My challenge has been accepted and lived out for one week now!

I shared with you last week that God had spoken to my heart a challenge to not just say He is Lord of my everyday life, but to put that statement into action. To live out His Lordship over me in every aspect of my life!

God has spoken a challenge to my heart to make what I do between my life here on earth and my forever life in heaven matter! So, I have accepted God’s three step challenge to me to 1) Increase my trust and dependance on Him, 2) To lead like Jesus and 3) To be as healthy as I physically and naturally can be.

I wrote last week when I was on Challenge Day Number 2! Today I am writing when I am on Challenge Day Number 9!

I am happy to report that Day 9 is easier than Day 2 was, but each day is still a struggle. When we determine to “make a change”, it always requires the “doing away with something familiar”, and the “adding of something new.”
This is what doctors tell us produces stress and anxiety. That is why I am deciding to go to The Great Physician and put Him first in working toward change in my life.

Let me back up a little here…in order to accept my new Challenge from God to Increase my Trust and Dependance on Him, Lead like Jesus, and be as Physically and Naturally Healthy as I can be, I MUST DAILY STRENGTHEN MY SPIRIT WITH HIS SPIRIT!

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.”
Ephesians 3:16

I can do nothing on my own! In my own strength “change” becomes disabling! It causes stress and anxiety and produces all kinds of hardships in my life! However, when my focus is on God’s Spirit in me and His strength to produce change, the giving up of the “old” and the embracing of the “new”, becomes possible!

My focus this week has been The Cross… actually, the worship song ‘Lead me to The Cross’ by Hillsong.
“Everything I once held dear, I count it all as loss…;”

“Lead me to the cross where your love poured out…;”

“Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down…;”

“Rid me of myself, I belong to you…;”

Lord, Lead me, Lead me to your cross.”

“To Your Heart!”

“Everything I once held dear, I count it all as loss…,”

The first thing I had to do was let go of what I was holding on dearly to, and give it up as loss, so that God would be first in my life and my daily routine. For me it was more sleep and devotion and Bible Study before ANYTHING else! Getting up to an alarm clock even if it wasn’t going off to tell me to “go to work.” Setting that alarm clock and getting up to go the gym, and not pushing the snooze one or two or three times!! It really helps to have an accountability partner. Mine happens to be my husband, and his dedication and devotion to waking up and working out, has truly helped me in my challenge! He was always willing to help me in this by the way! I was the one dragging my heels! So blessed that he never gave up on me!
Second, doing my devotion and Bible reading and tuning every other noise out! For me this has worked at the gym while I am doing my workout. I love the elliptical, and the more I read God’s Word, the more I push to step higher and faster. I have chosen an app on my phone, but any form of reading will do!
Lastly, my Bible Study. This can be a big challenge by the time I wake up early, make it to the gym, work out and read my devotion. I walk back into my house and the “To Do List” looms! Now those of you at a younger age and stage in your life may not even find this luxury “To Do List” facing you. Instead, it may be the babies you put into gym daycare, or the children you are getting off to school by 8:00am. All of us find ourselves with different ages, stages and difficulties to overcome.
For young moms it may mean you flip-flop your time alone with God to the evening or late morning when your kids are asleep or at school. For those of you in the middle of life it may mean working through the tiredness you feel after giving so much of yourselves for so many years. For me, it continues to be the ‘What I could do,’ verses the, ‘What I should do’ syndrome.’
The key still remains for all of us to “give everything to God that we hold on dearly to.”
I must continue to count my time in the morning to sleep more, or my time to workout to music at the gym, or my “to do list” as I walk through my front door, as “loss”, in order to complete my challenge!

“Lead me to the cross where your love poured out…”
I must focus my thoughts on Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for me. Truly, that thought alone puts me in awe, and an attitude of gratitude and thanks to Him for my life in Him!

“Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down…”
My posture during prayer time needs to be that of worship. My head low, my body relaxed and my mind clear of any thoughts but Christ!

“Rid me of myself, I belong to you,…
I must come to Him with humility and expectation. Realizing that I am not able, but He is more than able!

“Lord Lead me, Lead me to Your Cross…”
I must humbly lay at the foot of His cross and listen. I need to be still and hear what God is pouring into my life.

“Lead me to your HEART…”
As I sit and listen and hear from God, I can then know and understand His Heart and purpose for my day, and my life.

TRUTH BOMB

The key to any challenge is allowing God to lead us.

The most important step we take in accepting any challenge in life is to allow God to lead us.

Without God’s leading we will more than likely take “wrong turns”, “rabbit trails”, run into “roadblocks”, or worst of all, allow our challenge to come to a screeching halt before we cross the finish line!

God leads us down the path of success, where we will make each day count for Him. We are in a race, the way we finish depends on how we run and who leads us!

I am on day 9! I have not perfected the way I run, “The struggle is Real,” as my granddaughter would say. But I do know who is leading me, and He will never fail me.

As you face this day, and this next week, I pray that weather or not you are facing a big challenge or a small one, you would begin each day at the cross, allowing God to lead you every step of the way.

He is the Victor my friends. He alone can give us the VICTORY!
I am trusting in Him to complete my challenge. I hope you are too.

See you next week!

Speak Truth Love

I have embarked on a new challenge!
God spoke to my heart and this is day 2 of my new challenge. Day 2 is harder than day 1, and I anticipate more “challenging” days ahead!
However, if you do not take your foot off first base, you will never get HOME!
Yes, I am using a Baseball analogy because it fits perfectly into the CHALLENGE God has called me to. If baseball doesn’t resinate with you, go ahead and change the analogy to your life and situation. Maybe it’s going the next mile on your run, maybe it’s signing up for the next class that will get you closer to your goal, maybe it’s …you fill in the blank.
For me the analogy that fits is BASEBALL.

That diamond that begins at HOME, and beckons us to do our best to round the bases…First, Second, Third, and then HOME!
You see for me, I was raised by a professional baseball player and was blessed to understand the game. But regardless of your level of “understanding”, the image it represents, helps us understand the biblical principal of “Going Home.” We begin our lives here on earth and everything we do in-between gets us closer to “HOME!” Our Real Home, Our Eternal Home, Our Forever Home, HEAVEN!
Now granted, in my apology of baseball, you start on the same home plate that you end up on if you get all the way HOME. But by crossing Home Plate after getting to first base, rounding second base, and crossing third base, you “SCORE” when you reach HOME!
It is no different with us in our lives. God gives us life, He has a purpose for us and He puts us on Home plate. When we acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior we run to first base. This is where my analogy breaks down a little. After you believe in Jesus, you have “progressed in your life,” you are on first base, and you can chose to stay there and Jesus will call you Home. But my analogy picks up again as I pose this question, “Will you score?” Will you have earned any “bases” along the way? Will you have any RBI’s, (runs batted in), as you “sacrifice” your success on base for another. Will you have any “earned runs”, when you have worked hard for something and made it happen? Will you have “Bunted” in order to put your “team” aka others, ahead of yourself and possibly earn a run for them?
Yes, I could go on and on, but you get my point.

What will you do with your life between home and HOME?

In second Corinthians Paul makes it clear that we have an eternal HOME in Heaven!

“We have a building from God, an eternal house in Heaven, not built by human hands…so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
II Corinthians 5:1,4

We are encouraged by Paul that our eternal HOME is preferred!

“We live by faith and not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at HOME with the Lord.”
II Corinthians 5:7-8

So why then all this talk about “HOME”, when my Blog Post is titled, ‘CHALLENGE ACCEPTED?’

Because I am convinced that what I do with my life between home, and HOME, matters. And that when God ‘challenges” me to live this life for Him better, I need to accept the challenge.

Challenges come to all of us and they are wrapped in very different packages. The beautiful part about our God is that He is personal. He created us and He knows us intimately. All the In’s and Out’s of us. The good, the bad and the ugly parts of us. The amazing Truth is that He loves every part of us! He has saved us and our salvation is secure if we have placed our trust and Faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
However, my topic today goes beyond our salvation. Does God care, really care, what we do with the rest of our lives? Does He care how we live the “in-between” parts of our lives? Does it really matter if we run from first base to second base? And when we get to second base, does it matter that we get to third base? When and if we get to third base, we are pretty tired and worn out! Does He really care if we make it all the way to Home Plate?

I believe He cares very much that we do. I believe Paul makes that Truth clear in II Corinthians 5:10,

“For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

The judgement seat of Christ is the one We, Believers, will appear before. This is when we will await to hear our Lord and Savior say to us,

“Well done Good and Faithful Servant…” Matthew 25:21

Truth Bomb

What we do between our life here on earth and our life forever in Heaven DOES MATTER.

So, now that I am convinced of that, back to My Challenge!

I want to live out my life for God to the very best of my ability. Even as “CHANGE” comes into my life, that gets more and more difficult. CHANGE is not easy for any of us. It produces stress in and of itself, weather or not that CHANGE is positive or negative. It’s just the way our bodies were built, and add to that the aging process. Regardless of the age you are at, the aging process has set in. A baby ages daily as they go from complete dependance to gaining independence each and everyday. And we, no matter what age we are, are in the same boat. God created us that way. More physical proof of us beginning life here in our earthly HOME, and running toward our Heavenly Eternal HOME!

I have taken a long time to set up my newest CHALLENGE from God. That is for two important reasons!
Number 1, because I believe that God is never done using us for His Kingdom until He returns or calls us HOME! He cares about what we do with our time here on earth that He has given to us!
Number 2, because I in no way want my CHALLENGE to become your challenge unless God gives it to you as well. I feel God asking me to write about My Challenge with you, but I in no way want my Blog to turn into a Blog about “ME!” I do not want to write about a diet or exercise plan that I think you should follow. I do not want to write about a lifestyle I think you should live! I only want to write about what God is working on in me, and pray that He uses it to encourage you in your walk with Him!
I am a private person and would prefer to keep my private “challenges” to myself. But if He is encouraging me to share them with you, then I want to be found faithful.

So, here we go! God has called me to accept the Challenge to increase my trust and dependance on Him, to lead like Him, and to be as healthy as I physically and naturally can be so that I am able to be used by Him for as long as He chooses to use me.

There are three steps involved in my challenge:
Step One, I have accepted God’s Challenge in my life to not just write and post my Blog every week, as I have done for the past year and a half, but to also include a VLOG post. I have goose bumps just sharing that news with you. I am nervous! My family, mainly my beautiful daughter-in-law, has encouraged me to do this for quite some time now. I have hesitated for many reasons, but the greatest one being vulnerability. You not only have the venue to critique me verbally but also physically! Not an easy challenge for me to accept. But if I am to remain true to my commitment to use my God-given gifts for His glory, then I must. My scripture verse over my blog is Ephesians 4:15 which says,

“Instead, speaking the Truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him, who is the head, that is, Christ.”

I believe God has gifted me to speak His Truth in Love. I have been faithful in part of that, I believe now He is calling me to be faithful in the rest of it! This is truly asking me to increase my trust and dependance on Him. I cannot do this on my own! I will trust in Him and depend on Him!

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Step Two, I have accepted His call to Lead Like Him, to Lead Like Jesus.
We have begun a new ministry in Northern California. We can only accomplish it through God’s divine filling and leading. He has called me to “Lead Like Jesus.” I have begun a daily devotion and Bible study on ‘The Life and Ministry of Jesus.’ There is no better way to lead God’s sheep than by following The Good Shepherd.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Step Three, To be as healthy as I physically and naturally can be. God created my body and He created healthy foods for me to eat to keep it operating at peak performance. He also created me to move! God did not create me to be immobile, but rather He created me to be mobile. So, I have begun a 30 day challenge in eating healthy foods only, and exercising each and every day with a purpose.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Friends, I am only on Day 2! I can tell you that at this point I have been successful. But I have a long way to go! I cannot do it on my own strength, and there may be days I fail. But my God is FAITHFUL! He has called me to a Challenge and He will get me through it!

There are many ways that we go through CHALLENGES. Sometimes we are successful, and sometimes we fail. But if they are accepted for the right reasons, if they are given to God to be used for His Glory, then they will be fruitful! They will produce fruit in our lives that will carry us around the “bases” of our lives and bring us closer to our eternal Home with Jesus. They will allow us to hear those beautiful words in full…

“Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. COME AND SHARE YOUR MASTERS HAPPINESS!”
Matthew 25:21

The sweetest words you and I will ever hear are those spoken by our Savior to us. And not only to hear Him tell us we did well with what He gave us, but now enter in to your Masters Happiness!

Our earthly Home is temporary Friends. Our goal is our eternal forever HOME with Jesus!

How will we chose to live our lives here on earth in-between? What “Challenges” given to us by God will we accept? And on a sobering thought, What “Challenges” given to us by God will we not accept?

Our time here on earth is short! It is but a blink of an eye compared to Eternity!
Let’s commit to accept the Challenges together that God gives us!
After all, our Coach is PERFECT!
WE sit in His “coach’s box!” His record is undefeated! And He has already won the Victory for us!

What do we have to lose?

Speak Truth Love

Summer vacations, family vacations, the long-awaited break from our normal routines…we plan for them, we save for them, we look forward to them, we mark the day on the calendar nearly a year ahead of time, and then the countdown begins! The anticipation leading up to it, can almost be as exhilarating as the countdown to Christmas!

What is it that holds such great anticipation, that it can almost consume the year proceeding it? It’s freedom! Or at least the illusion of it! We are free from demanding schedules. We are free from the daily “clock” that tells us daily when we have to leave somewhere or be somewhere.

What is it that we love most vacations? Sure, it is typically the destination itself, if we are fortunate enough to go somewhere we have never been before! It’s thrilling to see a new sight, explore a new trail, and delight in trying a new food. But if this were all that vacations held for us, then the all popular quote “staycation” wouldn’t be in such fashion! Deep down, in our very soul and within our spirit, lies a desire for freedom. To be free of the “normailicy” of our lives and to break free into a different routine.

The problem is as enticing as “getting away” is, it is a temporary time that does come to an end. It is simply the illusion of freedom. If we continued to live our daily lives in a “vacation mode,” we would soon find ourselves homeless. Granted, we would be free. Free of punching a time clock, free of responsibilities, free of mortgage or rent, free of utility bills…

So, am I saying that it isn’t possibile to have freedom in our daily lives? No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. Nor am I saying that vacations and time away don’t hold true value. What I am saying, is that true freedom is only found in Christ alone. The beauty of God’s spirit living in us daily, not just while on vacation, produces a inexustable supply of freedom that will follow us through our daily lives and into eternity!

“The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

2 Corinthians 3:17

God’s Spirit is freedom! He promises that His Spirit lives in all believers!

Truth Bomb

God’s freedom is not an illusion…it’s inexhaustible!

So, as we find ourselves in the middle of Summer, enjoy those family vacations! Enjoy those trips to unknown destinations, and enjoy those weekends at the beach, or those days in your backyard with an ice tea refresher and a new book in your hand. But choose to live DAILY with God’s Spirit in you, so that you will truly know His freedom!

Speak Truth Love

Happy Birthday USA!

This is the day when we are truly proud to be Americans! The day we gather together with family and friends, BBQ, swim, eat corn on the cob, and big juicy slices of watermelon, and ice cream! This is the day when all across America fireworks are sent high into the sky and burst with sound, light, and color, reminding us of our independence!

Independence from what? Independence from rules that keep us safe and protect others? Independent from work, where we earn the money necessary to live? Independent from sacrifice and making a choice that benefits others over ourselves? No! True independence and freedom to make our own choices and go our own way, came in 1776 when our forefathers forged the Bill of Rights, which governs America. When true independence was gained from a dictatorship, a King or Queen, or a socialistic government. Our forefathers gave us a Republic that allows us to govern ourselves. What we do with that right is up to us! Can we keep it? Do we have what it takes? Left to our own demise, our selfish nature takes over, and chaos soon takes place.

When we commit ourselves to God, and allow His love and His principals to govern our lives, then, and only then, do we find true FREEDOM!

“You my brothers (and sisters), were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13

Truth Bomb

True Freedom is found in God alone!

Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for our freedom. He willingly went to the cross, suffered and died, and rose again, with once and for all victory over death! His act of selfless love, secured by freedom and yours! I can celebrate my freedom in Christ today, on the Fourth of July, and everyday because God loves me!

Today, I am proud to live in America where I am still afforded the freedom to say, “GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

May I never take that freedom for granted! May I always give glory and honor to my Lord Jesus Christ for purchasing my freedom and the World’s freedom. May I never grow weary or forget to thank those that have died to ensure my freedom in America, and those that are apart of our armed forces to continue to keep America free!

Today I will BBQ my hot dogs and hamburgers, I will grill my corn, I will slice my watermelon, and I will enjoy my ice cream with my family that I love so much! I will proudly wear my t-shirt that expresses my gratitude to my Lord and my country!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Speak Truth Love