Congratulations! After today, you will have read all of Psalm and Proverbs in one month! This is a big accomplishment and I hope it fuels you to continue on.
On your final day together, I want to pray for you and then leave you to commune with your heavenly father. I want to thank you so much for participating in this study with me. I hope that it impacted you as much as it did me.
Today, on your last day, you will be reading Proverbs chapter 31 and Psalm chapters 146-150.
Abba,
I thank you for this month. I thank you for Psalm and Proverbs and everything you taught us through them. Thank you for fresh revelations, you always use your word to communicate to us what we need in your timing. I thank you for our future and the hope of the future. I pray that we stay diligent in seeking you. I pray that you give us undivided hearts, 100% focused on you and your will for our lives. I ask for clear minds, that we can retain and remember all we have learned and heard over the past month, and discernment to know when it's applicable. I pray for peaceful attitudes, that we look for ways to mend, not tear apart. I pray for compassionate eyes, that we are quick to embrace those around us, not judge. I ask for us all selfless mouths, quick to listen, slow to speak and only speaking your truth. I pray for us productive hands, that we complete the tasks you have for us and the jobs you've laid out for us. And finally, I ask for steady feet, that we remain on your path for our lives, never to stumble or wander.
Thank you for giving us all the tools we need, I pray we make the most of them all. That we understand the importance of communing with you everyday. That we experience all the joy and blessings you have in store for us. We love love love you.
Amen.
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Day 27: Revel in the Yes!
Today we are reading Proverbs chapter 27 and Psalm chapters 126-130. Before we read, ask God to restore you heart, mind, and soul today. Ask him to fill you up with his goodness!
-Read Scriptures-
"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5 NKJ
We all have different seasons to our life. We have seasons of sorrow and seasons of joy. Times to sow and times to reap. I personally spent the majority of my twenties in a season of "not yet." Looking back, I know that God was preparing and molding me. He was stretching and growing me and I definitely experienced the growing pains along the way.
"Those who walk the fields to sow, casting their seed in tears, will one day tread those same long rows, amazed by what's appeared. Those who weep as they walk and plant with sighs, will return singing with joy, when they bring home the harvest." Psalm 126:5-6 The Voice
It was a difficult and painful season, but I could feel a sense of importance around what was happening. I felt the necessity of it all. Then, my 30th year of being alive, something magical happened. I entered the season of God's Yes. The time of "not yet" turned to "now." And now, living in the season of God's Yes, I understand why those 10 years were so vital. The things I had to go through and learn (still learning), patience and selflessness, has allowed me to appreciate and enjoy and make the most of this time. If I'd not gone through and learned those things, I know I would not be doing what I am today.
"You worked hard and deserve all you've got coming. Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!...Stand in awe of God's Yes! Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God!" Psalm 128:2-4 The Message
Now this is NOT a "earning your blessings" or "God's road is easy" verse. This is a reward for being faithful in difficult times. We aren't faithful for the reward, it's just a byproduct. And it is not a yes for things material (although, sometimes he chooses to bless this way,) it's for the things that can't be bought, only given to us by our heavenly Father. Revel in the goodness, stand in awe of God's Yes!
-I revel in his goodness when I see my kids laugh and play.
-I revel in his goodness when I watch my husband in ministry.
-I revel in his goodness when I look around my house.
-I revel in his goodness when I paint.
-I revel in his goodness when I travel.
-I revel in his goodness when I'm enjoying nature.
And I stand in awe of God's Yes to the questions that matter!
Can I have peace? YES.
Will you provide for me? YES.
Do I have a purpose? YES.
Will you protect me? YES.
Will you forgive me? YES.
Do you love me? YES.
Am I special? YES.
Do you accept me? YES. YES!
All of those things you desire, deep in your heart (acceptance, love, forgiveness), God says YES! What Yes do you need to revel in? What do you need to accept from him?
Today, your challenge is to see all the "Yes"s in your life, celebrate them, and revel in them!
Abba, Thank you for telling us Yes, when we are so undeserving. Thank you for the season's of "not yet," of sowing. For it is in those seasons you prepare us to be able to fully receive and make the most of your blessings. (And you knew I needed a lot of preparing!) Had I not learned what I needed to, I would of squandered away what you've blessed me with today. No matter what season we are in, let us be thankful and hopeful, and revel in your goodness, because you are always good, and stand in awe of your Yes! You have a purpose for everything, and you have a plan. Thank you for using us. We love you, and desire to honor and glorify you in all we do today.
Amen.
-Read Scriptures-
"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5 NKJ
We all have different seasons to our life. We have seasons of sorrow and seasons of joy. Times to sow and times to reap. I personally spent the majority of my twenties in a season of "not yet." Looking back, I know that God was preparing and molding me. He was stretching and growing me and I definitely experienced the growing pains along the way.
"Those who walk the fields to sow, casting their seed in tears, will one day tread those same long rows, amazed by what's appeared. Those who weep as they walk and plant with sighs, will return singing with joy, when they bring home the harvest." Psalm 126:5-6 The Voice
It was a difficult and painful season, but I could feel a sense of importance around what was happening. I felt the necessity of it all. Then, my 30th year of being alive, something magical happened. I entered the season of God's Yes. The time of "not yet" turned to "now." And now, living in the season of God's Yes, I understand why those 10 years were so vital. The things I had to go through and learn (still learning), patience and selflessness, has allowed me to appreciate and enjoy and make the most of this time. If I'd not gone through and learned those things, I know I would not be doing what I am today.
"You worked hard and deserve all you've got coming. Enjoy the blessing! Revel in the goodness!...Stand in awe of God's Yes! Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God!" Psalm 128:2-4 The Message
Now this is NOT a "earning your blessings" or "God's road is easy" verse. This is a reward for being faithful in difficult times. We aren't faithful for the reward, it's just a byproduct. And it is not a yes for things material (although, sometimes he chooses to bless this way,) it's for the things that can't be bought, only given to us by our heavenly Father. Revel in the goodness, stand in awe of God's Yes!
-I revel in his goodness when I see my kids laugh and play.
-I revel in his goodness when I watch my husband in ministry.
-I revel in his goodness when I look around my house.
-I revel in his goodness when I paint.
-I revel in his goodness when I travel.
-I revel in his goodness when I'm enjoying nature.
And I stand in awe of God's Yes to the questions that matter!
Can I have peace? YES.
Will you provide for me? YES.
Do I have a purpose? YES.
Will you protect me? YES.
Will you forgive me? YES.
Do you love me? YES.
Am I special? YES.
Do you accept me? YES. YES!
All of those things you desire, deep in your heart (acceptance, love, forgiveness), God says YES! What Yes do you need to revel in? What do you need to accept from him?
Today, your challenge is to see all the "Yes"s in your life, celebrate them, and revel in them!
Abba, Thank you for telling us Yes, when we are so undeserving. Thank you for the season's of "not yet," of sowing. For it is in those seasons you prepare us to be able to fully receive and make the most of your blessings. (And you knew I needed a lot of preparing!) Had I not learned what I needed to, I would of squandered away what you've blessed me with today. No matter what season we are in, let us be thankful and hopeful, and revel in your goodness, because you are always good, and stand in awe of your Yes! You have a purpose for everything, and you have a plan. Thank you for using us. We love you, and desire to honor and glorify you in all we do today.
Amen.
My Yes!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Day 8: The Overflow.
Today we are reading Proverbs chapter 8 and Psalm chapters 36-41. Before you begin, ask God to reveal to you something about yourself today. Either something good that maybe you have never recognized before, or something that you need to work on.
-Read Scriptures-
"I'm ready to meet those who love me, bestow true riches upon them, and fill up their lives until their treasuries overflow." Proverbs 8:21 The Voice
If you get nothing else from this study, I want you to understand this promise. That you can live a life full of true riches. That your life can be in a constant overflow.
I know this to be true because I am living it right now. Ever since I have fully given myself over to God, not holding back, submitting to him, and spending time with him everyday, I have lived in a constant state of overwhelm-ment. (I just made that word up, it's that awesome and intense, it deserves it's own word. :) In every aspect of my life, I feel overwhelmed. (In a very good way of course). The Holy Spirit's presence and power in my life is overwhelming, people's generosity and capacity for goodness overwhelm me, God's words overwhelm me, my children's growth and progress, financially, blessing upon blessing, etc. Even my business, COLORS, is in a constant state of over-flow, (not as much financially, lol, but being able to watch God work has been SO exciting!)
Everywhere I look, everywhere I go, in everything I seem to do, God shows up. And it is always in a way that is so obviously him, all credit goes to him. That is not to say that things are always easy. That doesn't mean that there aren't moments of sadness, frustration, disappointment, or suffering. But it DOES mean that in those moments of darkness, I NEVER feel alone or hopeless. And even in the hard, tedious work, I know that God will take my efforts and make more of them than I ever could. Truly knowing and believing that God is always working in, with, and through me, gives me peace. Even when I feel I can do nothing right, knowing that he is always in control and can turn my mess into a masterpiece, makes me feel brave and confident. To me, that is true riches!
Which is why I know that this could be your life too. It has NOTHING to do with me or the individual, just their desire to serve and honor God with their lives. He provides my needs, He gives me my heart's desire, He sends the people into my life, He provides the finances, He provides the words and encouragement I need, etc.
Psalm 37:4-6 in TNIV says: "Take delight in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun."
The "reward" and "treasuries" referred to in both scriptures are not monetary (in my opinion). Money and earthly riches can be taken, stolen, or lost. The overflow that I've experienced can not be taken away.
The tangible presence of God in my life.
My joy.
My confidence.
My peace.
All of these things are available to you. You can live a life full of abundance and overwhelm-ment! God has blessed me beyond measure, and even in the trials and difficult moments, I have found SO much peace and joy knowing that God uses these things to take us where we need to go. That refinement requires fire. And even though the fire can be painful, it's results can be immeasurable and beautiful. When you really thing about it that way, it can be very overwhelming. In a good way. :)
My prayer for you today:
Abba, I pray for every single person doing this study right now, in this very moment. That you fill them so full of your presence that it overflows in tears. That you give them a tangible reminder that you desire to overflow us, with you. That you have a life so FULL ready for us, we can not even comprehend. A life full of blessings and joy. A life full of peace and confidence. A life living every day aware of your presence. A life full of contentment and love. A life full of forgiveness and grace. A life FULL of you. I give mine over to you today, you can do so much more with it than I ever could. I pray the same for my friends.
Give them a glimpse today, let today be the day that they know everything has changed. I pray that every single one of my friends claim these treasures and riches you have for them right now. We are your children, and this is our inheritance. We don't have to wait for it, it's available to us here and now. Thank you for it. Thank you for giving us these things that we don't deserve. Thank you for loving us through all our mistakes and failures. Thank you for loving us through the fire. Thank you for making us into something beautiful. We desire to honor and glorify you in all we say and do today.
Amen.
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