Good morning ladies! How are you doing on this Wacky Wednesday? Haha, I've been wanting to use that one! Honestly, I've had three nights in a row now that my sleeping pattern has been pretty awful. I'm not sure what's causing that, because the conditions are perfect. Clean sheets, cool breeze coming in the window, and our heavy duvet cover....hmm.... Anyway, it's a new day and today I need to pack for our trip. Molly, our dog, had a bath yesterday and my husband is taking her to Grandma and Grandpa today in the cities. I know she'll be SO excited to see them! He needs to go up there for an assessment on our car (from the accident), and a few other errands. I still need to figure out what I'm wearing for the wedding. It is forecasted to be in the mid-60's and it's an outdoor wedding. Sounds perfect to me! Compared to the last two extremely hot outdoor weddings we went to. I'm thinking about going with a short-sleeved dress with a light sweater.
I decorated the apartment for Fall the other day,which makes me very happy. I probably only used about 1/3 of our decorations because our place is so small and because we didn't put any of our shelves up, which is usually where many of the decorations go. It still looks very nice. How about you? Do you like changing your house a bit when the seasons change? By the way, if you'd like a crochet pumpkin, let me know! They're very cute. I enjoy crocheting for others.
I decorated the apartment for Fall the other day,which makes me very happy. I probably only used about 1/3 of our decorations because our place is so small and because we didn't put any of our shelves up, which is usually where many of the decorations go. It still looks very nice. How about you? Do you like changing your house a bit when the seasons change? By the way, if you'd like a crochet pumpkin, let me know! They're very cute. I enjoy crocheting for others.
Devotion
I got goosebumps reading this devotion today, as we're reminded about the greatness of our God! If you're discouraged, worried, or feeling a bit down today, be assured that God provides for us each and every moment. "Greater is He that is within us..." (1 John 4:4). Have a WINNING WEDNESDAY ladies!
"What If...?"
CBN Ministries, Glenda Durano
Opening our mailbox, I held my breath and prayed, Please God, not today. No bills today.
After months of unemployment, our bank account had dwindled to nothing. We’d survived by living on a shoestring while my husband worked a series of odd jobs — positions well below his qualifications. Recently, he’d faced a dozen refusals, and now our situation was dire. What if we lose our home? I thought. What if he can’t find a job? What if…?
My mind wandered to several years earlier when my husband ventured into business for himself. He traded the security of a dull but lucrative government job for the opportunity to do what he’d always wanted — build energy-efficient luxury homes. I supported him in his decision. We knew it was risky, but we had plenty of savings — or so we thought — and we knew he would be successful. And he was until the economy turned. Now, my mind bent backward. What if he hadn’t gone out on his own? What if we still had the safety net of his retirement? What if…?
What if…? Two words that throw you fearfully into the future or imprison you with regret. Two words that fit nowhere within the framework of faith. Two words that deny God’s sovereignty, goodness, and love.
In Exodus 3, when Moses encounters God in the burning bush, Moses asks the Lord, “What is [your] name?” The Lord replies,
“I AM who I AM." Exodus 3:14 (NIV)
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word “am” as “the first person singular present of be.” Present. Not future. Not past.
Theologically, we know God is not defined by time. He is eternal, with no beginning or end.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 (NIV), and He is “from everlasting to everlasting ..." Psalm 90:2 (NIV).
And yet we, His children, are constrained by time. The enemy of our souls knows that and tries to use the burden of time against us as he tempts us to focus on a future filled with fear or a past ruined by regret. What if…?
In Hebrews 13:5, God promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (ESV)
When our minds drift ahead toward worry and fear or behind to shame or regret, we forget God’s eternal faithfulness. Satan wants to get our minds off God and onto our circumstances. He strives to steal the stability we have in Jesus Christ.
This is why we must refuse to follow the enemy’s leading into an imaginary future or an unfortunate past. When we find ourselves being lured into Satan’s lies, we need to stop and “take our thoughts captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5) by confessing the truth of God’s Word.
Living in the present — focusing on the here and now — doesn’t mean you don’t set goals or you ignore your mistakes. Knowing God is the great I AM means you rest in His eternal sovereignty, goodness, and love, and you trust that ...
“... in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)
My husband didn’t have a steady job for three long years. It was a difficult season, but God was faithful. When the enemy deceives you into focusing on what if, give him the what for. Take your thoughts captive, and remind yourself that God is the great I AM. He is always in the present. And that’s where He wants you. Because, simply put, God is not the God of what if. God is the God of what is.
I got goosebumps reading this devotion today, as we're reminded about the greatness of our God! If you're discouraged, worried, or feeling a bit down today, be assured that God provides for us each and every moment. "Greater is He that is within us..." (1 John 4:4). Have a WINNING WEDNESDAY ladies!
"What If...?"
CBN Ministries, Glenda Durano
Opening our mailbox, I held my breath and prayed, Please God, not today. No bills today.
After months of unemployment, our bank account had dwindled to nothing. We’d survived by living on a shoestring while my husband worked a series of odd jobs — positions well below his qualifications. Recently, he’d faced a dozen refusals, and now our situation was dire. What if we lose our home? I thought. What if he can’t find a job? What if…?
My mind wandered to several years earlier when my husband ventured into business for himself. He traded the security of a dull but lucrative government job for the opportunity to do what he’d always wanted — build energy-efficient luxury homes. I supported him in his decision. We knew it was risky, but we had plenty of savings — or so we thought — and we knew he would be successful. And he was until the economy turned. Now, my mind bent backward. What if he hadn’t gone out on his own? What if we still had the safety net of his retirement? What if…?
What if…? Two words that throw you fearfully into the future or imprison you with regret. Two words that fit nowhere within the framework of faith. Two words that deny God’s sovereignty, goodness, and love.
In Exodus 3, when Moses encounters God in the burning bush, Moses asks the Lord, “What is [your] name?” The Lord replies,
“I AM who I AM." Exodus 3:14 (NIV)
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word “am” as “the first person singular present of be.” Present. Not future. Not past.
Theologically, we know God is not defined by time. He is eternal, with no beginning or end.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 (NIV), and He is “from everlasting to everlasting ..." Psalm 90:2 (NIV).
And yet we, His children, are constrained by time. The enemy of our souls knows that and tries to use the burden of time against us as he tempts us to focus on a future filled with fear or a past ruined by regret. What if…?
In Hebrews 13:5, God promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (ESV)
When our minds drift ahead toward worry and fear or behind to shame or regret, we forget God’s eternal faithfulness. Satan wants to get our minds off God and onto our circumstances. He strives to steal the stability we have in Jesus Christ.
This is why we must refuse to follow the enemy’s leading into an imaginary future or an unfortunate past. When we find ourselves being lured into Satan’s lies, we need to stop and “take our thoughts captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5) by confessing the truth of God’s Word.
Living in the present — focusing on the here and now — doesn’t mean you don’t set goals or you ignore your mistakes. Knowing God is the great I AM means you rest in His eternal sovereignty, goodness, and love, and you trust that ...
“... in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)
My husband didn’t have a steady job for three long years. It was a difficult season, but God was faithful. When the enemy deceives you into focusing on what if, give him the what for. Take your thoughts captive, and remind yourself that God is the great I AM. He is always in the present. And that’s where He wants you. Because, simply put, God is not the God of what if. God is the God of what is.
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