is this Lord?” I asked,

as I looked around theroom waiting for some indications that we had entered the wrongservice. I sat there silently awaiting a reply. I heardnothing…but the overwhelming sadness continued to grip myheart.

As we began to worship,with tears streaming down my face, I whispered to my husband ofthe sadness I felt. He agreed and immediately went to his kneesin prayer.

Again I asked, “What is this sadness, Lord?”
He replied, “This is the depths of thesadness felt in the hearts of my people”.

My heart was immediatelybroken as I looked around the room and realized thepain that was lingering within the hearts of God'schildren. I couldn’t help but wonder what had brought them to this place.

I continued talkingwith the Lord trying to gain understanding.

“Why are You allowing me to feel this Lord,” I asked. “
Why have You brought us here?”
“I want you to feel and see the sadness that residesin my people, He replied.” I want you to feel this sadness so thatyou will understand what some of my children walk through”.
“I want you to be aware….”

Then silence….

As I heard these words andtried to comprehend their meaning... I sat there stunned. I couldn't grasp whatthe Lord was trying to show me because the sorrow had overtaken my senses. Myhead was trying to take in what I just heard, but my heart was filled withgrief. I had experienced pain and tribulation in my life…but never to thesedepths. I began to be thankful that I was spared such pain.

The young womanstanding on the platform began reading words from a book calledReflections. As she finished her beautiful passage she proceeded to share thatthe next morning a 4 yr. old child, who had gone home to be with the Lord,would have his memorial servicehere. My heart could take no more…I quietly sobbed.

Sorrow…

The death of a loved one.

The loss of a child.

The suffering of sicknessand disease.

The pain of a divorce.

The betrayal of a spouse.

The anguish of addiction.

The shattered lives ofabuse.

The Lord whispered,” It’s all been here in this place.”

Everything beganto come together. I suddenly realized what this roomrepresented. It was obvious we were in the midst of aplace where God’s people came, to offer up their prayersand desperate cries, asking their God to meet them in their timeof need. They came to offer up petitions to the Lord asking Himto move on their behalf as they walked through the valleys of life. Thiswas the place where the sick, the desperate,the lonely, the heartbroken, the devastated and thelost would come and bow at the Father’s feet longing and waiting fortheir miracle. It was for all those who were hungry and searchingto hear the voice of the Almighty speak a word of life,comfort or hope into their desperate situation. It was a place that held tears andsorrow. But deep down in the hearts of us all…it represents a placewhere Hope can be restored!

I don't know what sorrowsfill your heart today, but what I do know is your Father in Heavendoes. He knows… He knows every tear you'veshed and every prayer you’ve ever offered up to Him. He's seen you. He understands your anguish and your pain.

As you’ve read thewords on this page today…give yourself permission to lay in your Father’s armsand allow Him to give you solace in the deepest parts of your heart. Allow Him to comfort you and hold you as long as it takes for you to find peace and rest. Find rest mychild…find rest! Selah

*Holly

02/05/2012

No More Delay...

2012-02-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

NoMore Delay…

And the Lord says... No more delay.
I have seenyou my child. I have seen the desires of your heart, the dreams you've had andthe longings deep within your Spirit. Yes, I have set you aside for a season….aseason of growth and impartation. Butnow...in this moment of time...I will bring forth my promises and the answer toyour prayers. I say...No more delay.

Yes, it’s been a long waiting season...and yes, I know you’ve asked many times why it's taking so long. I've heard you,my child. Worry no more...your waiting is over. Step out now… I say step out.Step out into all that you’ve hoped for and is now coming to pass. Don’t beafraid, take comfort…I AM here leading the way. Selah

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea andon the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who livesforever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earthand all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There willbe no more delay!” Revelation 10:6

*Holly

02/01/2012

Remember Love...

2012-01-30T20:12:00.001-08:00

REPEATAFTER ME...
Today I will not allow anger and unkind behavior to enter into myrelationships. I will extend grace where grace is needed...forgiveness whereforgiveness is needed...and patience where patience is needed. Before one word proceedsout of my mouth...I will stop and consider the effect it has on other people. Iwill remember kindness before anger...gentleness before harshness... and self-control before attitude. I will purpose to walk in compassion andgraciousness... exhibiting integrity and respectfulness. And above all else…Iwill walk in love. Selah

It is God whoarms me with strength and keeps my way secure. Psalm 18:32

*Holly

Speak Life...

2012-01-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

REPEATAFTER ME...
Today I purpose to set my heart and mind onChrist. I will NOT allow the enemy to take hold of my thoughts, dictate mybehavior or actions and plant lies into my heart. Every thought that enters mymind...I will filter through the word ofGod. I will welcome truth to shine it's light on every corner of my being... onall ungodly thinking and behavior...and I will submit to the Almighty allowingHim to cleanse me of sin, judgment and malice. I will not judge others uponappearance or current behavior and I will extend Grace and understanding oftheir personal journey. No matter what thoughts or attacks try to come againstme today... I will believe ABOVE ALL ELSE...that I am loved, I am blessed..I amaccepted and I am forgiven. But most importantly... I AM A CHILD OF THE KING! Selah

We demolisharguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge ofGod, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2Corinthians 10:5 NIV)

*Holly

In The Quietness...The Lord Speaks!

2012-01-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

“There’s a deeper place we’regoing to, My child. It’s a place in the Spirit where I speak to those who listen.Your heart cry precious one…I’ve heard it. I’ve seen and understood yourlongings. We’re moving into a deeper realm My son/daughter; it’s a place where I only take a few....the remnant… My chosen people…the elect. The words of your mouth My daughter, will be sweet as honey and precious to all who hear them. Listen closely. The inner silence of your heartis not the absence of My presence; it’s the sound of the well that runs deep andthe depths of the inner longings of your heart. The depth of your cry hasreached My ears, beloved. Listen closely as I speak to the desires you laybefore Me. Yield your heart to the mysteries of the heavenlies, as the innersanctuary of your soul hears the voice of the Almighty. In the quietness…I’m here.Abide with Me.

The word of the Lord says, “Take heed, all those who wander from My presence. The day will comewhen you will seek Me and I will not be found. I have warned you of thedrifting of your heart…of your faith… and the lack of obedience I see in yourlife. Turn now from the unclean path that you’ve chosen to wander too… and Iwill lead you out. Only if you completely surrender and abandon your wickedways, will My mercy come before you. Look up now…look up! I have removed theblinders from your eyes. See the truth. Speak the truth. Live the truth. Walk away from all that hascorrupted your way. This deceitfulness of sin will hold you no longer. You are nowat a crossroads. Choose Me…or choose the way of death. No more living in deceit.Your double life has ended. I’m about to shine My light on all that you’vehidden in the darkness. Repent …I say repent…and follow the way of truth. Selah

We acknowledge with bitterness and true repentance thatcross and selfish thoughts have entered our minds. We acknowledge that we havepermitted our minds to wander through unclean and forbidden ways. We have toyedwith that which we knew was not for us. We have desired that which we shouldnot have. We acknowledge that often we have deceived ourselves where our plainduty lay. We confess before thee our ears are often deaf to the whispers of thycall, our eyes often blind to the signs of thy guidance. Make us willing to bechanged, even though it requires surgery of the soul and therapy of discipline.Make our hearts warm and soft that we may receive the blessing of thyforgiveness. Amen. (Peter Marshall)

Romans 11: 5
Matthew 24:4
1Cor. 8:9
Proverbs 1:28-31

*Holly

01/18/2012

Necessary Endings...

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

My Child,

There are things you’re holding onto that arepreventing you from moving forward. You have necessary endings in your lifethat are hindering your progress. There WILL BE times my child, when I need tocut away what’s good…in order to make room for what’s best. My pruning process…is meant to cut away what doesn’t belong and to trim down what needs toflourish. Don’t fret precious one, I know this process is painful… but necessary… for you to bearfruit. I WILL remove the weeds that are chocking the life out of my people….the weeds that grow up and try to strangle the good….the flourishing. Theseweeds will be cut down and thrown into the fire and will remain no more. Abidein Me... My son/daughter, that I might abide in you. You WILL bear fruit …morefruit…much fruit. Selah

"I am the true vine, and my Father is thegardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while everybranch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me,and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain inthe vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am thevine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bearmuch fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain inme, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches arepicked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my wordsremain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to myFather's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be mydisciples. 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remainin my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as Ihave obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told youthis so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:1-11

*Holly

01/12/2012

S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D

2012-01-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

One day long ago, God’s Word came to Jonah, Amittai’s son;
“Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh!
Preach to them…" Jonah 1:1-2

You’re being stretched…

Those are the three little words, I heard in my heart, as I began to reflect on some of the most recent events in my life. “You know what this means don’t you Holly, I thought.” “You’re about to be pushed…out of your comfort zone!” For me…the word pushed is appropriate, because I don’t enjoy being…stretched, pushed or volunteered….out of my comfort zone. J After hearing where I was headed, I began to ponder on the ways I felt the Lord was about to stretch me. And once again… I had a little conversation with God. J

“I’m completely fine where I’m at Lord, I said. I’m growing… and I see Your fruit in my life. I’m content with all I see you doing... in my heart, my ministry and in my walk. Oh and …by the way…I REALLY don’t enjoy being stretched,”

I’m not sure if you find my conversations with the Lord amusing…but I sure do. J Like I have ANY say in what, where, when or how the Lord moves in my life! For some reason I guess I figure if the Lord hears MY thoughts… He’ll change His mind. UHHH! I don’t think so, Holly! J

Anyway, my logical brain continues the conversation. “Ok, I can fight this being stretched business…or I can yield. If I fight this…The pressure’s off, I’ll have my own way, I can rest easy again and no more feelings of discomfort. But…IF. I. FIGHT .THIS. I’m going to delay and most definitely miss the blessing. If I yield…I know that I’ll grow …in my walk, in my gifting and in my relationship with the Lord. IF. I. YEILD. I know I’ll be amazed at what I see the Lord doing in and through my life. I know I’ll see God’s power and I KNOW my obedience will bring showers of blessings upon my life. So the question is this. Am I willing to feel some discomfort, nervousness and uncertainty…all for the sake of growth, blessing and reward? Or do I stay where I’m at…in my little nest/comfort zone being content with being mediocre. I desperately want growth in my walk, I definitely want God’s blessings and without a moments hesitation…I definitely want more of His anointing in my life.” HMMMM! Is there even an option here? NO…no option! So, I’m with You Lord. I’ll yield.
Let’s S-T-R-E-T-C-H! EEK!

You know what this means now, don’t you? Because you’re reading this page right now and walking with me on my journey…guess what… you’re probably about to be stretched TOO!!!

To read a little more about a man in the bible who God was stretching... how he tried to get out of it and where he ended up…Read the story of Jonah1:1-17 and read through to chapter 4. I think we all know how that turned out?

So, what does it mean for the Lord to stretch us?

I read this excerpt that explains being stretched in regards to our spiritual lives. Read below.

We develop our gifts the same way we grow our muscles, through exercise and practice. However, it is common knowledge that stretching before and after exercise allows for the most efficient utilization of efforts. Stretching prepares our muscles by forcing them into situations that we may see once we engage into the actual exercise. In order for stretching to be beneficial, we have to push our limits. If you simply go through the motion of something with ease, you are not pushing the limit. True stretching teeters on pain and normalcy. Too far and you could damage the muscle, not far enough and you could miss the opportunity for improvement. Transitioning back into our spiritual lives, we will never grow if we do not leave the comfort zone. Constantly taking the easy way out and going for the ‘safe win,’ is the last thing that God wants from us. He wants us to use and develop the gifts and talents that He wove into His children. (Unknown Author)

Here’s what being stretched might look like to you…

*YOU’RE DEFINITELY COMING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.

*YOU’RE STEPPING INTO UNKNOWN TERRITORY.

*YOU’RE BEING ASKED TO DO SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO DO…BUT OUT OF OBEDIENCE YOU STEP OUT.

*YOU’RE BEING CALLED TO DO SOMETHING THAT OTHERS MIGHT NOT SUPPORT, UNDERSTAND OR EVEN AGREE WITH.

*YOU’RE BEING CALLED TO LOVE THE UNLOVABLE.

*YOU’RE BEING CALLED TO SHARE THE GOSPEL IN YOUR MIDST.

Ready to get stretched yet?

Sounds great right?

It can be a little unnerving but…here we go!

P.S. I’LL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES…. J

*Holly

1/10/2012

Emotional Triggers

2012-01-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

TRIGGER….I’m pretty sure that’s a word most of us are familiar with. Emotional triggers to be exact. You might also recognize the word trigger as someone or somethingthat’s good for… Pushing Your Buttons. It’s the word ‘trigger’ that’s beenbouncing around in my heart lately. So, after a few days of being aware of somethe triggers in my own life, I decided I’d take a closer look at what the Lordwanted to teach me about this interesting 7 letter word. This is what I found in my searchof the word TRIGGER.

An event that precipitates other events, to set offor initiate. To be the cause of; bring about, bring on, lead too, hurtful ornegative emotions. Events or people that consistently (catch the word consistently) cause intense, emotional reactions within us. Too stir to action or feeling. Work up! If not managed appropriately, our emotional triggers can cause acute stress, discontent, and interpersonal conflict. HMMM! Enough said?

So,that brings me to have us ponder this…

Whatkinds of triggers do you have in your life? Or maybe more importantly …WHO inyour life triggers you? We all seem to have them. Areas or people in our livesthat take us back to a particular memory or feeling that (most of the time) aren't very pleasant. These are times that usually stir up negative emotions inus. You know…emotions that send us reeling.

TRIGGERS!

Ialready found myself in a weakened state when suddenly I realized one of thesemoments was upon me. A TRIGGER moment. Isn’t the devil crafty and manipulativethat way? He knows when we’re weak and our defenses are down and he knows justwhere to hit us to make us hurt… and sometimes hurt badly. The weakand the vulnerable…that’s his target!

Most of the timeour triggers hit us unexpectedly. I could say this particulartrigger moment hit me out of the blue, right upside the head, before I knew it.But it didn’t, I felt it coming. I was already in dangerous territory and Ishould’ve paid closer attention to where I found myself, or the other person, heading. I should’ve puton my armor (Eph. 6:11-19), remembered the enemy was lurking -about (1Peter 5:8)and got out of there before there was room for an attack. But again…I didn’t.I’m convinced now… that was part of the trap! Enticement! To refresh yourmemory, here’s what enticement means: To Lure. Snare. Hook. A mirage orillusion that entices one into danger or destruction; enticing someoneastray from right behavior. (Webster’s Dictionary)

So,before I realized it…I was in it. It had me hook, line and sinker.It was toying with me… It was stirring up all those ugly feelings inside ofme... and it had me believing the lie! The negative feelings started bubblingup to the surface of my heart and before I knew it…I reacted. I’m sure you’refamiliar with the feelings. Feelings of frustration, resentment, insecurity,jealousy, low esteem, low self-worth, guilt, shame, anger, embarrassment… youget the picture.

When Ifinally came to my senses and exited my trigger moment, I struggled to makesense of what just happened. The good news… I quickly remembered I needed toput my focus back on God, His truth and who I am in Christ. (see DailyConfession for details). I knew I had come so far in dealing with some of thehard issues in my life. So why these feelings? Why now? Here I was thinking I’dmade so much progress in the difficult areas of my life and then… all if asudden… I come face to face with something or someone that, I felt, tried totake me backwards!

So, Ibegan to talk to the Lord. “Do we have to revisit this place again,Lord? Why are these feelings bubbling up in me? I knowI’ve made progress… haven’t I?” And the Lord answered, “My child, there’s alittle seed in your heart that needs tending too. Yes, you’ve made tremendousprogress, but there’s a tiny area of your heart that’s been neglected. Thatarea needs filled with My love. You’ve looked to others to fill that broken andbruised part of your heart, but only I can heal you. Now that we’re here preciousone, there’s work to do. Let me teach you from this place of discomfort.There’s deeper healing to be done.”

For afew days while I tried to process what the Lord was revealing to me, I wasfeeling uncomfortable. Yes… I kicked and screamed for a bit. Like any child thatdoesn’t want disciplined… but was going to get it anyway…I had my littletantrum. I didn’t want to revisit this area in my life no matter howsmall it might be. But what I DID want …was to be completely setfree of any emotional responses tied to this person or memory. That was enoughto make me surrender. So, I surrendered!

By nowI’m sure you can see that, most probably, triggers happen when you haven’tcompletely healed from an area, person, relationship, event in your life thathas caused you great pain. These feelings associated with yourtriggers are most definitely your own feelings of insecurity, hurt and anger. We all have relationships or memories in our lives that have gone bad. What we do with those feelings, after the event that has caused us pain, is very important to how we react to those people, situations and moments in the future. That’s exactly why these feelings bubbled to the surface of my heart again.Insecurity. (that was my trigger, you name yours) Along with some unresolved issues and unrealisticexpectations of another person…maybe. DRATS! J

Thisawareness began my process. My process… of becoming more Christ like (Phil. 1:6). Littleby little I began to allow (by yielding) the Lord to touch that small area ofmy heart that was broken and bruised. It was a tiny part of my heartthat carried some hurt and pain from my past. It was a part of myheart that was wounded by words and memories of unkind behavior from someone…that was also broken and bruised themselves. As I began to allow the Lord tosoften the rough edges of my heart and that deep place within me, the emotionsand feelings associated with what triggered me started to diminish. As Ienvisioned God’s hands taking that small seed into His and filling it with Hislove, I began to feel my emotions calm and His love fill my heart. I still havea little ways to go yet, but I can see and feel a change in my life. I stillhave to daily remind myself of who I am in Christ, how much I am loved and thatI am chosen, blessed and accepted (Deut. 32:10, 2Tim. 2:21, Phil. 4:7). Step by step I can feel the Lordremoving the insecurities within my heart and filling me with His love.It’s been a freeing transition... I’m still a work in progress.
BUT... I’m definitely IN PROCESS!

TodayI would encourage you to search the inner parts of your heart and allowthe Holy Spirit to heal those areas that you find get easily triggered. Don’t allowthe devil to hold you captive with these kinds of emotions and feelings. Hewill use these areas of your heart to cause division, pain and confusion inyour life if you continue to allow him entrance there. Do the worknecessary to be set free and allow the peace of God to fill you. The more you yieldand surrender your heart to the Lord…the more it will set you FREE! Selah

*Holly Watson

Daily Confessions- http://www.elizabethbabatunde.com/

Be My Center...

2012-01-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

Father,thank You for always bringing me back to what’s real….YOU! When life tries todistract me, consume me or draw me away from the purposes You have for me…thankYou for reminding me that it’s You… and You alone… who’s my center. Thank You fordrawing me to Your love and goodness when circumstances (self inflicted orbeyond my control) want to crowd in and steal my peace. Forgive me Father forwhen I step in and try to orchestrate my own way, allowing room for the enemyto wreck havoc in my life, thinking that my way is the right way. Thank You forpicking me up when I stumble and setting my feet back on solid ground. Thankyou that You clear my mind, when confusion sets in, and You comfort my heart…when the way before me seems clouded. And… thank You for reminding me of thepurposes You have for my life. I give You glory Lord for opening my eyes andfor reminding me… where we are going… where we have been….and what You areabout to do. Thank you for clarity, purpose and vision. In Jesus Name. Amen. *

*Holly

1/03/2011

Questions....

2012-01-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

There’s somuch I don’t understand Lord…Why do we hurt each other when we’re angry? Whycan’t we hear the voice of the other… when they’re crying out for us to listen?Why do our hearts turn cold and distant, Lord? And why do we allow self todominate over Your goodness and love? How is it that we forget You in the midstof our circumstances… and why do we allow Hope to die inviting despair to setin? Why is there so much violence in the world… and why are children broken andbruised by the hands of evil? I don’t always understand Lord, but I keep myeyes and heart fixed on You. I ask that You would saturate us with Youreverlasting love and goodness. Rest Your anointing on us and shine the light ofYour presence in the deepest part of our being. Heal us O Lord, allowing us tofeel the tenderness of Your love and mercy… and may Your presence abide deeperwithin us despite our circumstances. May Your voice be louder… Your love burnbrighter… and Your presence be more clearer in and through our lives. In Jesus Name.Amen.

For thisreason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earthderives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen youwith power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell inyour hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established inlove, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp howwide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love thatsurpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullnessof God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask orimagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory inthe church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!Amen.

Love,

Holly

12/12/2011

A WORD IN SEASON...

2011-11-16T10:02:00.001-08:00

FREEDOM IS...LIVING LIFE WITHA PURPOSE!

My son/daughter,

Freedom has come to you and your household. I havewatched your journey, I have seen your obedience and I have been pleased withthe commitment you’ve given to serving My people. Your dedication andfaithfulness have been commendable. You have kept your eyes on Me and I‘ve seenyour strength… and your courage… as you’ve walked the path I’ve set before you. Watch now and see… for I amabout to move mightily in your midst. You are now entering into the place ofyour heart’s desire… your land flowing with milk and honey. My blessings…theyare about to burst forth. You WILL walk in freedom…the freedom that was spokenover your life in times past. Freedom to live…freedom to choose... and freedomto serve without limits.

I’ve also seen the obedience of Your children… howthey've kept My word and My promises... tucked away in their heart. I've watched them walk uprightly before Me and I have seen them seek Me with alltheir heart. I AM pleased with their tenderness, their compassion and theirdedication. Freedom has come to them as well. Freedom to serve…and to choose…and to live without limits.

Now... I AM about to rain down showers of blessingsupon My people. I speak forth favor, wisdom, and strength to all those who haveserved Me unwaveringly. As you move forward into your calling… receive My Joyand let it be your guide. Carry on My child, and continue to humble yourselfbefore Me. For in this…I AM well pleased. Selah

For you havebeen called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use yourfreedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve oneanother in love. Galatians 5:13

*Holly https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Deeper-Walk-With-Holly/167677766617258

Take A Pause...

2011-10-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

‎...♥Take a pause...♥

When you have people in your life that you knowyou have to let go of, and allow the Lord to do His work in them, it's hard tolay them down because you love and care for them. Trusting God to do Hiswork in the other person while you wait...isn't always easy...but sometimesVERY necessary. ♥ It doesn't mean you lovethem any less...you actually love them more. By releasingthem (into the hands of God) and taking your hand/voice/presence out of theirlife and circumstances while He works... is an act of love... not anger,bitterness or resentment. Taking these actions, although sometimes painful,gives God room to move and accomplish His purposes in your loved one, friend orrelationships. Trust God to do His work in your absence… and then be there forthat person when God has finished His work.When they emerge whole…understanding will come and your relationship will be even stronger. Use wisdomby taking a pause...it's the healthy way to healing and wholeness. Selah ♥

Prayer of release…
Lord, I give it all to you. I will no longer carrywhat I'm not supposed to be carrying in the first place. I lay it down, I walkaway and I trust in You. Father, break the ties, sever the bond and bringhealing into my wounded heart. The grip that keeps me in bondage, I release. Themental anguish that holds me hostage, I submit. The thoughts that torment mymind, I surrender. I lay it down...I walk away...I trust in You. In Jesus Name.Amen.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, youwho kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed togather you children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, andyou were not willing” Matthew 23:37

*Holly Watson

Repairing Our Relationships Part 2

2011-10-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

What you don't see...or don’twant to see... you can't acknowledge.

It takes an inward examination of theheart (through God’s word), it takes an accountability for your own actions, ittakes the courage to stop putting blame on others and own up to your ownbehavior; and it takes truth telling, truth speaking and truth lovingcommunication before restoration and healing will begin in your relationships.Taking personal responsibility and ownership for yourself, and owning up toyour contribution and behavior in your damaged relationships, is the beginningof spiritual and relational transformation. When you begin working on thecondition of your heart, through prayer and confession, and you stop trying tofix and blame someone else… you make room for God to move. The inwardreflection and the outward confession of who you are, who you’ve been and whatpart you've played in your relationships… is the first step in repairing what’sbeen ruptured, lost and broken. Opening your heart for healing to come in,getting healthy and staying healthy, involves intentional actions on your part.It requires that you walk in forgiveness, that you walk in obedience to God’sword, that you surround yourself with truth loving people, and that you remainaccountable, disciplined and committed to love, transparency and truth. You CANhave freedom and wholeness. Take the first step. Search your heart through theeyes of God’s word and confess your part in the fracture. Remain open,available and surrendered as the Lord leads you out... and into truth andfreedom. It is a truth…that will set you free!

“For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks onthe outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1Samuel 16:7

“Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads tomore godless behavior.” 2Tim. 2:16

"Our actions will show that we belong to the truth,so we will be confident when we stand before God." 1John 3:19

*Holly Watson

'Right People/Wrong People'

2011-10-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Are you surrounding yourselfwith the 'RIGHT' people?

People, who 'STEER YOU AWAY' from what you KNOW isright, are people who will ultimately lead you astray. When you begin tobackslide in your faith, neglect your marriage, distance yourself from family, walkaway from commitments, or find yourself in wrong places doing wrong things;these are all signs that you're surrounding yourself with 'WRONG'people. How you're behaving and where you're spending your time, when aroundcertain people, are 'red flags' that you're in danger of compromising yourbeliefs, your marriage, your relationships, and your integrity as a believer.'RIGHT' people...support you in your faith, encourage you in yourrelationships, walk beside you through your troubles, offer love and support;while staying in the boundaries of a healthy friendship, and speak truth inlove because they care about your well- being. Right people want God's best foryou and will speak truth into your life, even when it's hard to hear, becausethey love you and believe in you. Right people lift you up, they don't pull youdown. They will lead you in the right directions not sway you in the wrong direction.Right people will tell you when you're on dangerous territory because they careabout your happiness, your spiritual walk and the consequences of yourbehavior. Right people will love and support you despite your failures, short-comings and difficulties. Right people will NOT encourage you to participate inWRONG behavior that compromises your career, faith, marriage or family! Who areyou surrounding yourself with today?

"A righteous man is cautious in friendship,but the way of the wicked leads them astray. " (Proverbs 12:26).

"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a Companion offools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13.20)

*Holly Watson

Bitterness

2011-10-05T16:51:00.001-07:00

Don't allow the seed of bitterness totake root in your heart. Life isn’t always fair… and sometimes we don't get theprivilege of having circumstances that are fair…sometimes all we get is thepain of someone else's dysfunction. But, starting today you CAN begin to make healthychoices for yourself. You CAN make choices that allow you to walk in thelight of God's love and His word, while stepping out of the darkness of anger,resentment and bitterness. Despite how unfair life has been to you…you canCHOOSE to Love. Bitterness holds yourheart captive and keeps you stuck in the shackles of pain and unforgiveness. Loveallows you to freely give of yourself despite your circumstances and the waysomeone treats you. You CAN Love with the same Love you have received from yourFather in Heaven….unconditional Love. Don’t allow someone else’s choices and behaviorsto define who you are and how you will live, love and relate. Let go of self-pity and victim mentality and walk in the freedom of choice, the freedomto love and the freedom of forgiveness. You can overcome! Choose life… choosehealing…choose love. Selah

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. Proverbs 14:10

For I see that you are full of bitternessand captive to sin. Acts 8:23

Others die bitter and bereft, nevergetting a taste of happiness. Job 21:25

*Holly Watson

BUILDING TRUST

2011-09-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

WEWILL WORK TO BUILD A STURDY BOND OF TRUST...

Trust is being so convinced that you can rely onthe integrity, strength, character, and faithfulness of another that you arewilling to place yourself in their care. Trust is-- readily given, easilybroken and costly to restore. Trust not only needs to be built, it needs to beprotected. If your relationships are going to be what God intended them to be;trust must be built, maintained, and restored when broken. Straightforward,clear and transparent communication, which is without manipulation or deceit, isessential to building a relationship of trust. One of the essentialfoundational stones of marriage is trust. No trust--no marriage--at least notthe kind of marriage that God designed when He created this lifelongrelationship. Trust is about rest, peace, security, and hope. Trust allows youto face the worst and hope for the best. Trust makes you willing to take risksand allows you to risk being willing. Trust makes you feel safe and makes itsafe for you to share your feelings. Trust allows you to speak honestly and tolisten to the honesty of the other. Trust lets you know that you are cared forand causes your care to be known. Trust causes you to look out for the other'sinterest while resting in the fact that they will look out for you. Trust is aboutmutual care-- but is committed to care even when it is not mutual. Trust isabout being good for your word and about being committed to do only what isgood. Trust means doing anything you can to let your spouse know that she canbe confident in entrusting herself to your care….TRUST (PT)

Commiteverything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:5

Rejection

2011-09-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Lord will not reject hispeople; he will not abandon his special possession. (Psalm 94:14 NLT)

Rejection is anything that happens to us thatmakes us feel unloved, unwanted or unworthy. We tend to avoid it at all costs,often missing out on the destiny God has for us because of the terrible pain ofpast rejection or fear of future rejection. Rejection robs us of relationshipsand wonderful experiences in God. It causesus to put up walls around our hearts and make vows never to allow ourselves tobe hurt again. When you have been rejected, it is often because the person whorejected you is himself insecure, wounded or rejected also. Wrong reactions torejection will cause us to do one of two things: either lash out at others inconfrontations of anger, bitterness, rebellion and defensiveness; or withdrawinto self-pity, insecurity, escapism and discouragement. When you have beenrejected, Instead of criticizing that person and focusing on your own pain,reach out and minister to him. Let your behavior bring healing and restorationinto the lives of others who have also been rejected by extending love andforgiveness. Forgiveness must be immediate and complete. If we withhold orpostpone it, we open the door for Satan to play on every sinful reaction to thehurts of being wounded and offended. If you have suffered from the effects ofrejection, pray this prayer with me and allow healing to enter into your heart.If you desire to know the satisfaction of true acceptance, look to God—notpeople—for approval.

"Father, I come to You now, in the name ofYour Son, Jesus, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I thank You for Yourunconditional love. I speak the blood of the Lamb of God over me and my family."From this moment on, I choose to live in forgiveness. According toMatthew 18:23-25, I forgive from my heart any and all, who have ever woundedme. I forgive them for knowingly or unknowingly rejecting me. I forgive_____________ for not loving me the way God intended for (him, her, them) tolove me. "Lord, please forgive me for holding on to past hurts, anger,unforgiveness or bitterness. I am released from any spirit and root ofrejection, in the mighty name of Jesus. Go from me, and return to the pit youcame from. "I thank You, Lord, for freedom and liberty. I thank You, HolySpirit, for a fresh release of Your anointing and grace in my life. Keep me, Lord,in this fresh walk, and help me to always find acceptance and love in Yourembrace. Amen."
*Cathy Lechner

Shattered Dreams

2011-08-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Nothing, you see, is impossible with God. Luke 1:37 MSG

I think many of us have experienced shattered dreams in our lives. If not shattered dreams, then painful disappointments. And some of our disappointments have been more devistating than others. This post touched my heart as I remembered the times when I was grasping for understanding while going through my own painful circumstances. You might be going through something painful in your life at this moment, but remember...God's purposes are highter than our understanding. Continue to Hope, be encouraged and remember your God is with you!

‘I know things are not nowas you want them. I know many of your dreams are not coming true. I want you tounderstand that things are not as I will one day make them. I like neither thedistance between us nor the pain you suffer. Until I come to bring you to MyFather’s house, I am devoting myself to only one thing: I am preparing a placefor you. And My Spirit, on My behalf, is devoting Himself toonly one thing—preparing you to enjoy Me and all that I will provide.

I have called you not to the secular journey whereyou must make everything in your life now as pleasant as possible. I havecalled you to the spiritual journey, to a process of enlarging your heart todesire Me above everything else.

Do not be troubled by all the dreams that willshatter while you remain on earth. You will feel deep pain. But every sorrowyou experience will be used by My Spirit to deepen your desire for Me. He willspeak to you about Me. Listen for the voice. You will hear Him most clearlywhen suffering humbles you enough to want to hear Him, to know you cannot go onwithout hearing Him.

This time of distance, when you will feel suchdisappointment both with your life and with yourself, will awaken your heart toreceive Me with great joy when I finally come. I will not delay. I will come atexactly the appointed time. My Father will give the signal. Listen for theshout.’

And our response is, Come, Lord Jesus; come soon!Until then, we wait with untroubled hearts. We scream, we cry, we fail, but wewait, abandoned to our Kinsman-Redeemer, confident that He has paid a price forus that guarantees our eventual intimacy.”

*Shattered Dreams--Larry Crabb

Words With Purpose

2011-08-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

It is never the loudness ofour voice, the power of our words, the drama of the moment, the creativity ofour illustrations, the strength of our vocabulary, the specter of our threats,or the grandeur of our gestures that causes a turning within people. Gentlenessflows from knowing where our power lies. God can use whispered words to producethunderous conviction in a heart. Yes, we want to think and speak well, but onlybecause we want to be useful instruments in the hands of the One who does bringchange, not because we trust our skills to produce it. Speaking redemptively isall about choosing our words carefully. It is not just about the words we saybut also about the words we have chosen not to say. Speaking redemptively isabout being prepared to say the right thing at the right moment and exercisingself-control. Speaking redemptively is refusing to let our talk be driven bypassion and personal desire but communicating instead with God’s purposes inview. It is exercising the faith needed to be part of what God is doing at thatmoment. ~Selah~

*Paul Tripp

Friday Quotes

2011-08-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

You will never peach alouder sermon than the one you live.

Be an example to allbelievers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, andyour purity. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay trueto what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of thosewho hear you. 1Timothy 4:12, 16 NLT

Your greatestministry will most likely come out of your greatest hurt.

These trials will show that your faith isgenuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faithis far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong throughmany trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day whenJesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. 1Peter 1:7 NLT

Words Hurt--Words Heal

2011-08-16T09:53:00.001-07:00

Our words hold the power oflife and death in them. When we speak words of criticism, accusation, gossip orslander over someone, we kill their soul. Verbal attacks have the potential torob us of our self- confidence, inflicting wounds on our heart, leaving scarsthat result in a lifetime of pain and suffering. The next time you're temptedto speak words of judgment, hurt, accusation or pain into someone'slife...remember to taste your words before you spit them out.

Words kill, words give life; they're either poisonor fruit-you choose. Proverbs 18:21 MSG

Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound andmaim. Proverbs 15:4 MSG

*Holly Watson

Respecting Relationship

2011-08-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

We should aim for peacefulrelationships, but peace is not God’s only relationship goal. He also wants ourrelationships to be balanced and mutually growth-producing. The phrase “as far as it depends on you” (Romans12:18)recognizes a hard truth… we can’t control another person’s choices. If you areonly an option and not a priority in your relationships, you need tore-evaluate those relationships. Our relationships shouldbe supportive, loving and growth producing not draining, exhausting and self-focused.

Statement of Relating: I will no longer be theprinciple caretaker and giver in my relationships. My friendships andrelationships will be mutually loving and giving, and I will look for peoplewho are willing to have a more balanced and healthy bond. There will be agiving and receiving dynamic, one that no longer requires more giving thanreceiving. If my relationships become unhealthy or unbalanced, I will releasethose relationships until mutuality is respected. I will maintain a loving,godly and peaceful boundary until respect is reciprocated.

Do all youcan to live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18

So let’s agree to use all our energy in gettingalong with each other.
Help others with encouraging words. Romans 14:19Message

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way youwill fulfill the law of Christ…For we are responsible for our own conduct.Galatians 6:2,5

*Holly Watson

*Sandra Wilson

Hope In The Midst Of Your Journey…

2011-08-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

If you're at a place in yourlife where you feel like you can’t take one step without the Lord’s help, beglad. He has you right where He wants you. If you're wondering, “Have I donesomething wrong?” the answer is most likely, “No, you’ve done something right.”God has you on this path, no matter how difficult and impossible it may seemright now, because you are willing to follow Him. He wants toaccomplish great things through you that can only come out of a life of faith.He wants your undivided attention because you can’t do these things on yourown. This path is not a punishment; it’s a privilege. It’s not a restriction;it’s a reward. God loves us so much that He has allowed you to get to thisdifficult place so you begin to realize how dependent on Him you must be.

The Lorddirects the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.Psalm 37:23 NLT

* Adapted from knowing God in Tough Times

My Identity In Christ

2011-07-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Identityis not something that falls on us out of the sky. For better or for worse,identity is bestowed. We are who we are in relation to others. But far moreimportant, we draw our identity from our impact on those others-if and how weaffect them. We long to know that we make a difference in the lives of others,to know that we matter, that our presence cannot be replaced by a pet, apossession, or even another person. The awful burden of the false self is thatit must be constantly maintained.

Wethink we have to keep doing something in order to be desirable. Once we findsomething that will bring us some attention, we have to keep it going or riskthe loss of the attention.

Andso we live with the fear of not being chosen and the burden of maintainingwhatever it is about us that might get us noticed and the commitment never tobe seen for who we really are. We develop a functional self-image, even if it isa negative one.

Thelittle boy paints his red wagon a speckled gray with whatever his Father leftin the can after putting a new coat on the backyard fence. "Look what Idid!" he says, hoping for affirmation of the wonderful impact his presencehas on the world. The angry father shames him: "What do you think you'redoing? You've ruined it." The boy forms an identity: My impact is awful; Ifoul good things up. I am a fouler. And he forms a commitment never to be in aplace where he can foul things up again. Years later, his colleagues wonder whyhe turned down an attractive promotion. The answer lies in his identity, anidentity he received from the impact he had on the most important person in hisworld and his fear of ever being in such a place again. John Eldredge

Father, this world tries to tell us many things. Often, the words spoken overus are lies from the enemy trying to deceive us and steal our true identity.Uncertain of who we are at times, Lord we run to You. We run into Your arms ofsafety and truth. In Your greatness, You remind us that we are loved, we ARE accepted, andYES...we are valued. We ARE valuable to You. We are precious in Your sight,Father. My identity rests in You alone. It does not rest in what this worldtells me or in what people say I am. No... You are the lifter of my head. Noshame or condemnation abides here, Lord. No lack of understanding of who I am inChrist. I am Your child. You hold my present, You hold my future and today Youset my countenanceeto reflect Your image and glory. Thank You for Your favor. Thank You forchoosing me. Thank You for abiding in me. For I… am a child of the King. InJesus Name. Amen.

Yetto all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave theright to become children of God— (John 1:12 NIV)

*Holly Watson

Wounded Hearts

2011-07-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

…my heart iswounded within me. Psalm 109:22

Repairing Our Relationships Part 1-Where Is Your Focus?

Reflectively we sit in the cozy, dim lit office waiting forour couple to arrive. We have studied and prepared, but most importantly prayed, and committed this time to the Lord to do His work. We wait expectantly for theHoly Spirit to come and bring healing and restoration into the hearts of Hisdesperate and broken children. We seeand hear the distress in the lives of God’s people. We listen and watch as theyshare how their relationship has unraveled as a result of conflict, betrayal,broken trust, verbal abuse and unrealistic expectations. I have come to see the magnitude and depth ofthe brokenness and woundings that run so deep in the hearts of God’s people. Wesee Hope in their eyes, but most of the time, we see is pain.

Relationship wounds = painful, confusing, heartbroken,overwhelming, desperate and at times exasperating. Feelings of rejection, lackof trust, devastation and sometimes even hurt beyond repair.

Whether it’s in your marriage, family or friendships…broken or strained relationships are painful. They are always the result of the‘tearing away’ of what God designed for us in our relationships (Ecclesiastes4:12). Pain, hurt, suffering,separateness and offense are not God’s design for our relationships. Godcreated humans to function as social, not solitary, creatures (see Gen2:18). We were designed forrelationship. First and foremost God created us to be in relationship andfellowship with Him. He is our model for what a healthy relationship shouldlook like. Love, acceptance,forgiveness, understanding and valued.

What state are your relationships in right now? Is yourmarriage in crisis? Do you have conflicts with friends, family or siblings? What do you do when faced with relationship conflict?Do you extend love, compassion, forgiveness and acceptance? Or do you fingerpoint and blame only able to look at yourself and how you have been hurt? Thereare many things I’ve learned through my own challenges in relationships;and through the coming along side of, ministering to, and helping others workthrough their own heartaches and pain in relationships. Over the next few weeksI’d like to share some of those insights with you in efforts to bring healingand repair into your lives as well.

We have learned many truths over the years regarding relationships. With God’s love and the truth of His word you canwork through some of the most difficult relationship ruptures in your life; if you have awilling and teachable heart, and a forgiving and compassionate spirit. What hasproven true in our conflicts, and I think the most important first step in rebuilding any healthy relationship, is taking responsibility for your part ofthe conflict. The first step toward healing and restoration is… OWNERSHIP.Usually when conflict arises we are so focused on what the other person did, how they hurt us and the enormity of the problem that we forget we have a partin the pain that has been caused. By having the strength to take your eyes off yourself, your pain, how you were wronged or the weaknesses of the other person, and placingthem on the Lord, you are taking an important first step towards ownership,healing and forgiveness. When you begin to see your part in the rupture of therelationship you will begin to build relationships that are healthy and longlasting.

Ask yourself this question: What are my eyes focused onright now as I struggle with this difficult relationship in my life? Are theyfocused on how I was wronged, my pain or my hurt? Am I even able to trust Godand see Him in my troubles? How big am I allowing God to be in this situation?How big have I made my problems?

Scripture tells usthat we are to fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). When you are in a difficult relationship areyou able to fix your eyes on Jesus, your Creator, and trust Him with all your hurtsand needs? When you feel disappointed, wronged or offended are you expecting someoneelse (your spouse, that friendship, your sibling or your parent) to heal that emptyor wounded place inside of you? Are you looking to someone other than the Lordto solve your problems?

In Hebrews 12:2 we are instructed to Gaze (fix our eyes) onGod. That means that nothing else should have our focus or our attention. Weare to Gaze at God and only Glancetowards our problems. When we take our eyes off God our focus becomes on how largeour problems and circumstances are, instead of on how faithful and powerful Godis. We have the wrong focus therefore putting our attention in the wrongplace... our problems. When we find ourselves only Glancing towards God andGazing at our problems our focus makes God too small and our problems to large.We make our problems bigger than our God! It’s called Gazing andGlancing. It’s a distorted focus that causes us to make our problems moreimportant than God and His love. (FirstResponse Workbook). Try re-shifting your focus... Gaze towards God and only Glancetowards your problems. The result's are transformational!

As your first step in healing your relationships, search for God through your struggles andfocus your attention on His goodness, love and forgiveness. Fix your eyes onJesus and allow him to show you the areas in your heart that need healinginstead of focusing on the other person and what they did wrong. Before you allow yourself to become consumedin your offense…stop…take responsibility for your part of the rupture and askthe Lord for forgiveness and direction in your next steps. Maybe you are toinitiate healing in the relationship. Maybe it's time for you to forgive and takeownership for your part of the conflict. The FIRST step to healthierrelationships. OWNERSHIP!

You are Loved. You are Blessed. You are Accepted.
And HE... is forever Faithful!

*Holly Watson

07/13/2011

Healing Is A Choice...

2011-07-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

It is so much easier to walk away from a hurtful past andthe people in it than to confront our hurts and issues. Our hectic, transientculture makes it easy for us to start over far away from the people and placeswe have left behind. But what we discover is that we cannot remove the pastfrom our hearts--it is there to stay. And the only hope for true peace withthe past is to face it at its worst and, with God's help, to seek to forgive,to be forgiven, to make amends, and to be reconciled.

No matter how great our hurts or fears, they shrinkin the presence of God's forgiving love.

A truly good friend will openly correct you.Proverbs 27:5

Change Me, Lord

2011-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

You can’t fix or change something if you are not willing to look at it truthfully. (Leslie Vernick)

Heavenly Father, I come before You today realizing I need to change. I know there are areas in my life and heart that are not pleasing to You. Lord, forgive me, change me, heal me. Heal those areas in my life and heart that are weak and not pleasing to You, Father. Mold me and shape me into the image of Your son. I surrender all to You my Savior and my King. I relinquish control of the ungodly behaviors and actions that I hold onto and ask You to come into my heart and make me clean. Cleanse me, Lord. Set me free from those areas in my life that have held me in bondage. Change me Lord, from the inside out. Change my countenance so that everyone who sees me will know I have been transformed and am a new creation in Christ. The old has passed away and I have been made new. Thank You Father that You are a merciful and loving God and that You hear my plea. Today is a new day. I am forever changed and set free. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

*Holly Watson

TRUST

2011-07-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Your will be done. Matthew 26:39

To trust God completely means that from the very center of our being, from the very core of our existence, we trust Him. We completely and totally abandoned ourselves in childlike faith to Him and His plan. We come to God, holding nothing in our hands, with one word in our heart "whatever!" Whatever You want me to do, Lord, I will do. Whatever You want me to say, Lord, I will say. Whatever You want me to think, Lord, I will think. Whatever path You have for me, Lord, I will walk. Faith builds on the victories of yesterday to help us face the valleys of today and the storms of tomorrow. Faith does not bypass pain. It does, however, empower us to deal with pain. Sometimes faith strengthens us, and other times, surprises us. Great faith is forged in the deepest valleys, beginning where our strength and power end and our reliance on our Heavenly Father begins. While we tend to say that seeing is believing, faith says that believing is seeing. Doubt creates mountains; faith moves them. Faith produces trust that shatters fear and leaves no room for discouragement.

Heavenly Father, give me a childlike faith today. Help me to abandon all doubt or worry and completely trust in Your goodness and Love. I come to You and say "whatever, wherever, whenever," Lord! I surrender my own will and yield to Your calling. Set my feet on Your path today that I might walk in Victory. Not my will but Your will be done in my life. I trust You to guide me through this day, direct my steps and fulfill Your purposes in my life. In Jesus Name. Amen.

IF GOD...

2011-06-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

(If God isn’t leading you to a certain place, why go there?)

Lord, I am following You. I will not run around in circles trying to find my own way. I place my feet in Your footsteps. I take the place that You have prepared for me. I will faithfully remain where You have placed me until You make it clear it is time to move on.

(If God hasn’t asked you to do a certain task, why perform it?)

Lord, I will only carry what You ask me to lift. I lay down my agenda and my ideas of what I think needs to be done. I say “no” to all stress and striving and “yes” to the peace that comes from obeying what You are asking me to do.

(If God hasn’t directed you to speak something, why declare it?)

Lord, put Your words in my mouth. I want to speak words that are fitting for the moment—the right word, the true word, the edifying word, the anointed word, the word in due season—the word from Your heart to others.

(If God wouldn’t be pleased with your choice, why choose it?)

Lord, I choose those things that will bring a smile to Your face. My greatest pleasure is to please You.

(If “for His glory” is the right reason, why do something for the wrong reason?)

Lord, I love Your righteousness. I want to live right, think right, and act right. I want my motivation to be for Your sake, and my attitudes to be a reflection of who You are. May others want to know You more because of what they see of Your life in me.

May the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified and become more glorious through and in you. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 AMP

Meet Me In The Meadow

http://roy.dayspring.com/

Emotionally Destructive Relationships

2011-06-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jesus called Satan a destroyer and the Father of Lies (John 8:44; 10:10). His aim is to shatter your spirit, demolish your soul, and wreck everything good in your life. You must become aware of his tactics, because words are his primary weapon. He hurls accusations, slander, lies, half truths, and even phrases or passages from the Bible (taken out of context) to confuse, manipulate, distract, and devastate you. Satan uses people to accomplish his purposes, just like he used Judas to betray Jesus and tried to use Peter to distract Christ from his mission (Matthew 16:22-23). Satan may be influencing the people around you or even using them to destroy you, but don’t let him! Prayer protects us, and prayer changes us. It also helps us guard our hearts against lies, accusations and fears. God gives us our own arsenal of weapons with which to fight our enemies, but God’s weapons are not the same kind that the world uses. The apostle Paul said that prayer unleashes divine power to take down strongholds and demolish false arguments (2 Corinthians 10:4). Paul also instructs us to put on our spiritual armor daily, and to learn how to wield the sword of truth to fight evil. (See Ephesians 6:10-18, as well as Matthew 4 and Luke 4, which show how Jesus used God’s Word to counter Satan’s attacks.) Prayer provides a shield of protection so that neither Satan nor people can destroy your spirit, even if they are successful at injuring you.

Prayer sometimes changes us more than it changes our situations:
It teaches us to look at our circumstances from a much larger vantage point than what is dictated by our immediate needs or anxieties.• It reminds us that God is in control, even when we feel like evil is winning (Psalm 118:5-6).• It teaches us to reflect upon our lives as well as our dilemmas from God’s perspective, so that we are better equipped to best address the destructive person, recognize our own complicity, and handle the situation we’re in without sinning or becoming more destructive ourselves.

Ask God to rescue you from wicked and evil people. (Read David’s prayer in Psalm 140 and the apostle Paul’s instruction in 2 Thessalonians 3:2.) God deeply cares for those who feel impotent against powerful people and those who have been mistreated or oppressed. Jesus knows how you feel. He too was mocked, humiliated, taunted, rejected, lied about, and beaten. He wept over the indifference of the Jews and the blindness of the Pharisees because he longed to have a different kind of relationship with them. Learn to run quickly to him when you’re hurting, confused, angry, or tempted. He is faithful to help us (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Scripture Memory Verse Team-Verse 8

2011-05-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted a memory verse, but when my heart landed on this verse today I had to include it in with our verses. I Hope you're all well. I'm sorry it's been a while since we've connected. But the good news is.... The Lord has been moving in our midst and we are thankful and humbled at His goodness and faithfulness. Have a BLESSED day!

You are Loved. You are Blessed. And HE is…Forever Faithful!

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure. Ps 16:8-9 NIV

COMMENTARY:

I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 16:8

[I have set the LORD always before me] By night as well as by day; in my private meditations as well as in my public professions. I have regarded myself always as in the presence of God; I have endeavored always to feel that, his eye was upon me. This, too, is one of the certain characteristics of piety, that we always feel that we are in the presence of God, and that we always act as if his eye were upon us. Compare the notes at Acts 2:25.

[Because he is at my right hand] The right hand was regarded as the post of honor and dignity, but it is also mentioned as a position of defense or protection. To have one at our right hand is to have one near us who can defend us. Thus, in Ps 109:31, "He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him," etc. So Ps 110:5, "The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath." Ps 121:5, "The Lord is thy Keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand." The idea is, that as we use the right hand in our "own" defense, we seem to have an additional and a needed helper when one is at our right hand. The sense here is, that the psalmist felt that God, as his Protector, was always near him; always ready to interpose for his defense. We have a somewhat similar expression when we say of anyone that he is "at hand;" that is, he is near us.

[I shall not be moved] I shall be safe; I shall not be disturbed by fear; I shall be protected from my enemies. See Ps 10:6; 15:5. Compare Ps 46:5. The language here is that of one who has confidence in God in time of great calamities, and who feels that he is safe under the divine favor and protection.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. Psalms 16:9

[Therefore my heart is glad] In view of this fact, that my confidence is in God alone, and my belief that he is my Protector and Friend. See the notes at Acts 2:26.

[And my glory rejoiceth] The Septuagint translate this, "my tongue," and this translation is followed by Peter in his quotation of the passage in Acts 2:26. See the notes at that passage. The meaning here is, that whatever there was in him that was honorable, dignified, or glorious-all the faculties of his soul, as well as his heart-had occasion to rejoice in God. His whole nature-his undying soul-his exalted powers as he was made by God-all-all, found cause of exultation in the favor and friendship of God. The heart-the uuderstanding-the imagination-the whole immortal soul, found occasion for joy in God.

[My flesh also] My body. Or, it may mean, his whole person, he himself, though the direct allusion is to the body considered as lying in the grave, Ps 16:10. The language is such as one would use of himself when he reflected on his own death, and it is equivalent to saying, "I myself, when I am dead, shall rest in hope; my soul will not be left to abide in the gloomy place of the dead; nor will my body remain permanently in the grave under the power of corruption. In reference to my soul and my body-my whole nature-I shall descend to the grave in the hope of a future life."

[Shall rest] Margin, "dwell confidently." The Hebrew is literally "shall dwell in confidence" or hope. The word here rendered "shall rest" means properly to let oneself down; to lie down, Num 9:17; Ex 24:16; then, to lay oneself down, to lie down, as, for example, a lion lying down, Deut 33:20; or a people in tents, Num 24:2; and hence, to rest, to take rest, Judg 5:17; and then to abide, to dwell. Gesenius, Lexicon. Perhaps the sense here is that of "lying down," considered as lying in the grave, and the expression is equivalent to saying, "When I die I shall lie down in the grave in hope or confidence, not in despair. I shall expect to rise and live again."

[In hope] The word used here means "trust, confidence, security." It is the opposite of despair. As used here, it would refer to a state of mind in which there was an expectation of living again, as distinguished from that state of mind in which it was felt that the grave was the end of man. What is particularly to be remarked here is, that this trust or confidence extended to the "flesh" as well as to the "soul;" and the language is such as would be naturally used by one who believed in the resurrection of the body. Language of this kind occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament, showing that the doctrine of the resurrection of the body was one to which the sacred writers were not strangers, and that although the doctrine was not as explicitly and formally stated in the Old Testament as in the New, yet that it was a doctrine which had been at some time communicated to man. See the notes at Isa 26:19 Dan 12:2. As applicable to David, the language used here is expressive of his belief that "he" would rise again, or would not perish in the grave when his body died; as applicable to the Messiah, as applied by Peter (Acts 2:26), it means that when "he" should die it would be with the hope and expectation of being raised again without seeing corruption. The language is such as to be applicable to both cases; and, in regard to the interpretation of the "language," it makes no difference whether it was supposed that the resurrection would occur before the body should moulder back to dust, or whether it would occur at a much more remote period, and long after it had gone to decay. In either case it would be true that it was laid in the grave "in hope."

Where is your focus?

2011-05-16T10:34:00.003-07:00

Sir, we would see Jesus.. John 12:21 KJV

The right focus of our faith will bring Jesus into clear view. To focus on Jesus means to be taken up with Him, to put Him at the center, to listen to what He says, and to see life from His perspective. Faith looks in the wrong direction when it focuses on us, on our problems, on others, on the world, or on the enemy.

We need to turn the eyes of our faith away from everything, anything, or anyone that distracts us from seeing Jesus. As we see Jesus, our faith will not be focused on our sins, but on the Savior; not on our failures, but on the Victor; not on our hurts, but on the Healer; not on our weaknesses, but on the Almighty One; not on our ages, but on the Lord of the Ages; not on our needs, but on the Provider; not on our anxieties, but on the Prince of Peace; not on our circumstances, but on the Shepherd; not on our problems, but on the All Sufficient One who is with you always. ~Selah~

Meet Me In The Meadow

~My Testimony~

2011-05-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are interested in hearing what the Lord hasdone in my life, I welcome you to read the post below as I share partof my testimony. The Lord has taken our family on a long journey toget us to the place we are today. My prayer, as you read, is that your heart isstirred and moved towards a loving Heavenly Father that longs for arelationship with you. I also pray that, you too, will come to anunderstanding of how much your Heavenly Father loves you and that He has amighty plan and purpose for your life. Don't lose heart if your circumstancesare difficult and you can't see your next step. Trust in a God who haseverything in His hands... and know that ALL things work together for His good!Love, Holly

My walk with the Lord has been a long difficult journey at times. But, as you read, my prayer is that you can see what an awesome God weserve. I also pray that you are encouraged, inspired and touched deeply by aloving Heavenly Father that we all have access too. We serve a Merciful andLoving God who has no greater desire than to have fellowship with each of usand shower His blessings upon us. As you read remember... I am still ''a child'searching for more of Him, have much more to learn and am definitely a work inprogress.

Although Iwas raised in a home that had a belief, I didn’t know of a real relationshipwith Christ. I always felt there was more to 'the religion' I was taught as a child, but I wasn't sure how to find it.. The name God was talked about in our home, but I had no understanding of who He was or that I could have a deeper relationship with Him. Through the years Iwould acknowledge God on Holidays and maybe some Sundays, but most of the timeI just went to Him when I needed something. God was something to me that wasunapproachable, felt far away and definitely had too many rules. As I look backover my life I definitely recognize key events of the Lord calling me toHimself. They were little whispers here and there letting me know that He wasin my midst and approachable for me to come to Him when I was ready. Ah yes, Iwould dabble in the thoughts of maybe getting to know God. I would say aprayer, sometimes, but it didn’t really come from my heart... more from myhead. What I quickly realized was… that if I wanted more… I had to search andhunger for more. This led me on a journey of finding out who God really was!

As some ofyou have seen from my Facebook page I have a beautiful family. I have a husbandthat has supported and loved me unconditionally and children that have a heartfor the Lord and a desire to serve Him. What most of you aren’t aware of isthat, through the years, I had difficult health issues that I struggled with. Idid my best to work through them but I struggled finding answers ortreatment. In one of my harder seasons I called out to the Lord indesperation watching the 700 Club. It was really 'by accident' that I turnedthe TV on that day, but God already knew the date and time I would come to Him.It was no accident to Him, as I sat on my couch that day sick, lost, lonely anddesperate for someone to do something to set me free. I gave my life toChrist watching Christian Television in 1987. That day changed my life forever!I finally realized that God was more than just a 'man upstairs' He was someonethat I desperately wanted a relationship with.

In 1994 Ibecame very ill. My husband and I were on staff part-time with an EvangelicalMinistry in Florida. I was admitted to the hospital with severe pain in myabdomen (thinking it was my appendix) and kept for several days while testingwas done. At the end of my stay... there was no diagnosis except maybe some sortof virus I had contracted. I can remember walking across the hospital parkinglot barely able to pick up my legs and thinking something was terribly wrong.This began a year long process of feeling like I had the flu with low gradefevers, body aches, severe fatigue and heightened sensitivities to myenvironment and the food I was eating. I fought that difficult battle for a fewyears and finally my physician told me that if we didn’t leave the toxic stateof Florida... it might kill me. We packed up our belongings and headed forCalifornia with a diagnosis of Environmental Illness. The virus that I hadcontracted basically wrecked havoc with my Immune System and my body was confusedas to what was good and what was bad…so it determined EVERYTHING was bad! Food,water, the air I was breathing and my environment!

Whenwe stepped off the plane in California I was allergic or intolerant to almosteverything! As my body tried to fight this terrible malady, it was weakened bythe fact that I could only tolerate eating three foods and I was rapidlydeteriorating. As my immune system remained on hyper-mode I was left towear a mask and had oxygen on hand in case I had a severe allergic reaction.Our reality caused us to be very frightened and the thoughts that lay heavilyupon our minds was what might lie ahead for us in our new life. At timeswe were very unsure of our next steps and even though we were walking into theunknown, we stepped out in faith believing that the Lord was leading us. Webelieved that as we left our appointed season in Florida we were stepping intoour abundant place in California. We knew we were leaving a rich season offellowship and ministry, but because the Lord was directing our steps, westepped out in faith believing California to be our land flowing with milk andhoney. So…we stepped out and trusted.

Myhealth went from bad to worse very quickly. For years I was confined to ourhome and a sterile "safe" environment because the world I had once knownwas making me very ill. We were confused and very disheartened because webelieved the Lord had led us to this place (our place of healing) and wetrusted in His promises. All our eyes could see was the struggle anddifficulty that lay before us, but in our hearts we knew God had a designed plan and purpose for my suffering. We knew the Lord was definitely with us andleading us... but our way/His way was NOT the way that we had expected. We hadn't considered this way (His way) might not be the easy way... because all we longed for was relief. Weoften think that when God is in control everything should be easier. Well,it doesn’t feel EASY or BETTER when He is taking you through yourprocess! Yes it is His determined way... and it is the BEST way...but what wedidn’t understand is that His way, at times, feels harder? What we didn'tunderstand was that we needed to go through our process first... so the Lord could accomplish the work that He needed to do IN us.

Don’t you know there's a refining fire? Don’t you know that grapes aresqueezed first then they become wine? It is the process thatcreates in us who God wants us to become. He was taking us toour Mountaintop but... we had to go through our valley first!The valley was long, dark and very terrifying. But as He took our hands in Hisand said, "Follow me," we trusted and followed. We believed...if weremained obedient and faithful He would surely provide!

Afterconsulting what felt like hundreds of doctors over the years with little or noresults and no answers of treatment, we ended up in a Clinic in Mexico. It wasan excruciating process that took us to a country that didn’t speak English andoffered experimental treatments. We believed in our hearts throughprayers and obedience that the Holy Spirit had led us to this place. What wecouldn’t understand was why the Lord needed to take us so far away fromeverything we knew to receive healing. We were terrified at the prospects ofbeing in a foreign country, but we stepped out in faith believing and trustingthat my healing would come despite what our eyes were seeing.

My husbandcarried me into the Clinic that day because I was too frail and weak to walk inmyself. We were terrified and overwhelmed as we were met at the door by doctorswho wanted to help. But we felt overwhelmed by the urgency and confusion ofbeing in this unconventional place. Exhausted and baffled by this mysteriousillness, we came to a willing place of complete surrender trusting everythinginto the hands of the Lord. There were many days when we struggled tocomprehend the environment that surrounded us, but because the Lord had led usto this place, we embraced the journey. The treatments were 10-14 dayslong each time and it was very difficult some days. As the daysmethodically went by we began to understand the magnitude of our 'step out infaith.' The realization of leaving everything familiar behind began to set in.Only then did we begin to understand that our only requirement was to standstrong in our faith, remain faithful in prayer and keep our eyes fixed on thepromises of God. Little by little… and inch by inch... we then began to see theLord move on our behalf.

We were ledto go back to that clinic three times within the next year and a half and eachtime we saw improvement. It wasn’t the expected end that we had longed for butit was a very good beginning to my healing process. Over the next few years Ibegan a steady climb upward. Man could not explain me or my illness but God wasdoing His work in me. He needed to take me on my own journey and through my ownvalley to mold and shape me into who He wanted me to become. Even though myjourney was long, hard and very dark I always knew the presence of the Almightywas there. Through every treatment I focused my eyes on Him and my expectedend. We knew that with each step forward it was a step closer to my healing. Weknew that if we listened close enough and surrendered our own will, that theLord would make our way clear. The minute we set our eyes on Jesus and took them off ofour circumstances, no matter how small or how large oursteps were, we began to see marked improvement!

There is waytoo much of my journey to share in just one Blog post! We had many ups anddowns as we walked and trusted! But, through all the uncertainty the one thingwe were always sure of was this ... that God had directed our steps...showed usHis Mercy and Compassion... and He NEVER left our side! I have a "newnormal" now and the Lord has restored my health and given me "newlife." We never doubted that our healing would come, but what wedid have to learn was patience and trust, while we waked our journey. And in that...we are thankful!

The onething I would share with any one of you that reads this Blog is that you have aHeavenly Father that loves you! He has amazing things for you and wants you tohave them all. He has more for you than you could even begin to imagine. All you have to do is surrender your life to Him. Your journey might notbe easy and you might not always understand the path that you're on, but ifyou set your hearts and minds on Jesus; He is the only thing that can heal,save or deliver you out of your difficulties… He will NEVER leave you norforsake you!

If youaren’t already walking with the lord I would encourage you to open up yourheart today and accept Jesus as your personal Savior. (See the prayer at thebottom of the page) Commit your life to following and serving Jesus. Give yourlife over to Him completely and allow Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit.

Or… if youfeel you are in a backslidden place in your Life and that your relationshipwith your Savior isn't where it should be, then I would encourage you torecommit your life to Christ. He has been waiting patiently for you to returnto Him and He welcomes you back into His loving arms.

Mycircumstances could have seemed very hopeless for us... but we found Hope inour Heavenly Father. I know Compassion, Mercy, Kindness, Love and Faithfulnesslike I have never known! I also know that if He did it for me… He will do itfor you also!

HeavenlyFather, I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of mySins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesusis your Son, And that he died on the Cross at Calvary that I might beforgiven and have Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, Ibelieve that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to comein to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my Sinsand will Worship you all the day's of my Life!. Because your word istruth, I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed bythe Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen

(If you haveprayed the prayer above, WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

I would loveto hear from you Emailme , rejoice with you and assist you

infinding a church home in your area.)

*Original Postwas shared on December 10, 2008

2011-05-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

We will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7 AMP

I believe in the name of the Lord—mighty, magnificent, majestic. I believe I can call upon the name of the Lord at any time, in any circumstance, for any reason. It is a good thing, the right thing, and the wise thing to call upon the name of the Lord. There is no name like His name—no other title is so splendid, no other declaration is so honorable, no other proclamation is so glorious, no other person is so praiseworthy!

I believe I can call upon the name of the Lord in prayer and petition, in supplication and intercession, in praise and thanksgiving. I call upon His name because He hears my call and listens to my cry, because He understands and cares about my situation, because He has all power to answer and move in my behalf.

In the name of the Lord I speak with conviction, act with boldness, live with confidence, walk with clarity, and minister with authority. I believe that the name of the Lord is completely dependable and reliable—in His name I put my trust, I set up my banner, I sing my praise, I find my courage, I express my worship, I take my stand, I move forward, I overcome, I am secure. Selah

Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus!

*Roy Lessin

~Taking a Break~

2011-04-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. I Timothy 1:17 KJV

I believe God is wise and has all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. I believe His wisdom is wiser than the wise, and His ways are higher than our ways. I believe His counsel is to be followed because it is wise counsel. I believe the decisions He makes for my life are made without error or lack of information. God is never misinformed or misguided.

I believe His wisdom, at all times, and in every situation, will lead me to make the right decision and to do the right thing. I believe His wisdom is good for me and best for me, and will guard me from doing anything foolish. His wisdom will always show me the way to glorify and honor Him. I believe His wisdom will direct me to make the highest choices, equip me to serve Him, and prepare me for what He has planned for my future. (Roy Lessin)

You are Loved. You are Blessed. And…HE is FOREVER FAITHFUL!

Love, Holly

Deceived By Sin

2011-04-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Heb 3:13-14NIV

Deceitfulness - causing you to 'err in your heart; trickery" Sin is tricky; it seldom appears as it really is. It always masks itself. It lies and deceives.

Beware of the deceitfulness of sin. Sin always promises freedom but in the end brings bondage. It promises life but instead brings death. Sin has a way of gradually binding a person until there is no way of escape, apart from the gracious intervention of the Lord. Even the bondage that sin creates is deceitful, for the people who are bound actually think they are free! Too late they discover that they are prisoners of their own appetites and habits.

Sin is always deceitful. It promises more than it performs. It assures us of pleasure which it never imparts. It leads us on beyond what was supposed when we began to indulge in it. The man who commits sin is always under a delusion; and sin, if he indulges it, will lead him on from one step to another until the heart becomes entirely hardened. Sin puts on plausible appearances and prefences; it assumes the name of virtue; it offers excuses and palliations, until the victim is snared, and then spell-bound he is hurried on to every excess. If sin was always seen in its true aspect when man is tempted to commit it, it would be so hateful that he would flee from it with the utmost abhorrence. Sin deceives, deludes, blinds. Men do not, or will not, see the fearful results of indulgence. They are deluded by the hope of happiness or of gain; they are drawn along by the fascinations and allurements of pleasure until the heart becomes hard and the conscience seared—and then they give way without remorse. From such a course, the apostle would have Christians guarded by kind and affectionate exhortation. Each one should feel that he has an interest in keeping his brother from such a doom; and each Christian thus in danger should be willing to listen to the kind exhortation of a Christian brother.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You that You are continually willing to forgive me and mold me into a whole person. Thank You for convicting me of my sins so that I can come humbly before You and confess them. Thank You that no matter how far I stray from Your ways, You will always receive me back when I repent and cry out to You for forgiveness. Forgive me for my sins today. Remind me whenever I stray from Your laws so that I can confess and repent and receive Your forgiveness. I don’t want any sin of mine to come between us. Cleanse me of all that is not of You. I worship You, O Lord, my Forgiver and Redeemer. In Jesus. Name. Amen.

*A Book of Prayer

Scripture Memory Verse Team-Verse 7

2011-04-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here we go…It’s time for SMVT #7.

I posted the commentary below along with today’s verse. Make sure to read the last 2 paragraphs of the commentary, which I feel, are the most important.

Don’t forget that we have all of our verses listed under ‘Audio Bible’ through BibleGateway.com's link. You can also listen to the audio version of our verse and read some new commentary. But, most importantly...PLEASE know you can join us at any time. If this is your first verse with us…welcome. If you are a hit and miss memorizer…welcome back. J

You are Loved. You are Blessed. And HE is…FOREVER FAITHFUL!

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1Corinthians 15:58 NIV,

COMMENTARY:

If we really believe and if we are truly thankful that our resurrection is sure, that we will be transformed from the perishable, dishonorable, weak, natural, mortal, and earthy to the imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual, immortal, and heavenly — we should therefore prove our assurance and our thankfulness by being steadfast, immovable [negative] and always abounding [positive] in the work of the Lord.

Hedraios (steadfast) literally refers to being seated, and therefore to being settled and firmly situated.

Ametakin¢tos (immovable) carries the same basic idea but with more intensity. It denotes being totally immobile and motionless. Obviously Paul is talking about our being moved away from God's will, not to our being moved within it. Within His will we are to be always abounding in the work of the Lord. But we should not move a hairbreadth away from His will, continually being careful not to be "tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming" (Eph 4:14).

Gordon Clark gives a helpful paraphrase of this verse: "Therefore we should mortify emotion, be steadfast, unchangeable, not erratic and scatterbrained, easily discouraged, and should multiply our good works in the knowledge that the Lord will make them profitable."

If our confident hope in the resurrection wavers, we are sure to abandon ourselves to the ways and standards of the world. If there are no eternal ramifications or consequences of what we do in this life, the motivation for selfless service and holy living is gone.

On the other hand, when our hope in the resurrection is clear and certain we will have great motivation to be abounding in the work of the Lord.

Perisseuœ (abounding) carries the idea of exceeding the requirements, of overflowing or overdoing. In Eph 1:7-8 the word is used of God's lavishing on us "the riches of His grace." Because God has so abundantly overdone Himself for us who deserve nothing from Him, we should determine to overdo ourselves (if that were possible) in service to Him, to whom we owe everything.

What a word Paul gives to the countless Christians who work and pray and give and suffer as little as they can! How can we be satisfied with the trivial, insignificant, short-lived things of the world? How can we "take it easy" when so many around us are dead spiritually and so many fellow believers are in need of edification, encouragement, and help of every sort? When can a Christian say, "I've served my time, I've done my part; let others do the work now"?

Reasonable rest is important and necessary. But if we err, Paul is saying, it should be on the side of doing more work for the Lord, not less. Leisure and relaxation are two great modern idols, to which many Christians seem quite willing to bow down. In proper proportion recreation and diversions can help restore our energy and increase our effectiveness. But they also can easily become ends in themselves, demanding more and more of our attention, concern, time, and energy. More than one believer has relaxed and hobbied himself completely out of the work of the Lord.

Some of God's most faithful and fruitful saints have lived to old age and been active and productive in His service to the end. Many others, however, have seen their lives shortened for the very reason that they were abounding, overflowing and untiring, in service to Christ. Henry Martyn, the British missionary to India and Persia, determined "to burn out for God," which he did before he was thirty-five. David Brainerd, one of the earliest missionaries to American Indians, died before he was thirty. We know very little of Epaphroditus, except that he was a "brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier" of Paul's who "came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life" (Phil 2:25,30). He became so lost in godly service that he literally became sick unto death because of it.

Until the Lord returns there are souls to reach and ministries of every sort to be accomplished. Every Christian should work uncompromisingly as the Lord has gifted and leads. Our money, time, energy, talents, gifts, bodies, minds, and spirits should be invested in nothing that does not in some way contribute to the work of the Lord. Our praise and thanksgiving must be given hands and feet. James tells us, "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).

Our work for the Lord, if it is truly for Him and done in His power, cannot fail to accomplish what He wants accomplished. Every good work believers do in this life has eternal benefits that the Lord Himself guarantees. "Behold, I am coming quickly," Jesus says, "and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done" (Rev 22:12). We have God's own promise that our toil [labor to the point of exhaustion] is not in vain in the Lord.

Relationship Ruptures

2011-04-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

"Speak Lord, for your servant is listening." 1 Sam 3:10 NIV

Over the past several weeks the Lord has been showing Himself to me through certain events in my life. As a result of these events I found myself on a diligent search to find answers once again. As I had my head in my bible and my heart open to His leading, the Lord reminded me of how we can learn through our challenges IF we come to Him with a willing and teachable heart, instead of an offended and critical spirit. When we lay our flesh aside long enough to look to Him first instead of our emotions, there are lessons to be learned and wisdom to be obtained through our testing. I had been this way before, but I knew in my heart that I was about to learn some truths that would change the course of my life. In knowing this I knew I had to be strong enough to lay down my pride and allow Him to reach down inside my heart and show me His truth.

As I began to allow the Lord to speak into my life, I found myself growing deeper in insight and began hearing His voice more clearly as I grew in understanding. I wasn’t at all surprised with the truths He showed me as I yielded and cried out for wisdom in my heart. Through the many things I learned, one of the most important lessons for me was learning about ruptures in relationships. Piece by piece the Lord began to show me what to do when relationship ruptures happen and how to prevent ruptures from happening in the future.

Relationship ruptures can happen between you and your spouse. They can happen in your friendships, between you and your children or with any of your loved ones. They can also happen with co-workers, acquaintances and employees. A relationship rupture is any occurrence that has caused a breach of peace in your life. Webster’s Dictionary calls a rupture- a breaking apart or a state of being broken apart; an open hostility between two nations. Escentially a rupture can happen when there’s conflict in relationships that causes trust to be destroyed, a harsh or critical word is spoken; there’s been a misunderstandings and the result is an indifferent tone, a pouty withdrawal or even as severe as divorce, betrayal or abandonment. You get the picture.

As I paid close attention over the weeks I began to realize that there were certain deliberate actions I needed to put into place to preserve my relationships. Little by little, as much as my heart could grasp, the Lord began to give me nuggets of truth to apply to my life.

The first words the Lord spoke into my heart were...

BE PRESENT!

Being present for me was embracing the moment. I needed to stop allowing outside influences to evade my time with my husband and my family. The Lord gently said, "Lay down your IPhone, IPad, and computer; set your chores and to do lists aside and just BE." While sitting at the dinner table with your spouse, focus on the two of you. Not work, not other people’s problems, not family issues…just you and your spouse. Being present is embracing and giving your attention and time to whomever it is you are with. Embrace that moment, that day, those hours and let the rest of the world take care of itself. The Lord had to remind me lately through our busy schedules that these moments are here today and gone tomorrow and we can’t have them back. So embrace today by being present! As my husband and I have put this ‘word of instruction’ into place in our lives we have begun to experience a richer more fulfilling marriage, family and relationship.

The next word the Lord spoke into my heart was...

‘Saying no to a request for your time that preserves the margins you need to live well.’ Read that again a few times if you have too. For ‘people pleasers’ this is a life changing word!

Saying NO…to a request for your time…that preserves the margins YOU NEED… to live well.

My husband and I broke that sentence up and burned it into our hearts. You HAVE to say NO! It’s as simple as that. You can become so consumed with the demands of other people, their lives, or their expectations that your life becomes swallowed up in pleasing them and you forget to take care of yourself. What’s best for you is not what’s always best for another. You can’t live your life trying to be accepted by your performance or what others think you should be or what they think you should be doing. You have to do what is best for you and your family and you HAVE to make sure your decisions to serve, work, and yes sometimes even play, fits into the margins with a life that is ‘lived well.’ What is a life that is lived well? A life ‘lived well’ is respecting your spouse and your family with your choices. Because, YES, your choices do effect them and their ability to ‘live well.’ By ‘not saying no’ you can cause ruptures in your relationships that could have devastating results, not only for you but for the other person as well. We ALL have to say NO! You know the old saying…Just because someone else doesn’t agree with your boundary doesn’t mean that YOUR boundary isn’t necessary in your life.

The last and MOST important word the Lord spoke over my life...

‘Create space to hear MY voice.’

What is creating space? It’s a section of time in your day, in your life or during a season that we shut everything down and listen for the Lord to speak into our hearts. It’s more than just a devotional time every day. It’s a purposeful act of turning life off and sitting in the presence of the Almighty. We MUST make room for the voice of the Lord. For me, I have to deny myself, set time aside and intentionally listen. Yes, it does take discipline. I know that we all have hectic and busy lives BUT…you can’t hear the voice of the Lord if you are filling up your day with activity. There are so many voices and distractions in our everyday lives and so many things we allow to creep into our hearts that it’s too easy to say, "I’ll take time for the Lord tomorrow..” If you want to hear the voice of the Lord… you have to be intentional in listening. Turn your phone off, the television off, take some time away from Facebook, close your laptop and seek the Lord. Sit quietly and listen. You would be amazed what the Lord will speak into your heart when you just listen for Him to speak. He has so many wondrous things to tell you but you have to stay still long enough to hear them. Create space to hear the voice of the Lord! Your entire life will change.

These three disciplines have become powerful tools in my life over the past several weeks. They might sound simple and you might have heard them before, but by putting these three instructions together and applying them to your marriage, family and relationships, God will bring about an amazing transformation in your life. Sometimes the Lord will take me on a journey I never expected and it will be through an event that wasn’t pleasant to walk through. But without fail when I set my eyes on Him and take them off myself the Lord speaks into my life in a mighty way. Most of the time it takes an intentional act on my part to listen and a diligent search through His word is required, but the benefits of your obedience will be rich and life giving. Is it easy? Absolutely not! It’s not easy. But, is it worth it? 100% YES!!!!

My prayer is sharing where I've been the past few weeks is that you'll find my words to be manna for your soul. These three principles will change your life and your relationships for the better. Not only with your Heavenly Father but in your marriage, family and friendships as well. I challenge YOU to put these '3 words of instruction' into practice. When you do... I'm certain you'll see God move in mighty ways in your life.

Remember...

*Be Present

*Say no to a request for your time

that preserves the margins you need

to live well.

*Create Space to hear God's voice.

You are Loved. You are Blessed. And HE is FOREVER Faithful!

*Written by Holly Watson

04/04/2011

Scripture Memory Verse Team-Verse 6

2011-03-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

It’s that time again. J SMVT #6 is upon us and I have set my heart and mind to get back on track again. OK, I'll admit it! I haven't been as focused on our verses as I had hoped to be, but I’m good to go now. You guys are supposed to be here cheering me on....where did everyone go? LOL! Don't leave a girl out here memorizing on her own. I need you guys to help me stay disciplined. I really DO want to accomplish memorizing our 24 verses for 2011, but I keep finding myself getting distracted. It really is a discipline! We have 18 verses to go before we meet our goal and I KNOW we can do it!!!!

Thank you so much to Shelly for providing our last verse (SMVT #5)… she was a lifesaver. And what a GREAT verse. I’ve held onto that verse many times during my walk. I’m certain that if you haven’t memorized Matthew 11:28 before, you’re blessed to have it tucked away in your heart now. It’s one of those ‘life verses’ that really gets you through tough times.

I’m sure some of you have read our next verse, Zephaniah 3:17, but I’m not sure if you’ve ever memorized it until now. This next verse, for me, is a Hallelujah verse. I know the words will hit your heart like they’ve hit mine once you read them. My Spirit jumps with excitement and I feel so humbled and comforted when I read Zephaniah 3:17. Hearing that the Lord takes delight in me with gladness fills my heart to the brim. And the reassurance of His love calming ALL my fears brings me such comfort. The best part for me is in the last verse, He rejoices over you with joyful songs! I can’t even comprehend what the ‘Joyful songs of the Lord’ would sound like! But in my heart I can hear and imagine that it is beautiful music and songs that my ears have never heard before. And to know that He rejoices over me…Holly… is AMAZING!

Think about that for a minute…

Your Heavenly Father rejoicing over you with joyful songs! WOW!

Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to mediating on this verse over the next few weeks and I’m certain it will change my life and my heart. As just a little reminder…Our goal in memorizing our verses is so that the words in scripture would become so personal to us that it changes our lives, our thinking and our hearts forever. We don’t want to memorize the words on the page just for the sake of accomplishing a task that we have set before us. We want to memorize each verse to change our heart and our lives, and we want to be able to apply these verses to our daily walk and circumstances. Try not to lose sight of that in your efforts to remember ‘words on a page.’ J

Like always, I will add Verse 6 to our link that takes you to Bible Gateway (under the Audio Bible) on the left side corner of this page. You can go there and choose your own translation (AMP, NIV, NAS, and NKJV), pick your own verse, read the commentary and look at our past Scripture Memory Verses. Having all those verses at my fingertips has been such a blessing in my life. I hope you have taken the time to look them over also. I love to stop by and see the good I’ve stored up in my heart and mind over the past few months by memorizing them.

Zephaniah 3:17 is below with Commentary. Let me know how you’re doing. Enjoy!

You are loved. You are Blessed. And…HE is FOREVER faithful!

For the Lord your God is living among you.

He is a mighty savior.

He will take delight in you with gladness.

With his love, he will calm all your fears.

He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." Zeph .3:17 NLT

The Lord your God is in your midst;

He is a warrior who can deliver.

He takes great delight in you;

He renews you by His love,
He shouts for joy over you.” Zeph. 3:17 NET

COMMENTARY--Promises of future favor and prosperity.

After the promises of taking away sin, follow promises of taking away trouble. When the cause is removed, the effect will cease. What makes a people holy, will make them happy. The precious promises made to the purified people, were to have full accomplishment in the gospel. These verses appear chiefly to relate to the future conversion and restoration of Israel, and the glorious times which are to follow. They show the abundant peace, comfort, and prosperity of the church, in the happy times yet to come. He will save; he will be Jesus; he will answer the name, for he will save his people from their sins. Before the glorious times foretold, believers would be sorrowful, and objects of reproach. But the Lord will save the weakest believer, and cause true Christians to be greatly honored where they had been treated with contempt. One act of mercy and grace shall serve, both to gather Israel out of their dispersions and to lead them to their own land. Then will God's Israel be made a name and a praise to eternity. The events alone can fully answer the language of this prophecy. Many are the troubles of the righteous, but they may rejoice in God's love. Surely our hearts should honor the Lord, and rejoice in him, when we hear such words of condescension and grace. If now kept from his ordinances, it is our trial and grief; but in due time we shall be gathered into his temple above. The glory and happiness of the believer will be perfect, unchangeable, and eternal, when he is freed from earthly sorrows, and brought to heavenly bliss.

Benefits of Forgiveness

2011-03-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

To forgive means many things in God’s kingdom. First and foremost, it demonstrates to others that God is at work in your heart, because forgiving others does not come naturally to most people. They would far rather hold on to grudges and bitterness and seek opportunities to get even if at all possible. So forgiving others is actually an act of God through your life.

Forgiving also releases the hold others have on your heart. As long as you have hatred, bitterness, envy, or anger towards others, you allow them power over you. When you forgive, their power over you evaporates. You no longer get angry in their presence, you can think clearly without emotions coloring your judgment, and you are free to act in their best interests. Forgiveness also releases you to love the other person instead of feeling vengeful, or bitter towards them. There is often a very physical reaction that accompanies forgiveness. Tension is gone, stress is reduced, joy returns, and peace fills your heart.

Satan does what he can to prevent forgiveness because there is so much he can do in a person’s life if forgiveness is not given. He can cripple a person’s usefulness in God’s kingdom for years, even decades, through anger and bitterness. Luke 7:4 is similar to Matthew 18:22 in that Christ commands His people to make forgiveness a constant habit, not a one-time occurrence. A command is not a choice or an option for God’s people; it is a command from our Lord. What we should remember is that Christ never commands something He is not willing to do or has not already done Himself. What it costs us to forgive someone’s sin against us is nothing compared to what it cost Christ to forgive all of our sins. When we have learned how to willingly give up our life for our enemies, we will begin to understand what Christ means by forgiveness. Thank God now for the magnitude of His forgiveness towards you and His ability to forgive people through your life.

* Mature Christians understand that forgiveness is not a cheap exchange of words, the way squabbling children often flippantly say 'I'm sorry" to each other. True forgiveness always involves pain; somebody has been hurt and there is a price to pay in healing the wound. Love motivates us to forgive, but faith activates that forgiveness so that God can use it to work blessings in the lives of His people.

*Encounters with God Daily Bible
*The Bible Exposition Commentary

Scripture Memory Verse Team - Verse 5

2011-03-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

A little late… but here is our new ‘Scripture Memory Verse’ for the next two weeks. Can you believe that we are on Verse 5 already? I hope I haven’t kept anyone waiting? But then again…I’m praying that you are still hanging in there with me and you have been patiently expecting our next verse. I have to admit I struggled with the last verse. We have been preparing to leave on a long weekend for a little business, rest and relaxation and I’ve found myself swamped and not able to focus very well. But I managed to memorize my own version of 1Kings 3:9! Woo Hoo! I haven’t heard a peep from most of you; so I hope that you managed better than I did this time?

Because of our schedule the past 2 weeks, I reached out and asked a very dear friend to choose today’s verse. Shelly chose Matthew 11:28 NASB. Below is an explanation of why this particular verse is so special to her along with some commentary to help us better apply this word to our daily lives. THANK YOU SHELLY!!!! It is such a blessing to know that I can reach out to all of you for help when I need it. I hope you ALL know you can do the same on my end as well?

Don't forget that ALL of our past verses, along with today's new verse, are posted on the top left corner of this page underneath the 'Audio Bible' with a link to BibleGateway.com. You are welcome to go to those links and read our past verses or look up a new verse of your own if you're choosing a different verse than Matthew 11:28.

So, without further delay…
Here is ‘Scripture Memory Verse Team’ Verse #5!

I chose Matthew 11:28 from the New American Standard Bible, also included below is the version from the Amplified Bible. This verse speaks directly to my heart as there was a point in my life that I was very weary and extremely burdened. I was scraping the bottom of the barrel, searching for a way out. Through the help of a loving family and many wonderful Christian friends I turned my life around and became a child of God, baptized a new creature. I am awed by the Grace, Mercy, Love, and most especially the Forgiveness that our Lord and Savior has for us all, if we open our hearts to receive His gifts. My prayer is that this verse will touch the heart of someone that is desperately in need of the Saving Grace He has to offer.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 NAS

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Matthew 11:28, Amplified Bible

Commentary: When we come to God as a Father, we must remember that He is Lord of heaven and earth, which obliges us to come to him with reverence as to the sovereign Lord of all; yet with confidence, as one able to defend us from evil, and to supply us with all good. Our blessed Lord added a remarkable declaration, that the Father had delivered into His hands all power, authority, and judgment. We are indebted to Christ for all the revelation we have of God the Father's will and love, ever since Adam sinned. Our Savior has invited all that labor and are heavy-laden to come unto Him. In some senses all men are so. Christ invites all to come to Him for rest to their souls. He alone gives this invitation; men come to Him, when, feeling their guilt and misery, and believing His love and power to help, they seek Him in fervent prayer. Thus it is the duty and interest of weary and heavy-laden sinners, to come to Jesus Christ. This is the gospel call; Whoever will, let him come. All who thus come will receive rest as Christ's gift and obtain peace and comfort in their hearts. But in coming to Him they must take His yoke, and submit to His authority. He accepts the willing servant, however imperfect the services. Here we may find rest for our souls and here only.

*Shelly Shearer

*Holly Watson

He Rescued Me

2011-02-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters." 2 Samuel 22:17

There's been times in my life when I've needed rescued. I would have done just about anything for the Lord to reach down His hand and lift me out of 'my deep waters.'

...eventually He did.

The Lord rescued me. He saved my life.

I'm not sure what you've walked through in your life. But I'm certain your way hasn't always been easy. Maybe you're still waiting for the Lord to 'reach down' and pull you out of your pit or rescue you from your place of distress. Being rescued might be the only cry of your heart right now and all you’ve got to hold onto is the Hope of reprieve. Don't lose Hope.

When needing rescued....you are desperate, afraid, uncertain and exhausted from waiting for God to answer your cries. Waiting. How long, O’Lord? Waiting. The heavens often feel silent and there seems no end in sight. But still you wait. Hope is everything because you believe that 'the God who rescues' will not forget you.

"David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him... 2Samuel 22:1

In 2Samuel 22, we see David has finally come to a place of relief. God has been faithful to rescue him from all his troubles and he sings with joyful praises to His God. As David sings his song to the Lord we hear him say, "he even feared death was upon him" at one point. But through everything he'd endured David describes the Lord as being his safety, his shield, his support, faithful, a Rock, the God who gives strength and a lamp that turns darkness into light.

If you've been anything like me in times of distress, it’s been hard for me to see the attributes of God when I'm suffering. The suffering tries to take precedence over what I know in my heart to be true. If you're physically not 'feeling' protected or strong and you’re shrouded in darkness it's hard to remember that this IS who God truly is. He hasn't changed or deserted you... especially now! He is your protector, your shield, your deliverer, and your Rock. He IS your strength in times of weakness, how do you think you made it this far? He IS your light in the deepest darkness, how do you account for making it through another day? He IS faithful and true, that is why you're here right now reading the words on this page. He is... You fill in the blank. What has He been to you in your life?

For me the Lord has been many things. And just like David He's been ‘the God who’s rescued me.’ Without being rescued from my afflictions and at times my darkness I honestly don’t know where I’d be today. As I look back over my life and see the journey I've been on... I'm amazed! And without the guiding, healing, merciful and loving hand of God upon me, I know that I know... my life would be very different.

Hold on. Don't give in or give up. There's more for you than this place of despair. You haven’t been forgotten. I know this darkness has held you captive too long. Your time IS now! Just like I had to do (and sometimes still do) just take one step at a time and one day at a time with Hope in your heart and your eyes fixed on Jesus. Step out of your darkness, with the hand of God leading you, and into His glorious light. It’s not easy. But you can do it. Lay it all down. Trust and surrender.

He is... here to rescue you!

*Holly Watson

'Going Deeper With Holly'

02/20/2011

God’s Promise in the Wilderness

2011-02-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Josh 1:5 NIV

I can say with almost100% certainty that we’ve all been in the wilderness. And if you can honestly say that you haven’t experienced the wilderness in your walk with God, then consider yourself VERY BLESSED!

If you’ve spent any time on ‘A Deeper Walk With Holly’ you already know we’ve wandered around in our own wilderness many times. It’s not a pleasant place to exist. And that’s exactly what most of us feel like while we’re in our wilderness... that we're existing. Living to us is making it through another day, striving to reach the end of our pain, while holding onto God’s word with weary hands. We want to hold onto God’s promises, but the darkness is relentless in trying to overshadow us. I know people right now that are wandering around in their wilderness. They are confused, desperate and at their wits end with the pain they are enduring. To them they see no end in sight... until God intervenes!

I can remember with painful vividness what it’s like to have nothing to hold onto but God’s word and His promises. I searched the scriptures each day with trembling hands and a desperate heart to find something that would give me comfort. I would sleep with my bible on my head asking God to fill me with His word and the Hope that I could make it through another day. I had to find my way to the light in my darkness, and the only way I knew how to do that was to saturate myself in God’s word and His promises. I held onto the promises of God because I had nothing left to hold onto. And even though it was hard to trust and all I saw was darkness before me, I knew that God’s promises remained the same and were true. I knew that His word would never fail me. (Psalm 31:7) So, with a tight grip and Hope in my heart, I held fast to God's word. And I trusted in His promises.

God gives us many promises in His word. Just search through your concordance or bible software and type in the word promise and you will find over 5,000 search results that come up. God’s entire communication with us can be summed up as “I promise.”

James McDonald gives a quote that says,

“You can put your whole weight on the promises of God and He will hold you up. He will sustain you in seasons of trial. He will walk with you in daily paths. He says, I’m God and I stake My reputation on the promise that “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

The promise that God will be with you is no less than incredible. He has not left you wondering about what’s going to happen, or uncertain about the future, or overcome by fear. He makes His promises to you so you can get through the long nights and the difficult days of ‘waiting.’ He asks you to hang on to His assurances of determined outcomes (His word) to get through the dark times when life is hard. James McDonald

While you stand gripping life with both hands waiting in your wilderness for God’s purposed outcome, don't lose sight of where God's taking you. Hold onto His word and His promises. He won’t leave you wandering around in the darkness. He's seen your end from the very beginning. And He's there with you even when you can't feel Him. Draw close to Him, search for His ways and follow His leading.

No, we don’t always know His purposes or His predetermined path for our lives, but what we do know is that His Love abounds and His Mercies never fail. Be assured that the Lord is near. Trust in His ways and in His timing. You WILL walk out of your wilderness and into your abundant place!

Scripture References:

Jeremiah 32:27

Psalm 27:13

Deuteronomy 31:8

Psalm 34:18

*Holly Watson

02/17/2011

Scripture Memory Verse Team-Verse 4

2011-02-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

“Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?” 1Kings 3:9 The Message

So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge and rule this Your great people? 1 Kings 3:9 AMP

Probably more than anything else in my life, I have a longing to walk in wisdom and discernment. As my desire remains to walk in obedience to the Lord, I also pray that I might serve God’s people well. And in serving His people well, Godly wisdom and spiritual discernment beyond my years, are my heart’s desire. Wisdom is what Solomon asks for in his prayer in 1Kings 3:9. As I seek wisdom, discernment and understanding in my own walk, I want to focus on 1Kings 3:9 as our 4^th Scripture Memory Verse. I think walking in wisdom is key to living an abundant life. This verse is definitely one that I want my mind to understand, focus on and pray for the next 2 weeks.

I have posted 1 Kings Chapter 3: 9-15 below, so you can read verse 9 in context with the rest of Solomon’s prayer. I have also added quite a bit of commentary for you to read through if you are interested in ‘digging deeper’ into this verse. Absolutely LOVE this chapter of scripture.

You can choose my scripture verse for the next two weeks or you can choose your own. Don’t forget the link I have posted on the upper left corner of this page under ‘Audio Bible’ that takes you to BibleGateway.com to listen to, read commentary or just search for your own verse. Also listed there are our past memory verses.

As always let me know how you are doing and I will try to check in on your over the next 2 weeks. I know my life will be changed by memorizing this scripture. And I believe, that yours will be too!

You are Loved. You are Blessed. And…He is Forever Faithful!

1 Kings 3--Solomon Asks for Wisdom

⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” ¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

1 Kings 3:9 Commentaries—Solomon’s vision and his prayer for wisdom.

Solomon's dream was not a common one. While his bodily powers were locked up in sleep, the powers of his soul were strengthened; he was enabled to receive the Divine vision, and to make a suitable choice. God, in like manner, puts us in the ready way to be happy, by assuring us we shall have what we need, and pray for. Solomon's making such a choice when asleep, and the powers of reason least active, showed it came from the grace of God. Having a humble sense of his own wants and weakness, he pleads, Lord, I am but a little child. The more wise and considerate men are, the better acquainted they are with their own weakness, and the more jealous of themselves. Solomon begs of God to give him wisdom. We must pray for it, Jas 1:5, that it may help us in our particular calling, and the various occasions we have. Those are accepted of God, who prefer spiritual blessings to earthly good. It was a prevailing prayer, and prevailed for more than he asked. God gave him wisdom, such as no other prince was ever blessed with; and also gave him riches and honour. If we make sure of wisdom and grace, these will bring outward prosperity with them, or sweeten the want of it. The way to get spiritual blessings, is to wrestle with God in prayer for them. The way to get earthly blessings, is to refer ourselves to God concerning them. Solomon has wisdom given him, because he did ask it, and wealth, because he did not.

1 Kings 3:6-9 Petition (vv. 6-9). Solomon's prayer was brief and to the point, and it was spoken with true humility, for three times he called himself "your servant." First, Solomon reviewed the past and thanked God for the faithfulness and steadfast love shown to his father (v. 6). Solomon acknowledged God's goodness in keeping his father through many trials and then giving him a son to inherit his throne. Solomon is referring here to the covenant God gave to David when he expressed his heart's desire to build a temple for God (2 Sam 7). In that covenant, God promised David a son who would build the temple, and Solomon was that son. Solomon admitted that he wasn't the king because God recognized his abilities but because He kept His promises to his father David.

Then, Solomon moved into the present and acknowledged God's grace in making him king (v. 7). But he also confessed his youthfulness and inexperience and therefore his desperate need for God's help if he was to succeed as Israel's king. Solomon was probably twenty years old at this time and certainly much younger than his advisers and officers, some of whom had served his father. He called himself a "little child" (1 Chron 22:5; 29:1 ff), a mark of both honesty and humility. The phrase "to go out or come in" refers to giving leadership to the nation (Num 27:15-17; Deut 31:2-3; 1 Sam 18:13,16; 2 Kings 11:8).

In his prayer, the king not only confessed his own smallness but also the nation's greatness (v. 8). The people of Israel were the people of God! This meant that God had a great purpose for them to fulfill on earth and that their king carried a great responsibility in ruling them. God had multiplied the nation and fulfilled His promise to Abraham (Gen 12:2; 13:16; 15:5), Isaac (Gen 26:1-5), and Jacob (Gen 28:10-14), and Solomon wanted the blessing to continue.

The king concluded his prayer by anticipating the future and asking the Lord for the wisdom needed to rule the nation (v. 9). Wisdom was an important element in Near Eastern life and every king had his circle of "wise men" who advised him. But Solomon didn't ask for a committee of wise counselors; he asked for wisdom for himself. In that day, the wise person was one who was skillful in the management of life. It meant much more than the ability to make a living; it meant the ability to make a life and make the most out of what life might bring. True wisdom involves skill in human relationships as well as the ability to understand and cooperate with the basic laws God has built into creation. Wise people not only have knowledge of human nature and of the created world, but they know how to use that knowledge in the right way at the right time. Wisdom isn't a theoretical idea or an abstract commodity; it's very practical and personal. There are many people who are smart enough to make a good living but they aren't wise enough to make a good life, a life of fulfillment that honors the Lord.

Solomon asked God to give him "an understanding heart," because no matter how smart the mind may be, if the heart is wrong, all of life will be wrong. "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Prov 4:23, NKJV). The word translated "understanding" means "hearing"; Solomon wanted a "hearing heart." True understanding comes from hearing what God has to say, and to the Old Testament Jew, "hearing" meant "obeying." When the Lord speaks to us, it's not that we might study and pass judgment on what He said, but that we might obey it. An understanding heart has insight and exercises discernment. It is able to distinguish the things that differ (Phil 1:9-11). It knows what is real and what is artificial, what is temporal and what is eternal. This kind of understanding is described in Isa 11:1-5, a prophecy concerning the Messiah. Believers today can claim the promise of James 1:5. (from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.)

Dreams indicate character: -- Tell me your dreams, and I will read the riddle of your life. Tell me your prayers, and I will write the history of a soul. Tell me your askings, and I will tell you your gettings. Tell me what you seek, and I will tell you what you are. I do not wish to know your possessions -- only your wants. I do not care to know what you have -- only what you have not, and desire to have; not your attainments, but what you have not yet attained and follow after. That Which comes to you in your victories by day and your dreams by night, the ideal you set before you, the things which you approve as excellent, what you seek after and have given your heart to, these are the measure of the man. In a truer sense than Shakespeare meant, "We are such stuff as dreams are made on." They have no price in the market, but they, and they alone, give worth and dignity to life. (Hugh Black, M. A.)

Wisdom: -- To look through the shows of things, into things themselves.

A Leap of Faith...

2011-02-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

NOW [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father's house, to the land that I will show you…So Abram departed, as the Lord had directed him. Genesis 12

We live by faith, moment by moment, placing our trust and confidence in the Lord, knowing that it is in Him we live and move and have our being. We walk by faith, taking faithful steps of obedience as the Holy Spirit directs us through the daily activities of life. There are also times when we are lead by the Lord to take a leap of faith.

A leap of faith is not a leap into the dark, a leap of recklessness, a leap of presumption, or a leap of wild speculation. Rather, it is a leap of faith into a major decision or commitment that we are confident God is directing us to take. A leap of faith can mean a major change in our lives that takes us down a new pathway and away from the familiar, the convenient, or the comfortable.

A leap of faith can often come following an extended time of waiting on the Lord. During those waiting times, God wants us to be still. When the time is right, God will confirm the way, arrange the circumstances, and assure us of His timing. When the waiting time is over, God does not want us to linger, but to take a leap of faith into the change.

Vance Havner likens a leap of faith to something he did as a boy called “Gully Jumping.” Here is what he says about it:

“Gully jumping means getting across a gully in one leap. The secret is in getting a good running start and going over on the first try. If you were to run up to the brink and then have your courage fail so that you had to go back and start all over, that would be disastrous. It would be just twice as hard to do next time.

Gully jumping illustrates a very vital principle in the Christian life of faith. Nothing is more disastrous than to study faith, analyze faith, make noble resolves of faith, but never actually make the leap of faith. It is running up to the edge of a gully but never jumping. Each time the process is repeated, it becomes more difficult to make the leap of full committal to the truth one knows…we do not get over the gully by feeling like it or by thinking about it. We have to call on the will and jump…no man ever jumped toward Christ but found beneath him the Everlasting Arms.” –Vance Havner

Is there a gully you need to jump? Are you at a place in your walk with the Lord when it is time to take a leap of faith? Is the Spirit saying to you, “The waiting is over, it is time to move forward?” May your heart be encouraged today to do what the Lord is directing you to do, and may you be assured that beneath you are His everlasting arms.

*Meet Me in the Meadow

http://roy.dayspring.com/

Scripture Memory Verse Team-Verse 3

2011-01-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

Ok everyone. Here is our 3^rd Scripture Memory Verse. I chose Deuteronomy 31:8 from the Amplified Bible. I absolutely love this passage of scripture. What a promise! This verse is very special to me, especially at this particular time in my Christian walk. I chose the Amplified Bible, even though it’s a much longer verse, because I love the wording in this particular translation. You can choose my verse or you can choose your own for the next two weeks. You might find this verse to be a little bit more challenging because of all the words. So, I completely understand if you choose your own.

Don’t forget you can click on Deuteronomy 31:8 (top left under Audio Bible) and it will take you to Bible Gateway where you can read other translations (NIV, NLT, ASV). Be Blessed these next two weeks as you meditate on God’s word. I will be checking in on you. J

You are Loved, You are Blessed and He is forever Faithful!

It is the Lord who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit--depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm]. Deuteronomy 31:8

Commentary: Moses encourages the people, and Joshua.

Moses assures Israel of the constant presence of God with them. This is applied by the apostle to all God's spiritual Israel, to encourage their faith and hope; unto us is this gospel preached, as well as unto them; he will never fail thee, nor forsake thee, Heb 13:5. Moses commends Joshua to them for a leader; one whose wisdom, and courage, and affection they had long known; one whom God had appointed to be their leader; and therefore would own and bless. Joshua is well pleased to be admonished by Moses to be strong and of good courage. Those shall speed well, who have God with them; therefore they ought to be of good courage. Through God let us do valiantly, for through him we shall do victoriously; if we resist the devil, he will flee from us.

Prayer Requests & Praise Reports

2011-01-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

We receive many prayer requests in our private email on a daily basis. Some days it’s hard for me to send out a personal email to everyone allowing you to join in with us as we pray for those in need. But, without fail, when I do send out any prayer requests the response is overwhelming. Your dedication to pray for one another is beautiful. And because of that response, I’m going to dedicate a new page for ‘Prayer Requests and Praise Reports.’ This page and the postings on it are for anyone who wants to participate. You can submit a prayer request, update us on a prayer request that’s already been posted, give us a praise report or simply just interact with someone that might need comforted during their difficult time. Using this page as a ‘community in prayer’ can be a powerful way to support your brothers and sisters in Christ. If you don’t feel comfortable posting your own request, you are still welcome to personally email me any time. What this page does is give us all an opportunity to minister to one another as a body of believers more freely.

I know a lot of you have had difficulty with Blogger’s comment section so I'm working on inserting a widget that will hopefully allow everyone to post comments without difficulty. My prayer is that we will have success for now using the current comment section so we can begin a forum to communicate with one another in our times of need. Be patient, I will update the comment box ASAP. I have always believed that this type of community can be very uplifting and helpful when used properly. My prayer in starting this page is that we all have a comfort in knowing that when hard times do come upon us, you feel reassured that you're not alone. You have people surrounding you that want to love you, pray for you and care for you.

You are Loved, You are Blessed and He is Forever Faithful!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR PRAYER WALL

http://graceforusdevotional.blogspot.com/p/prayer-requests-praise-reports.html

UPDATE...

2011-01-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

I thought I'd take a minute and check in on “my peeps” this beautiful California evening. J I don't want to rub it in but...it has been a warm, beautiful week out here on the West Coast. Definitely beach weather. The picture above is just a few miles from where we live. Nice, right? I know alot of you are back in the cold and snow. I have thought of you every minute this week, praying that you are all safe and warm. Some day, very soon, we are going to have the reunion I dream about. I'm praying the Lord will bless us with a face to face meeting this life-time, and what better place to do it than out here in beautiful California, Hey, a girl can pray BIG can't she!!! Wouldn't that be a great day! Meeting all of you would be such a Joy in my life.

Anyway, how is everyone doing on your Scripture Memory Verse? This sessions verse is Isaiah 33:6, He is your constant source of stability; He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; He gives all this to those who fear Him. What a GREAT verse this has been for me! And…I’ll have you know that I typed that without even looking!!! J With each verse I find my memorization gets better. Amazing what happens when you “stretch” your brain. And with good thoughts to boot!

As we rapidly approach the end of memorizing our second verse, I hope that you are all still hanging in there? Memorizing our verses continues to be very helpful for me in my daily walk. I pray that you are reaping the benefits of meditating on God’s word in your own life as well. I will be posting our 3^rd verse this Sunday so you have a few days left to buckle down and allow that amazing scripture verse to get into your Spirit. Keep at it! I’m so inspired by all of you and your discipline to want to learn more of God’s word.

REMEMBER...You can join in with us at anytime. I have all of the past verses posted as links on the upper left page under 'Audio Bible.'

Worth mentioning in the post also is that I changed our Blog Name and Facebook Page name to Grace Moments. As our Blog has evolved, I felt it was time for a change. So, if you see an email in your inbox that says, Grace Moments…that’s us!

Also, I wanted to throw a question out there to all of you. I have a really old post that is titled ‘Friday Laughter’ that someone views EVERY DAY! Would one of you want to share if you are the one that logs into our Blog and views that post every day? I am SO intrigued with how that short little video has impacted your life that you take time each day to watch it. I’m praying that the Joy of the Lord fills your heart every time you watch!

Ok! So, that’s it for now. I will be posting our new verse on Sunday. I’m always open for suggestions and LOVE hearing how you are doing.

You are Loved. You are Blessed. And…He is Forever Faithful!

Just Enough Light For The Step I'm On...

2011-01-23T17:01:00.000-08:00

More and more, God is teaching me to trust Him for every step I take. He constantly calls me to stretch beyond what’s comfortable. To walk through new territory when I would rather stay with the familiar. To face difficult physical, mental, and emotional challenges. To do things I know I can’t achieve by myself without His power. Each time something is required of me that I’m certain I am unable to accomplish in my own strength; I see a picture of just one or two steps being illuminated, while those before and after are engulfed in darkness and cannot be seen. This describes my walk with God. I trust Him for each day of life, grateful for every breath, determined to look for the blessing in the moment, no matter what the circumstances. I follow His lead—even when I can’t see where I’m going, even when it scares me to do so—because deep within my spirit I know that these simple steps of faith are preparing me for eternity.

Prayer…

Father God, I don’t want to take one step without You. I reach up for Your hand and ask that You lead me in Your way. Thank You that no matter where I am right now, even if I have gotten way off course, in this moment as I put my hand in Yours, You will make a path from where I am to where I need to be. And You will lead me on it. I love that Your grace abounds to me in that way. Keep me on the path You have for me and take me where You want me to go. “Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You”. (Psalm 143:8). I know that when I try to run the race without You, I get off course. So I commit this day to walk Your way. Thank You that even if I become weak and stumble, You will help me to rise again and continue on. And though I can’t see exactly where I am going, I’m certain that You can and will enable me to get to where I need to be. Thank You, Lord, that You are teaching me how to walk in total dependence upon You, for I know therein lies my greatest blessing.

O’ Lord, I know the way of man

Is not in himself; it is not in man who

Walks to direct his own steps. Jeremiah 10:23

* Stormie Omartian

Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On-

Trusting God in Tough Times

Scripture Memory Verse Team--Verse 2

2011-01-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here we go...
Can you believe that two weeks have passed and it’s time to move on to our new scripture verse? It’s hard to believe how quickly the time has passed. I did pretty well with memorizing my first verse (Deut. 1:31). It took some discipline, but I had most of my verse down the first week.

As I thought about all of you these past few weeks, I wondered how many of you were able to stick with it. I couldn’t help but wonder if some of you even attempted to join us, or if you were overwhelmed at the thoughts of even trying. I hope that you tried. And I pray that you not only tried, but you succeeded.

If I’m correct, I think a lot of you have had some past experience with memorization? I have too. But this time the process felt really different for me. I don’t know why, maybe its age? Maybe it’s because I really want to do it. Maybe it’s because you're all here with me? It’s probably all of the above. But what I do know after these first two weeks, is that memorizing Deut. 1:3 has made a difference in my life.

Probably like most of you, memorizing scripture has always felt like such a huge task. I’d always put off any new thoughts of memorization, because my past attempts often ended in failure. So, when I set out to do this again, I wasn’t prepared for the impact this one scripture verse would have on my life. I hadn’t expected, as the days went on, how these words would become so near and dear to my heart. As I repeated my verse time after time, day after day, the words became important manna (food for the soul) for me. I found that the deeper and deeper the verses began to penetrate my heart, the Lord began revealing Himself to me. He started showing me many things about our walk together and how many times He’s carried me through my life. The reality of where He has brought me through my process has touched me in a profound way. If I hadn’t realized what the Lord had done for me before my memorization of Deut. 1:31, I sure do now! I truly hope that all of you have had the same positive experience with your verse. This process can be life changing! So… I’m proud to say, I have Deut. 1:31 memorized! YAY!

Now that brings us to our new verse. As I began to search the scriptures, there were so many verses that spoke to me that I had a hard time choosing. I must have had about ten verses bookmarked and just couldn’t decide. So I decided that this time I would let my daughter choose. And she chose and awesome verse, Isaiah 33:6 New English Translation.

He is your constant source of stability; He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; He gives all this to those who fear Him. Isaiah 33:6 NET

Isn’t that a GREAT verse? He is our ‘constant source’ of stability! Just chew on that for a while. The word constant means, continuing without cause; unceasing. Something that does not or cannot change! Steadfast. And that’s only the fourth word in our new verse. I can’t wait to see what the Lord does in my life these next two weeks with the words constant, stability, abundantly, safety AND wisdom! Really powerful!

I couldn’t find any in-depth Commentary for this verse but I will continue to look and share in a future post. In the meantime I would love to hear from you through our comments section, Facebook or email. Let me know how you're doing. Some of you were brave enough to give me your cell phone numbers. So, don’t you worry... I will be texting you to help you out.

Also, remember that I have all of the verses bookmarked with a link on the left hand side of the page under our "Audio Bible.' It's a great way to keep track of all the verses if you are memorizing the ones that I choose.

You are Loved, You are Blessed. And He is forever Faithful!

Checking In...

2011-01-09T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

I thought I’d check in on all of you today and see how you’re coming along with your Memory Verse. We have been having some fun on our end by seeing who can memorize our verse first. Can you tell we are a competitive family? And…maybe a little ‘nerdy’ too! My daughter seems to think she is a ‘smarty pants’ and has the verse memorized already… and is asking for the next verse! I told her she has to wait it out like the rest of us (until next Sunday) and to focus on the commentary. I LOVE the commentary, don’t you? Thank you D’Ann for that GREAT idea! Who made kids so smart these days, anyhow??? She had her verse memorized in 3 days, word for word. It takes us ‘old people’ a little more time!!! I think I made the mistake of looking at too many translations of my verse initially and they all started getting jumbled together. My ‘old’ brain can’t handle all that information at one time anymore. But I think I’ve finally got it. Next time I have to stay focused on one particular translation. I’m hoping that will make my process easier.

I hope everyone is having success with your verse and that you haven’t become discouraged and given up. I was trying to figure out a clever way of bringing all of us (everyone across the country) together through this process; I even considered swapping cell phone numbers with you so we could text each other and cheer each other on. Ha Ha Ha! I found myself dying to do that this week. I wanted to shoot each of you a text with a little note of encouragement letting you know that you’re not alone. AT&T would love me for that one! You know if I had your numbers I would be SO tempted.

I know it’s hard to get motivated to memorize scripture with our busy lives, but I hope that you’ve found this experience (like me) to be a positive one. I have really been able to refocus my mind on God’s word more and off of all the junk and negative thoughts that want to come into my thinking every day. It has been refreshing!

So…that brings me to reminding you, we have a week left! And, if anything, I hope the little note motivates you to keep at it. I would love to hear how you are doing and if you have created fun ways of memorizing your verse with family or friends. J Stay with it! You are loved, you are blessed and He is forever faithful!

In His Grace,

Holly

A little side note…I’m trying to come up with a name for all of us who are participating in our Memory Verse Team. Have any suggestions? And don't forget our link at the top of the page, under the 'Audio Bible' that will take you to all our memory verses.

And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’

Deuteronomy 1:31

COMMENTARY: Moses reminds the Israelites of their march from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, through that great and terrible wilderness. He shows how near they were to a happy settlement in Canaan. It will aggravate the eternal ruin of hypocrites that they were not far from the kingdom of God. As if it were not enough that they were sure of their God before them, they would send men before them. Never any looked into the Holy Land, but they must own it to be a good land. And was there any cause to distrust this God? An unbelieving heart was at the bottom of all this. All disobedience to God's laws, and distrust of his power and goodness, flow from disbelief of his word, as all true obedience springs from faith. It is profitable for us to divide our past lives into distinct periods; to give thanks to God for the mercies we have received in each, to confess and seek the forgiveness of all the sins we can remember; and thus to renew our acceptance of God's salvation, and our surrender of ourselves to his service. Our own plans seldom avail to good purpose; while courage in the exercise of faith, and in the path of duty, enables the believer to follow the Lord fully, to disregard all that opposes, to triumph over all opposition, and to take firm hold upon the promised blessings. (IVP NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES)

Scripture Memory Verse Team-Week 1

2011-01-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone for your excitement and participation in our ‘2011 Scripture Memory Verse Team’ challenge. I’m getting off to a great start with my first verse, Deuteronomy 1:31, of 2011. Our first week is almost over and as the week has gone on, I have decided to break my scripture verse up into parts. By breaking my verse up into parts, it has not only helped me to retain my verse more easily, it has also allowed me to meditate on the meaning of the words in my verse. As I have focused more on the words in each section of my verse, I can honestly say that the power behind each word chosen in scripture has had an amazing impact on me. Doing this has definitely helped me to see where the Lord is moving in my life, not only currently, but how He has moved in my life through past circumstances. This has been a very powerful and humbling experience for me.

I’m praying that all of you are having success with your memorization as well. I know trying to memorize scripture can be a daunting task with all the burdens that try to preoccupy our minds each day. But remember what the benefits are of filling our mind with the Word of God. These words are life for those who find them. These words far exceed the thoughts and words that the enemy of this world wants to throw at us and have us focus on each day. We can overcome by the Word of God! Don't become discouraged if you are unable to memorize your verse, the most important part of the challenge is that we are meditating on the Word of God in 2011.

A footnote…As we have received encouragement and positive feedback, the idea has been suggested to add commentary to each scripture verse. I LOVE the idea of learning what each verse means along with our memorization! So, with today’s post, I have added the commentary for our first ‘Scripture Memory Verse’. I will continue to add commentary with each new verse as the weeks go on. I have also added a new link to our ‘Grace Devotional Blog’ (left hand side under the ‘Audio Bible’) where you will be able to click on each week’s Memory Verse and the link will take you to several translations of our current verse along with a way to listen through audio and read more commentary on that particular verse. As we go along, I will add on each weeks verse so that we are able to go back and reread our verses and see our progress. If you are using your own verse, this link might help you choose your next verse. look up your current verse or review our progress so far. I think this will prove to be an easy way to have access to our memory verses during our two weeks of meditating and memorizing them. And overall, at the end of 2011, we will have before us all of our memorized scripture verses.

Below is our first ‘Memory Verse’ along with its commentary. Let me know how you are doing. Please use the comments section…

And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’

Deuteronomy 1:31

COMMENTARY: Moses reminds the Israelites of their march from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, through that great and terrible wilderness. He shows how near they were to a happy settlement in Canaan. It will aggravate the eternal ruin of hypocrites that they were not far from the kingdom of God. As if it were not enough that they were sure of their God before them, they would send men before them. Never any looked into the Holy Land, but they must own it to be a good land. And was there any cause to distrust this God? An unbelieving heart was at the bottom of all this. All disobedience to God's laws, and distrust of his power and goodness, flow from disbelief of his word, as all true obedience springs from faith. It is profitable for us to divide our past lives into distinct periods; to give thanks to God for the mercies we have received in each, to confess and seek the forgiveness of all the sins we can remember; and thus to renew our acceptance of God's salvation, and our surrender of ourselves to his service. Our own plans seldom avail to good purpose; while courage in the exercise of faith, and in the path of duty, enables the believer to follow the Lord fully, to disregard all that opposes, to triumph over all opposition, and to take firm hold upon the promised blessings. (IVP NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARIES)

*BibleGateway.Com

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Dt.%201:31&version=NIV;NLT;ASV;MSG

Your Will, Lord!

2010-12-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

…nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Luke 22:42

As many of you have read Holly's testimony, I am certain that God has blessed you by all that He has done in her life as I hope you have learned to see He will also do in yours. However, my heart was recently stirred to share a brief personal testimony for those of you in the place of having to watch your own loved one suffer through their painful and often life-threatening circumstances. My prayer is that you too will come to see the Lord and Savior in a new way and experience the same life-transformation as I have. May you be blessed and encouraged.

I remember sitting in the hospital room alone by the bed where my wife was resting. She had just endured another series of tests the doctors were completing in their diligent search for the cause of the unknown illness that had overtaken her weakened body. Discouraged and lost in the midst of a heartbreaking circumstance of being without my young children while having to watch the pain and suffering their mother was experiencing, I looked up at the IV bottle hanging on the cold metal stand. At the time I wanted nothing less than immediate answers and a miraculous healing, but all I could see was the clear solution drip ever so slowly down the long tube attached to her arm. And with a tear in my eye, I can remember crying out in my heart to the Lord saying, "Really, Lord...this is all we get...this is all that it amounts to?"

Reflecting on that moment now almost 10 years later, I obviously did not understand all that the Lord had planned and purposed to accomplish through what would become a very long, difficult illness for my wife and a life-transforming journey for our entire family. I obviously could not have possibly understood all of His plans and all of His purposes that would be accomplished and fulfilled far beyond a simple healing request - far beyond even my own thoughts and deepest imaginations. For I also remember that it would not be until several months later as the journey progressed that He would then respond to my questioning heart cry and say, "This is the way...walk in it." It was certainly not a response that I wanted to hear at the time. However, as I learned to trust Him, those words would soon be clearly understood and over the years that followed would even become deeply cherished. For it was a response that would ultimately lead to the act of giving up of my own life for a renewed and rewarding life in Him.

My sincere hope in sharing this brief testimony would be to encourage others, wherever they may be, in the midst of their own difficult circumstances. My encouragement would be for those who do not have immediate answers to their questions or prayers...who do not understand the nature of the fiery circumstances ablaze in their life or in the lives of those closest to them. My encouragement would be to point them to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For even though He did ultimately die on the cross, it was in the Garden that He actually gave up His life to His loving heavenly Father when He said, "Not my will, but Thine be done." My encouragement would be for those seekers to surrender to His Will and do the same, as it will profoundly change their life forever. To His Glory and Honor I pray!

*Frank Watson

Read Holly's Testimony

http://graceforusdevotional.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-testimony.html

TRUSTING GOD TO DO THINGS HIS WAY....

2010-12-06T17:23:00.000-08:00

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55:9

Every person has things they're believing for, situations they want to see changed, and dreams God has placed in their hearts. But sometimes, we try to figure out how it's all going to happen. If we're not careful, we'll put God in a box and try to tell Him how to do it, when to do it, and where to do it. Today's scripture tells us that God's ways are not our ways. They are higher and better than our ways.

If you don't get your way, if things don't happen on your timetable, instead of getting discouraged, why don't you believe that God has something better in store? Just because it doesn't happen your way doesn't mean it's not going to happen. Remember, God has a plan. He's got it all figured out. Don't limit Him by trying to get it done your way. Instead, simply say, "God, I'm trusting You. I know You have my best interest at heart. And even if I don't get my way, I'm going to stay open and believe that You're still directing my steps into the abundant life You have for me."

Heavenly Father, I choose to trust You. I cast ALL my cares on You. I give You my plans, dreams, and desires for the future. Thank You for working behind the scenes on my behalf. Give me Your peace as I wait patiently to see Your plan unfold. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

*Original Post 02/02/10