365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 352

Halloween. It has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love to dress up and be someone else for a day. It frees you of the inhibitions and fears you normally have and allows you to be whatever you want without the fear of rejection. Today I am the Dark Queen with black lip stick and all. Have fun, be safe and enjoy the treats with self-control. Happy Halloween!

1Corinthians 15:40-44 There are bodies in the heavens, and there are bodies on earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the beauty of the earthly bodies. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their beauty and brightness. 42 It is the same way for the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die. 43 Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power. 44 They are natural human bodies now, but when they are raised, they will be spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, so also there are spiritual bodies.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Day-321

My bible study is working on The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell. We had a good discussion on chapter 4 which is about the law of reflection. I love what he said about experience. It is not the experience that makes you grow it is the evaluation of the experience. I think for most of us have random growth moments but what if we really took the time to stop and reflect each day on what we may have learned for that day? How much more growing we could accomplish! As I drove home from work yesterday, I thought about that question, “what have I learned today?” I ended up having a great learning moment. I realized the stress I feel from work is because of my drive to be recognized and successful. The work I do is done well and I do what I can so stressing about the rest of it waiting for me the next day isn’t going to make it go away any faster. I realized God wants me to just take pause in my plowing through work to focus on Him and give it to Him. I am doing my best and the rest is for God.

Matthew 25:23 "His master replied, '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 master's happiness!'

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 320

I took my daughter to Boo at the Zoo this weekend. By the end of the evening, I was saddened by the actions of my daughter. While she did exercise self-control in eating the candy, her attitude had me thinking candy has become too important in her life. It was all about the candy. Can you worship candy? Yes, anything that takes your thoughts away from the Lord has become too much a priority in your life, too much an obsession, too much on your mind. So, while I have to pray my prayer for my own self-control, I need to pray with my daughter for her to turn away from the candy is everything attitude to thank you God for the blessing of these sweet treats and help me to exercise self-control and respecting the body you have given me.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 319

Reward is a strong motivating factor for some people depending on their temperament. When it comes to spiritual things like self-control, this reward motivation can be very helpful. Now, this will take some imagination. God gave us an imagination. We can utilize it to help us in serving and glorifying God through our thoughts and actions. My sweet tooth is a constant struggle as you are already aware. But through the power of the Holy Spirit and using my imagination, I am going to imagine my reward for self-control is not only being and looking healthier but that in Heaven, Jesus will come to me and say “you did it!”

2Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 318

It is very common at this time of year to struggle to maintain control of what and how much you eat. It starts with Halloween and the plethora of candy. It is everywhere! If you are a candy lover, like I am, you understand how dangerous this time of year is. They only way to get a handle on this is to prepare for this danger. Write a prayer and pray it every day. This becomes an affirmation and a positive for your mind to focus on. My prayer this week and the coming holiday weeks will be straight from scripture.

1Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 317

There are times when we have no words of our own. But we always have the Word and the words of other believers. I found this article on www.christianitytoday.com and it reminded me of my own catalyst moment when I realized my anger was due to my own selfishness. Since that moment and realizing the sin of my selfishness, I have been free of that anger and frustration that comes from those interruptions in life. Okay, mostly free. It still is a struggle during those days when my hormones make things abnormal but I face those difficult days with more hope, more peace and more strength knowing God is with me and will lead me if I let him. I watched a co-work literally almost explode this week from the stress of the mountain of workload that got dumped on her and interruptions were setting her off. The next day she posted a sign saying no interruptions until next week trying to head them off. Our own management of these interruptions of life and the stress we are under will take us only so far because we are created to work with God and let Him take these burdens. So, I will be praying for my co-worker that she may find the peace that transcends all understanding in Jesus Christ. Read this article below and let me know your thoughts.

I love poetry: to read it, to write it, to get lost in the language and the pictures. To savor the fragment that doesn't seem big enough or long enough, and yet it captures everything.

I love poetry, and in honor of National Poetry Month—and in keeping with the spirit of poetry, a shared, often oral tradition—I want to share with you a poem that has recently captured me. A poem that startled me with its haunting picture of simple generosity. Here it is:

Night Train Through Inner Mongolia

Now the child is a runny-nosed stranger

 you've finally decided to share your seat with,

 and the whole thing keeps heaving into the dark.

 The child sleeps unsweetly hunched against you,

 your side is slowly stinging, he has wet himself,

 so you do not move at all. I know you.

 

 You sit awake, baffling about a quirky faith,

 and do not shift until morning.

 This is why you are blessed, I think, and usually chosen.

—by Anthony Piccione, from his book The Guests at the Gate

I want to savor those last lines. They pierce me. I am challenged by this unknown passenger who would sit so silently and generously; who would give up comfort and personal space.

Am I so willing?

I find sometimes there is very little flexibility around me. Almost everywhere I go and in almost everything I do, I have an agenda, a purpose, and a mission … and I hate to be interrupted. And I'm not just talking about when I'm working, or writing, or running an errand. Of course I hate being bothered during those times. But I'm even talking about the times when I'm at leisure: taking a walk, reading in a coffee shop, fishing at a lake, reading my Bible. Even in those times when I have no pressing timetable, I'm hostile to interruption. Please leave me alone, I have no room for your need.

I bypass the beggar to avoid the confrontation, I ignore the widower on his walk around the lake as I bait my hook and turn away, I open my book and pay no heed to the child in the plane seat next to me.

What is wrong with me? When did I become so selfish? How could I be so cold to the humanity that surrounds me?

I see no such hostility in the life of Jesus. In fact, I see only a welcoming of interruption. Consider his interactions with the woman at the well—a conversation he welcomed when he was hot, tired, thirsty and hungry. Or how about the centurion who stopped Jesus and begged for Jesus to heal his servant? Or the bleeding woman who touched his cloak for healing—he paused and called her out, not wanting to miss the opportunity for a deeper encounter.

I could go on.

Now, I realize that I can't stop for every person I encounter—that I can't sit and have lunch with everyone who asks me for money, or engage in a conversation with each person in the coffee shop. And I'm not Jesus, so I don't know when an interruption is an opportunity … and when it's just an interruption. But the question is: am I even willing to find out? Am I willing to let the Holy Spirit stop my schedule and interrupt my self-centeredness? Would I honestly welcome a strange and dirty child to huddle against me? Would I sit patiently if he made a mess on me?

I want to be this warm, this willing, this generous. So that I might be chosen. That God might use me to bless others.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 316

Reality TV has a special quality to it. It’s real. I love to see the interaction between people and what is said and not said. It is really a fascinating study on people and our relationships with one another. Survivor is my long-time running favorite reality show. Last night, a tribe member that was in a 5 girl alliance made the choice of going to another girl in the alliance and suggested voting out another girl in the alliance that she was personally getting annoyed with because of all her strategy talk. Unfortunately, the girl she told went to “annoying” girl and told her. The “annoying” girl went to the girl that started this all and asked her if she talked to so and so about voting her off. The girl that started this all chose at that moment to lie. At tribal council, it was mentioned in the discussion that “trust has to be earned”. And yes, they voted out the girl that broke the trust. This morning as I was thinking on this statement I was able to see how our trust in God works in the same way as with others. Trust is earned. When we meet someone for the first time, some of us more than others will be more naturally trusting but the truth is that it will take some time and getting to know this person before a real trust is formed. This real trust, however, must be maintained. If you lie to a person like this girl did, that other person has lost their trust in you and it will take more time and effort to regain that trust. The beginnings of trusting God will come more easily for some depending on what has happened in their life and what kind of foundation if any was built with learning about God as children. But to get to that “real” trust you have to get to know God. The more you study and pray, the more time you are spending working on building up the “real” trust, the deeper that trust will go. You have to keep working on getting to the point where you really know God and with that knowing you will have a “real” deep trust in Him. The things that happen to us in this world will not shake you. You will be able to overcome all trials and tribulations because you know God is always with you, never fails you and will never forsake you. Evaluate your trust in God this week and commit to working on building up the “real” trust through prayer and study in His word. The reward of having that trust is valuable beyond measure.  

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 315

Admitting your weakness, that you need help or you can’t do it on your own is fairly common. It is the way God designed us. However, it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can take this weakness and turn it into a strength that will glorify God. He made us with these potential weaknesses within our temperament so that we would turn to him and ask for help. He wants to help us in every way possible and nothing is impossible with God. I came across a person who didn’t like the idea that God would make us with weaknesses but it is only a weakness when it turns us away from God or creates barriers between us and God. He designed us to be in communion with Him. It is through our weaknesses that we are made strong with the help of the Holy Spirit. Do you have fears of failure, rejection or afraid nobody can love you? God does. He thinks you are fabulous. He thinks you are wonderful. He knows you can be a success with His guidance and wisdom. If a weakness is plaguing you, it is time to take it to God and ask for help. Let Him turn your weakness into strength.

2Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

365 Days of Sprit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 314

If you were asked what kind of plant are you and where are you growing? How would you respond? Each of us is a unique plant based on the seed that God created within our mother’s womb, probably even before that. Are you a rosebush, a pine tree, a grapevine, you name it? Will a rosebush thrive and produce beautiful roses if it is planted out in the desert? Will a pine tree survive a forest fire? Will a grapevine produce juicy grapes if it is planted where the sun doesn’t shine enough? Because each of us is unique based on who God created us to be, we need to transplant ourselves from wherever we may have ended up being planted to somewhere that will give us the nourishment we need to survive and thrive. That somewhere needs to be rooted in the Lord. A rosebush near a lake will get the water it needs. A pine tree beside a river will be protected by the river when a forest fire strikes. A grapevine near a stream with the sun shining down on it all day will produce those juicy grapes. Like a plant, we have to be transplanted in the Lord. The nourishment we receive is through His Word, worship, prayer and communion with other believers. Just as a plant needs good soil, sunshine and water, we need to live our life connecting to our nourishment through the good soil of His Word, the sunshine of worship, the water of prayer and the fertilizer that is our communion with other believers.  If we tap into all of these nourishing sources, we will thrive like never before. If you have not yet transplanted yourself into the Lord’s care, seek him in a simple prayer asking for forgiveness of your sins and let him take and plant you where you will thrive. If you are transplanted but are in need of some nourishment, you must make it a priority to nourish your soul every day in some way through His Word, prayer, worship or communion with other believers. No matter what kind of plant you are, you can survive and thrive when you are rooted in the Lord and seeking His nourishment daily.  

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 313

I love when something is expanded upon in a way that would glorify God. My pastor did this on Sunday when he told the story about The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and proceeded to explain how the story could have been written. The basis of the story is about a boy and a tree. The boy always goes to the tree and wants something and the tree always gives it what the boy wants. This happens all throughout the boy’s life until in the end he is an old man sitting on a stump of the tree. Now, I haven’t looked further into this but I have seen that there are a few opinions about the meaning of this book. In any case, my pastor added to the story with the boy actually taking seeds from the tree each time he came and asked for something and scattered the seeds outward. In the end the boy was sitting on the stump of the tree looking out over a whole orchard of apple trees sowed by the seeds he scattered. God like this tree gives us 100% and we can take the seeds and scatter them creating blessing upon blessings or we can just sit with the tree and do nothing. At the end of my life, I like the idea of being able to see the orchard. How about you?

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

 

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 312

Are you just getting through day to day without really being awake? Being a follower of Jesus is something that is constant. We are not supposed to be Christian-like one day and that evening go out and forget who we are. Paul says as followers of Jesus we are sons/daughters of the light and sons/daughters of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. He calls us to not be like others but to live up to the calling God has given us through Jesus Christ. The word “alert” has been on my mind since reading this scripture from 1 Thessalonians. Being a Christian takes discipline. We have to learn to be in the Word, pray and keep the Lord in the forefronts of our minds daily. Without this daily discipline, we may find ourselves asleep and falling into worldly traps. Be alert and awake as evil is always waiting for an opportunity to prey upon us.

1Thessalonians 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 311

My world was rocked yesterday! Literally! I was sitting in my manager’s office discussing a work issue when suddenly the whole room tilted. My immediate reaction was thinking it was an earthquake. I spent the first 27 years of my life in California so it was no surprise I thought this way. I reached out and grabbed my manager’s desk in front of me and the room righted itself. It was a 2 second moment when my whole world was not right. My manager knew something was wrong and kept asking if I was okay. It took me a minute to even speak from the shock of it all. Others rushed in to help and 911 was mentioned at which I said no need to call 911. My heart was fine and I was not having any symptoms related to a heart attack or a stroke. It was definitely a case of vertigo but why? I was pampered for a while as concerned co-workers came and put on their thinking caps to trying to ascertain what might have happened. Blood sugar came up because of my Paleo whole 30 challenge so I was given treats to eat and told if it is low blood sugar that eating something sweet will do the trick in about 3 minutes. I still didn’t feel any better and my ear was starting to hurt so I called my doctor’s office and was told it sounded like maybe an inner ear infection and to have someone drive me to urgent care as my doc’s office had no openings. So, thankfully my hubbie was home from his 5 day trip to Vegas for work and my son was off school. They both drove down and my son drove my car home while we went to the urgent care. I was not surprised to hear from the doctor that my ear was fine. The cause was my TMJ. I have had more stress lately at work due to project after project loaded on me and have been feeling a tick under my right eye because of it. So, I am not surprised that my jaw muscles were flaming up and per the doctor the ear canal is extremely close. The swelling in my jaw directly affected my ear canal producing the vertigo. It has happened before but not in such a dramatic way so it all makes sense. It is definitely time to get this body really exercising to relieve the stress I am under. So Cross Fit here I come…

I am thankful to God it was nothing serious and pray he will guide me in dealing with the stress.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 310

I was intrigued by this scripture below about a seed dying to actually grow so in my typical fashion I went to Google and started searching. Here is a quick 2 minute article about the science behind seeds and how death is the beginning. And here is my 2 cents worth of insight: Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He took on that kind of torturous death for us so that we may have life but to have that life we have to nail our sins to that cross. The sinful nature within us must die for us to grow in the glory that God designed and hopes for us. Again and again I will say, putting our sins on that cross isn’t a one-time deal but a daily for the rest of our lives process. Start today with taking your sins to the cross so your seed can grow and be fruitful.

http://www.examiner.com/article/seeds-for-success-pt-2-a-seed-must-die-before-it-grows

 

John 12:24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 309

In the morning, I try to get in a ten minute indoor walk. Do a loop through my kitchen, living room and front office. During this walking time, I like to pray but I find that I am easily distracted by the stuff I am seeing on my walls, tables and counters. I end up thinking about other things rather than having my conversation with the Lord. So, this morning as I was going through this same thing, I chided myself for doing it again, going off to thinking about other things. So, I got myself back on track and was walking with my head down just looking at the floor in front of me. That’s when God gave me a beautiful light bulb moment! If we are truly going to focus on the Lord we have to be looking down at the footsteps He puts before us. It is like when you are out hiking in the forest, you have to keep your eye on the ground before you otherwise if you are looking ahead or looking back, you will find yourself tripping over a rock. I love the visual of the footprints in sand or snow when you are trying to step exactly in the footprints in front of you, one step at a time. Lord, thank you for this moment of clarity and giving me a visual to help that sink deep into my heart. Follow you, you ask and I will follow one step at a time in your footsteps. Lead the way Lord. Amen.

Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you always.

 

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 308

In order for us to be fruitful, we have to understand that we have to let go of the worldly and embrace Christ every day. Not just on Sunday or the evening of your bible study but a daily “I am going to work on my relationship with the Lord”. Hmmmmmm Sounds a lot like advice people give to married couples. It takes work. God is doing his part as the Master Gardener but we have to get into our souls and pull some weeds, sow some seeds, work some fertilizer into the soil. Working means taking the focus away from ourselves and putting it on God and serving others. The work Jesus did on Earth and on that cross is our example. How can we let go of the busyness of life and embrace Jesus with all our hearts and minds? Ask yourself daily how can I be of service to (my neighbor, my co-worker, my spouse, my children, my grocery clerk, my boss, the lady behind me in line and so on)? Be in the Word and free yourself from self-thinking and live in the freedom of service that Christ calls us to.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 307

I have found a three part sermon series on the fruit of the spirit that is very well written. The first part of the first sermon is setting straight that it is not fruits of the Spirit but fruit of the spirit. The nine character traits that are in Galatians 5:22: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are a parts of what we can have with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. And like all fruit(s) these character traits ripen and grow over time with the guiding of the Holy Spirit and our daily walk with God. Here are two statements from this first sermon that state in a clear way what that “Fruit of the Spirit” is:

Fruit of the Spirit is a physical manifestation of a Christian’s transformed life.

Fruit of the Spirit is the visible growth in Jesus Christ.

Take some time to meditate on this today and let the Holy Spirit speak to you about your character traits and how the ripening process is going.

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 306

 

The movie After Earth with Will Smith is filled with parallels of biblical concepts. There was one of a beautiful example of how the Holy Spirit is always with us. When we are really connected to God then the power of the Holy Spirit grows within us. The movie is about a father and son who find themselves back on planet Earth which is currently hostile to human survival. The father sends the son out on a mission to save them both otherwise they will die. But the son has a communication devise on his arm and a video devise on his back that keep him in contact with his father and the father is able to see everything that could try to harm his son. The son finds himself in dangerous frightening scenarios and the father calmly talks him through them, helping him calm his fears and focus.

Over the course of the mission, the son is growing in his confidence and finds himself rebelling against the father. The son ends up doing something very dangerous and ends up without his communication devise so he can’t talk to his father and hear his father. But his father can still see all that is happening and is still talking to him like he can hear him. There was a beautiful moment when the father was talking to the son to calm his fears and the son not being able to hear the father was grounded in what the father had taught him. So when the father says , “take a knee” , the son was taking a knee. In the end it was like the power of the Holy Spirit came to fruition within the son and gave him the power to conquer his fear. The father was with him every step of the way.  Our journey of faith is like this mission: we accept Jesus into our hearts, work on building a growth foundation and connecting relationship with God and the Holy Spirit will work within us and the fruit of that relationship will be demonstrated in our character. Fostering that relationship is the key to the fruit of the Spirit growing within us.

2Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 305

I started reading some sermons regarding the fruit of the spirit and came upon this one that explained what fruit is. The link to the full sermon is below:

Because, you see, these qualities are fruit. And you can’t make fruit, can you – well, there is doubtless an Apple factory somewhere, but that’s something different. You can’t go and watch a banana being made, or the peel being put on an orange. Fruit grows. It’s the farmers and the growers who produce fruit, not factories or mills. The farmer, or the market gardener, does a great deal to protect the fruit trees, and see that they aren’t eaten by pests, or get too dry, and that the trees have been pollinated so that the fruit can grow, but basically they have to be patient, and wait for the fruit to grow and ripen.

And so do we. We can’t manufacture love, or joy, or gentleness, or the other qualities Paul mentions. But we can help them grow.

How? Well, obviously first of all by really being God’s person, not just in Church on Sundays, but allowing what we do on Sundays to affect the rest of our week. Ideally we should try to take time to be with God, even if only for a few minutes, every day. John Wesley reminds us of the “means of grace” of prayer, both private and corporate, the Holy Scriptures and Holy Communion. He points out, in his famous sermon on “The means of grace” that these things aren’t powerful in and of themselves, but only insofar as they bring us towards God. We can pray until we’re blue in the face, Wesley says – well, words to that effect, anyway – but it’s not our prayer that changes things, it’s God working in and through our prayers. And, of course, Wesley reminds us, it’s not praying or whatever that makes us a Christian – it is God’s grace alone that can do that.

http://mrsredboots.blogspot.com/2010/06/fruit-of-spirit.html

Psalm 1: 1-3  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose lead does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 304

Here's a little godly humor to celebrate Friday! Be filled with Joy!

 

Left & Right...

Origin of Left & Right...

 

Have you wondered why it is that Conservatives are called the "right"

and Liberals are called the "left"?

 

I happened to stumble upon this Bible verse: 

"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."

Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)

 

Thus sayeth the Lord. Amen.
Can't get any simpler than that.

 

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 303

Yesterday was the final day of the Whole 30 challenge. I made cauliflower rice for the first time and fell in love. This morning I get on the scale to see what 30 days has done and was disappointed to see only 2lbs down. But I have to remember I actually, started 3 weeks before the challenge cutting out things and lost 5lbs in those three weeks. I am not to the goal I set myself but I do feel better and have found that I don’t need the snacks and don’t get the shakiness like I use to. I am going to keep going with this way of eating as I have found I really enjoy the freshness of the foods and the new foods I have tried. I may never eat pasta or rice again thanks to spaghetti squash and cauliflower. Who knew? I am going to persevere and keep on this race in eating healthy and let the natural course of time do its thing. It takes one meal to gain weight but takes months to lose it.  So, I am going to call on the Holy Spirit to give me patience and help me with the self-control needed to eat in a disciplined healthy way.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Cauliflower Rice Recipe:
Pulse cauliflower in food processor until small size, like rice.
Heat pan with coconut oil.
Saute chopped onion and garlic.
Add cauliflower rice and stir for about a minute.
Add a couple tablespoons of chicken broth and simmer and stir for another 5 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 303

I love when you come upon those moments that God gives us to help teach and build a solid foundation of faith in our children. Last night when I came into my daughter’s room, she asked me to fix her sheet. It was coming off on three sides AGAIN! Needless, to say I was frustrated with having to deal with this sheet problem almost every night. But rather than a fast fix, I pulled some of her large stuffed animals off and her pillow and ended up finding a little animal down between the wall and the bed. My daughter was so excited that this little animal was found that it melted away all the frustration of what I just had to do. I brought up with her how even when bad things happen God works it out for his good. It was a nice little example for my daughter and one I hope she will carry in her heart for always.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 302

I have found recently that I am sorely missing the challenge from last year in praising God and being thankful. It was a mission for that year but it really needs to become a part of our everyday lives now and every day to come. Without the challenge, that praising and thanksgiving have become whenever I am feeling it. I am going to work this into my new intentional growth plan. Paul had it right when he said “I have not stopped giving thanks for you” in Ephesians 1:16. Praising and giving thanks should be an ongoing pursuit. Share your ideas on how you bring praising and thanksgiving into your everyday lives?

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created. Psalm 148:1-6

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 301

I heard this line on a TV show recently regarding a girl who thought her brother was dead for 5 years and turns out is alive and back home. She had become a partier and doing drugs and she said to her brother “I did my best with what I had to work with”. In mulling this statement over, my opinion is she is not taking the responsibility for her own behavior but is making excuses that she was grieving. This is an apparent problem from the beginning of time with Adam and Eve. We seem to be disposed as humans to put the blame on someone or something else rather than honestly admit it was “me”.  She did the best with what she had which did not include God. This is a good example of how without God  in our daily lives and growing and learning through His word, we will not have the tools necessary to fight the devil who will do anything and everything to keep you separated from God and/or separate your already existing relationship with God. The first big hurdle to overcome in working to resolve our problems is to accept the responsibility for them rather than making excuses and passing the blame. Keep this in mind in the days ahead and start a list of instances where you see yourself or others not taking the responsibility. You will see just how much the devil has worked this into our world and realize you are going to have to put on the armor of God and get in the Word to battle the enemy.

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from the nature will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 300

A quote from the show Once Upon a Time: “It seems like your love can't overcome your fear of rejection.” If only he had the power of the Holy Spirit within him, he would be able to belay his fears and have peace in his heart knowing that no matter what she says or feels he loves her. The Holy Spirit helps us become an overcomer as the Mandesa songs says. I am thankful to God for his gift of Jesus and giving us the Holy Spirit to help us battle the enemy and help us overcome.

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God I will praise His word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? … In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56: 3,11

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 299

What does it mean to have an “open-door policy”? I had the natural assumption that when that person specifically said “I have an open-door policy” that you could go to that person with whatever is on your mind. On Monday, I was called into a meeting unexpectedly in which I ended up not being needed but I come to find out that the owner got very perturbed because the co-manager could not find me initially and told him she must be on break. He made the rash decision to implement scheduled breaks for the data entry department because of this. I wanted to set the record straight with him that I was not on an official break but had simply away from my desk because nature called and I had to go. I also wanted to give him my opinion on scheduled breaks vs. flexible breaks. I came up with an email and had a co-worker review it before sending it to him. Two minutes later, I was called into the co-manager’s office. Apparently, “open-door policy” is not what I thought. The one co-manager that I have had issues with in the past, was angry because the boss was going to come down on her because I did not go to them first. To make a long story short, I came to the point where I just felt beaten down to the point of despair. I cried and told them what do I do stand up to this or walk out. To make the issue even worse, an email was sent later in the day to everyone that no one was to go directly to the owner for anything that we must follow the hierarchy. My co-workers and team lead defended me and found the “open-door policy” in the employee  handbook to be very ambiguous with no clear direction in how to proceed. The owner did not respond to my very nicely put respectful email. My heart felt crushed by the weight of the lack of respect, consideration and courtesy given to myself and my fellow co-workers. I spent the evening looking for a new job and will continue my pursuit of a better work environment where people don’t treat you like you are nothing. Thankfully, I have my God who has an honest and true open door policy. God will never make you feel like you are nothing but quite the opposite. His love, acceptance and caring will heal me from this battle with evil. Please pray that God leads me to another job and/or gives me the strength and courage to go to this job for the next year while I get my schooling done. God is for me and will make good out of the suffering I am going through.

1Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 298

My bible study group is studying the book by John C Maxwell called The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. Although written by a pastor, it was written to the masses so reference to scripture is unfortunately not seen in the book. This was disappointing at first but then I thought why not find the scripture to back up what he is saying. Here is a great quote from the book: “The ‘Greatest Gap’ in the world is the space between knowing and doing” In terms of our spiritual growth a battle is being waged. Though we may believe, it is our growth that Satan will do all he can to stunt because although our growth begins on the inside it will produce fruits on the outside. Satan doesn’t want to see us bearing any fruit because then we are less likely to be helping the Kingdom of God. A great analogy from a sermon on  Bible.org called What Does it Take to Grow? Says this: the bible is like a weapon for a soldier without it you’ll be captured or killed. The sword of the spirit is the Word of God. We must grab onto our sword and use it every day to keep the powers of Satan from influencing us and stumping our growth. Take hold of the power of God and fight the battle.

Ephesians 6:17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.