When I was in 9th grade, I was in marching band. I played the flute. I was totally self-conscious and so afraid I would play the wrong note, I would just fake it that I was playing and hope my band teacher didn't notice. It was too hard to concentrate on marching in beat with everyone else AND play at the same time! That's like chewing gum and walking! The girl behind me however was always a 1/2 step a head of the beat. Every few turns, she would stomp on my foot and I would stumble, and the band teacher would glare at me, thinking I was the one off beat! It was so frustrating! The teacher would always tell us that if you rush and make the wrong step, you mess up the whole plan, and it is difficult to get back to where we need to be.
I think keeping in step with the Spirit is like that. We have to find the right beat, or timing and stay in sync with God's plan for our lives. This requires of us discipline and admitting we do not have perfect timing. If we step out of line to do our own thing, it will only be that much harder to find our way back to where He wants us to be.
We aren't perfect. We want things when we want them. We want our prayers answered immediately, our families saved, the perfect job, the perfect spouse, a big house, our children to follow God always, etc. When our prayers aren't being answered in OUR timing, it is easy to step out of line and try to make something happen before God's timing. How many know that forcing something to happen in our timing rather than God's always seems to have a consequence? Often times it means more heartache, frustration, grief and anxiety. We even lose focus and faith.
Also as easy as rushing ahead is lagging behind, the not knowing what God wants of us. What do many people do when they don't know what God wants us to do? Nothing. They wait for what they believe God is going to do for them. When nothing happens, they lose faith and question God's plan. If God's plan for you is not clear, one thing is: trust Him. Be consistent in prayer and your devotion, talk to your mentor or an accountability partner. Have prayer partners. God NEVER lets us down, but we can let ourselves down. Through trust and prayer, we are sure to continue to march in step.
Verses: Galations 5:25; Micah 6:8;
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
M&M E-Votional Week 1--Lies the Devil Tells Us
What a busy week it has been for me! Strange, because I work very part-time and my son was visiting his grandparents all week! Still, the week seemed to fly by! As I prayed and read and tried to think of what to write about for our e-votional, negative thoughts floated my way.
Who are you to write this E-votional? You have no skill! No wisdom!
No one will like what you write.
No one even knows who you are, and they don't care.
I've also been dealing with some issues lately that I thought would have been taken care of by now through much prayer, and haven't. Again, negative thoughts.
Why would God answer your prayer? You're not important.
You wasted your time and energy praying for something that isn't going to happen.
A man gave you a word, and he's just man. He lied just to get your hopes up for nothing. He doesn't really have the prophetic gift.
Your husband obviously doesn't care about the situation because he isn't showing he cares.
God doesn't care that you are hurt, he is the one that let you get hurt.
I even got depressed and felt worthless.
Why are you having another baby? You can't take care of the one you have.
You don't deserve to have kids.
You aren't going to be able to afford all the things you need, you don't even have room in your house, stupid.
You should be working full-time. You can't afford to be home.
Of course, the thoughts when I was working were: You are a loser for working full-time. You aren't even raising your own child. You obviously don't care about your family's needs if you are working full-time.
How crazy am I?! And how crazy are you?! Do you allow the father of lies to speak negative thoughts into your life?
You're fat. You shouldn't even go to church. It's embarrassing.
No one likes you, you have a boring personality.
Your hair looks so bad, don't go out in public.
You have no nice clothes, definitely don't go out witnessing.
Ew, what's up with your skin? You're going to scare people away.
Don't host anything at your house. People will see how messy or unstylish you are.
You don't deserve happiness. That's why God lets you be miserable.
Don't believe those things! Those are all LIES! God created us and LOVES us. When we are sad or upset about something, He wants to comfort us, sing over us, be there for us in our time of need! But, too often we get so caught up in these negative thoughts, we can't even see that it is the devil putting them into our head to keep us from doing what God has planned for us! John 8:44 even says "...he was a murder from the beginning, speaking no truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is the father of lies." Many times we miss out on blessings God has for us because we are so consumed with thinking about the negative things! God doesn't speak negative, He only speak positive.
I love you! You are my beloved!
I created you because I WANTED YOU.
You are a beautiful creation and you are blessed.
Be with me! Come dine with me! Be in my presence!
I will take care of your needs! Cast your burdens on me, don't carry them!
The great thing about M&M is you now have a mentor that can support you and help to guide you in being more positive and casting out those negative lies! I promise you, your mentor has also had a problem with it at some point in their lives! Mentors, you are a mentor because God wants you to be one! You are good enough! You do have something positive to pour into another woman's life! You do have wisdom!
This week I have set a goal. When the negative thoughts creep in, I will stop what I'm doing and rebuke it. I will remind myself of what positive things God is doing in my life and lives around me. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I know God is there to catch us when we fall.
Verses: Psalm 36:7; Zeph 3:17; 1 John 3:1; Psalm 121:1-2
Who are you to write this E-votional? You have no skill! No wisdom!
No one will like what you write.
No one even knows who you are, and they don't care.
I've also been dealing with some issues lately that I thought would have been taken care of by now through much prayer, and haven't. Again, negative thoughts.
Why would God answer your prayer? You're not important.
You wasted your time and energy praying for something that isn't going to happen.
A man gave you a word, and he's just man. He lied just to get your hopes up for nothing. He doesn't really have the prophetic gift.
Your husband obviously doesn't care about the situation because he isn't showing he cares.
God doesn't care that you are hurt, he is the one that let you get hurt.
I even got depressed and felt worthless.
Why are you having another baby? You can't take care of the one you have.
You don't deserve to have kids.
You aren't going to be able to afford all the things you need, you don't even have room in your house, stupid.
You should be working full-time. You can't afford to be home.
Of course, the thoughts when I was working were: You are a loser for working full-time. You aren't even raising your own child. You obviously don't care about your family's needs if you are working full-time.
How crazy am I?! And how crazy are you?! Do you allow the father of lies to speak negative thoughts into your life?
You're fat. You shouldn't even go to church. It's embarrassing.
No one likes you, you have a boring personality.
Your hair looks so bad, don't go out in public.
You have no nice clothes, definitely don't go out witnessing.
Ew, what's up with your skin? You're going to scare people away.
Don't host anything at your house. People will see how messy or unstylish you are.
You don't deserve happiness. That's why God lets you be miserable.
Don't believe those things! Those are all LIES! God created us and LOVES us. When we are sad or upset about something, He wants to comfort us, sing over us, be there for us in our time of need! But, too often we get so caught up in these negative thoughts, we can't even see that it is the devil putting them into our head to keep us from doing what God has planned for us! John 8:44 even says "...he was a murder from the beginning, speaking no truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is the father of lies." Many times we miss out on blessings God has for us because we are so consumed with thinking about the negative things! God doesn't speak negative, He only speak positive.
I love you! You are my beloved!
I created you because I WANTED YOU.
You are a beautiful creation and you are blessed.
Be with me! Come dine with me! Be in my presence!
I will take care of your needs! Cast your burdens on me, don't carry them!
The great thing about M&M is you now have a mentor that can support you and help to guide you in being more positive and casting out those negative lies! I promise you, your mentor has also had a problem with it at some point in their lives! Mentors, you are a mentor because God wants you to be one! You are good enough! You do have something positive to pour into another woman's life! You do have wisdom!
This week I have set a goal. When the negative thoughts creep in, I will stop what I'm doing and rebuke it. I will remind myself of what positive things God is doing in my life and lives around me. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I know God is there to catch us when we fall.
Verses: Psalm 36:7; Zeph 3:17; 1 John 3:1; Psalm 121:1-2
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