Praising God In The Valley

The song above is from Psalm 121, penned by King David and sung here by Brian Doerkson from 2012. This is a song to hold onto in times of fear, doubt, or any distress to help refocus our hearts and mind. The song is a great reminder for us to continue praising God regardless of our circumstances. How are we to praise God when we are dead tired, weary, emotional, and realistically, not in the right mind at all? What does that look like for each of us who have made Jesus our LORD and Savior?

One thing I will say, after struggling the last two weeks of weariness, emotional blindness, and physical brokenness; God never left me and with no doubt sustained every part of me so my eyes would not depart Him. I am going to walk you through the verses God led me to one night when I could not sleep in the storm.  I am working on memorizing three verses so that, in dark moments, I WILL remember His promise of being at my right hand, and I WILL NOT be shaken.

For the two weeks right after finishing Chemo,in August 2018, I struggled to sleep to the point of going 4 nights with no sleep or ability to eat, when I don’t sleep, I don’t eat. My stomach began to shrink and my body got weaker and weaker. The nights of sleeplessness, I would wander and find my bible to sit and read for comfort. I remember one late afternoon, yelling at God how terrible this was and where was He and when would He let me know He was there again? I would read David’s writings over and over again as prayers to God. I was talking with my sister one day as I cried in utter weariness and she said “At least your still talking to God, right Mindy?, He can handle it. He is Greater!” I remembered telling people this too pre tumor and saying “God already knows, so what is the harm in shouting it out to Him?” From here, I began reading Psalms asking God to show Himself to me. I came to Chapter 16 and the verses 8-11 hit home and comforted me with His promise!

Psalm 16: 8-11

8I have set the LORD continually before me;
Because He is at (Not a question,God is calling me to believe in the moment of harship and struggle He is at my right hand, 9Therefore my heart is glad (Brightens Up and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also WILL dwell(meaning, to settle down, abide) securely  (felt as this was God telling me my body will settle down securely but I have to have Him before me continually, listening, obeying, humbling self).

10For You  WILL NOT (Promise) abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor WILL (promise) You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

11You WILL (Promise make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence IS (Promise) fullness of joy;
 In Your right hand there ARE (promise) pleasures forever.

so I would stretch my hand out next to me as if He was grasping it, at that moment)  my right hand, I WILL NOT be shaken (honestly, when I let my mind wander on the what if I don’t get sleep again, what if my brain never shuts off, what if this is my life from now on, I went into a dark pit of fear. I am reading through this post, which was started back in February 2020, and now in July of 2020, I am battling lack of sleep once again. It was 2 nights a week ago of no sleep and then 2 more nights this week so far. Tuesday night around 9:00, I remember saying this verse out loud and begging God for sleep as I was trying somthing new to help me sleep. It was not working like the gentlemen said it would so I got to sleep around 9:57 and slept until 12:30 when my husband accidentally dropped his phone on the ground and it woke me. I was not able to go back to sleep so I watched TV from 1:00 – 3:30, grabbed my phone charger and went upstairs to the guest room with 2 tylenol and slept from 4:00 – 6:30. I have a fitbit watch that tracks my sleep, not the deep sleep, so I wonder sometimes how accurate the FitBit really is. I believe I had a lot less sleep than the watch said. I went ahead and headed downstairs around 7:00 am and decided to run before it hit 100 degrees just To get my endorphines going so my heart and mind would not sink. It did help, but not before I was hit by the ugly angry bug. My sweet husband patiently looked at me while I vented, complained and skirted around my real issue of wanting to control everything instead of accepting where God has me. Instead, I attacked Daniel for waking me up andwanted to blame him for the bad night sleep. This seems to be my MO lately. God and I have had many conversations on this specific topic and I used to, with confidence share and challenge women to walk in His faithfulness with confidence and act like it was a breeze, not fully being patient, sympathetic or empathetic with them at all. Now, I have much more sympathy, empathy for what they are walking through. When life is handing you apples it is so easy to keep your head up and with a smile. It is much harder when things are more challenging just to carry a conversation and stay focused and not feel inadequate or capable of things I was able to do before. So, to say the least, the valley has been a more common hang out for me than the mountaintops post brain cancer. I want to give you some encouragement of how to walk this path, as I am learning, each day. Here are a few things that help me.

How have I learned to praise God in this valley? Not sure I have conquered this yet but I will give you some guidelines to help along this road.

1. VERBALLY THANK GOD FOR SOMETHING.Get up each day and verbally, out loud, say something you are thankful for to God. Father, LORD, JESUS, my SAVIOR, thank you for loving me, for my family, for sunshine, for the rain, for good days, for bad days, for friends, for life, for my children, for my job or whatever you feel led to say.
2. MAKE TIME TO READ GOD’S WORD. set aside time each morning before you do anything else to just sit quietly and praise Him then open the Bible and read His words with listening, learning ears and heart. You might need to download Bible Hub app or another to help you understand or reach out to a friend to discuss which usually turns into an encouragement time that we all need these days.
3. WRITE IN A JOURNAL WHAT GOD IS TEACHING YOU. I have notebooks filled with prayers, ventings, praises lifted, verses God led me to read with what God showed me in scripture as different things would stand out, I would write the verses under the date in case I ever wanted to go back and see what was going on at that point in my life. Something you can also pass along to your children one day in hopes that they will gain insight from what you have learned or the ability to share with another in their time of struggle.
4. MAKE A PRAISE PLAYLIST ON YOUR MUSIC APP. I have a worship list,a promises of God list, Songs of Praise, Encouragement, Who I am in Christ, Who God Is, Who Jesus Is, Living For Christ, Favorite Hyms List, Healing, Blessings, Needing Rest, Holy Spirit – this one I use to start off my time with God while asking Him to come and be present with me. Have God lead you to what will help you focus on Him. Calm your heart and mind that you can sit without distractions for at least 20 – 30 minutes or more depending on how long it takes you. No set time limits as if I don’t get up before my kids, it will take me upwards of 2 hours to get through my readings depending on how many questions they have or help they may need, yes, these are the distractions so maybe find a room with a lock. I have older kids so it’s doable for me. If you have younger I don’t recommend hiding in your room with your door locked.

Make God a priority so you don’t forget to praise Him, even in the valley’s. Father, not every day is it easy to humble myself and come before you as I want to do other things first, watch tv, play with the dog, go running to beat the heat, go back to sleep, read a book, meet a friend for something, but I am fully aware that my time with you will set a presedence for my day and how I WILL be able to handle the hard moments, joyful moments, distractions and interactions in life. Please may I find favor with You when I read Your word that I WILL gain insight and understanding of your WORD or know where to go to study it deeper or with whom. Open my eyes, heart and mind to You each day LORD and grow my desire to meet with You no matter what obstacles are thrown my way that I may seek You and find You as You promise us in Matthew 7:7-8; “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you WILL find; knock and the door WILL be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door WILL be opened.” This is a promise God gives us that if we seek Him, we WILL find Him. Amen.

I know you may be tired, weary and wanting to give up. Please don’t. Keep lifting Your eyes to Jesus, THE WAYMAKER, SAVIOR, HELPER, HEALER, ROCK, REFUGE, RESTORER, REDEEMER. FORGIVER, RESTGIVER, Here is a song King David penned, the commentaries are not sure if was when he was facing battle or just during his travels he wrote this, but Matthew Henry’s Commentary writes: “But we need not thus appropriate it; wherever we are, at home or abroad, we are exposed to danger more than we are aware of; and this psalm directs and encourages us to repose ourselves and our confidence in God, and by faith to put ourselves under his protection and commit ourselves to his care, which we must do, with an entire resignation and satisfaction, in singing this psalm. I. David here assures himself of help from God (v. 1, 2). II. He assures others of it (v. 3-8).

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

2My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.

4Behold, the Protector of Israel will not slumber or sleep.

5The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is the shade on your right hand.

6The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

7The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul.

8The LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore

Update on health and prayer requests

Overall things have been going very well and this past year has been good. I started working as a SPED aid at our school, in our community. The daily work from 7:30-3:30 does take a toll on the brain by the end of the day. Ever since my brain surgery in 2017 naps are gone. So, I look forward to 9:30 every night when I can lay my head down and sleep. Most nights are 5-6 hours but occasionally I wake up after 4.5 hours and can’t go back to sleep. Fortunately, our school is only a 4 day school week and Fridays I get to sleep in which is great if there is a softball tournament, the next day, with our girls requiring a 5:00 am wake up to drive an hour to be at warm-up before games. Depending on how I am doing I may sleep in and go to later games and hang out with our boys as they allow depending on what they are up to or try to talk them into going with me (Seldom works).

As of my last MRI in December, all looks good and my neurologist, Dr. Torzala, has scheduled another for the end of April with a May meeting. Still believing all is good but curious to see if anything has changed because work does make me use my brain to put sentences together, think faster as well as make decisions more than I would if I was just at home. Now, working has shown me that my immune system is not as strong as I thought it was post-treatment in 2018.

In December I came down with a case of laryngitis and then this past week I ended up with Strep and maxed at 100.5 temps. I cannot remember the last time my temperature went over 98 and thankful for the limited times as this was more painful than I remember. Today is March 7 and has felt more me with no throat hurting but anytime a yawn wants to happen it feels like my throat is going to rip apart.  These, of course, are not as bad as those with the flu or other illnesses, but it’s good to be aware that this body is still healing and hoping by the end of this first year to have a stronger immune system in place. Please keep praying for the requests below:

1.  Please pray for my body to continue to grow stronger physically as well as my immune system and that God will protect my health through the end of the school year.  I can’t take pictures at school so I posted our latest family, from December,  pic at the beginning of this post. Also, Daniel and I will be going to NYC in April for our 20th anniversary. Asking for major protection as we travel, yes, we have masks from when I was going through radiation and Chemo for the plane. We will also be taking Thieves oil hand sanitizer from my amazing sister. Prayer will be a major weapon so join us in prayer, please. We know God is in control and has us both in His Mighty hands. Thank you.
2. Larry Papizan – many of you prayed for Mr. Larry as there was a moment in December we did not know how much longer he was going to make it. I was heartbroken thinking I would not ever see him again. Larry decided to try the immunotherapy and he began to gain weight, strengthen and his family got together and his son rented an RV as he could not fly, drove him out here and called to see if we could spend some time together. Please know that these were one of the first families outside of my immediate that were spiritual parents to me. Thank You, LORD, for these amazing people who love You first and blessed me and my family’s lives for so many years. Now, with email, texting, and facetime we still are able to reconnect and communicate. I will say, God Knew Mr. Larry, Mrs. Faith and I were hoping to see each other again. In February, they made it out here for dinner and conversation, What a sweet birthday gift from God, I believe. Please continue to pray for strength, all cancer goes away and he is fully healed. We are praising God for the immunotherapy that has worked as he has gained weight, stepped back into some things but most of all he is a walking testimony of God’s love, mercy, and miraculous work. Love to your whole family Larry and Faith, Stephen, Rebecca, and Cheree
3. Faith Cowherd –   she is fighting sarcoma cancer and we are praising God that this past week was able to go home after being away for 8 long weeks having proton radiation and several rounds of chemotherapy. Please continue to lift up her and her family. You can read more about their journey through Facebook; It is a general account and anyone can access the page. Please search for “Fight For Faith” and see how you can pray for this family.

No doubt so many more need our prayers so keep lifting up all battling the coronavirus, flu, all sorts of cancers, loss, physical pains, and any other struggles satan sends to this world to distract us from Jesus. Don’t give up the fight but keep running toward Jesus and remember it is not over here on earth, more is to come for eternity!

“Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses”  1 Timothy 6:12

Father, It is with confidence and continued faith I lay these before you and ask you to heal their bodies, comfort them and their families on the hard days and remind them to rejoice every day for You have them and love them dearly. We still have so much more that is greater to come. Help us not slip but to hold firmly to Your promises and Truths. Continue to remind us to pray for one another and lift each other up in love, encouragement before Your Mighty Throne. You are the healer and we praise You for You ARE GOOD ALWAYS! I also want to praise You for Paul Jenkins’s healing, my continued ability to live each day, work, encourage, and minister as God leads. May each one reading this update be encouraged to continue in their walk of faith and keep fighting each day to grow closer to You regardless of the noise, busy schedules, heartaches and struggles surrounding them. May they be challenged to pray each day for one another and that Your Great Name WILL be known amongst this ever-changing world. Thank You for hearing our prayers and loving us more each day. We love You, Your children.

‘May the LORD bless you and keep you, may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’ Numbers 6:24-26

 

 

 

The Mind Battle

THE MIND BATTLE

Have you ever felt that your mind was under attack with the “What If’s” and “Why’s” that seem to take our eyes God being in control?

I spent a week (Aug 23-Sept 1) with a team from OK and our church in AZ, along with a friend from FL, helping build a church in Teresina, Brazil. What a blessed time. Last year, 2018, I was taking my final round of chemo and could not go. Apparently, I had told my husband I felt led to go back in December and he purchased tickets but I did not remember the conversation. I was a little anxious going as it was a very busy short summer. I started a new job 3 weeks before going. SO, it was a little overwhelming making sure my work was going well, packing, my parents coming in town to watch our kids, needing a schedule of all that was going on with kids for my parents and arranging communication between church, school pick-ups, softball and anything else they might need while we were away. Leaving for the trip, I was already rushed feeling, a little anxious, not normally a road I go down, but aware I was not spiritually prepared as in past years.

We got to Teresina and I was hoping to work with a friend, serving with the children’s ministry, and I did a couple of days. I also spent time with my husband, very needed for me, while we worked on the building.  In the past, I sat in the evangelism room most days and seldom hung out at the worksite. This time, I was able to be wherever and with whomever. Really did not have a specific role. On one end that is very odd, but in hindsight, I am starting to believe God had other plans for me.  Throughout the week, I dealt with pride, frustration, disappointment, and feeling like a failure. I was asked by one of the translators, Lo, who always helped Daniel and me in the past if I was going to do a woman’s night again?. To which I quickly responded “NO”. I was not feeling confident or ready as I have been struggling with speaking, to anyone these days, much less in front of people. I have been down on myself and my abilities to speak post brain surgery. I threw her question down quickly. During the week, as I watched one of our ladies minister with passion, joy and a very sensitive spirit. I felt myself get jealous, continually thinking, that used to be me.

On Friday night, we had the new building service with a packed house as Ray Strauss spoke. During this time, I went to a lady from Ray’s group and began to just weep as I needed to talk and she was very open and willing. In the next 30 minutes to an hour, she called me out as God led her and I received it openly. She shared how she heard me say “I  want “a lot and encouraged me to turn that into “God Wants instead”. She continued on as I began to share my struggles and she gently grabbed my hands and said: “Mindy, God loves you!” The tears began to flow. I knew this but for some reason, I needed to actually hear it said. Sharon prayed for me and we went back for the end of the service.

What I have learned from my week in Brazil is that my mind was in a battle and I had been listening to the enemy. I desired to give up because things were not going the way I wanted them to go and in the way I wanted them to happen. By chance have you found yourself fighting God, comparing yourself to others, wishing you were different? Reality is that these are all self-focused questions. I have known that pride is a huge battle for me and maybe that was why God had me go on this trip. It was not until 4:15pm on September 2, that it all came together with tears flowing down my face. I was listening to Laura Story’s song Blessings and decided to look up the album,  a song titled “Grace” caught me and I felt led to listen. After getting off the phone with mom, I watched the video with the lyrics so the words could sink into my mind. I will post it now and if you have time please listen. This was exactly what was going on inside of me.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BVxAYGt2kc

Below I am going to list what God showed me and what scripture says.

1. I struggled with confidence; I keep looking back to how God had made me passionate, confident in the calling on my life before cancer. The problem was I kept looking, and living in the past of who I was before the brain tumor and thinking it was all over now and God had passed the confidence and passion on to others.
   1. PRIDE: has a way of knocking us down and taking our eyes off of God. If you notice, Pride has “I’ right in the middle. I lived this out as

“I want to do this my way, God.” Basically, I am in control attitude.

“I made this happen God.” Here, I am telling God I am putting myself in His place. The above song posted writes the lyrics this way: “I see the things You do through me as great things I have done.” Reality is, none of the things I have done are in my strength or ability but from God above and His plans. Oh, how easy it is to be swayed by the devil that we are in control and can make things happen. 1 Timothy 4 warns us against falling into deceptive spirits and teachings. How we need to be reminded of who God is and all He has done in our lives. It is too easy to think we are high and mighty; taking God’s glory instead of giving Him the glory. Even walking through cancer, I had moments where I believed I would think it was my positive thinking or strength and that holds no truth. God graciously would remind me it was not of me that I was healed, but of Him alone and solely for His glory.

Many times, since my brain surgery,  I would tell my husband, “They are so much better at that than me and maybe God is done with me.” to which a pity party ensued and I was miserable. My husband never fell for it and would immediately pray for me and no doubt is getting tired of this “woe is me” attitude. Yet, he patiently attends to me, encourages me along with challenging me to keep chasing God.

1. 1. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” Philippians 2:3
2. I struggled with jealousy, I kept looking at my friend and saying, “I used to be that way” and jealousy would creep up on me like a snake and cause me to not rejoice in how God was using her, but instead beat myself up, which again causes the focus to be on me instead of God.
   1. JEALOUSY: takes all the joy away from us and again eyes are off God and on self. Notice the word lousy is in jealousy. That is exactly how I had begun to feel and dragging others there if I am not careful. Thankful that God never leaves us there and as the song above asks, “How Many times will You pick me up?” I love it and am so very thankful He keeps picking me up, shaping me and loving me regardless of my pity parties, selfish decisions, and the many times I try to take control. He does not give up on me and has so much for me even though I will continually let Him down, He forgives and lifts me up.
      1. “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Proverbs14:30how I wish I had read this over and over and applied to my life. I could have avoided this pain and cause for some not coming to know Christ.
3. Lastly, I struggled with SELFISHNESS: I turned to my husband one night on the bus and said, for probably the 100th time post brain cancer surgery, “I am done, I am giving up! This is too hard and basically, no one is coming to me, as if I was God. I had picked up a God complex and again, I was the miserable one, isolating myself from others instead of the other way around. This was the hardest part of the trip for me, realizing the UGLINESS living inside my heart. But if that was God’s reason for me going  then, it was worth it to see this now instead of more years of pain, and worse, possibly causing some not to follow Christ.
   1. “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and EVERY evil thing.” James 3:16

Please understand, I share this with a very heavy heart as someone out there might be struggling with these same feelings and I want to encourage you to get battle-ready: How do you do that?

1.  ARMOR UP: Ephesians 6 is the best start
2.  PRAYER: “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 when we do this, we keep our minds on God instead of our situations or circumstances we will be covered by His peace and hand of comfort.
3. ACCOUNTABILITY: Surround yourself with godly friends to hold you up in prayer and in your daily walk. I have friends along with my husband who always holds me accountable to what I say. They also check in on me now more than ever knowing my struggles. They also see God in me and what He can do so they hold me up in prayer with this understanding, instead of my “woe is me” view and it does help me to change my point of view.

During the week in Brazil, one of the missionaries, Rodrigo, stopped me and told me he saw my old smile back. Honestly, I laughed and did not believe him,  but he said it again, and I knew it was from God. My outside had that smile but my inside was shoving it down and trying to deny it coming out. Thank you, Rodrigo, for being persistent and not letting me walk away from this conversation. God used you, friend, and I will not forget! Much love and gratefulness!!!

Maybe you can relate to some of these issues, I pray God will use this honesty to challenge you to seek Him and be in His word. Honesty can be good if used to bring people to Christ but often times it is used to uplift one’s self or to clear one’s conscience, I have been guilty of this before. So, please chase after God and seek Him out. Here is a promise from Jeremiah 29. The Israelites continued to choose what they wanted before God’s desires for them and yet He still encouraged, warned and gave them chance after chance. This is for us too. Jeremiah leaves us with a word from God to encourage us to seek His desires first; though God does not like it, He does not give up on us and will always forgive us and give us a chance to change our ways. May this be a huge encouragement for you in your struggle, whatever it may be, that God is not done with you yet. He has so much more for you if you will let Him show you your faults, let Him clean you out, forgive you, raise you up and mold you into the amazing person He still wants to be your God and use you that other’s might come to know Him. Come along with me and let’s commit to doing this together today. Jeremiah 29:11-13

“For I KNOW the PLANS that I have FOR YOU,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare (Good) and not for calamity (harm) to GIVE YOU a FUTURE and a HOPE. 12‘Then you WILL call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I WILL (promise) listen to you. 13‘You WILL seek Me and find Me WHEN you search for Me with ALL your heart.”  We are in such GREAT hands friends!!!!

Father, I pray for whoever might be reading this tonight or in the morning. I ask that Your Spirit will fall all over them in love and peace. May they no longer beat themselves up for not attaining to perfection, recognizing that is impossible, but instead turn to You and live in Your unending sufficient grace and help me to do so as well. Thank You for loving Your children who mess up time and time again. Thank You for forgiving us and giving us many chances to shine bright for You. We love you, Father, amen.  May

24″The Lord bless you and keep you;
25  the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26  the Lord lift uphis countenance upon you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

Have a wonderful weekend and keep looking up to God, He is waiting and ready to meet you where you are right now.

Armor Up Today

Ephesians 6:13; “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you WILL BE ABLE to Resist in the evil day, and having done everything to STAND FIRM.“

Again, one of those verses that I have read over and over but yesterday, the part promising me that if I take up the armor of God, I WILL be able to resist evil. We are not dealing with the word maybe or possibly. We are given the strength by God Himself to be able to resist evil. This does require you to put on the armor of the Lord each day. it is so easy to get caught up in my circumstances instead of making time to cover yourself in the armor of God. I pray today you stop where you are and put on ALL His armor if you have not yet:  the verses are below so please make time to read and pray this over yourself, your family, and anyone you know is in a battle today.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

      18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, Ephesians 6:10-18

Father God, we know we are in a battle that is not always visible to our eyes. Per the scriptures above we are told it is not against flesh and blood yet so often we take it out on one another. May we be reminded today that we are to cry out to you and call on You for strength, help, and power to help us make wise decisions, think on holy thoughts, love one another, serve one another and encourage one another. We also understand that we are weak and it is by Your strength and power alone these battles can be won. So often, I have tried to do all of these things on my own but fail. Thank YOu, Father for not giving up on me but always remaining with me.

“The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 

May you be reminded that you are not alone in the fight. God is with you and so desires for you to know He is present and ready to help: David, talking with God says in Psalm 121:2, “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” No matter what you are going through today, the Lord God is near you and desires to help you.  Call on His name and let Him help you. He will guide your steps if you allow Him to help you. HE does not want to harm you but has better plans than you could ever imagine.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.”

In Psalm 139: 16 we see where again, David is talking with God and recognizing His hand over his own life. David acknowledges God knows his days already.

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

May you go in confidence today believing and understanding that you are greatly loved, adored and have a guide to help you. Go to God, (1)armor up (2)trust that His plans are so much greater than you could ever imagine (3)believe He hears you and will help you.

1 JOhn 5:14: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.“

Pray with confidence and certainty today that God, our Father, hears your voice. May God make His face to shine upon you and bless you in all you do today that His Name will be magnified and glorified.

Blessings

Mindy

Work Unto The Lord

Last week, I started a new job at our local Elementary/Middle School as A Special education aide. I am assisting one of the two main SPED teachers with students. This was honestly a gift from God, as with teenagers, things are becoming more expensive from food, insurance, etc. I am enjoying the team in this department along with having a daily schedule and routine. I had some insecurities and anxieties, but, God has been so good to me through my bible readings in Exodus. Specifically in chapter 35-36 where God is giving Moses specific instructions for the Israelites and using their skills to build His Temple/Tabernacle. The last few mornings before school started,  I asked God, “how am I to prepare my heart, Your Temple as I walk in this new season so that it remains positive,  encouraging, and always focused on Christ?”

In Exodus 35:10“Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded.” from there He shares specifically what is being built.

Wednesday, July 24th, God had me in Exodus 36:1-2 “

“      1“Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded.”

      2Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it.

God is so gracious to remind me that HE alone has given me the skills to do the job before me. I also did a bible reading plan, from the bible app, with some of the teachers from our school called “Your Work Matters” which flows perfectly with what all God is growing in me currently: Confidence in Him and rebuilding my heart: His Temple, to refocus on God and His will for my life. I have to be before Him each morning with Thanksgiving or my mind/heart can easily become negative. I want to perform all the work in the reconstruction of His sanctuary, my heart, in accordance with His commands. It will not be easy, but by and through His power it can be done.

PRAYER: how I will communicate and hear from God.

SCRIPTURE: Reading from examples in the bible and learning what is pleasing and right to God.

ACCOUNTABILITY: This is huge as I publicly share things with you all and my close friends. If I am not holding to what I say, then I can be called out, corrected, challenged to turn back to God’s way. (just a thought, read Colossians 4:17 regarding the accountability we have before God regarding the completion of the ministries we have received in the Lord. Might be interesting to understand what God holds each of us accountable to)

What is your biggest challenge in working unto the Lord? In what ways do you need to change or pursue God so you can find Joy in the work with the skills He has given you?

Blessings and may His face shine upon you in all you do and may you glorify His name in all the work He has given you.

Ephesians 2:10 “¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“

GO work for the Lord today and be reminded He has already equipped you so be filled with confidence and Joy.

Before I go, I want to ask continued prayers for:

1. Larry Papizan, for healing, and peace/comfort for his wife, Faith,  their kids Cheree, Rebecca, Stephen, and grandkids walking this road with him.
2. Paul Jenkins as he has completed 3 rounds of his Chemo and has 3 to go. Please pray for his wife Linda as she walks this road with him.
3. Continue to pray for Olivia Streckfuss, her parents Joe & Rebecca as they try to comfort, support and encourage their daughter on her journey with her venous malformation. Pray for doctors to have insight in how to help her, comfort her and limit the pain. Still pray for full healing for this young girl.
4. Please pray for me to have strength each day as I work, to be an encouragement, get enough sleep each night and know when to stop or say no to excess that will take energy away from what God has called me to specifically in this job.
5.  Also, I ask for prayers not to use the hole in my head as an excuse not to serve in a certain capacity for fear of failing or taking too much of my energy. I don’t want to miss out on what God wants me to do or how He wants to use me. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for me each day.

PRAISE:

1. Many of you know early on I met a couple, Steve and Sara in radiation, he had to stop due to so many seizures continuing to happen but he finally finished. I texted with Sara yesterday and Mike has been seizure-free for one year and back at work. Please keep them in your prayers as they don’t want any tumors to come back.

Thank you all for your prayers, checking up on me and know I am doing very well and hope to post a live blog update soon. Each time I tried to record it just did not go how I wanted so I gave up on trying for now. One of these days it will happen. Have a wonderful week and will post again soon. “May the LORD bless you and keep you, may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, May the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” Numbers 6:24-26. I had a youth minister who prayed this every week after youth group and now, as a pastor, prays this over His congregation. What a prayer and may you know God is with you, for you and so loves you this day. Have a wonderful week.

Much thanks and love

Mindy

The Knotted Weave

Shattered, scattered, splitting apart

Is the season of my heart.

 

Searching, Asking, trying to hear

Your voice, is it near?

 

Answers, direction, guidance please share.

Are you listening do you care?

 

My thoughts are not good, often deceiving,

The struggles just keep on weaving.

 

The thread is strong, the battle hard.

My arms are tired, where is my lifeguard?

 

No end in sight only darkness all around,

Evil is winding through this battleground.

 

Weariness, Doubt, Shame interlink;

Don’t let these fabrications begin to sync.

 

I cry, my last plea, in anguish above the noise;

Fearing all hope is about to be destroyed.

 

My arms, eyes, hands and feet are tired.

My heart is weakened, losing all desires.

 

Piece by piece falling apart;

Only You can undo this knotted heart.

 

You say you will sustain me, carry me too;

Here is what’s left of me, the last residue.

 

Tears replace words, the trade has been made.

The weave is snagged, it’s time for a new braid.

 

I am told you make all things new.

Can you fix the pattern and weave a life change in me too?

 

So, my eyes look to YOU,

my hands serve YOU,

my tongue speaks of YOU

my feet follow YOU,

my hope is only in YOU?

 

How to Build Muscles of Active Belief

Have you ever needed to just talk it out? As a woman, this happens a lot for me. I am one of those people who want to verbally talk through a process and by the end of the conversation I know what I am to do. I know for a fact it drives my husband insane! Yet, he is gracious to sit and listen, probably wanting to tell me what to do, but holds back as I figure it out by the end. Sometimes we, men too, need to talk it out and hear the situation out loud before making a decision. Let’s walk through David’s prayer time.

First he takes his complaints to God. In Psalm 13 King David wrote “how long” four different times with God. The desperation is heard as he asks, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?” Do you hear the desperate voice? I have had those moments wondering if God remembers I am sitting in pain. Next, David vents his frustration and disappointment by asking God: “How long will you hide your face from me, God?” It is as if God is playing hide-n-seek without giving the option of being found.  Lastly, David seeks God for comfort as he lays the real ache of his heart out in the open: “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart (soul)? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” A little impatience is growing here. I imagine his voice is not calm at all but quite demanding, along with somewhat of a whoa-is-me. Ever felt these different emotions with God before?

Then in verses five and six, you see where he has talked his way into trusting in God. Matthew Henry wrote “God’s mercy is the support of the psalmist’s faith. Finding I have THAT (God’s mercy) to trust in, I am comforted, though I have no merit of my own. Note, how his faith in God’s mercy filled his heart with joy in his salvation, for joy and peace come by believing.” David already knew God’s character and I believe, though he walked through this little verbal battle, it was his

process of weaning out the fat of unbelief

and getting to the muscle of belief.

Five months after the twins were born, my husband suprised me with a gym membership and personal trainer. He knew I wanted to get back in shape. As I started to train, I would be required to weigh myself (hated these days). I noticed I was only gaining weight and not losing. You can imagine that was a little disheartening knowing how hard I was working. It was not until a year later that a friend stopped me and told me my muscles were looking very defined. That was a wonderful moment of encouragement and satisfaction. I want to compare physical training to spiritual building up the muscle of belief. How can you build up a strong muscle of belief?

Bring Your Complaints Before God

King David went before God. He could have found a friend and vented or complained, but he chose to go before God first. “But anxious cares are heavy burdens by which believers often load themselves more than they need (I am guilty of this). A common temptation also is when trouble lasts so long that we think it will last always. Those who long without joy, begin to be without hope. We should never allow ourselves to make any complaints, but what drives us to our knees. ” Matthew Henry. I believe David did not dwell here long because he did not allow himself to entertain the complaints for long. Avoiding the ability for unbelief to accumulate. His heart ached and he fell before God with a desire to trust God wholeheartedly.

Do not let your anxious cares become burdens. Each morning, at 4:00 am when my alarm goes off, I can choose to ignore it or roll out of bed and get ready. If I ignore my alarm, I usually regret it and makes the next workout more of a battle.  I also, might be harder on myself and become somewhat negative. But, if I get up and go to the gym, I feel stronger and the consistency of working out sustains my muscles. I am not as sore the more consistent I remain. The same goes with our spiritual lives. When I get up and meet with God, take my concerns, complaints, frustration, fears, worries to Him and leave those burdens with Him, I am happier, calmer and less anxious. My muscle of belief grows stronger and replaces the unhealthy fat of unbelief the more consistent I am going to God first.

He Brought His Whole Heart Before God

Not only did David bring his complaints, but he also brought his heart. He was wrestling with the thoughts in his head and sorrow in his soul. His heart was aching for the troubles in his life. I believe he knew God alone could heal them and that is why he went to God. God already knew his battles and what was going on inside of David. Why should David not be real?

One of the reasons I started working out is because 16 years ago my dad had quadruple bypass surgery. My grandparents had heart issues, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesteral and more. I know that working out can help keep some of these things away. During my training, I learned weights help my bones stay strong. In doing cardio, I am able to strengthen my lungs, heart and endurance. Some days I cry out in pain because it is hard but I don’t pretend it is easy. Sometimes it burns my lungs to push that extra step or lift that weight one more time. There are times I really don’t want to go any further and want to quit from that voice saying “you are alone, just go ahead and give up”. I know some days are harder than others. Some days we want to just “GIVE UP” but God wants us to push through and go the extra step, lift our eyes to Him and keep reading His Word and seeking Him with our whole hearts. Even when we are doubting, angry, frustrated, disappointed and feeling alone. He already knows your heart so what damage will it do bringing these before God?  Which leads us to David’s final words from Psalm 13.

David CHOSE to Praise God and Trust Regardless

David’s final words in this psalm to God are: “BUT I TRUST in your unfailing love; MY HEART REJOICES in your salvation. I WILL SING the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” Do you see how he says “I WILL”? David made a choice in that moment; regardless of his circumstances, he will believe God has him and praises him for being good. He chose to trust in God’s unfailing love, rejoice with his heart in his salvation and to sing recognizing God’s goodness even though his circumstances, to us, said otherwise. He chose not to entertain complaints, which grow into lack of trust and unbelief. Instead, he let his muscles of faith in God grow stronger.

Each morning I wake up and go to the gym with the attitude of “I WILL” go I feel better. Getting there is the hard part, but once I am there and work out, I feel good. The more consistent I am, the stronger I become. Each day, it is a mindset of getting up and going. Not always does that happen, I might miss a day, but I try to be consistent knowing the hard work benefits me. Same goes with our spiritual walk. Each day you arise, bring all your heart before God, you draw closer to Him, trust Him more to where you too can say, I trust in You Lord and your Unfailing love. You will get to know Jesus and recognize His goodness even when the circumstances don’t show them. The more you are in His Word, the more you get to know Him and your muscles of belief grow stronger and stronger.

What I learned about why I gained weight at the beginning of training, years ago. I learned that as the muscle builds up underneath my fat, it will eventually eat up that fat but for now it just grows and strengthens. Eventually the fat (3-5 pounds of fat can fill a place where 1 pound of fat was) will take over and lean me out. The scale might say I weigh more but my clothes say otherwise. Just because your circumstances say otherwise, does not mean that underneath growth is not occurring. It takes time, hard work and discipline to grow the muscles of belief. Find a plan and stick to it. Each person will have a different plan to build muscles of belief. How can you build these muscles?

Read God’s Word daily

Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times”.

God’s Words are a healing balm, able to direct our hearts to what is right, bring peace, flood us with joy and give guidance for our journey.

Converse daily with an honest heart before God

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me and know my heart, try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the everlasting way”.

Change old habits, (recognize His goodness no matter the circumstances)

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Choose to Trust in God (make that non-ending decision now)

Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

Praise Him for how far He has brought you. Praise Him where you are right now in whatever work/season you are in right now. Thank you and remember how faithful He has been and will be until the end. Hold on tight to His hand and don’t let go, he never will.

Father, I lift up Your child as she/he begins this new year and new day. I ask You to arm them with Your strength. As they go about their jobs, wherever they are, will You please help them to turn any complaints or concerns to You. Remind them that You already know what thedays hold and You have them in Your hand. You know what is best and good for them just as David sang out to You. May Your children choose now, to believe Your words over anxiety in the world. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, lift your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 4:6-7). Just as David sang, may they sing Your praises in all circumstances. Thank You, Lord, for hearing this prayer. Thank you, Father, for loving us and never giving up on us. Continue to turn our hearts toward You and May our muscles of faith grow more and more replacing the fat of unbelief.

 

 

The Distilled Heart

Each morning I wake

Time in Your presence I will make.

 

You are already there,

Waiting to talk with this heir.

 

The glow draws me near,

Your warmth distills my fears.

 

Your arms surround me,

In You I find safety.

 

Praising Your Name my heart begins to generate,

A soft tenderness causing worries to evaporate.

 

My King, Savior, Redeemer and Creator,

God, I AM, You alone are Greater.

 

I bow before you my Builder,

It is time to begin the filter.

 

My sin you magnify,

So my heart you can purify.

 

Forgiveness sent from above,

Faithfully, You fill me with your love.

 

You reached Your hand down, my worries it extracts

My eyes look up, Lord, keep me from being distracted.

 

Reading Your Word helps me align,

Teaching my heart to be continually refined.

 

Thank you Father, for Your faithfulness to pursue;

And make this heart daily renewed.

 

Infuse me with Your power,

So this day I will not cower.

 

But serve You, faithful Lord;

Standing tall with You, in one Accord.

 

 

Today, I go forward with a distilled heart.

May Thy Word never depart.

 

Your amour I adorn,

May the enemy be forewarned.

 

You are my shield, Most High,

Enthroned above, may You be glorified.

Exchanging Unspoken Expectations for Words of Encouragement

I have a friend who loves children’s ministry. Her heart is for kids and helping them to know God, to know how much they are adored and loved by Jesus. She would do just about anything to help any child have the best opportunities to be amazing. She is gifting in seeing the needs of children. My passion and desire is for women to become strong and confident. To live in this confidence everyday as wives, mothers or employees and most of all to know who they are in Christ; loved and wonderful.

Now, when we have gone on trips together, she loves to visit the Disney stores, toy stores and kids clothing stores for her heart leaps as she finds the perfect gift for her kids. She knows it will bring them joy and a big smile. My desire is to go to women’s clothing stores, shoe stores so that I can find that perfect top, outfit or shoe to wear. I love going shopping with her when she is buying clothes because when she puts on that one outfit her shoulders go back, she stands tall and a smile is across her face. Helping women build confidence and strength brings joy to my heart.

Did you notice, we both have a similar passion but for different age groups? Both are great passions God has given us. However, it is wrong for me to expect this friend to be as passionate as I am about women and get upset when she does not respond as I do and vise versa. I am to encourage her in her passion and she encourages me in mine. We are to pray for one another and rejoice in the passion God has given to one another. Unfortunately, I have seen friendships torn apart in the church because of false expectations put upon one another. An expectation created because one became passionate and gave much time and effort to a specific area, and expect everyone else to as well. Let’s be clears – although the expectations put on someone else might be wrong, it is human nature to make others see things they way you do. It is growth and maturity in our walks with God that will help us to love one another for the gifting’s, strengths, talents we have along with where and how we are to use them.

Can I be vulnerable open for a moment? I am very guilty of this exact action. I have become resentful at times when I don’t see the response or reactions from Christians I expect. I complain, vent and become upset which breeds resentment. It is only by God’s amazing grace that I have learned this Truth over the last years.  We are to serve, love and encourage one another without expecting each other to fulfill the calling God has placed on our own hearts. I am accountable to God for the gifts He has given me and how I use them obediently.  Paul tells us in Romans 12: 3-8 how we are to use our gifts and work together to become a complete body. A body serves in the different ministries we are called to with love and encouragement.

 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^a faith; 7if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^b do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Not only are we to use the gifting God has given us in the passion He places upon our hearts, we are to do so in love. He tells us this over and over in scripture. In Romans 12: 9-13 He commands us to love, be devoted and honor one another. This is not a suggestion, but a command.

 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

 So, How do I go from putting false expectations, thinking people should serve, help and have a passion like mine, to loving and encouraging others in their passion and gifts?

1. Recognize (discern) the moment you feel your spirit change from one of encouraging to     one of judgement, jealousy or any kind of ugly spirit. I love the prayer Paul and Timothy    prayed over the Philippians:

Philippians 1:9-10: And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and profound insight, so that you can discern what is best, that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God

This is a great prayer for us to pray for one another as we serve where God leads. May God give us understanding and discernment to know what is best and live blameless for Christ. Am I placing false expectations on others, the church family, my own family? Lord, Help me to discern if my expectations are unrealistic, selfish and without love. Teach me how to encourage and exemplify humility as I lead.

2. Pray! Ask God to rid you of this ugly spirit taking residence and do not entertain nor cooperate with it any End it right now! Psalm 139: 23-24 is a great prayer to pray asking God to search your heart:

Search me, O God, and know my heart,  Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any offensive way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

Let God sift anything, not of Him, out of you before it dirties your house any longer.

3.  Obedience of action if required. We are to humble ourselves and go to the person we               have offended or has offended us. We are to do this in love not condemnation                     regardless of the other person’s response. 1 Peter 3:8-13:

Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tender-hearted and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”Who will harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

 We are to love and encourage one another. We are to be tender and humble toward each other. I believe if we lived this way, the church, our relationships and marriages would be more honoring to God and one another. It’s easy to grow angry and feel jilted when things don’t go how we think they should go. If we step back, lay the judgements at Jesus’ feet without entertaining or cooperating with that spirit, we’d have less false expectations and more encouragement toward one another. I want to challenge you to look into your life and see where you have placed false expectations on your marriage, your children, your job, your church, or friends in your life. See if there are any you might have offended or taken offense too. Lift it up to God, then, listen as He guides you down the road of healing. Let’s put less false expectations on one another. Instead, let’s give more encouragement and lift one another up.

 

 

 

Dressed by the Vinedresser

Whether dressed in green leaves or naked and bare, I will always love this tree. It is majestic, beautiful, strong and firm. Some think this tree is over 200 years old. Standing so confident even though it has lost most of its clothing. It is only a season and its attire will come back strong in the spring as always.

Driving by this tree, on January fourth, my eyes welled up with tears. I turned around, stopped the car and sat across the way, my heart felt connected. I was, as this tree, bare. Feeling my 2016 had started off naked, fragile to the storms as if I had no layer to protect me.  The security and confidence that was my usual clothing seemed far away. Strength, the coating my physique carried, seemed gone. So many outward circumstances had affected how I saw my inward self, weak and bare. Tears flowed down my cheeks in a matter of seconds, the vulnerability of my aching heart was on my sleeve. No outward covering to keep it in the shadows.

Reflecting upon 2015, I remembered the pruning and shaping of God’s hand. On the outside, it easily looked like I was dressed in green and flourishing but on the inside I felt like I was fully undressed.  Without my covering and only some of the prickly bark left, each storm caused me to feel weaker, unprotected and more vulnerable. God was making me lean on Him more as each season swept through.  Accessible, unveiled and on display, swaying with each season I tried harder to understand why this was happening to me. I had been growing and digging my roots deeper with God, yet now it was as if my roots could not find the river. I could not hear His voice or understand His direction. Where was the nourishment coming from? Why was no water reaching my roots?

Prayer time became a search, plea to understand this struggle and why I remained here in this naked, stunted state. One by one, God began to reveal what was stunting my growth. Each sin of arrogance, doubt, fear, selfishness, unloving which all stemmed from pride was brought forward for me to confess. The pruning started to shape a reality of my need for Him. He reminded me there is always hope and He has not given up on me. He reminded me when He prunes me, He is making room for fresh, healthy new growth. His river of grace flowed reminding me He is the provider of nourishment for my roots.

I had prayed: Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24.  In praying this prayer, I opened the door for God to prune me and cut back anything not of him. I am the true vine and the Father is my vinedresser. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15: 1-2

I enter 2016 naked and bare with the hope to begin being covered again. God will continue to prune the old ways out of me so He can grow my branches to love Him and live for Him in this world. He quenches my thirst with His rivers of water and pours out His rays of encouragement as I worship Him. The Lords word provides the minerals to enrich my core. I have hope that my branches will be wrapped with the fruits of His joy, love, peace, gentleness, patience, kindness, goodness and self control (Galatians 5:22) in hopes that I will be a tall tree, rooted in Christ that others will come to be rooted in Him too.

Maybe you started off the year like me. Don’t run from God, the greatest source of nourishment.  Rather, run to Him and let Him clean out the old misconceptions, lies from the devil, judgements, resentments, doubts, fears and replace these with His promise of hope in Jesus Christ. Join me in 2016 and believe that God is with you, will never leave you and can nourish you wherever you are right now. I believe He will dress me like nothing I could ever imagine and He WILL do the same for you.

Father, today may you remind your child that you are near. You are their hope for life. You desire to know them and nourish them. Lord, if they are feeling bare, may you wrap your arms around them that they will know you have them covered. Dress them with your strength and comfort through the storms as you guide their feet. We praise you Lord for you are God Almighty. We know that you hear our prayers today and are training, teaching, correcting, rebuking and growing your children for good things (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Nothing is too difficult for you. Thank you Father for loving me. Blessings.