A Brand New Year! 2017

Great Is His Faithfulness; His Mercies Begin Afresh Each Morning. 

~ Lamentations 3:23 NLT

 

Dear Lord,

     2016 brought with it many blessings and the fulfillment of many of Your promises. I look back on these past twelve months and I marvel at Your Majesty! 

Our family waited, not always patiently, but in our willing or unwilling we became witnesses to and partakers of Your supernatural love in very tangible ways.
You are a supernatural God who shows us just what that is in our personal natural lives. 
     We are starting a brand new year with brand new mercies and brand new visions and brand new hopes, plans, dreams and desires! You are the Author, the Director and the Producer of these new chapters in my story. 

God says..."I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will have special dreams." 

Acts 2:17 ERV 

 I want the mind and kind of Jesus in this year to come. In His character, I want to find mine. The burden of my will shall be His that I carry. No more do I want the unfulfilling dreams of no eternal importance. The distractions of this world will not entangle my heart and when they do, You My Lord, will prune the clutter away and set my growth on Your path once again. 

     Thank You for not only not giving up on me, but for not even wanting to consider giving up on me! Yours is a love I can and want to respond to, in fact, Your love commands a response, for it is not idle and it longs to be expressed through me. 
Wow, the gravity of that is almost inconceivable... the living God of all creation wants to express Himself through me?! 

Jesus, I know that I have so much opportunity in this coming year to get to know You more deeply and more intimately and I want to be ready for whatever change and growth You have in store for me. And, not just me, but family and loved ones as well. 

~ 

God's Love Changes People

Father God, 
I'm amazed by You, I stand in awe of You! Your power is beyond my comprehension, but still I see it work right before my eyes, and I know it full well, right inside of my own heart. 
Your love is so full in my life, the evidence of You is spilling out everywhere.
 Only You hold and then give the power which brings about change and only Your love sees it to completion.
For You promise that once we know You and abide in You that we will become new
 (2 Corinthians 5:17). 
 I am changing, for my (true, not perceived) good, which always brings You glory. No one can truly know You on a continual and intimate basis without a change taking place deep inside of them. I want to want the change You bring, please help me to see that change means that I'm growing, or at least, it should mean that. That is why I have said before, "Lord, because Your heart never does...mine must forever change". You bring about change by loving me...as You guide by Your light, inspire by Your Spirit, correct and even chastise me, You do it by pricking me with Your love. Your word tells me that You always know what's best for me and You will never cause me any harm (Jeremiah 29:11). And, Your love had plans for me before I ever came to be. What a great love that is...to make and intend for those plans to be eternal, for them to matter in God's kingdom forever. 
 I know You saw (it come to be) and meant a great purpose for my life before the foundations of time and I long to fulfill that Kingdom purpose You put in me. My desire is to shine Your glory as I continue this journey into my destiny, my destiny in You. 
May I be ever changing by Your amazing love. 

~  

He Chose Me

...Of course Lord, You chose me and the reason that is so important to me is because I struggle so much with how to affirm my own worth and value through You, the filter in which I am sifted for eternal value and worth...

"Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children...because it pleased Him and was His kind intent",  Ephesians 1:4-5 Amp.

All of this planning and choosing me for Yourself took place before I ever did and You didn't have to choose me, You weren't forced to pick me as if I were the last kid left on the playground to be on your team - no, the scripture says it pleased You and it was Your kind intent - You, the Lord of the universe, intentionally chose me to be Yours and not just to be on Your team or to play a game and then be done with me, You chose me to be Yours forever!

I love You, Jesus!

Of course Lord, You chose me and the reason that is so important to me is because I struggle so much with how to affirm my own worth and value through You, the filter in which I am sifted for eternal value and worth. The world doesn't place much value on or in someone like me, I am not anything special in this day and age, on this planet earth. Whoever can measure up to this world's expectations? Not I, not anyone. Just ask the world it will tell you... "You can always be better" and when that message is sieved through the dark eyes of this world...you can always do or be better ultimately means, I'm not good enough. And if I continue to be influenced by the ways of this world I will find myself unable to acheive what it says I should and even if I could I would live frustrated- this world doesn't give what You can. 

But You Lord, have said I shall live in this world but I am not of this world- I belong to You and Your kingdom. When I am struggling with such things as my identity and Whose I am and can I really have a meaningful and purpose filled life in this crazy world?  I will remember Your words to me from the 139th Psalm, they speak of how I was "... intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth...", v.15 amp., I am designed and purposely put together. "For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb", Psalm 139:13 AMP. This beautiful psalm reminds me that I am unable to hide from You- You find me wherever I go, not because I am looking for You, but because You never stop thinking of me! "God, Your thoughts about me are priceless. No one can possibly add them all up", Ps.139:17 NIRV. I think I find it so hard to comprehend that You are always thinking about me because I can be so easily distracted when it comes to my thoughts of You, Lord. The world can overtake my focus when I really want it to be all about Your kingdom, Your ways, Your thoughts, Your words, Your truth- I hate the distraction, but it's true, I can sometimes be easily misguided at things that are not of eternal importance. I need Holy Spirit to guide me and keep me.
Thank You Jesus for choosing me and always thinking of and interceding for me. Your great love chose me and I'm still trying to wrap that powerful truth around my heart.
There's no greater love than a chosen love, a love that has been personally pursued and captured and has decided to give up, give in and be loved! That's what I want, Jesus, only You know how to capture my heart and set it free at the same time.

When I ponder the words in these verses about You choosing me my mere human understanding cannot fathom what You are telling me. I cannot imagine a God who creates me and chooses me for Himself, in a world of chaos and people who barely know I exist, You chose me before this world of chaos was even formed and it does not matter to You if I go unconsidered and disregarded in this world, because, You have high regard for me and I am never merely glossed over by Your amazing love!
As I read the verses from Your word I like to personalize them so that they read as follows:
Even as [in His love] He chose ME [actually picked ME out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that I should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained ME (destined ME, planned in love for ME) to be adopted (revealed) as His own child through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]. When I do this with Your scriptures it reminds me that Your word is to be lived, not just read. Personalizing Your precious words helps me to see that it applies to me and my personal and everyday life.

Thank You so much for choosing me. I know Your love for me is not based on anything I do or don't do...You just love me...always!

~

God, You Have Plans Of Purpose For Me!

Dear Lord, 

I want to give You my cares, the things that weigh me down and take my eyes off of You. I want to be the woman of God You want me to be. And, I want to realize Your words of promise, "For I know the plans I have for you...", I keep trying to figure out the plan and I know that is not what You want me to do and that is not trusting You completely. I often feel like I'm running out of time and only You know my Lord, maybe I am, but at my age I definitely want to see Your plans come to be in me. I know You have a plan of purpose for me and I'm going to hold onto that when those feelings of insignificance start to haunt me! With Your help Jesus, I will not make my age an issue as there are many times You used people for Your purpose who were older and wiser and I can do whatever You purpose me to do. 

      How nice that last paragraph seems as I read it again, but really sometimes I have given into feelings and they do sadly seem to be those feelings of insignificance and not enough of just feeling Your peace. Jesus, I think You  would prefer that if I am giving into feelings then I should let it be Your peace and joy that consumes my emotions. 

     I want to keep these posts uplifting and inspiring but the truth is that just isn't always the way it is and I need to remain honest. I will because I think it's important (for me), try to keep them of an edifying, godly and positive nature. They will by no means be anything dark or disturbing, after all...they will be conversations with God The Father, Jesus The Son and The Powerful Holy Spirit! 

    I pondered things like, will these posts be an exchange between me and God in a written format? Or, will they be my thoughts expressed to Him and me simply sharing what I feel He spoke back to me? I realized that I may be overthinking the whole thing and that it most likely will be expressed in a few different formats- and that's okay. 

     I'm going to be led by the Holy Spirit and learn to listen to the still, small voice of God. 

     Thank You Father, for having wonderful plans of purpose for me. 

                           ~