Tag Archives: God

Belief

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 21 March, 2014 None comments

This morning in my bible study I was struck by one verse. The entire study was impeccable and very convicting that I wanted to share with you all the glorious riches we have been offered, but as I neared the end of the study, a verse leaped off of the page catching my attention.

Romans 10:9 most of you have probably heard this verse multiple times in your life, even those who don’t follow God’s word. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

What brought my soul to such agony while reading that verse was the power in the word “believe.” Many people I encounter regularly openly admit their belief that Christ died for them and was raised from the dead. But as I pondered that statement a little more, it struck me how this word is not talking about head knowledge; not only believing that this took place in history but having a deep heart knowledge of this concept. There is a huge difference here. Head knowledge doesn’t bring the outflow of living in that knowledge, but with the heart, actions will follow. I yearn for all of those who have verbalized that they ‘believe’ Christ died for them and rose again from the dead, but the reality is the power within that statement should bring us all to our knees for what that one sentence holds for all of eternity.

Unfortunately, head knowledge isn’t enough to convince you to walk on the opposite side of the street, the side that feels uncomfortable, the side of the street that brings about gawking and humility. The side of the street that brings about ultimate life, and not only life but abundant life. We walk the side of the street that feels accepted, fitting in, being unnoticed carrying our shackles and chains down the street that leads to death; this is where the enemy tromps. The opposite side has life and is only a few steps away, yet the shackles pull you down, holding you captive. Your freedom is starring you in the face while you let your head knowledge control your next step rather then living in the knowledge that you truly believe Christ did die for you.

Understanding that concept of what believing truly looks like will be the manner of breaking you free from the shackles around your ankle or continuing to live a life of despair. The answer seems so simple, yet we all wonder why we can’t obtain that freedom Christ talks about. It’s our sin that holds us captive and the uncomfortability of walking in truth rather then societal acceptance.

Friends, this is a concept we don’t truly understand the depths of the meaning behind ‘belief.’ Are you walking in that belief that Christ died for you? Or are you walking in a knowledge that Christ died for you while remaining in your shackles, residing where the enemy tromps?

I honestly believe we all long for a life that is abundant; living a life full of opportunity and love. The reality is we have that offered to us and many of us choose not to accept it. “Of all the Jews that had the chance to experience the promised land, only two took God up on His offer.” They say there was about 2 million Jews that were given this opportunity. That’s a 1 in a million chance. Don’t you want to be that one in a million?

Pricilla Shirer said it like this:

“The curse of sin enslaves our souls; it is a lock and chain that keeps us from finding freedom. It guarantees every human a life of separation from God…Church ministers, and messages address lighter spiritual topics that draw crowds without stirring controversy. While we often skip around the very issue that most needs to be addressed, we remain shackled, peering through the fence wondering why we cannot experience true freedom. Until we deal with the shackle of sin, we cannot cross the boundaries that keep us from experiencing an abundant relationship with God.”

Need I say more?

Moment of Truth: Take a moment to ask yourself: Are you living an abundant life, walking in the freedom you’ve been offered? Have you graciously accepted that freedom, or are you walking in the shackles with a head knowledge that Christ died for you unwilling to accept that freedom from slavery? “The Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.” Deuteronomy 4:20 The Lord has lifted our souls from a bondage that is associated with a hot iron furnace. This is your fate my dear friends, pray that your head knowledge outpours into your heart giving you the response to break free from those shackles.

When Addictions Enter In

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 15 March, 2014 None comments

When addictions enter in, it will rule someone’s entire life; marriage, work, friendship, motivation, personal growth, children and ultimately self. This reality will ruin a person and/or those around them. An addiction can come in any sense of the word: drugs, alcohol, money, pride, food, sex and gambling just to name a few. Manipulation usually goes hand in hand with an addiction as most addicts can’t accept responsibility for themselves. I must preface this with the reality that I am not a psychologist but do see things as I have experienced life and have taken many classes in psychology as my degree is in counseling. I am not a professional but I have seen many people struggle through deep depression and insecurity while they try to mask their pain with what we call “habits.”

Thanks to eglo.info

I have struggled myself with anxiety and fear of failure. When I was younger I always wanted to be accepted no matter the cost. I thought being “cool” was the way of life. I think every child to some degree or another longs to be accepted, it’s how they ‘earn’ their acceptance that is challenging. I’ve heard the prevalence of drugs and alcohol being the way of high school acceptance these days. The main struggle I see is how the parents relationship with one another directly impacts our children on many levels but especially self-confidence. What they see and how they feel at home is what they will strive for with their friends. Now, there is the exception that children also have an immense amount of peer pressure as well that they succumb to on their own, it isn’t always due to parenting. There is a distinction that needs to be clarified. Kids need to learn what life is truly about and need parents to be solid in their foundation to guide appropriately the road of life for their children. Our relationship as parents and husband and wife are the foundation for our children. What they see is what they will learn. Not what they hear. We all know actions speak louder than words.

I am very passionate about our children and the environment they are raised in. I have seen terrible childhoods as well as excellent childhoods. A child’s early years will form their beliefs about life later in adulthood. We all say at some point or another “I will never do that when I am older as that is what my parents said or did.” But unfortunately the reality is we will become what we despise from our childhood unless we strive to change those predispositions. What we see is who we become unless we choose to actively dispute those attitudes or ideas. The Bible even talks about generational sin, we will continue our generational sin or ‘habits’ if we don’t daily strive against it. What do you want your children to say of you when they are older? What good traits are you hoping to pass down and what traits are you praying they never take on? Pursue what is pure.

Addictions affect our families more than anyone or anything else. Our families are the people we spend the most time with and they see the depths of our true colors. Unfortunately some addictions are subtle and become manipulation rather than the deeper issue; the addiction itself. The reason I believe manipulation goes hand in hand with addictions is because people who are addicted to something are in self-denial. When you are in self-denial you tend to blame everyone else for the deep battles within yourself. Addictions or no addictions we all want to blame other people for their actions instead of accept responsibility that our actions affect our family and friends.

Thanks to drmichaelroth.wordpress.com

What keeps racing through my mind through all of the heartache in the world is ‘not to waste my life.’ What does this look like when heartache is staring you down, filling your soul and attempting to triumph over your life? How do we strive to live a happy life learning from our regrets? Letting history remain as history and allowing the present and future to be created with self-confidence, battling the demons inside of us and not ignoring them. Lets allow friends and family to be our accountability rather than them become our defense.

Throw out past regrets, anger and resentment and ask the Lord to bring about healing so you may live a life that’s fulfilling to Christ. “Seek and you will find.”

Sometimes my husband tells me I’m really hard on him and without actually saying it I am saying “suck it up.” He is right, sometimes I get so caught up with the “junk” when in reality I’d rather not dwell in it but suck it up myself, deal with it and move on. Life is exhausting in and of itself trying to maintain relationships as well as working through our own junk. But through the last couple years I’ve physically seen the grace of God through many circumstances in my life that I’ve been learning life isn’t worth dwelling on the problems. I want to live a life that is extraordinary and not simply ordinary. I have learned how to better manage dealing with the “wheelbarrow” of junk we carry around as my life has seemed to become wasted when I let past experiences rule my life rather than basking in the joy God has blessed us with and push forward instead of looking back.

Moment of Truth: I heard it recently said that in the middle of the battle while you continue to press forward to fight the battle, you have your shield every step of the way protecting you. The moment you turn around in hesitation, your protection has now disappeared, defeating the purpose of your shield. The same goes for God. God is there protecting us as we walk through the battlefield but the moment we choose to fight our own way, our shield is lost.

He’s not finished with me yet

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 7 March, 2014 None comments

There’s a song that says “He’s not finished with me yet” but I find that hard to believe that Christ is ever finished with us until we go home to heaven. We are imperfect beings and will always fail no matter how many times we learn a lesson. But the great news in that still resides: “Christ isn’t finished with me yet!”

No matter how many times those around you fail and let you down or how many times you fail and let others down, you don’t have to earn back trust and forgiveness from God as we do from our loved ones. He meets us where we are, not where we need to be!

Don’t abuse your right of forgiveness by continuing to live in sin but live a life worthy of your calling. How many of you out there truly feel you know where God is calling you in life? This is a tough question. My husband and I have been battling this question for a couple of years. We know where we are is not where we want to be, but what road, path, steps laid before us are extremely blurry at this moment in time. We long to understand, we long to see and to walk confidently. Sometimes we say “if we just knew what lays ahead than we would avoid the problems along the way.” Unfortunately I completely disagree with that statement as if I knew what lays ahead of me, often I would avoid the road all together to avoid pain, hurt, and failure which in turn would keep me from going anywhere. Be careful what you wish for, often the blind roads are the roads worth traveling and ultimately bring the most glory. If you are in the midst of the beaten path in utter darkness and can’t even see the hand in front of your face, I can promise if you seek God, you will look back and say “I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.” Many times God uses the beaten, broken path to force dependence upon Him utilizing us for His glory, not our own.

Thanks to dubiousdub.blogspot.com for the picture

I know that my husband and I want to take steps to change our current circumstances, but many questions often remain. Sometimes we try and light our own path forgetting that we are lost in the forest with no compass but the Lord. Lately, I’ve been trying to remember that our circumstances are petty compared to who our God truly is. He created the heavens and the earth. He tells the sun when to rise. He taught the rooster when to crow. (Job 38) Do we understand these concepts? He is beyond anything we can comprehend. We must not doubt our God as He knows what is best for us!

Read these verses and lift up your concerns and doubts to our Heavenly Father who spoke us into being.

38 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

²“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? ³Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.⁴“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. ⁵Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? ⁶On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— ⁷while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?⁸“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, ⁹when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, ¹⁰when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, ¹¹when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?¹²“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, ¹³that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? ¹⁴The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. ¹⁵The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken.¹⁶“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? ¹⁷Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? ¹⁸Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.¹⁹“What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? ²⁰Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? ²¹Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!²²“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, ²³which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? ²⁴What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? ²⁵Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, ²⁶to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, ²⁷to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? ²⁸Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? ²⁹From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens ³⁰when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?³¹“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt? ³²Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? ³³Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?³⁴“Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? ³⁵Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? ³⁶Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding? ³⁷Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens ³⁸when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?³⁹“Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions ⁴⁰when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? ⁴¹Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food

God is not finished with you yet. He is longing to show His power to you in the best possible way, but you have to allow Him to do this and accept it. Do not fear the Lord and His will over your life. You can have an extraordinary life if you seek for it! When you are walking in blindness you must constantly seek the Lord for your very next step. Stay on the narrow path! Don’t lose sight and look too far ahead as you may miss what comes next.

Moment of Truth: Ask God to reveal the things you do not have the capacity to know without His divine revelation.

Wickedness

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 4 March, 2014 None comments

This morning I headed to Bible study and it seemed as though everything kept me from being on time as usual:

Cooper woke up soaked from head to toe. Quick bath. Quick breakfast. Coffee spilt. Beat traffic. Drop Cooper off in toddler room. Head back to the car for his pacifier and diapers. Rush into study 20 minutes late.

This is how my morning proceeded but I kept plugging along. It did get better. Although many times I kept asking myself why I was trying. Surprised I didn’t give up on the morning, I took a sigh of relief as I sat there for the remainder of the devotion taking place. Hearing the last few sentences before heading to my personal class on Deeper Still by Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Pricilla Shirer unsure why every time I try to proceed with something positive and healthy for me, everything is against me trying to keep it from happening or simply causing many distractions to take place before I even step foot in the building. Unfortunately the many questions of why should I keep trying to plug through, my tiny brain telling me I am there for a purpose and a great purpose that is; to grow deeper in my faith with Christ. Standing to break as we head to our individual classes I head immediately to get a refill on my coffee that was well needed this morning; taking a break to chat along the way.

I sit in class for a second trying to compose my self, focus my thoughts and prepare to listen and learn.

(Sigh)

Awe the thoughts that rushed through my head all through study continued to fill my mind even on the drive home:

I’m realizing as each day passes, God is doing a mighty work. Friends, we must choose to believe this. This is same God that gave us the power to move mountains if we simply believe. We don’t understand that power. We just don’t! We would live a radical life if we truly believed this one fact Christ has given us. We hold such weight on our immediate circumstances that our vision becomes cloudy before we even realize it. Our perspective gets lost on the trivial situations we face rather then the purpose God is trying to fulfill through these situations. Every day brings about hundreds if not thousands of distractions. Are you one full of distractions as I am, or are you simply pushing God away feeling He serves no purpose in your life? Or do would you rather not be involved with the hypocrisy of “Christians,” you get along just fine without Him or them?

Here’s some food for thought…

Our pastor spoke on the simple distractions that cause our belief to become angry towards God and keep asking for more signs as if we haven’t already been given enough.

The cornerstone of wickedness is what you do with it for Christ.

People can see Jesus if they want to, yet many people simply push it aside because they don’t want to hear about it. They think they are better than that and have life under control; their control. (I’m speaking more towards those who make excuses for committing their life to Christ) I used to be there, I thought I had life all figured out, I was a responsible adult and didn’t need any advice unless it was my own. I was blind, blind to truth and things that ultimately mattered for eternity. My simple pleasures in life would quickly blow away in the wind, no weight holding them down; materialism and popularity was all I believed in. Being on both sides I can relate, but I still find utter foolishness for blaming the hypocrites of the church as we will search to find anything wrong with a “Christian.” We avoid looking into the mirror realizing we have too many of our own problems that it has become easier to convince yourself that Christians are hypocrites and that’s your final answer. Rather than turning towards Christ, you turn towards people to convince you of this truth or rather steer you away. Your hope is in the wrong thing, people will always let you down.

When people start to question the Lord, it’s easier for them to begin blaming others out of fear that their deeds well be exposed (John 3:20-21). Their heart will show their true colors and that can be very scary for most people who want to push God away. People who want ‘signs’ that God is real and wasn’t simply a historical figure begin demanding that Christ performs that miracle He said He could do. These people are out to “test” God for who He says He is rather then acknowledge the signs already given to them; they’ve chosen simply not to see it.

Thanks to asburyandasbury.typepad.com for the photo

John 7:17 states “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teachings come from God or whether I speak on my own.” He is stating the truth that penetrate the hearts of those who believe in Him. Truth will be shown to those who seek; they will find. The problem is the disposition of the heart; is your heart teachable or do you have a defensive heart shoving truth to the farthest corner possible? This verse also explains why unbelievers simply don’t get it; their hearts are unteachable and they don’t want to see the real truth. And until their hearts begin to change, no one can ever convince someone of Christ’s promises. I’ve been there, my heart was beyond unteachable for years! I had every excuse under the sun as to why I didn’t need God and why my life was so much easier on my own. Unfortunately, God took my words and found me in the pit of despair; I had nothing left to offer. It was ugly. Sometimes it takes our stubborn attitudes to be completely humiliated before we finally surrender, this was me, I had to come to a humbling point in my life to realize the deep need for Christ. I learned the hard way, I know unfortunately too many others who have or are going through their humbling experience as well; pride is the root of all evil.

It fascinates me that we are the one nation that has everything figured out; wealth, fame, materialism at our fingertips, job security, suburban lifestyles, 2.5 kids, and so on and so forth. But do we really have it all figured out? We are also the one nation that has Christ at our fingertips yet we are the one nation who takes Christ for granted because we have everything else to make us happy. There are countries burning people at the stake for their faith. People choosing God and living a radical life is causing them to die, people care so much to keep faith uncovered, ignored and controlled, that they would rather kill one another to attempt to disprove God. Many countries have underground churches and we have every opportunity to believe in Christ and have His very Word in our homes but we still need more signs, more miracles to convince us. Many homes in America have the Bible, even homes that don’t believe in God. Hotels even have a Bible in the nightstand while most of America still chooses to not believe. We hear all too often that it’s just another book, yet for some reason it brings about controversy and is important enough to have millions of rooms throughout thousands of hotels filled with the Bible. But it’s just another book right? Lets keep killing people for something that is ordinary and has no power. Friends, if this was true, other countries wouldn’t fight to stay alive and fight for God and fight for that freedom or religion that we have.

The love for the world is so deep. Stop asking for signs, you have it readily before you. The spirit convicts and you choose to listen or willfully be blind.

Moment of Truth: God does not call you to put your trust in a church or its people, only Jesus Christ who is no hypocrite. Seek and you WILL find.

Forgiveness Breeds Bitterness

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 3 March, 2014 None comments

F-O-R-G-I-V-E-N-E-S-S

The weight of this word is immensely draining, powerful and liberating. Each of us are in one of these categories. Forgiving to some people may force you to believe that what that person has done to you has now been excused and justified because you took the step to forgive. It seems almost impossible to forgive when they have destroyed you to the core. Unforgiving hearts hold rage and bitterness that grabs ahold of your heartstrings convincing you that they deserve to be treated poorly now that they have wronged you. Ask yourself this: what power does this hold over your life by not forgiving them? Maybe pride, arrogance, control, or selfishness? Really you’ve gained nothing but a bitter heart.

For others, maybe forgiving comes really easy to you. You understand we all make mistakes, we let others down from time to time and we all need forgiveness to help move ahead in life

And for the remainder of you, you may be somewhere in between. Feeling you are a forgiving person only to realize days, months and years later you never really dealt with it and truly forgave them. Now you find it comes up in ways you never expected, leaving you angry that years have passed by and you really haven’t moved ahead.

I’ve seen bitterness take root in a few people and the depths of the anger has been extremely astonishing to me how deep the bitterness resides within them. It’s scary to me how much blame is poured on those around them unwilling to accept responsibility for ones own actions truly believing that they are entirely innocent. Unforgiving hearts lead to immense anger and blame and at that point it gets scary!

Forgiveness is very challenging and can vary depending on the depth in which you’ve been wronged. You know, Christ was the ultimate sacrifice; forgiving the very men who spat on Him, beat Him, tantalized Him, and even crucified Him. After reminding yourself of this, how than can you justify not forgiving your enemy? Forgiving does NOT mean they haven’t sinned against you or that they are right in their actions and are free to continue to treat you poorly. Forgiveness must come from Christ allowing him to heal your heart of the pain that comes with it and without expecting something in return. You are NOT responsible for them or for their actions, you must forgive to continue to grow your own heart and walk with Christ free of guilt and shame, free of bitterness and anger.

Thanks to thiskalidescopeheartofmine.com

Thanks to thiskaleidescopeheartofmine.com

Moment of Truth: Who have you not forgiven that you know needs your forgiveness? If you are struggling with the pain from this person, seek the Lord and ask for help to forgive them without holding expectations that they will become someone different; someone who treats you properly. Ask for guidance to become the person God has created you to be without holding a grudge on your loving enemies.

Thought of the day

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 2 March, 2014 None comments

I heard it once said: If you are running away from something in your life you will be running even more when you get to your eternity.

Which running are you doing; running with good or running with evil? What running do you want to be doing when you hit eternity? Run to the Lord and you won’t have to worry about your eternity. Don’t allow all the opportunities to pass you by for your own pleasure. Flee from evil. If you’re living in the midst of the muck and the mire it is NOT too late to run for the right things; things that make you happy, peaceful, and ultimately leads you to perfection with Christ one day. Your second chances are running out, Lord willing I pray I see you all in eternity in our pure, perfect heaven with Christ.

Thanks to bridgerun.com

Life in the fast lane

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 12 February, 2014 None comments

My cruise control is set. I sit in the passing lane choosing to pass all the cars that I quickly approach getting over now and again to allow the faster cars to zip by. Not sure where I am headed, with whom I am headed, and how long it will take to reach my destination.

This is my life as I know it. I’ve decided with all the fighting I’ve done with God about my circumstances we call ‘trials of life,’ it’s time to stop fighting. Although, I hadn’t known I was previously fighting, my blinders were on and I was clouded in my perspective. I had allowed daily activities and life decisions within my marriage and family to become the primary focus. Although at the time, I thought I had it figured out; I would pray continually, read my bible and ask those around me for wisdom and advice. Sounds great right? Well, what I didn’t know than, as I do now is simply this: my eyes were on my circumstances rather then Christ. The immediate, urgent situation was my primary focus; too many daily activities that needed to be accomplished. My focus was not on the powerful, almighty God who was and is and is to come. My eyes were on ME! My desire to grow and become more like Christ became the distraction when my activities became the primary focus. The “doing” became all too consuming.

Life’s “circumstances” do not have to be something entirely heart wrenching but simply a distraction for our main purpose and goal in life; serving God. Although for some of us, those heart wrenching scenarios are our present reality.

Thanks to soundcloud.com

As I relearned this morning with what felt like a cold glass of water to the face was a clear reminder that God is here to accomplish the impossible in our lives. Am I living as if I believe that truth? Paul from the Bible sat in prison for two years and mind you this was no modern day prison with heat, electricity, buffets of food and drink and television to help pass the time; this was a cold, dirt room. Even while he was in prison he wrote the book of Ephesians and through his own experience gave us the knowledge we have today; to now consider the ability of God. Taking our focus off the immediate and fixing our eyes on what is unseen rather then seen (Heb 12:2).

I’ve decided to stop living in the pit and letting my pit consume every ounce of me. I’ve become a slave to sin which is ultimately addictive within itself. Sin is addictive as Kay Arthur so blatantly put it. So instead, I chose to put my circumstances on cruise control accepting where I am currently. I cannot change it so I might as well go with the flow and learn every step along the way.

Each season in our life, wherever it may be is our current urgency. Time passes and we’ve got things to accomplish day in and day out. Now, the time has come to open our eyes, not blink the season away but endure our trivial circumstances and fix our eyes on Christ within th present moment. Deliberate action to pull our attention from our “urgent” scenarios and looking to the one who holds all the power, God. In Ephesians 3:20-21 it states this: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” He has given us that power that goes beyond our imagination and thoughts we can’t even comprehend. What other god can do such a thing?

I’ve heard this verse prayed as the benediction all growing up in church. I never knew the power behind this verse until today- years later. No one has ever pointed out the truth in this verse and the power we as believers hold from God in us working His glory out for His purposes. Now I will say it again, in the midst of the impossible situation, it’s time to consider the possibility of God.

Every single one of you my friends, are going through some monumental circumstance in your life. Whether that is a rocky marriage, death, illness, addictions, heartache, rebellious children, rebellion of self, complacency, time management, finances so on and so forth, something is currently pulling and tugging at your subconscious asking to regain your focus. Is your focus embedded deep within the problem or is it on Christ showing His power through your immediate trivial situation? What seems to trivial to us, is nothing for God! Let our monumental experiences be replaced by God’s monumental power working out in our life.

Christ is longing to hold our hands and hug us tightly as we hold on, riding the roller coaster of life through the ups and downs. He never once promised it would be easy, but he did promise it would lead us to perfection one day if we choose to believe.

Moment of Truth: If it seems we are taking the steps to grow properly and receiving enough nutrients but can’t seem to grow beautiful flowers, than we must go to the root of the problem and consider our foundation. “If the foundations of our life is incorrect, nothing can or will flourish.” (Pricilla Shirer)

Life on display

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 10 February, 2014 None comments

As I wrote previously on a documentary about drugs I was struck by the fact that what if my life became a documentary? If someone asked to film your life would you feel confident about your life and displaying it for the world to see? Or would you be embarrassed or ashamed? Would you choose to live differently?

Honestly those are some tough questions for me. I know to some degree we would all want to change certain aspects of our life or simply hide them from the world but I also know that I am living my life to the best that I know how and the best that I can at this current moment… Now would I want to relive my past, absolutely not. So, when I ask that question, what comes to mind is every decision I make from here on out should be to glorify Christ and Christ alone. If you feel you can’t be honest with your decisions and wouldn’t tell your friends, acquaintances or your children than you should probably rethink your decisions.

Now I’m not suggesting that all our decisions should be laid our for the world to see, but what small decisions would you change if you knew you were living a life that would one day become a documentary!

My husband and I definitely live our life more on display more than most people- this isn’t always a good thing. :) Between my husband and I, we have some very tough, challenging stories that would make for a good book. Some really sad situations and some really happy and exciting ones. But within those heartaches and memories we are longing to “figure” things out to a point where we could one day help others who suffer through tragedy, feel hopeless and want help finding direction in life. We both feel confident that one day we will pursue this dream of ours and hopefully raise our children to learn what helping others truly means and giving a helping hand to those you want to turn away from; feeling slightly uncomfortable.

When we look back on our life I know we all have moments of guilt and shame, but when you are living your life for Christ, going deeper still, are your decisions being made in accordance to Christ’s will or for purpose of self gain?

White as Snow

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 8 February, 2014 None comments

Oh the cozy feeling of my electric blanket wrapped tightly around me as I look out the window seeing the gorgeous skies filled with a soft blanket of snow. Beautiful trees, snow capped houses filling my view is beyond describable. Last night I felt this peace wrap around me as we shut the lights off outside allowing the soft white blanket of snow to radiate enough light keeping the dark far away. We kept starring outside shocked by the amount of light this blanket had provided.

The more the snow falls the more I realize it’s pure, perfect and without blemish. Isn’t this the exact picture of Christ as he is pure, perfect and without blemish? He has washed our sins white as snow. Do you realize how quickly the snowy roads become trampled and dirty, slushy, and watered down? Is that how your faith in Christ is? Are you believing you are washed white as snow? Or, are you live in the streets slowly losing the temperature of faith and grace, washing you to the gutters and falling through the cracks? Rocks pierce your soul rubbing dirt into our insecurity taking away your white innocence. This is the routine of life that I hope to not fully succumb to.

We all have some amount of dirt in our snow as that is part of our imperfect world but when Christ looks down upon us, we are that soft, untouched blanket of snow. Lets choose to become the path that’s narrow, untouched, and hidden from the main roadways. Lets not throw ourselves to the street allowing the dirt to come near us. It’s impossible to avoid unless you choose the narrow path; the road less traveled. That road is never near the main roadways, it’s usually tucked far away under a tree or off in the distance. Never to be comingled with the wide common path. There is no mistaking which path is the untouched, narrow road.

The amount of light the snow brings is also a perfect picture of Christ. White snow reflects the moon eliciting a sweet glow forcing the darkness to flee; in darkness the enemy stalks. Last night I had an incredible peace as Christ wrapped me in His white blanket clearly showing me a physical form that He has His protection wrapped tightly around me and my family. In Psalms 91 it’s states that “darkness will not come near your tent…” this was a very clear picture to me last night and all day today that Christ brings about light even when our lives seem to be filled with darkness from the trials of this world. I feel blessed with the precious snow bringing about perspective while forcing me to place my busy life on hold and spend time with my family.

Moment of Truth: Christ is the light and in the midst of darkness He shines His light refocusing your perspective back on Him; the pure, untouched light. Stay off the dark black slushy roadways and take the path less traveled bringing about light and life; keeping you white as snow!

Documentaries

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 5 February, 2014 None comments

My husband and I have Netflix and have been into documentaries lately. We have watched many documentaries on 9/11, history, crime, food, sports and drugs. Today was on meth and the deadly poison in which this drug is. While watching this documentary I got sick to my stomach with how incredibly sad this drug has become and how popular it is. What takes place in our society is actually fascinating to me, but also scary how we truly don’t have a clue what goes on in our own cities; the cries for help are on our street corners. The search for something greater. Sometimes we live in our own little bubble and are naïve to what’s actually taking place down the street from us.

Some interesting facts: This drug actually keeps you high up to 12 hours for one single hit. Portland, OR is the number one capitol in the US. Bangkok actually fuels sex trafficking as the more meth consumed the more women allow their bodies to be used to gain more money enabling this vicious cycle. Gas and lithium from batteries are just a couple ingredients that are clearly poison to the average person. Meth tricks your brain and gives an illusion of power that is unstoppable and hallucinations begin; this is where crime rates rocket. In Portland alone 85% of crime comes from meth addicts. 1 in 4 inmates in our local jails are meth addicts. 90% of users relapse as it is beyond addictive and almost impossible to maintain a ‘normal’ life after rehab. These are only a couple statistics that I encountered while watching this documentary.

What kept running through my mind while watching this terrifying video was how evil drugs and alcohol truly are. Unfortunately we don’t see all the tell tale signs when interacting with someone currently on a high, the longer they use it the clearer the signs become. Dispatch calls showed that conversations simply don’t make sense when under the influence. My mind cannot wrap itself around the evil that prevails by taking drugs and alcohol to help ‘escape reality.’ My frustration is how people want to live in a euphoric state and escape their life simply by partaking in this act for social acceptance. Most cases begin in teen parties being told there is a power you will gain by taking this drug and how exciting it is and 99% of them end up addicts later on in life.

Evil seeps in and wins through many of these tragedies. Drugs and alcohol are the new norm. Alcohol especially seems to sneak in in so many hidden ways. Happy hours become a usual basis after work, a glass of wine at night to relax from the stressful day, smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes or simply feeling good and so on and so forth. Growing marijuana is entirely acceptable; these conversations about drugs are portrayed entirely nonchalant and 100% acceptable but why? These are all incredibly dangerous and the very essence of all of them are to relax which leads to escaping life and the power within them is beyond captivating. Lives destroyed, families broken and ultimately death knocking at your door.

Evil is everywhere and I know I’ve talked about this many times but it seeps in in subtle ways as alcohol seeming to be an innocent drink for casual fun that leads into wanting more and ends with poor decisions and often becoming an addict. Satan literally knows how to distract us from living a fulfilling life. Believing that a simple drink or drug will change your life for the better and move you to the top of the food chain becoming independently wealthy and having all the material possessions you could possibly desire is the lie of meth. The logic simply doesn’t make sense. If you believe in God and the devil, do you honestly think that Satan wont interfere with your decisions when consuming one of these drugs? How many times do you hear people mention the good decisions they made while under the influence? Yes, there is the casual drink that many people can have without crossing that line but where is that line drawn? Whose to say that limits aren’t crossed more often than not? Why wouldn’t they be, realistically the point is to feel better, so what gives the motivation to stop drinking or doing drugs as you feel good. Maybe the line should never have been started. I believe that there are a lot of things in life that are not meant to harm us that end up doing that exact thing.

As you’ve seen many times my passion come out within these so called pleasures of life. I will not and do not agree with escaping life and calling this pleasure. I’ve seen too much damage come from these ‘evil escapes’ and it’s not worth losing your life over them. I’ve seen the damage occur within the lives around me and it simply isn’t worth it. The reality is social acceptance has warped our perspective and opinion on what used to be less talked about to now being looked down upon if you aren’t partaking in them. More so alcohol depending on who and where you walk.

This video showed multiple stories of first time meth users that ended their lives the very first night partaking in this dangerous drug. This simply states the power these drugs have over our body. When this occurs we are allowing the enemy to enter in without choice, taking us to lengths that even meth users would say never thought was possible. I used to think a glass of wine wasn’t wrong, but now I simply do not agree with it for many reasons. One of them being the simple fact that the only point of alcohol is for no purpose other than to take an edge off. Call it what you want, but alcohol is a drink that people drink so that they can be more relaxed, social, talkative and bold. For some reason tea and soda wont suffice. I found justification comes a lot with this drink. Every commercial promotes alcohol and sex. The legal fight to get liquor in grocery stores. Marijuana now being justified for health purposes, people who grow the drug for an income, the fight to get marijuana legalized, so on and so forth. Justification reigns so prevalently. Now let me say I live in Oregon which is the drug capital of the US so maybe I see it more prevalently then most people. Either way, our hippie city is losing the professional aspect and becoming overly complacent with far too many things. Don’t we have more things of concern than the routine fights for legalizing these drugs? How do we become so blind that disagreeing with this topic is beyond shocking to some of you!

Moment of Truth: We have one shot at life, don’t waste it. I’m not suggesting that everyone out there shouldn’t touch alcohol but I challenge each and every one of you to search truthfully deep within yourself what having that glass of alcohol does for you. What is the point if you believe you are not escaping something or trying to relax? Ponder the thought that tea, water, soda and juice don’t replace this drink and ask yourself why? Ask yourself the questions and truly search for what the ultimate benefit is for you to partake in this socially acceptable drink. Reach out and talk to people who have struggled with substance abuse and put the shoe on the other foot. There are so many laws in place to try and prevent us from crossing the line but it’s such a fine line that laws have to be in place. If it wasn’t harmful we wouldn’t have these laws. If you feel justification coming on, pick up your Bible and ask God to search your heart and give you the answers for you individually before the Lord. Don’t let the little lies become a life waster.