Family

"14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man; 
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19 KJV


Thoughts: I and many have said that we have two families: one we are born into and one we choose. One family can see your flaws and point them out in spite or look and say poor you without offering any constructive help. Yet the other can see your flaws and pray for them in love and offer guidance or simply be there to lift you up when you can't stand for yourself. It is a marvelous feeling to be connected with a family in Christ who can see me for who I am, flaws and all, and love me. So much so, that their love can help me turn my flaws into stepping stones on the path in my journey with God. It is our duty to love one another, not in spite of our flaws but because of them. We, as followers of Christ, are connected to each other to help one another in love as Christ loves us. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the people in my life who you sent to me or sent me to for the strengthening of my life and theirs. Thank you that you loved us enough to connect our lives in your kingdom. God I ask that you touch all of us and make us whole in you. I ask that you go out to all those I am connected to and touch them so they have no doubts about who you are in their lives. God I ask that you touch my earthly family and my heavenly family with love, life, happiness, joy and above all peace. I pray that you keep us connected in your love which heals all, restores all, and keeps us all safe. In Jesus's holy name I pray, Amen.

Listening for His Voice

"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." Genesis 22: 18 KJV

Thoughts: Obeying God has been one of the hardest hurdles to jump in my life. Not because I don't want to obey Him, but because He always wants me to do things, be a certain way, or go places I am not ready to move into. I know He only has my best interests in mind so why do I resist? As humans we resist God sometimes because He is pushing us toward a future we feel unprepared for or not ready to face because we feel inadequate. However, He knows what and when is best for us. All my life I have been running away from God or running to Him, depending on the phase I was in. I am finally in a place where running away from Him is not an option and it feels good to know I'm ready for anything He has in mind. In my running to Him I have learned to hear God's voice and follow His direction in my life. This is in no way easier than before, in fact it is sometimes harder. It is one of the sweetest sounds to hear God speaking to you and know that He does everything for us out of love. He can take the worst situation we can put ourselves into and change it to benefit us or teach us a lesson to better us. Yet it all begins with listening to, learning from, and obeying His voice.

Prayer: God, thank you for allowing me to hear your voice. Thank you for always knowing when I need a word from you and using songs I love, people I know and some I don't to speak a word to me. I appreciate that you let me into your intimate circle and love me unconditionally because I know nothing I did or will do can change your love for me. Lord, strengthen me in my walk and help me to know your voice without doubt and yearn after your heart. In Jesus's Holy name I pray, Amen.