Be Still....He's Got You

      I have been on quite the hiatus when it comes to blogging. I used to blog daily, sharing my journey and my thoughts but recently I have been real quiet. Not just on the internet, but in my life too. Maybe a little too quiet. There is a time monster in all of our lives when we learn that it may be wiser to remain silent, prayerful, and still then it is talk and move forward. This is a hard lesson monster, especially for one such as me who is not used to having to guard my mouth. I have always been quick to talk and slow to think it through first. I have always shared my thoughts and opinions freely, I have been quick to display anger and impatience, but in my journey I have learned to be still. I am not going to say it is easy, monster, it is not. It will be the hardest thing you master, the hardest thing you will ever do. To be still, to allow the Lord to move, to make a way, to deal with your enemies, to fight your battles while you are still, will be the hardest but the most rewarding experience of your walk.

    What do I mean by being still. I am not talking about inaction, or sitting back waiting on things I am talking about moving forward on your path, doing the work you have been called to do. You are still praying, you are still in your Word, you are still doing you. So how is that being Still? When I say be still it means not to pay attention to the distractions that are going to arise. As you walk with the Lord you will be blessed. You will get the job you have been praying for, get that breakthrough in your life you have been working towards, you will be enjoying all the blessings that come with it and while your enjoying it, the enemy is throwing things in your path to make you stumble. The enemy will throw people at you, situations, etc. to make you falter, to make you question and to ultimately make you leave your path. Don't give in monster, no matter what comes at you, be still, knowing that God has already worked it out. 

Here is what it looks like. You have finally gotten the job you have been praying for. You are happy, you are making lots of money, you are finally able to be the blessing you always wanted to be. Everything is great until it is not. Your car breaks down, your babysitter quits, and your co-worker is throwing so much shade at you she could be an oak tree. I mean seriously, what is wrong with her that she is constantly bad mouthing you, undermining you and basically making your dream job a nightmare. What do you do? Do you throw a fit, tell her where she needs to go and how to get there? Or do you be still. 

Scenario 2. You are finally in the relationship you have been praying about. You have met the man you are going to marry. You pray together, you go to church together, you are actively building a life together.  You are happy and you expect the others around you to be happy as well.... yeah not so much. Your getting advice from this one and that one, everyone has an opinion, some think your moving too fast, some don't like him, some just liked you better single who knows but everywhere you turn you find a new opinion. What do you do? 
Scenario 3. You are finally getting your degree, you have made it into the program, everything is great until it is not. You don't like your study group, your classes are not available, the books are too much, your job is tripping about all the time you have been requesting off. You are distracted by everything going on around you what do you do? 

Be still monster. I don't know what your dealing with in your life, but I know at times it can be stressful, You have so many things pulling at you, people talking into your life, everyday stresses and set backs and you just want to fire back. Be still. Psalm 46:10 "Be Still and Know that I am God."  simply means that you don't have to do anything. You don't have to defend yourself from attack. Exodus 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Hold on to your peace monster. You don't have to tell that chick where to go, you don't have to fight and argue with your family, you don't have to do anything. You can be still knowing that the battle is the Lord's and that no weapon formed against you will prosper. You can relax and bathe in the light that tells us that All things work together for the good of them who love the Lord. This monster is being still. Keep doing what your doing. all these obstacles and trials tell you is that you are heading in the right way. So next time someone throws some dirt your way, don't worry, God has got your back. 

I wish you stillness monster. 

Malarkey, Balderdash, Hogwash and other Foolishness

   

 Happy Tuesday Monsters, how is the taming of the tongue going? Harder then you thought huh? I have been practicing being silent, I have been absent on twitter and face book, I have not responded to the off the wall posts that we call social media, I have smiled and nodded rather then engage in conversations at work. I have thought before I spoke and become a woman of few words. For now. I don't know about you but I am bursting to tell other people to shut up!  I mean really when your quiet, you start to really take notice of the chatter going on around you. All that chatter, all the tweets, all the updates, even the face to face convos are full of mess. I said it. Foolishness! Mess, and yes to quote Biden, "malarkey." As people we say a whole lot of nothing. Think of all that air pollution. I look back on some of my own chatter, tweets and status updates and wish I could have back all the millions of seconds I wasted telling people how much i love sunshine, go bulls, and "liking" of random stuff. If I had all those seconds back I could be making history instead of posting about it on my face book page.

       The most important thing I learned during my forced silence is not to argue with fools.

Unfortunately I seem to know quite a lot of fools. I am sure you do too, in fact you may be a fool right now. The good news is you do not have to stay one. When I say foolish  I don't mean stupid or ignorant (Though my face book friend list seems to have an abundance of them also) I mean people who don't think before they speak. People who make great business decisions but horrible personal ones. People who make excellent personal ones and horrible business ones. People who for the most part are smart, kind, loving, until they sit in front of a keyboard, then all their foolishness shows. People who just have wrong thinking about a whole host of things. That is the foolishness I am speaking on.

    Don't get me wrong monster we are all at times  foolish.We have all made foolish choices, made foolish statements, and just in general acted a fool at one time or another. However there should come a time when we let all that foolishness go. There should come a time when our appetite for it diminishes and disappears, a time that as we walk in the Light, we become wiser. We should at some point stop looking to our education, our friends, our experiences etc and look to the Lord and ask for wisdom. The wisdom to do right, act right, think right, choose better friends, choose better dates, choose better jobs and lifestyles. Eventually in our walk with God we should be able to move past the foolishness.

    Let me share some random conversations and posts I have come across in my pondering on fools and foolishness.  Foolishness is what keeps you in a bad relationship yet you keep asking for advice. It is what makes you make snide comments about people, it makes you stay in a dead end job or spend your paycheck before you get it. Foolishness is buying 200 dollar gym shoes and your rent is due. Foolishness is doing the same ignorant thing over and over again and wanting different results. Foolishness is posting half naked pictures of yourself on the Internet and then beating your daughter for staying out all night with her boyfriend. Foolishness is arguing with someone who makes racist, sexist or bigoted comments on an anonymous forum. Foolishness is knowing what is right and not doing it. You starting to get the picture?

The world is full of foolishness, lucky for us we have the solution. The Word. The bible tells us that if anyone lacks wisdom, ask the Lord,(James 1:5) it tells us to put away childish behavior, ( 1 Corinthians 13:11) to cease from foolish talk(Ephesians 5:4) and to not hang around fools.(1 Corinthians 15:33) It is all there a whole manual on how to live, to be wise, to make wise choices. The only catch is you have to actually read it. The world is infected with foolishness and malarkey, you only have to turn on the television or the computer for that matter and you will be bombarded with reality shows full of people acting a fool, talk shows, news forums and programs that celebrate ignorance and vulgarity. You can be infected and spread it or you can be the cure. Foolishness has to stop with you. You choose how you speak, to whom you speak, and the content of your speech. So monster are you a fool. I would hope not, but just in case you may have a mild case of it, a good dose of the Word will clear that all up.

Be wise monster, be wise.

The Taming of the Tongue, Shut up already

   Happy February monsters. How is the love walk going? In case you haven't noticed I have not been blogging as much as I was. A part of that is I have been crazy busy juggling being a mom, planning a wedding, working and all the other things that make up a life. More importantly I have been working on me, specifically my mouth.  With day to day issues and frustrations it is easy to say things you don't mean, to talk about people and situations that annoy you, to gossip, to rant, and to make comments you may later regret. Yup with all the stuff going on in my life its easy to lose ground on the things I thought I had dealt with, my mouth being one of them. Lucky for you monster my slip ups make great topics for this blog.

    Throughout this blog and my journey I have discussed the importance of changing the way you think, guarding your heart, and speaking good things into your life. I seem to have overlooked the whole watching what you say thing, I mean it was easy to call out others on what they say, but myself not so much. In fact recently I have found myself so annoyed with the words coming out of the mouth of someone I loved, that I had to pause and see that God was placing a mirror in front of me. Yup, it was time to work on my mouth, after all what is the point of having pretty lips if every word that comes out of them is ugly? Ponder that monster, ponder that.

   

 So what should you not be saying, let's go to my favorite place, Proverbs. Proverbs is chuck full of wisdom, and a whole bunch of it is dedicated to watching your mouth. It talks about lying, bad mouthing, slander, gossip, foolish talking, deceitfulness, speaking out in anger, rash words, and even about when to shut up. The more I read it the more I realize that I could have saved myself a ton of drama just by being quiet. "Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble" Proverbs 21:23. We all know that lying is wrong, gossip is not so good and slander, slander you could be prosecuted for, or is it libel, either way you want to stay away from it."Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler." Proverbs 20:19 "A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends" Proverbs 16:28 Then there is the grey area. Sarcasm, dry wit, perverse speaking, etc. So basically the majority of my smart comments and mean but funny statements should never have been uttered. Harsh, but true.

        So what are we supposed to do monster, it's not like you can walk around with a muzzle on or a gag, so not fashionable. It is easy, it is time to shut up. Yup I said it, shut up. Next time you want to talk, make a comment, discuss someone, joke about something, shut up. Harsh huh? Before you speak think. Is what you are about to say a sword or not. Are you verbally murdering someone? Are you making a situation/conversation better or worse? Is it something you wouldn't mind saying to Jesus? The Bible says that we are to think about the good, the just, the lovely, if you are thinking these things then there is no room for the ugliness that can escape your lips. (Philippians 4:8) There are times when you think that your not really gossiping or your just telling your friend what you heard, the Bible also covers this. It says that love covers all things and a trustworthy friend will shield their friend from the hurt.

grace  

/grās/

Noun Simple elegance or refinement of movement.

Verb Do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one's presence.

Synonyms noun.   favour - favor - charm - elegance - mercy - gracefulness verb.   adorn - decorate - ornament - embellish - deck - bedeck

As for the snide comments and the off color jokes we are all guilty of enjoying, try this one on for size.  "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29.  Grace, now there is word you don't hear often. In fact it has all but disappeared from our vocabulary, it is more then just a popular name for a little girl.  We as ladies should be gracious and kind. Unfortunately we seem to be a generation of mean girls we mistake cattiness for charm and mean spirited talking for wit. Do the words you use with others do honor or credit, is it a pleasure to be in your company, are you elegant, refined? According to the words you use and the content of your conversation, I would say no.  

So you see monster, you have great power in your tongue. It can be a sword, destroying and cutting at every turn or it can be a healer, a balm to the bruised, an instrument of peace, and a source of wisdom. You decide on what you want it to be. I still struggle with this, as I am sure you do. The good news is that you can master your mouth, it is as simple as shutting it. While it is shut get to reading, start with proverbs then do a search of all the verses that deal with your tounge. I did, I still do, It is a walk that we are on monster. This is just one step in it. So how do you  get started taming your tounge? Easy, when in doubt, shut up. 

Happy talking monster, happy talking 

Turn up the Light

    Hello monster, how is your love walk going. I know that my blogs usually focus on the inner you, on the spirit you, on the you who walks and talks with God. Today we will venture outside of ourselves a little bit. We will take a look at the world around us. Recently we have been assaulted with horrific events. Mass shootings across the country with the culmination of them being at Sandy Hook Elementary. There are no words for the loss of so many lives. There are no words to express the hurt and the pain that these events cause. It seems like no one is safe. That the innocent suffer and we are helpless during the onslaught of evil. We offer our prayers and thoughts to the families, we mourn as a nation. We look towards lawmakers, government, and others to protect us, to make this right, to stand in the darkness. We feel helpless against all the evil in the world, what else could it be but evil? 
   
This is not true monster. We are not powerless. We have a power beyond our power, a strength beyond our strength. We have dominion over the enemy, he is already defeated. It is time, time to shine monsters. We have a job to do, a calling, we are the light in this world, what good are we if we don't shine in the darkness. 

This blog, today, is a call to arms. This is why you have been praying, you have been working on you, you have been immersed in the Word. Not for yourself, but for the world. The world needs you monster. What makes you so special? so powerful? The God in you. God lives in you. He lives in the innermost part of you and He uses you to show his love and his power in this world. You are a warrior, you are Daniel in the lions' den, you are David with a sling, you are Joshua bringing down the walls, you are Moses, freeing your people, You are Esther, speaking out against injustice. You have been placed here, at this time to be a light. 
The world needs a savior like never before, you are not the savior but you are the light that shows the way to Him. 

Do you see how important you are? How powerful, do you see know why your life has been under attack? The enemy wants to keep you busy with all the drama that used to consume you. He wants to keep you distracted by those around you who are dragging you down. He uses fear to control your thoughts, to diminish you to make you unsure. Today I am telling you that it is he that should be afraid of you. Turn up your light. 

What does that mean? What do you mean light? You should stand apart. Apart from the darkness. You, monster shine because the Love of God lives in you, Faith, Hope, Kindness, Peace, Patience, and Goodness all reside in you. These are fruits of the spirit. When you show these attributes to the world when you practice them daily you are shining! The more you practice them, the more you make them part of your character the brighter you shine. With each act of kindness you push back the darkness, with each act of love you beat the enemy over the head, when you live what you believe you are a living, breathing, word of God. There are a multitude of verses in the Bible urging us to be the light, to put on the light, to walk in the light. The world is in darkness and it needs your light. Badly. 

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

    Ephesians 5:8 For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" 

Romans 13:12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

1 Peter 2:9"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light"

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to pray. Yup, that is all you have to do for now. Pray. All day, when you wake up, while your driving, while your working, in your quiet moments, during your loud moments, before you go to bed, while you brush your teeth. Pray. Get into talking to God. Bring all your mess to Him and leave it there. Eventually you will run out of things to talk about where it concerns your self. If this happens pray for those you know pray for their health and strength, pray blessings over their lives, pray for protection over them.
 When you run out of those people pray for your mailman, the lady who rang up your groceries, the guy you pass every day on the way to lunch, the lady in the cubicle next to you. Branch out and pray for complete strangers, your neighborhood, your workplace, your employer, your elected officials, your police officers, your firefighters. Are you getting this monster? 
Pray. For everyone. Make it a habit. While your praying do random acts of kindness. Be patient. Be loving, Be good. Be all the things you love and admire about God. You won't be perfect, no one expects you to, but you will be walking in love, you will be speaking love into the world, you monster will shine. If each and every one of us practiced this even for just a week how different would our world be. Changing the world starts with one person at a time. 

Be the light, monster, be the light. 

Hold on, Prepare for the Harvest

  Fall is here monsters, and it is time to bring in the harvest. Even if you have never planted a thing in your life you know that fall is the time of bringing in the crops. It is the season of preparing for winter, putting away our summer fashion and pulling on knits, jackets and drop dead gorgeous boots. Harvest season is an annual event, without fail we know fall is coming, we know that we have to prepare for winter, we know holidays are coming, we know that summer is officially over. 

  Seasons in nature are easy to tell, even in warm climates you experience the change in the air, the shortening of days, and the heaviness of the annual fall fashion issue of Vogue. The changing of the seasons are so universally known that it is no surprise that the Bible constantly refers to them. It likens our struggles, our hopes, our good times and bad to seasons. Periods of time that are passing, that may feel like forever but are in truth are fleeting. In the Between you may feel like you are in a season full of lack, of doubt, of waiting, of struggle, but just like the natural seasons, your spiritual season will not last long.  As you come to understand that God has a plan for you, that it was established before you were ever born you can learn to weather your season. 

  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tell us that there is a time for everything under the sun. everything has its time and place and therefore though it may feel like forever it too will pass, to make way for something else. 
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; "

    In our lives we will have both good times and bad, times of movement and change and times when we feel like nothing is happening at all. When you find yourself in the stagnant  season it is easy to give up, to feel bad about yourself and your life. It is easy to look at others and covet what they have or what they are doing. Don't give into this monster, it is just a season and it will pass. The season you are in is a growing opportunity, it is a time to prune away what no longer serves you, feed your spirit, water your faith and praise the Lord. Yup in the midst of what you may feel is a bad season, a season of drought, famine, hopelessness, don't forget to praise God. Psalms 1:3 "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." reminds us that we are to stand, that our season of yielding fruit is coming. That no matter how harsh the weather may be, no matter what comes against us if we stand and praise him through it, when it passes we will be stronger for it. 

     God has planted a seed in you, you are a seed, you have planted your seeds of faith, you have only to outlast the current season to reap your harvest. A farmer knows that he has to wait for his seeds to sprout, to ripen, before he can harvest, he doesnt plant corn on Monday and reap it on Tuesday. He knows that it may be a dry season, that insects may attack his crop, that bad weather, floods, tornadoes, hail and a host of other things may happen. But a good farmer sows the seed anyway, in earth that he has prepared. He waits and he watches, he irrigates, he weeds, he safegaurds against pests, but mostly he waits, he has patience and faith that his crop will come in. He prepares himself for a harvest. 

     Monster, you are a farmer. You have sown with  faith, you have prayed for what you need/want, you have prepared the ground of your heart, you have watered it with the Word you have safeguarded it from the enemy you are weathering your season. You are preparing yourself for the harvest. So when harvesting season comes be prepared, in the meantime praise him for the season your in. 

Happy harvesting monster.