Over and Over

Over and Over

Lord, Why do I keep doing what I don’t want to do, over and over again, when my desire is to follow Your ways?

Today I’m going to;

Decide not to hurt my spirit again

I’ll say a prayer, I’ll praise Your name and win in Jesus’ name

How many times have you resolved to not do a certain thing over and over and over again in your life? Quitting a bad habit is something we often fail at many times before we succeed. In having overcome some bad habits, (while still working on others), I speak with continued effort on this challenge. I don’t limit my bad habits to being that of only actions, but they can be a repeated thought, whether a bitterness, a rage, a hatred, a self-pity, a lustfulness, an addiction… I could go on and on.

 

I have found that the more quickly I turn to God to seek His comfort, His wisdom and His peace, the stronger I am to be able to resist temptation. God’s word gives us peace and power. The peace He gives us is complete, it is whole; it is refreshing to our entire being and it is reviving to our strength. You may need to turn to God several times a day (or even several times an hour) as you maintain the determination to overcome, but He is there for you each and EVERY time.

 

John 6:68

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

 

Cocooned

Cocooned

Lord, I feel like I just want to curl up into a dark little cocoon and forget about the world.

Today I’m going to;

Open my eyes even when I want to hide in the dark

I will praise God for His light and that He’s with me as I walk

When things are difficult day after day, month after month, life can be so daunting to face alone.  So many times it would seem that the easiest thing to do would be to just close ourselves up into a cocoon and blanket ourselves in the darkness forgetting all of our struggles and pain.

 

The cocoon is where God touches the creature of the ground and with His beauty, a butterfly is born.  The butterfly feels the struggle without seeing the beauty as it struggles to free itself, but God’s plan is always waiting for it to push through.  Remember that in your struggles, God has His plan.  He is with you and has a plan for your days.  Every struggle is not in vain.  Every day will be used for your good and His glory.  You ARE the beautiful creature that God is creating.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Falling Apart

Falling Apart

Lord, I am falling apart; nothing is working for me and I just cannot seem to get myself together enough to make my life seem liveable.

Today I’m going to;

Remember that You knit my very being

That You always have my best planned and You are ever-seeing.

I can’t tell you how many days I felt that I was falling apart. I could not control my emotions, my thoughts were erratic and my mind just kept falling to emotion and despair no matter how much I tried to gain control.

It is so important to know God on so many levels. When in this state of mind, the best thing to remember is that He is the maker of your being and therefore, through your faith, the restorer of your soul. He who created your inner fiber, your spirit and your life’s plan is omnipotently able to put together what seems to be falling apart to you.

1 Peter 5:10 And the God of grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  

His Amazing Love

His Love

Beautiful heart, so precious so pure

Brought here to love, brought here to cure

Brought here to carry, brought here to give

Brought to enable the broken to live

~

Selflessly living, giving His soul

Compassion the motive, healing His goal

Bestowing grace on the weary and broken

Benevolent Savior, lived actions not spoken

~

Not seeking reward for His selfless way

Fulfilled by a smile from a child on his way

Broken of spirit drew to His side

He smiled and blessed, His arms opened wide

~

He lived for your blessing, He died for your life

Not welcomed by any, surrounded in strife

Alone in His purpose, His heart sang out love

Here for your blessing, God’s gift from above

~

He whispers His love in your broken heart’s ear

He calls to you spirit, can you not hear?

He longs to anoint you and bathe you in grace

He smiles on your spirit, come seek His beautiful face

~

 

Life Just Seems so Hard..

 

Lord.. Why must life be so very hard?

Today I’m going to…

Remember the times that I’ve come out on top with all the odds against me

Knowing You surround me with care; Your love and care enfence me

 

Yes… day to day, when we focus on how difficult life is, we feel it is too much to take. When, however, we remember the time that the car did not hit us, when we’ve passed through great illnesses and been ok, when we’ve gotten kindness from a stranger or suddenly something happens that we don’t expect in much-needed help, we know that Our loving Father is with us.

On that day when life is just too much and all you can do is think His precious name.. Love flows out and over us supernaturally, our comfort, our shelter, our joy.

 

Job 1:10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.

Overwhelmed

Overwhelmed

Lord, I feel completely overwhelmed

Today I’m going to;

Pick a task and know that with You, it’s not too big

Compared to Your greatness, this task isn’t a forest, but a twig

When in the midst of the forest, it is easy to get lost in thinking about the magnitude of the forest and the innumerable trees; We may get glimpses of the sun shining through the tops of the trees, but it is our nature to worry about how we will ever get out of the tangles instead of just taking our very next step.

In fact, focusing on how lost we are can cripple us to the point that we cannot take a step in any direction. It is hard to know where to start when things seem out of control, whether it be taking care of your home, finances, family, a project at work, etc. Remember that Our Father carries our burdens with us and He is the compass that leads us, guides us and has planned our every moment of every day.

Ex 29:30  See; I am sending an angel ahead of you to guide you along the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared (for you).

So Many Regrets

So Many Regrets

Lord, I am so full of regrets, how can you forgive me?

Today I’m going to;

Pick a thought that causes me regret

I’ll ask the Lord’s forgiveness and then I will forget

Picture by Easter Ellen

We are taught that God forgives, God is loving, God is the perfection of mercy and grace. Today, think about one of those difficult memories. You know the kind of memory that is buried deeply in one of the dark little corners of your spirit.. almost forgotten, but never gone. Regret; it can have a powerful effect on our self-worth and in time even in our ability to cope with every-day life as it festers in the background of our spirit. Today, let us confess our regrets and sins to God, seek forgiveness and believe… yes believe that we are forgiven as our Father in Heaven promises us.

Jesus took all upon Himself so that we would not have to carry the weight, the judgment and the burden of our sins. Jesus died for our freedom from the weight of carrying our sins that we have until we seek His forgiveness.

Once you confess your sins to God, be assured that they are now dead and gone. We are promised that God purifies our hearts and our spirits. Then, in the truest meaning of repentance, “go and sin no more”. I know.. easy to say. Use this as your guiding light and goal. Let God be the strength that fights with and for you and gives you the ability to walk in His way.

Matthew 26;28 This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  

Abandoned

Abandoned

Lord, Are you there?

Today I’m going to;

Close my eyes; just a moment to reflect

The mercy that I’m given, I am never in neglect

So often in life, I have felt completely and utterly alone, even though I have been surrounded by loved ones. I felt abandoned and unlovable.

It seems as amazing to me now as it did when I first came to realize that no matter what the depth of our sorrow, our shame, regret or our inability to cope with life, God never, never leaves us. As a matter of fact, God calls us the “apple of His eye”. The bible tells us that “He sings over us”. Wow! This evokes thoughts of my parents when I was a young child and even of being a mother and singing to my children.

As I would sing, love flowed out of my heart and my spirit to the point where it seemed I could physically feel it moving and spilling over them. Such tremendous love and yet God’s love for us is even greater! God’s care for us is beyond that of the best mother or father and He will never leave you, no matter how abandoned or unworthy you may feel.

1John 4:10 This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  

I thought that this would be appropriate to add to the Daily Prompt Singing the Blues. As this blog is all about overcoming the blues and depression.

In the Pit of Darkness

In the Pit of Darkness

Lord, I feel so unable to see; my whole world seems so dark and dreary

Today I’m going to;

Reflect upon the light that Our Father brings

Shining in the darkest darkness

He’s the Eternal King of Kings

Though you may feel that your life is contained in a dark cloud, God is with you.  Even in your darkest moments.  I often think back to Genesis and remember that we are told that God created light. 

Think about that for a moment.  God made light where there was nothing.  Even in your darkest moments in life, God brings the light of His love, the glory of His mercy and the beauty of His grace.

Psalm 107:14  He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.

Feeling Alone

Lord, I feel so Alone

Today I’m going to… 

Look outside and see the morning sky

Remembering that God is good, He’s perfect and He’s nigh

Feeling Alone

Today is a new day.  Jesus teaches us to live today for today and not to carry the burdens of our past – mistakes, wrongs, regrets. The past is His – just give it to Him. Today is not tomorrow, so there is no need to be anxious and throughout the bible, God urges us to trust Him in faith for all of our days. 

Our Heavenly Father promises us that our future is full of hope in His hands. Embrace His love as He loves you every minute of your existence. Step outside and take a deep breath, let our Father’s love spill over you like the warmth of a warm oil that fills you with peace and joy. Sigh out your worries in thanks to God, knowing that all is in His loving, precious hands.

Rom 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.