How Do I Create Biblical Routines and Rhythms for 2024?

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)

LEARN

As we step into 2024, the opportunity to craft purposeful living through routines rooted in biblical principles becomes even more significant. The Bible consistently echoes the importance of seasons and times, inviting us to align our daily rhythms with divine principles. Consider adopting biblical rhythms not just for your day but as a guiding force for your entire journey in 2024. The Scriptures reveal the wisdom in recognizing the cycles of planting and harvesting, highlighting the delicate balance between work and rest. Drawing inspiration from these patterns, you can intentionally design routines that not only foster balance but also resonate with a deeper understanding of your unique purpose in this new year.

Think about how creating biblical rhythms into your daily life is not just about keeping a goal, but living purposefully knowing who you are and what your mission on this earth is. Living a life with intention will change the way you manage your time on a daily basis and shape your long-term aspirations.

KNOW

Establishing biblical rhythms isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavor; it's about understanding your priorities, seeking God's guidance, and aligning your daily activities with your core values. Embrace the realization that these rhythms aren't rigid schedules; they're flexible frameworks designed to honor God and contribute to your overall well-being.

Recognize the importance of prioritizing moments with God in your daily routine. Whether through prayer, meditation, or dedicated Scripture reading, incorporating these spiritual connections at the start of your day can set a transformative tone for all of the activities to follow. Understanding your values and consciously aligning your routines with them brings clarity to your actions and decisions, making your journey uniquely yours.

Moreover, reflect on how this alignment can influence your relationships, work, and personal growth. By weaving biblical principles into the fabric of your daily life, you're not just gaining direction; you're finding enduring satisfaction in authentically living out your values. This holistic approach to establishing biblical rhythms empowers you to navigate life's complexities with a centered and purposeful mindset, creating a life that resonates with your individual journey.

DO

• Devotions: Set aside time in your day to have intentional time spent in prayer and reading Scripture. Ideally setting aside a quiet moment to seek God's guidance, express gratitude, and center your thoughts on Him before you begin your tasks can help you remember to focus your minutes and days on honoring the Lord in all you do.

• Work and Rest Rhythms: Embrace the biblical concept of six days of work and one day of rest. Establish a rhythm of productivity during workdays and intentionally observe a day of rest, focusing on spiritual, mental, and physical rejuvenation.

• Family Time: Prioritize quality time with family. Establish routines for family meals, shared activities, and intentional conversations. These rhythms strengthen family bonds and create a sense of unity.

• Sabbath Reflection: Designate time for Sabbath reflection. Whether it's a weekly or monthly practice, use this time to assess your spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Consider areas for growth and celebrate achievements.

• Seasonal Reflection: Align your rhythms with the changing seasons. As Ecclesiastes notes, there's a season for everything. Use the transitions between seasons to reflect on the past, set goals for the future, and adjust your rhythms accordingly.

• Generosity Rhythms: Integrate rhythms of generosity into your life. Set aside time and resources for charitable acts, supporting others in need, and contributing to the well-being of your community.

• Digital Detox Rhythms: Establish rhythms for disconnecting from technology. Designate specific times for digital detox, allowing yourself to unplug and focus on real-life interactions, quiet reflection, and connection with God.

• Gratitude Practices: Cultivate a rhythm of gratitude. Daily, express gratitude for blessings, both big and small. This practice fosters a positive mindset and an awareness of God's goodness in your life.

• Learning Rhythms: Dedicate time to ongoing learning and spiritual growth. Whether through reading, attending classes, or participating in discussions, integrate rhythms that nurture intellectual and spiritual development.

• Evening Reflection: Conclude your day with an evening reflection. Review the events of the day, express gratitude, and seek God's guidance for the days ahead. This rhythm helps bring closure to the day and prepares you for restful sleep.

Crafting biblical rhythms is a dynamic and personal process. Adapt these suggestions to fit your unique circumstances and preferences, allowing God's Word to guide your daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms. By intentionally aligning your life with biblical principles, you embark on a journey of purposeful living that honors God and brings fulfillment to your soul.

If you are looking for more support on transforming your daily rhythms along with help for living more into the giftings and vocation the Lord has for you, you can learn more about my 30 Day Life Pathway Program!

What Does Hope Look Like in 2022?

“I pray also also for those who will believe in me through their (the disciples) message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
-John 17:20-25

LEARN

In 2022 it is easy to set a new normal of ANXIETY instead of HOPE. But we as Christians need not fear. Christ loved us so much that he laid His life down in obedience to the Father, and one of the often forgotten things to note is what he prays about before being nailed on the cross. One of the things he prays for is US. The Son of God, petitions for us as the perfect embodiment of love. The Word tells us that even while we were sinners Christ died for us, and not only that, He also fervently prayed for us before his death. He knows what it is like to be in the world and knows what we need in order to have HOPE. We need Him- and lucky for us Jesus gave Himself up for us to allow us the grace and freedom we have!

We get the immense privilege of demonstrating to the world what joy and gladness look like apart from our circumstances. Hope in the midst of chaos doesn’t seem natural, because it isn’t! Our hope, peace, joy, and assurance are supernaturally given to us by the Holy Spirit through Christ’s sacrifice! So let us battle within our minds to form habits that are pleasing to God, ushered by the Holy Spirit. Let us reveal His truth, not only for our own sakes but for those who do not know the truth and are watching us.

KNOW

Remembering Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross on our behalf in order to give us a future and a hope is so humbling and also in the midst of anxious thoughts, so reassuring. The love of the triune God is with us, and is helping us. It is Christ’s love that advocates for peace in our hearts and peace amongst our brothers and sisters. We are never alone, we are always loved, and we are given a future and a HOPE in Christ. 🙏 ❤️

DO

Who can you share this truth with in the final months of 2022?

Do You Need Spiritual First-Aid?

The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Jeremiah 17:9-10

LEARN

Growing up I was a klutz. I seemed to always have a broken bone, stubbed toe, or would run into people on the regular. As much as I don’t like to admit it I can be quite clumsy and aloof at times. It is a running joke in my family that my stepdad and I are like magnets because growing up we would always run into each other in the kitchen- and speaking of the kitchen, my Mom’s glassware seemed to get the brunt of my clumsiness over the years! Now as a married woman, I purchase my glassware based on how thick the glass looks in case I drop it or bang it against the kitchen sink it at least has a fighting chance.  

Maybe you aren’t accident prone like I am PHYSICALLY speaking but if you think about it, we are all accident prone SPIRITUALLY speaking. All of humanity is in a fallen state, and we all are sinners. Spiritually speaking, we trip and fall often, yet many of us go on as if we are somehow immune from our clumsiness. We purchase the thin glassware, pridefully believing that we have nothing to worry about, only to come home and find it already broken and our hands bleeding from the cuts as we try to quickly pick up the broken glass before anyone sees us. These open wounds we have are hidden due to pride, insecurity, shame, and a false belief about God and His grace.

I am here to attest to you today that if you try to hide your spiritual wounds they will start to get infected, and not the kind that you can just put some ointment on and call it a day- these infections go deep, and can only be helped by seeking the correct medical care.

So, if you are hiding some spiritual wounds today, it is a good time to take note because in this action you are actually revealing something about your heart. Generally speaking your heart is saying something in the form of “when I sin it is best to ignore it and move on instead of confront it, ask for forgiveness, and seek God to come bandage the wounds. God is ashamed of me, and if I go to Him with this mess he will just be angry and disappointed in me. He must be, because I am angry and disappointed in myself. All I am is a failure, and nobody loves failures.”

KNOW

The blessing of God is that He sees our self-inflicted wounds and tells us to show them to Him. His whole reasoning for Jesus dying for us is so that we would be freed from having to hide our wounds. How sad would it be for us to inevitably kill ourselves from not seeking proper treatment because we didn’t think the doctor would want to help us. Christ not only is our healer, he gives us the freedom to come to him not matter the reason. He won’t turn us down, and he will never withhold love from His children. 

DO

Do you take your spiritual health seriously? Are you willing to show Christ your scars and ask for help?

Our state is sinful and fallen so we need to recognize each day that we have to check on the state of our heart. So today, take your spiritual blood pressure to see if you are veering into an unhealthy zone and fight to heal your heart so it can continue to be molded more into Christlikeness. 

What is The State of Our Hearts?

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”
Psalm 23 :2

LEARN

Rest. Who has time for that? There’s always some place to be, somewhere to go, something that needs to be accomplished and checked off the to do list. It’s not bad to have goals and the drive to accomplish, but do we get to the finish line with a heart that is jouful and fully present or one that we don’t even know the state of, or is mangled in the making? What that could look like, is random breakdowns, emotions all over the place, very out of touch with the original purpose God has for us, feeling like we’re not hearing from God, or simply getting sick. Chances are, we’ve all been there at any of those points. The truth is, it doesn’t happen overnight, and usually there are warning signals along the way, but if we are too busy to notice, it seems to happen abruptly. We can be so busy doing for God, that we forget to spend time letting Him heal, refresh and renew our hearts. Sometimes we don’t slow down because we’re nervous about what's really going on in our hearts and are anxious about dealing with what could be there, or feel like there’s just not time for it. Green pastures are nice, and still waters are great, but we often pass up the opportunities and invites from God to embrace those places as the better option. 

KNOW

Our hearts are like a snow globe, when we are so busy - it’s like shaking the snow globe, but instead of a sweet little snowfall to admire, it can be a nasty blizzard, and you can’t tell the actual content inside. We need rest and stillness to see what’s really going on - the good, the bad, to hear from God, and what needs to be healed. Snow globes are beautiful when all shook up, but there’s also a beauty of when the contents have settled, and you can fully see the setting that is inside.

Our hearts are also like cars, they need regular maintenance, not just to be taken care of when there’s a random breakdown. Everyone wants to go on road trips and get to where they need to go, but there’s not many of us who will raise our hand saying that we enjoy stopping to get gas, get oil changes, or take our car in to get something worked on. (Maybe some of us like getting a car wash though).

The Lord is our good shepherd, and we, just like sheep, do not always rest easily, needing our good shepherd to lead us into rest. He knows when we need rest, and that stillness is needed in that equation. Self care these days, equates to things like netflix or baking, which isn’t always what our hearts need for refreshment. It might take a load off, but our hearts need rebuilding that only true refreshment and revelation from the Lord can give, that makes lasting change. 

DO

Accept Invitation of Rest, Journal & Pray

One of the best ways to know what is really going on in our hearts, is to accept the invitation from God into stillness. To sit with Him, and observe what is going on in our hearts. Then journaling these things can be very beneficial. While writing, we discover the contents even more in our hearts, and can bring those things to  the Lord in prayer, and receive His truth and healing over it. Also inviting other sisters in Christ to join you in prayer is huge (Matthew 18:20)!

Be Aware of What’s Allowed in Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

The people, music, messages that we are exposed to, go right into our heart and influence us. If we’re not filling our hearts with the word of God or truth, something else that will negatively affect us, and is going to take its place. 

Go by the Truth, not Feelings

John 14:1 says “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

God doesn’t want to leave us hopeless in our mess if our hearts are troubled. He doesn’t want us to ignore a less than stellar state of our hearts either. A step in the right direction of a well-rested heart is believing that Jesus IS the son of God, and DOES want us to live in victory and empower us to move forward with healthy and joyful hearts. He went to the cross, not just for our salvation, but also that we might be healed in spirit, soul, and body.

Do I have to be a Gentle and Quiet Woman?

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment [...] Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.
(1 Peter 3:3-4)

LEARN

Before we dive in, let’s do an exercise. Close your eyes, and think of a lake. The lake is clear and glassy - there’s no strong wind or waves - it’s peaceful. Breathe in, breathe out. Allow yourself to experience the lake. Now, let’s get started.

I’m sure we’ve all heard of that passage in 1 Peter - the “gentle and quiet” one. It seems like this is one of those passages that can be easily misunderstood, and I think it’s important that we don’t let a broken view of Scripture skew our view of who God is. This is such a beautiful calling from the Lord for us as women. In this, we know that our beauty isn’t tied to anything but our spirit in the Lord. But what if “gentle and quiet” aren’t the first words that come up when describing your personality?

As Christian women, we desire to be closer to God, to follow his design for us, but sometimes it seems like His design just wasn’t made for our personalities. What about those women who are extroverted, life of the party, outspoken, and opinionated? Does the Bible mean that women should reject who they are, and to be silent, then? Does it mean that we can’t also be warriors? I don’t think that’s what the Bible calls us to at all. God made each of us as unique individuals. He made us into introverts and extroverts, fighters and lovers, quiet and loud. God made you an extrovert - why would He do that if He didn’t want you to be that way? If you’re not someone who easily fits into the box of “quiet”, don’t lose hope. You can still be beautiful in the Lord while being exactly who God created you to be.

So first, what does it mean to be gentle? It’s no mystery that we, as Christians, are called to be like Jesus. Jesus was the picture of perfection, and Scripture shows us that He taught with incredible gentleness. The way that we, as Christian women, can be gentle is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus - loving in our teaching and interactions, but firm in the truth. Jesus never sugar-coated His words to people - in fact, at one point, he advised sinners to actually cut off parts of their body if those parts caused them to sin; “And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:30). To be clear, Jesus doesn’t want us all to start amputating our limbs - bodies are truly gifts from God - he’s telling us that we should be willing to discard what we value most in order to gain godliness. This may seem incredibly direct, but Jesus is telling people this out of love, and gently reminding them that, as unimaginable as a life without a part of your body may seem, the consequences of sinning against God are terrible in comparison. We are called to tell the truth of the gospel, to help our brothers and sisters bear their burdens, to call each other out in love, and sometimes those things are hard. What we have to remember is that we must do these things to bring each other closer to God and away from sin - and that is both loving and gentle.

Now that we’ve discussed gentleness, let’s move on to quiet. Quiet has many different definitions. The definition we usually think of first is being nearly silent. However, I believe God gave us voices and opinions because He wanted us to use them. Another definition of quiet, which I believe Peter was trying to portray, is: the absence of noise or bustle; calm. So then what does this mean for us? Here’s another question: remember that lake from before? After all the busyness and the buzz of the day, after all the swimmers and the boats have gone home, the lake is calm. It doesn’t have any big waves or ripples in its waters. The lake is undisturbed, peaceful. Quiet. This is a picture of what our souls should be. When we’re rushing around, getting frazzled or frustrated, our lake is being torn up by waves - and nobody wants to be out on a boat in rough water. The way that we, as women who are loud, can be gentle and quiet, is to be willing to love and guide each other on our paths to the Lord, while maintaining our calm and quiet waters.

KNOW

• There’s nothing wrong with your extroverted personality.

• Being silent in the literal sense is not helpful to those around you. 

• You have a voice so that you can speak into other people’s lives.

• Some people may be quiet in their voice or their words, and some may be quiet in their souls - both are beautiful.

• Women may be called to submit to their husbands (key word being husbands, not men in general), but they’re also called to lead by example in their faith (1 Peter 3:1-2).

DO

• When you find yourself getting anxious, stressed out, frustrated, frazzled, or any variation, come back to the lake. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What does your lake look like right now?

  • How does that affect the people around you? Do they see you as a safe and peaceful place, or as a stormy force of nature?

• Pray that the Lord will give you a soul that cannot be shaken so easily by the world, and one that can remain calm even when faced with less than ideal conditions.

• Read 1 Peter 3 and reflect on what it really calls us, as women, to do. Apply this to the overarching truth about God’s mission for His people.

What Would Jesus do First?

“Jesus wept.” John 11:35

LEARN

One year ago I was kicking off the first week of my very last semester of college. Today, I find myself about to start my second full-time, “big girl job” since graduating in December 2018. It took me almost that long to realize I am sitting in a big period of transition. While I absolutely recognize how common this transition period is especially for many people my age, I also believe it is not talked about enough. Sometimes it feels like we are just flung into this world with dreams and passions and hopes and no clue how to chase them. Unless we are set up with an explicit next step such as grad school or a very specific career path, the period right after graduating college can feel confusing and full of empty space. Don’t get me wrong, I am learning to find an abundance of peace in my newfound mind-space, but at the same time I am becoming more and more aware of how big and wide this in-between period of life really is. Big and wide is new, hopeful, and exciting, but it is also full of so many unknowns. This summer the unknowns were causing me to feel a little extra homesick and a little extra teary-eyed (although I am hesitant to admit it). However, these unknowns kept leading me back to Jesus so they also left me feeling a little extra loved and little extra hopeful.

What could quite possibly be the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35 - ”Jesus wept.” Something drew me back to this verse and I was reminded of a reflection I wrote during my last semester of college which I ended up keeping to myself. I think it’s actually worth sharing, especially for anyone out there who might be feeling unsure as to where Jesus stands in the midst of your own feelings of confusion, transition, loneliness, or anything really. In order to understand the significance of this short verse, let me first give you a tiny bit of context. John chapter 11 narrates the death of a man named Lazarus and ends with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. In the middle of the chapter, Jesus comforts Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, during their period of grief. Right before this verse, Mary and Martha had come to Jesus in sorrow, telling him that their brother would not have died if Jesus had been present. They brought Jesus to the place where Lazarus lay dead and “When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping… he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (John 11:34). Then, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

When I first became a Christian about four years ago, I expected quick answers, advice, and direction from Jesus whenever I asked for it (okay let’s be real, I still have this expectation a little more often than I probably should). However, I think this verse demonstrates an even more loving way that Jesus responds to us when we confide in him. While giving immediate advice can definitely be a blessing, what I’m learning we need first and foremost is simply someone to sit with us, listen to us, walk through our situations with us, and seek to truly understand and empathize (not just sympathize!) with our emotions. This is exactly what Jesus does in John 11:35, therefore validating Mary and Martha’s emotions amidst their circumstance at hand. He allows himself to feel the pain that Mary and Martha are feeling and takes a moment to sit in that pain with them. I am reminded through this story just how much Jesus aligns his heart with ours as an act of showing his love for us (in verse 36, the Jews correspond Jesus’ weeping with his love for Lazarus).

What strikes me most about this chapter is the order in which Jesus does things. Before he ever raises Lazarus from the dead, he FIRST weeps with Mary and Martha. His first action is to come alongside us, his presence becoming a reflection of his love for us, and THEN he takes further action. I read a devotional months ago that emphasized our role as human beings rather than human doings. Essentially, we have a role to BE with God and with others before we have a role to DO anything or take any other action. Jesus makes this so easy for us because he promises to always be near, never far.

I think it is also important to note that Jesus isn’t weeping over Lazarus’ death the way Mary and Martha are. While Mary and Martha are weeping because they assume the finality of their brother’s death, Jesus weeps solely because his heart aligns with theirs. His tears do not minimize his confidence in the plan that is to come (raising Lazarus back to life). I love that he allows himself to sit and weep with these women simply because he cares for them. The feelings we experience matter to him. Today, nine months out of college, I feel incredibly grateful that Jesus understands my heart. I am confident he is walking with me through the period of transition I find myself in. I pray for a steadfast trust for myself and each of you in knowing that his plan supersedes all of our confusions or uncertainties.

KNOW

Do you believe that Jesus desires to weep alongside you? Do you allow him to do so? Do you remember a time when you found yourself in a season of uncertainty and unknowns? Maybe that season for you is right now. How did you and/or how can you learn to let Jesus and let others in to the unknown with you?

Please know that whether today is your first day of high school, last day of college, or just your ten thousandth day at the same job you’ve had for thirty years, you are never alone, never invisible, and always, always loved.

DO

Read the entire story about Jesus comforting the sisters of Lazarus in John 11:17-37. Spend some time in prayer, allowing Jesus to feel your joys, sorrows, and confusion alongside you.

What Does it Mean to be a Woman of God?

Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, “Abba! Father!” so you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Galatians 4:5-7

LEARN

Here we find ourselves again, back into the pages of the Word, searching out identities. What does it mean to be a woman of God? Does it change when you go from single to married, or have a child? Or does our identity in Christ go deeper than fathomable, trickling its way into every other aspect of our lives, no matter the stage? I believe, the core of your identity lies deeper than woman, sister, mother, single, or married. Sweet Sister, you are daughter.

Galatians 4:5-7 and so many more New Testament scriptures, talk about our identity as the children of God. I love this passage in Galatians though, because it shows us the beginning glimpse of what it means to be daughter. I almost inserted [daughter] everywhere it said “son” to drive a deeper meaning, but think about this. The people Paul was talking to still lived in a patriarchal system of inheritance. The eldest son would receive the greatest portion of the father’s land, money, livestock, etc. When this verse talks about our adoption as sons, it is talking about us becoming the heir (by rights of adoption) of everything that God has to give. EVERYTHING! The coolest part is we get to tap into that right now! We are not waiting on certain stipulations, to be able to tap into our trust fund. We have our inheritance at our finger tips.

Now hand in hand with our daughterhood, is a deeper understanding of Fatherhood. They come together. I don’t believe you can really dive into learning one, without receiving new revelation on the other. To the extent that you believe God is a good and loving father, is the extent you will believe his goodness and his adoption of you as his daughter. Our Father is good. God is good. He WANTS to bless you with the best He has. When He has an Arabian race horse, He isn’t going to just hand you a Lisa Frank color by number from the 90’s. I think where we get confused on his goodness, is that he might start you out with riding lessons, on the 15 year-old, super gentle horse (before the race horse is even born) then give you racing lessons (while he trains the race horse), then when it’s time here comes the beautiful race horse (at the time when you know how to race, and the horse has been trained). This is a big picture in a small space, so here’s what I want you to know.

KNOW

1. You were chosen before the foundation of the world. You were predestined to be a daughter of

God (Ephesians 1:5). In other words, God very much thinks you matter.

2. Once you accept Jesus into your heart and receive Salvation, God becomes your adoptive father.

3. God is a good God.

4. God is the best father.

5. God WANTS to bless you with the best things.

6. You are a daughter of the most high God. He is ruler of the kingdom of heaven. You have access

to what he has in heaven (think the Lord’s prayer- on earth as it is in heaven).

7. No matter what stage of life you are in, meditate on this, and watch it change your perspective

for the best.

DO

Here are some more of the verses that talk about our sonship:

John 1:12, Romans 8:14-19, Romans 9:8, Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 1:5, Ephesians 2:9, Ephesians 3:6,

1 John 3:1, 1 John 3:2

Psalms 27:10

The list goes on and on, but I hope this stirs up a hunger for you to seek out God as our father, and what

it means to be his daughter.

Much love,

Anna

How Can I Be More Quick to Listen & Slow to Speak?

"Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."  

Romans 12:17-18

LEARN

Confrontation is hard, it's awkward, and it hurts.  No wonder most people avoid it at all costs, but we can't avoid conflict; it's a part of life.  The question is, when conflict arises how do we deal with it?  Do you retreat/ avoid?  Are you a full-fledged "let's hash this out now" kind of a person?  Do you sit on it for a while then bring it up later?  Do you bottle everything up until you explode?  Maybe sometimes we all are a little bit of everything depending on the timing and how big the situation is.

As a mom it's easy to tell your kid, "Treat others as you want to be treated."  But when it comes to practicing that myself it's a little trickier.  I give excuses.  I feel I have the right to respond a certain way or to be vengeful (even if it's in a more subtle way).  The Bible is clear that vengeance belongs to the Lord and what I am supposed to do is be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (James 1:19).  I am to be patient, to be kind and gentle, to forgive and to keep forgiving.  Matthew 18:21-22 says, "Then Peter came up and said to him, 'Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times'."

Isn't it so difficult to swallow the fact that when we've been wronged over and over again we are still commanded to forgive?  It doesn't feel fair when at times what you do in comparison is "not that bad."  Well, one harsh realization that I've come to learn recently is that yes, I am "that bad."  The intents of my heart are so wicked and I don't trust God in my relationships.  I want to take matters into my own hands.  My actions often show that I lack the belief that God is in control and that He is good no matter what the outcome of the situation is. 

Forgiving someone does not mean you allow them to trample over you or keep hurting you.  By no means.  There is righteous anger when justice is compromised and the Lord is being misrepresented.  Ephesians 4:26 says, "Be angry and do not sin..."  At times we will get angry, but what I choose to do in my anger reveals the depths of my heart.

This is where putting the Word into practice comes into play.  For instance, when my husband and I have disagreements we need to sort through, I have to make the choice: am I going to be bitter and secretly hold things against him until I can no longer hold it in then explode when something triggers my anger?  Or will I prayerfully consider his side of the story, pray for him in my anger, and choose a time when we can both discuss things calmly and maturely? Many times I embarrassingly choose the former, but I’m trying, in the Lord’s strength, to choose the right timing and to speak in the right tone whenever I bring up that which is bothering me.  

Resolving conflict requires humility on both ends.  Whether it’s your spouse, your child, your boss, a co-worker, a friend or a family member, we must, in humility, hear their side without thinking about how to counter their argument as they’re speaking.  It is difficult not to be defensive, but oh how freeing it is to affirm them and admit where I’ve been wrong and where I have failed. We always have room to grow, so there is always something we can change about ourselves.  That gives the other person a sense of trust and respect. Now when it comes to bringing up offenses to the other person, we must, as best we can, not attack them, but lovingly show them what has hurt us and how it made us feel.

Lastly, tone and timing.  You can say one thing and your tone and when you bring it up makes a HUGE difference in how the person receives it.  It could be said two different ways, but if I want the person on the receiving end to actually listen and make a change, I have to be willing to make the change first.  Proverbs 15:18 says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” If I come in hot and ready to fight, it’s pretty obvious where that argument will end up…with two very hurt and angry people who aim to get their point across at whatever cost.  How much more quickly can an argument be resolved when we come into a situation prayerfully and calmly, with genuine humility, willing to hear the other person out? May we basque in the truth of God’s Word and trust Him when He says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:8-9).

KNOW

1. Read Ephesians 4:31-32.  Are there any areas in your life where you can be more tenderhearted, less angry, less bitter, more kind, or more forgiving?

2. Are you quick to give your side of an argument or are you willing to listen first then give a gentle response?  

DO

Is there someone you need to confront about something but have been hesitant to do so out of fear or bitterness?  Prayerfully bring up your concerns to the Lord and ask Him to give you the strength to humbly confront this person in love.  

How Can You Practice Contentment?

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck 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;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, And a time to lose;
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
A time to tear, And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

LEARN

Seasons of life pass by like the wind. Let's look at what King Solomon also shares in Ecclesiastes 1:13-14. “And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

I find myself clinging to God more as life passes by with a big smile on my face. What a seat we have in the arena of life as a Christian. We go through many seasons of our lives from birth to death leaving a trail of memories good and not so good. For myself at 59 with the golden years to come each season seems to build upon the last where I notice myself waining and the Lord waxing, less of me, more of Him, trying not to lean on my own understanding, heading for that smooth stretch of highway as my husband Michael likes to say. Which season has been the hardest so far? It has always seemed to be the one I just finished!

KNOW

Jesus is always with us and our relationship with Him is constant! Developing our relationship with Jesus, not in a religious way but having a constant personal relationship, one on one communion with Him is key in all seasons of life. Do you have this relationship with Jesus in all seasons? Do you believe He is always there with you? Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) teaches us: let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

DO

Practice being content and aware of your communion with the Great I AM !

Where is Jesus in The Midst of our Now?

Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:24-25

LEARN

Hello Beauties!

I am so excited to be back with you again. I love having the opportunity to feel as though, for a moment, I can sit with you and relate our stories to one another. This last couple months I had a lot of big changes in my life that have required me to step up and show up in ways I haven’t felt equipped to do. Many moments I felt so bogged down by the weight of it all and burnout knocked on my door like a girl scout during a diet. I wanted to throw in the towel and give up. However, I had, and still have this nagging feeling in my heart like in this season it is essential I keep showing up. I do my best to do this every day. Yet, in the midst of it, sometimes it is hard to pause and take a look around at where God is in the season and what He is actually doing. I so often take on too much. I add too many things to the ever-present list. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do things perfectly, especially the things I have never done before. Before I know it, I am exhausted and left wondering where the purpose is in anything I am doing.

Have you ever felt like that, in a season of transition? Maybe you just moved or started a new job. Maybe you recently graduated and are now navigating the world around you and processing how the day to day looks very different than it did in school. Perhaps you just became a mom and are transitioning into this new and completely life altering stage. Or maybe those little ones, are now out on their own, and after spending so long raising and protecting them, you feel whole new sense of “what do I want to be when I grow up?”

I want you to know that Jesus is with you in every single stage. The Bible talks about how Jesus literally is our advocate and is continually praying for us (Hebrews 7:24-25). How amazing is that!? That our Jesus who sacrificed Himself for us now sits at the right hand of God, and knowing all that we think and feel and go through day to day, advocates and prays prayers specific to us! That right there takes a burden off my shoulders!

KNOW

I just want to take a moment and honor your story. Where you are in the timeline of your life. Where you have been. Where you feel called to go. Or maybe this season is confusing because for the first time there isn’t a big to do list and call to anywhere in specific. Rest in the fact that Jesus is your ever-present help (Psalm 46:1). He not only leads, but He comes to comfort. Rest in the fact that because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are free to come before the throne of God, to make our requests known to Him, to be vulnerable with Him.

In my current season, I am learning a whole bunch of new things. I feel stretched, spread thin, and like those growing pains you used to get as a kid in your legs (anyone with me) are now happening in my spirit. During my time with the Lord I have been picturing going before the throne of God, and literally curling up in the lap of the Father, or sitting at His feet resting my head on His knee while He strokes my hair, and reminds me of my identity in Him. I am His daughter, adopted, and co-heir with Christ. These times, even if it is a 30-second deep breath at work, fixing my eyes on God is keeping me going.

DO

I encourage you to start asking Jesus to show you where He is in the midst of your now. Take it a step further and think back on times and seasons of your life that have been very challenging or in some way have robbed you of your joy, and ask Jesus to show you where He was in those seasons too. Maybe He shows you a picture, or it becomes one of those Jesus moments where you just understand where He is (was).

It is okay to be vulnerable with God. An amazing encouragement is reading through the Psalms. David was SO good at vulnerably laying out his drama before the Lord. Once in that place where David felt free to express his worry, frustration, or fear to God, he was able to move into a place of praise and encouragement reminding himself of who God is, and where God was in his season.

Here are some passages that I have found really encouraging through my seasons. May these give you a starting place.

Psalms 88 and 89 read together. David literally goes from despair to praising the Lord and it is beautiful and so relatable.

Psalm 56: 3-4, Psalm 34:4-5, Psalm 46:1-3, Psalm 126

Will God Never Give Me More Than I Can Handle?

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.  

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

LEARN

We’ve all heard it and many of us have probably said it ourselves- “God will never give you more than you can handle.”  1 Corinthians 10:13 is a verse in the Bible that is often misquoted and many people use it as a Christian “catch phrase” to mean that God won’t ever give you anything more than you can bear.  I don’t know about you, but there have been plenty of times in my life where I’ve thrown my hands up and said, “God, I can’t do this!” The Scriptures are full of examples of people who cried out to God feeling like they were forsaken-Psalm 22 being a vivid example.  Psalm 88:1-3 says: “O Lord, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.” Jesus himself prayed, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death…My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:38-39).  

In this life, we are promised tribulation and sorrows, but we can also stand firm in the promise that God is our refuge (Ps. 16:1, 57:1, Prov. 30:5).  Saying “God will never give you more than you can handle” gives off the impression that God measures what He allows to come my way on the basis of my ability to endure it.  It focuses on self and not God.  My “handling” a difficult situation doesn’t depend on my own strength.  If that were the case, I would fail miserably every time because of my sinful heart.  It is purely God’s grace that provides a way for me to be able to endure life’s trials and unknown situations.  My being able to bear a situation doesn’t mean I will never feel like giving up or that I will never falter. But through the grace of God, He equips me and works in me to choose the right thought patterns and to make Godly decisions.  And when we face situations that are morally confusing or we are actually being tempted into sin, God always provides a way of escape, which is the context of 1 Cor. 10:13.  2 Cor. 9:8 says: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” Acts 2:13 says: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

It is Christ alone, in us, who gives the strength to bear whatever it is we are facing.  Whether it’s embracing constant change in our lives, whether we are facing financial hardship, broken relationships, feeling completely overwhelmed by the demands placed before us, He is the one who withholds us and we are not independent of God’s mighty hand to help us do what we ought.  As John Pipers states: “God will never give his people trials in which he will not sustain them to bring them through to everlasting glory.”

Even now, my family and I are facing the transition of moving across the country in a few months where country life reigns supreme.  This city girl will have a lot to adapt to, but more importantly, I will be put in a position where I must rely on Christ to meet some pretty deep needs.  My husband will be deploying often and will be doing much training as is required for his particular job. Many people will often say to me after finding out that I am a Military wife, “I don’t know how you do it!  I could never do that.” I never thought I could “handle” this lifestyle either, but it is God who sustains me and my family. It is God who equips me to walk through this life as a Marine wife, to face so much uncertainty, too many unknowns, and countless times of patiently waiting through transition periods.  We are often away from family and close friends. We must learn to make new friends and adapt to the life and culture of wherever we’re stationed at the time. I fear for my husband’s life as he does rigorous field training and overseas deployments. But through it all I can’t help but think of the words of Psalm 74:25-26, “Whom have I in heaven but you?  And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

KNOW

1. Are you experiencing a time of change or transition right now?  Do you feel like it’s too much to bear and you don’t know how you can face so many unknowns?  Lay it before the Lord in prayer and be reminded of His truth through His Word and the promises He has for you.  Remember His faithfulness and His ability to help you face those times of uncertainty.

2. How does 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 give you hope?

DO

1. Read 1 Corinthians 1:8-9.  Confess to the Lord about a situation where you have doubted His faithfulness and His ability to see you through.  

Whose Kids Are We?

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

1 John 3:1-3 (NKJV)

LEARN

From the day we are born we start the journey of finding our identity. Even at a young age, adults like to ask kids what they want to be when they grow up. Most kids look to who they admired most to imitate. For me as a young girl it started with wanting to be like my mother. Then as I grew I started wanting to be like other people who were a part of my life, like my older sisters, teachers, and coaches. Looking back it’s funny and sad at the same time how even growing up going to church I never thought to say I wanted to be like Jesus. The world made me feel as if I needed to be someone other than who God made me to be. Someone who others would admire because of my talents, accomplishments or job title. I was told if I went to college or would start my own business or get married and have a family I would finally be somebody. Perhaps this sounds familiar?

As time went on I did do all that - college, started several businesses, got married, had a family, but my soul still yearned for more. I wasn’t content.

My Days became months, months became years and before I knew it my children had grown up and moved out on their own, along with my husband and I selling our surfboard business. My identity of being a full-time mom and business partner was no longer needed and I began looking in the mirror asking myself, who am I now? I found myself desperately clinging to my raft as my identity sunk beneath the waves. Maybe you haven't gotten this far in life but you too find yourself looking in the mirror asking who am I ?

I began to look for my identity in the word and found it in 1 John 3:1.

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of  God” There it was…. We are His kids!

So why do we still have a hard time believing our identity is only found in Christ? The remainder of this verse helps us understand why we have a hard time finding our identity in Him...“Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”

From childhood we are dropped into this world looking for our identity in what the world has to offer us, but the worlds identity is not in Christ, because the world does not know Him. No wonder we find ourselves not feeling complete. 1 John 3:2 shows us “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be”. The truth is, with love, Jesus has bestowed on us our true identity as His kids and we don’t have to search for what we are to be here on earth. The Word tells us to believe our identity is in being a child of God. Now that I believe this I have stopped searching in this world and have contentment. I now know who I am in Jesus Christ and He is who makes me whole!

KNOW

1. Christ in us is who we are  “but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2
Has Jesus revealed himself to you? Do you believe He alone can give you contentment?

2. “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” 1 John 3:3.  Our souls are purified through our faith by union with Christ and our obedience to His word. Is your hope in Him first and are you being obedient to His word?

DO

1. Take time asking the Lord to show you who you are in Him through His word. Meditate on those truths.

2. Then “(purify) your souls by your obedience to the truth”.  1 Peter 1:22

Continue to believe in what He has revealed to you and take time daily

to trust that you are and will only ever be fulfilled in Christ!  

What is the Point of our Existence as Christians?

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Colossians 3:1-4

LEARN

Who are you and what is the point of you existing? We can all think of the basics when it comes to who we are. There is our name, what we do for a living, where we live, our relationship status, how many kids we have, etc. Those are the little ways that we typically describe ourselves. As Christians, many of us know that the right answer would be to say something about being a child of God but if we are honest, our identity is far more rooted in what our status is on this earth and how it makes us feel.

Here is what the bible says about our identity and what we should be focused on. Colossians 3:1-4 says “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

All of the things we are looking for to fulfill our longings and desires can be found in Christ. The brokenness that we all experience in our lives happens when we try to find our satisfaction, security, and identity in anything other than God.

My Story

From a young age, I have desired to be beautiful, accepted, and recognized. There has never been a conscious time in my life that these desires have not been present. I didn’t find out that I had two huge idols in my life until I was in my 20’s. The number one idol that I worship is control and the other close second is approval. These two idols combined make for a powerful duo, one that has caused me to sin in countless ways, stunted my spiritual growth and hurt many people throughout the years. By God’s grace, I have found myself in a local Gospel-centered church that I have called my home for 5 years. In this time frame, I have received accountability and discipleship in these areas. This community helped me see my sin and in turn also helped support me as I aggressively went to war against these deep-rooted areas of idolatry. However, the war is not over. I still struggle daily, but God is winning my heart and I have hope in the finished work of Christ and his promises.

If you are anything like me and you struggle with putting your identity in worldly things, I want to encourage you to reflect and to ask yourself who the main character is in your life narrative. Our sole purpose on this earth is to make known Christ’s identity. He gave you your unique talents and abilities to show how glorious God is in a wicked and dark world. Those unique talents and abilities were never meant to be worshiped or compared. We were never supposed to seek our own identities outside of God and try to measure up on our own. It’s all about Him. It’s always been about Him.

Dr. Richard Lints, who serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the main campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, north of Boston says it best. “Idolatry is the honoring of things as ultimate which are not ultimate and which, therefore, reshape us after their own image.”

KNOW

1. Where does your hope lie?

2. What do you think gives you significance?

3. What do you really at heart desire to become?

DO

Your challenge this week is to journal about what area or areas you are placing your identity in apart from Christ. Write out verses that will remind you of the identity you have in Christ and place them throughout your house as a daily reminder.

Who Do You Say That I Am?

“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” and Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 16:15-18

LEARN

Hey Ladies!

Anna here, and good golly, am I excited about something. Preparing to write this post led me into my bible and listening through so many podcasts. I am stirred up! Before I get into it, I want to ask you a couple questions. Who are you? Like broad spectrum, who are you? What are some things that make you who you are? What defines you? What gives you a semblance of identity? Or to put it another way, what or who, is your identity in? For example, are you the nerdy one, the athletic one, the artsy one, the stylish one? Is your identity wrapped up in that thing? If for some reason it was taken away from you, would you still have direction in life?

A couple years ago I bought a 1999 Land Rover Discovery II. It was big and blue, and looked like you could take it out on a safari, amongst the wild creatures, and explore to your hearts content. It was the first car I owned that could really take me up into the mountains and I didn’t have to worry about getting stuck. It was powerful and rugged. This car made me feel free, like the wilderness was mine to explore and no one could stop me. I recently had to sell this big, blue beauty, because it was just old, and it was becoming less likely that I would make it back home from any exploration. I am almost embarrassed to say selling that car nearly broke me. After all, it was just a car. However, this is when I realized how much of my identity was wrapped up in having some type of adventure mobile. Even worse how much of my identity was wrapped up in that specific car. I had to go back to the true source of our identity and ask Jesus, “who do you say that I am?” I felt like He responded first with “well, who do you say I AM?” Woah! So, my bigger question became Who. IS. Jesus. What do I actually believe about Him? Is my thought pattern correct?

This began a process of really renewing my mind, and making sure I was believing rightly about God. I started this by listening to pastors who taught the Word of God, then I really began reading the Bible (it is important to find out for yourself what the Word says). It turns out the more I have dug into reading my Bible and the more time I spend listening to teachers of the Word, the more my original question, “who do you say that I am” has been answered. This is because the more we know about who Jesus is, the more we will find out what He says about us, and why He made us the beautiful way He did.

Who does Jesus say YOU are?

KNOW

1. YOU ARE CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE - There is nothing wrong with being sporty, or girly, or smart, or creative, or talented in any area. Also know, it is very okay to be more than one thing. God made you with a mind, heart and soul, and you are capable of being a great many things through Him. I am totally the sporty one amongst friends, but I so love getting dressed up for a dinner now and again, and I really love challenging my mind and learning new things.

2. YOU ARE LOVED BY GOD - At the center of who God is, love abides. It spreads forth from there. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure (some translations say “convinced”- like the whole world couldn’t change your mind) neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor ANYTHING (emphasis added) else in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. At the beginning and the end of every day, you are still loved by God. Not because of anything more than Jesus’ gift to us on the cross and the very nature of God.

3. YOU ARE MADE WHOLE THROUGH CHRIST - God is the master of renewing and repurposing our identity. Do not be afraid or ashamed to come to Him, and ask what He thinks of you. Know that when God looks at you, He sees the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for you. Jesus’ death and resurrection have made you new and now you get to walk out becoming whole, with Him by your side.

4. YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOU - The Holy Spirit is a wonderful teacher. He will teach you and help you in the process of learning, just like He did for Peter in our first verse.

DO

1. It’s a bold prayer, but ask Jesus to fill you with a hunger to find out more about Him.

2. Write down three things you believe about God and ask Him to show you what the truth is about

each thing.

3. Write down three things you believe about yourself, and same, same, ask God to tell you what He thinks about you in these areas.

Here are a couple awesome resources I have loved in my journey to find my identity in Christ.

1. “Captivating” by Jon and Stasi Eldridge
2. “The Power of Right Believing” by Pastor Joseph Prince

What are the Benefits of Confessing Sin?

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness

1 John 1:9

LEARN

Why is it that we desire to look put together externally, even when everything is internally falling apart? Well, I believe oftentimes we do it because it is the quickest and easiest “solution” to not have our deeper problems get in the way of how people perceive us. We have gotten very good at putting a nice paint job over many layers of filth, old paint, and decaying wood to cover up our imperfections. It is not desirable to rip up and expose all of the dirty layers that are chipping and cracking, because then there is a chance that everything will have to be replaced- and that takes so much more time and effort, but any good carpenter and painter knows that you can’t fix a faulty foundation by simply applying a fresh coat of paint. In the same way, God knows we can’t fix our sin problem by covering it up and hoping we stay intact, and that is why he desires us to confess our sins to Him.

So how can we change our thinking about confession to understand why exposing our foundation is ultimately better than covering it up, even if it isn’t always our desired choice? Let’s look at a few reasons why confessing our sin and exposing our weakness is far better than hiding behind a fresh coat of paint.

Faulty thought #1 - We view confession as a punishment.
Believe: GOD IS A GOOD AND LOVING GOD

When we view confession as God desiring for us to be humiliated or embarrassed in order to learn our lesson, we will be less likely to want to confess. Luckily, the bible would say that thinking is flawed. Our God is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7). God desires us to confess our sins because he is a gracious and loving God who knows that we need an awareness of our sins and accountability from His church to depart from our sin and turn to Him.

Faulty thought #2 - We think God still needs to forgive us, or that he my not forgive us.
Trust: GOD HAS ALREADY FORGIVEN US

God is not waiting for us to confess our sins so he can finally forgive us. We have already been forgiven through Jesus. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). We need ongoing forgiveness not for our ultimate justification but for our ongoing sanctification. God knows that when we confess our sins it allows us to feel at peace with Him, and not distant from Him because our confession shows where our heart is at. We are justified in Christ once and for all, but confessing our sins and receiving forgiveness is ongoing until we are glorified in heaven and no longer sin. “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (proverbs 28:13).

Faulty thought #3- We have to be perfect in order to be holy, and we have to do it on our own.
Understand: CONFESSING OUR SINS LEADS TOWARDS HOLINESS

Each time we confess our sins because of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are reawakened to what Christ has done for us. “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). It is such an undeserved gift that when we confess our sin, God makes known our security in him and the assurance of our salvation as we draw closer to Him and he removes the guilt and shame we so desperately try to hide. It is through our confession that our guilt lessens and our hope and strength magnifies in the Lord and we grow in holiness.

KNOW

What is the main thing that keeps you from wanting to confess your sin to God and others?

Do you believe that God is a loving and gracious God? Do you believe he loves you?

What do you need to confess today that you have not wanted to confess? Is there someone in your life you can share your sin with who can pray for you and help you work through your sin?

DO

Memorize, print off and color this scripture to remind you of the promise God gives you when you confess your sin to him!

Are You Giving God Lip Service?

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us bow down in worship let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Psalm 95:1-7

LEARN

As I came across this passage in Psalm 95, I had one of those moments where the Holy Spirit convicts you like a ton of bricks. The part that broke me was while I read “let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” My conviction was absent as I read most of the text until I came across the part about kneeling. As I tried to visualize kneeling humbly before the Lord I began to weep. When in the past few weeks has my heart posture actually been focused on kneeling? I focus heavily on worshipping and giving thanks to God, but I often shy away from the parts in my life that require me to actually posture myself as a servant. Even when I am at Church, a place where I should be going to focus on God in community, I want to be seen. I want to be praised, if even for how my hair looks, but more for the ways people view me. I want to be acknowledged for my ability to shepherd other women and speak truth into their lives because I am important. In these times I desire to stand next to God instead of face down before him.

Paul Washer says it well, “most of us in our hearts want to be called a servant, but none of us want to be treated like one.”  I like the idea of humble submission, but not actually playing the part of a servant. The problem with me bowing before God in surrender is that I don’t want to. Worshipping is fine because I am still present for others to see me, but bowing takes the focus off me and onto God. It is humbling and bold and the sin in me says- sorry God thats a bit too dramatic, how about I courtesy instead?

It is ridiculous of me to think I can worship God without actually giving my life to Him, but I do it every day. Worship is not just words or thoughts, but actions. It is a continuous posture, not just a moment. God doesn’t just want our lip service, he wants us to surrender our lives to Him as an act of worship. We are deceiving ourselves if we think we are true worshippers when we can’t even bow down long enough to allow others to look to Christ. “True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” John 4:23.

KNOW

What posture do you have towards God (standing beside Him, blocking Him, or kneeling before Him)?

Are you a true worshipper or just giving God lip service?

What are you not willing to give up in order to be a servant for God (power, approval, status)?

DO

When we idolize ourselves, we desire to take the focus off of God and put in on ourselves.

1. Think about the things you do on a daily basis that focus too much attention on yourself and too little attention on God.

2. Make a list of the things you do each day that are for your own glory.

3. Pray over those things and confess them to God as you seek to put your idols to death.

Here are some great resources for further study on true worship and servanthood.

-Bible:

Read the Psalms

-Read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John - focusing specifically on how Jesus acted as a humble servant for God during His time on earth.

-Books:

  When People are Big and God is Small  By Edward T. Welch

  A Taste of Heaven  By R.C. Sproul

Worship: Adoration and Action  By D.A. Carson

What Should Productivity Look Like for Christians?

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

LEARN

We live in a society where time is money and productivity reigns king. In the workplace, efficiency is usually a good gauge at how well someone is doing as an employee, but this also infiltrates into non-workspaces. We as wives, moms, students, siblings, and roommates struggle with this too.

“How come she is able to have a clean home, perfectly kempt hair, and take care of her three kids, while I can barely take care of myself?”

“Why does it take me 2x longer to finish my assignments than my roommate. She always has so much more free time than I do. If only I was able to finish things quicker.”

“My Sister graduated a year after me and is already financially stable and got a promotion and I still don’t know what I want to do.”

We all make these internal comments to ourselves when we feel like other people are more productive and therefore better than we are at managing life. Most of us feel like we have so much to do and so little time to do it, so people who can accomplish more are obviously people we envy right? We read books on productivity and time-management. We multi-task all day and listen to podcasts while driving home so we can fill our time with as much as we can. We believe that if we could just figure out how to manage our time better we wouldn’t be so held back. If we could only get everything checked off our list we would finally get past the rat race- and so we push.

But let’s rewind a bit.

All of these ideas have been built upon the belief that productivity reigns king, but shouldn’t we instead believe that the only one who reigns King is God? So what does God have to say about productivity? As we see in Colossians 3:17, it appears that productivity in God’s view isn’t just about getting things done, it is about getting His things done. The only work that matters is the work that brings Glory to God, and therefore we should be ordering our life around this work. However, when we think about that a bit more we don’t always like hearing that. It is far more desirable to be productive in order to gain relational, financial, and societal status than it is to serve God with our lives. Status allows us to rank ourselves, to feel superior or inferior. Status motivates us, but as children of God, our status will always remain the same- His children whom he loves. What we are commanded to desire instead is to be on the lookout for ways to love others, and glorify God in all areas of our lives. We are to work wholeheartedly for God, and we do that by consciously thinking about the motivations we have behind the all that we do.

It is in our daily tasks at home, work, or school that the bible calls us to love others well because of our love for God. We must understand that relationships are not always efficient but they are important. At times loving others well and glorifying God might mean stopping everything on our to-do list to talk to our neighbor longer and invite them to church. It might mean sacrificing our morning routine to go take a meal to someone who is sick. Or, it might mean taking breaks at work to read the word, in order to focus rightly through our tasks for the day and respond lovingly to people at work we find difficult to be around. Relationships derail us, they mess up our timelines, and they take work- but when we realize that God is King and love rules over productivity, we can then have a better gauge at what we should be doing and how we should be viewing our status as his child, whom he loves and accepts, without needing to find satisfaction or reassurance from societies standards of productivity. True productivity is found in cultivating a right relationship with God.

KNOW

AS CHRISTIANS PRODUCTIVITY LOOKS LIKE….

1. Sharing the gospel. “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.” (Matthew 5:16)

2. Doing good works. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

3. Working wholeheartedly for God. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

4. Making loving God and loving others our motivating factor. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

5. Fighting laziness. “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” (Proverbs 18:9)

6. Using our time wisely. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

DO

How can you better prioritize God when you think about being productive?

What might change in your internal dialogue when you stop having societies view of productivity rule you and start having scriptures view rule you?

What steps can you take today to focus more on God in your busy life? (maybe you need a mindset change, or you need to actually change some things you shouldn’t be prioritizing)

What first step can you take today?

How Can We Find Wholeness?

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:1-7

LEARN

Why do I lack self-discipline and have little victory over my sin struggle when it comes to laying down my life for Christ? When I experienced the healing of knowing Christ for the first time, I found a lot of my fears, shame and idols diminishing. My heart was healed and the most important part of my soul was now replaced with God’s indwelling spirit. Still, after a few years of being saved and enjoying the nature of the Christian culture I began to have a different response to this gratitude for salvation. The realities of being Christ’s, was (and is) the best thing in the world, but my self-centeredness led me to waste this blessing instead of using the blessing on others or to sincerely fight the good fight of faith to bring God the glory. I desired to be obedient to God through difficult moments in life, but only to gain relief from my troubles, not for the sake of His name being praised alone. You see, I can read about the riches of being his, identify myself as a believer, even enjoy the cultural norms of Christian community but struggle to have victory in my own life. My identity was more like those the bible talks about who have an appearance of godliness but deny its power. I may have been healed from a lot of things in my past through coming to know Christ, but idleness became my norm and I failed to keep walking towards holiness.

Being made whole is progressive. It is not a one-time healed, mountain top experience, it is a journey past the one mountain top, down through various valleys and up different peaks through an array of scenery. It is daily walking hand in hand with Christ. This journey to wholeness is what keeps going as long as we keep responding to what Christ has done in his finished work on the cross. We don’t stop when the healing comes or when our issue subsides. His glory is better than our temporary satisfaction. We are healed so we can continue becoming whole.

Wholeness mirrors our sanctification. It is what we are in Christ positionally, but also what we are presently becoming. We are going from less sinful tendencies to even less sinful tendencies while holding in our hearts the promise that powerfully fuels our endurance all together, “where sin abounds grace abounds more” Romans 5:20. The grace of God doesn’t just provide us the forgiveness we need, it transforms us to into Christ’s likeness. As we continue from the initial healing of being Christ’s, we need a continual practice of running to the source of wholeness. Even though our nature is sinful, and at the point of salvation Christ covered us with his righteousness, our souls will always need saving. Healing work is not yet finished. We experience wholeness by experiencing Christ. As we seek to obey Christ we can continually increase in being wholly his. This is not a lofty unreachable concept. The bible outlines practical and concrete ways in which we can experience Christ and know what He is doing and what He promises he will do right now in our lives. Though many brothers and sisters are healed by Christ’s powerful work in that now they see him and long for him, we need his continual healing power to become more and more like him. Join us as we reach to the depths of God’s promises for the power to keep on keeping on; becoming less of us and more of him.

KNOW

Meditate on 2 Peter 1:3-4

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

DO

What does God say will give us strength for Godliness and life?

What promises of God give you strength for your current season right now?

*Find a friend to keep you accountable to keep going on this venture towards holiness.

What Does Trust in God Look Like?

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Ephesians 6:10-14

Learn

I often find I am my own worst enemy. The devil doesn’t have to go far to scheme against me, because I am easily persuaded by his tactics, even without the help of others. One of the ways his schemes play out is through poking at my insecurities; insecurities about my body, my intelligence, my lack of faith, my marriage. I’m sure we could all think of a long list of daily battles we have with insecurity- and I don’t know about you, but when I am insecure about something I try to overcompensate in unhealthy ways. This usually looks like me for anything I can get my hands on so I don’t have to actually say to myself “Jaime, just admit it- you are insecure.” Instead I give reasons for my struggles that focus on someone or something that caused my insecurity. Instead of clothing myself with the full armor of God I clothe myself with complaints, gossip, anger, frustration and pity. To God I must look like a little girl trying to dress herself, but has no capability to pick out appropriate clothes or even tie her own shoes.   

The devil desires to uproot our trust in God. He wants us to think we can pick out our own clothes and attempt to dress for success because he knows we will fail. He preys on our shortcomings, and he revels in our pity. He does this to distract us and confuse us so we lose sight of God’s truth while we are stuck fixating on what we can’t fix.

It is easy to forget we are fighting a battle beyond what we can see, and we need God to intervene on our behalf so we can replace our insecurity with the full armor of God. It is in properly clothing ourselves that we can move from frustration to gratitude as our Heavenly Father picks out our clothes and ties our shoes for us. We must trust that God is capable of knowing how to best tie our shoes and clothe us for success. When insecurity creeps in, we must remember to ask God for help, and thank him for being a good, good father.

Know

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7

Today as you are feeling insecure, interrupt your frustration with gratitude. Whatever present issue is causing you to worry or doubt, re-read the psalm as you work towards trusting and praising God for what he has already done for you and what he promises to continue to do.

 

Do

Draw an outline of yourself on a sheet of paper (a rough outline is fine, for the fellow non-artists like myself!)

Along the outside of your drawing, write 6 things you arm yourself with when you are left to your own capabilities. 

Then, on the inside of your drawing write down the different pieces of the armor in their corresponding places. *Found in Ephesians 6

1. The Belt of Truth

2. The Breastplate of Righteousness

3. The Shield of Faith

4. The Helmet of Salvation

5. The Shoes of the Gospel

6. The Sword of the Spirit

How do we Depend on Christ For Security?

Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your way submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Learn

       Having security in the same phrase as dependency feels counterintuitive since most self-assurance in this world is paired with independence, financial well-being, beauty and popularity. I hear this same message from social media making it easy for me to become distracted from what true security really is. Most of the time I find myself fixated on being content with what I don’t have instead of thinking of who Christ is as the basis of my self-confidence or security. As all the things I don’t have in regards to security in this world, play loudly in the back of my mind, I know that the only thing that stops this tune from playing on repeat is the interruption of a louder voice.

      While reading Genesis, I began to hear that louder voice. In this historical moment when God made Adam and Eve, the first counseling experience in human history occurred. God told Adam and Eve who they were and what they were to do and not do, “Be fruitful and multiply” and “do not eat of the tree of good and evil or you will surely die.” God instructed or counseled them and later another voice enters the scene, another counsel. This voice also provided instruction, but it was contrary to that of God’s. In fact, this counsel would make Adam and Eve deny God’s words as being true, making him a liar. It told them that apart from God they could have wisdom. Wisdom is not just knowledge but good judgment and though they were promised by the serpent to know good and evil when they ate the fruit, they would not be wise apart from God. Adam and Even believed Satan but ultimately God’s word trumped Satan’s, they would surely die. Through choosing to listen to wrong counsel, Adam and Eve and all of humanity henceforth would die. If any human could have had a better foundation for filtering through lies it would have been Adam and Eve who walked with God, knew him, and lived in perfection with him in the garden. However, when they listened to the lie of the serpent they were acting out of independence from God versus dependence on God.

      Satan, as the ruler of this world is linked to every falsehood the world expresses and I have to remember that if there is no God in the world then they will be their own God. Independence and self-sufficiency is praised as being the antidote for my insecurity yet when I fail myself where will I turn to then? To who? I am among imperfect people. I need something outside of myself to guide me. I need a perfect being to lean on- God. When I feel insecure I know that if I listen to the voices telling me to find security in anything other than God, I will be left fragile and susceptible to worldly deception as Adam and Eve were. I know that those voices are invitations to live apart from God, not only from his wisdom, but from everything he is; good, faithful, loving, and gracious. If Satan’s voice is the echo of this world, in listening to it I am essentially believing God’s word is not true. God’s word reveals God as my security. The Lord says, do not fear for “I am your God” (Isaiah 41:10). When I feel hopeless I can say “the Lord sustains me” (Psalm 3:5) and when I feel consumed with the opinions of others I can remember God is my refuge (Proverbs 29:25). God has revealed that true security comes from depending on Christ, not in my own understanding or that of the worlds. It also comes from knowing the faithful God in whom I depend on.  

Know

What are characteristics of God that that you can depend on for security?

1. In Control – Isaiah 46:9-10

 “ Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose...”

2. Gracious- Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast.”

(Add scriptures to these attributes of God) 

3. Loving-

4. Steadfast-

5. Gives Hope-

6. Strengthens me-

7. Faithful-

Do  

Calming Tea recipe 

Recommended as a sleep aid

Recipe:

3 Tablespoons fresh Lavender flowers or 1 1/2 Tablespoons dried Lavender flower

2 cups boiling water

Honey and lemon if desired

Directions:

Put the flowers in a teapot

Add boiling water

Steep for 4 to 5 minutes.

Pour into cups straining if necessary to remove the flower buds.

Serve Lavender flower tea with honey and sliced lemon.

www.thesleepjudge.com