Meditate

God Gold of the Day

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.””

‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭

Coming off of SEEK WEEK, I couldn’t help but challenge you to continue in this spiritual discipline. It had been quite a journey for myself to build the habit of waking up and having that quiet time with the Lord. It’s honestly been a struggle but now after doing it for a couple of months, I feel like I wouldn’t make it without that time.

After God has grown me in that habit, it’s seemed like the next step has been to be intentional with that time. It’s not as easy as it sounds to “be still” before God but I’ve been spending some time giving it my best shot. It’s tough at times but from the times of stopping long enough to do it, experiencing God more deeply through my daily life I wouldn’t recommend anything else for you. It is more than just Day changing, it’s growth sprouting out like a plant that’s been ready to bloom, it’s the beginning of a change that will bring you closer to God and change your life, along with the lives around you. This past week I did something that felt super weird but just bare with me, it may sound crazy but it was actually the most refreshing and boosting thing I’ve ever done.

After reading this verse, then praying over it slowly, as I read really letting the truth in those words sink in. Then I just closed my eyes, leaned my head back, took some deep breathes, and didn’t talk to God like usual, I just shut up. I sat quiet and still before God, even with my ADD and wild thoughts, my mind was still, my thoughts were clear. I opened my eyes and I was ready to begin my day!

I don’t want you to read that and think it sounds like some kind of hippy meditation method, and just pass by this. Instead of being so active during your quiet time, doing all the talking and the thinking with God, just shut up and spend some time meditating on God’s Word, let Him speak into your heart and life. It may sound crazy but hey, God thrives with crazy, so give this a try today! Whatever it takes to seek Him deeper, it’s well worth it!!!!

Living Hope

God Gold of the Day

Hope you are having an awesome week! I wanted to let you know that I’m spending some time to pray for you today, whoever you are reading this, I’m praying for you. I just ask you please pray for me also! I greatly appreciate your prayers more than you know!! If you can’t think of anything to pray for me or for yourself today, just pray this song over your life. Ask God to constantly remind you of the truth in the Gospel, no matter what you’re going through, the Good News of Jesus Christ being our living hope, the one who set us free and the one that gave us victory, ask God to make that truth real in your life. It’s the truth that will fix anything you have going on, the truth that will literally set you free from the cares of this life and fix your eyes on Jesus, the LIFE you have with Him now and forever!!!! He is our living hope, praying we will all hold tight to that today!!!! I love you but Jesus loves you way more!!!!!

 

 

 

Keep On

God Gold of the Day

 

““Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

Ran across these verses today and learned something I’ve never thought about! Prayer is something Jesus refers to and shows examples of doing often and it kind of hit me in the face on my prayer life because He makes the importance and power of prayer obvious. The biggest thing was how he said, “Keep on praying” “keep on asking”, showing how persistent and constant prayer should be. I’ve noticed my prayer life is only as strong as my faith. There’s not a lot of belief in the Lord’s provision if I pray once, expect immediate help and when I don’t see it right off then I start trying to do things myself and stop praying bout it. This showed me how both faith and prayer are intertwined cause if you really believe then you are persistent in prayer, patient for God to answer that prayer in His timing not your own. May not have all the answers and help around us immediately or when we want it but just gotta keep pressing in, keep going to the Lord even when our faith is wearing thin. Jesus gives us every reason to be constant and persistent in prayer, every reason to believe that every door will be opened, finding what we seek, receiving the help we need!

SEND IT

God Gold of the Day

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

James 5:16

Had a friend text me today and ask, “How can I pray for you?” Just a simple little question but in the moment I really needed that prayer and to see him take the time to ask and pray for me, it meant so much! No matter who you are we all have our struggles, we all need prayer and we all need each other. The time you spend in prayer for others could have a bigger impact on their lives than we could ever know, they may desperately need that prayer to overcome what’s in front of them. Text somebody today and ask that question. It can be anybody and it can be more than one person. Just know that the moment you do that and pray for them may be the moment that changes their day, maybe even their life.

Who are you praying to???

God Gold of the Day

“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,”

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭9:3-4‬ ‭

This week is my first week starting a summer internship at the church I’m at. Leading up to that first day of the internship I was beginning to be fearful, some doubts and worry crept into my mind. It’s not that this opportunity is bad by any means, it actually couldn’t have worked out any better to get to learn from so many like-minded, faithful people. Why did I have all that negative creeping up? Mainly, because it’s a new situation with a lot of new faces and I’ll be be doing new things that I’ve never done before. New and change can be scary because it makes us get really uncomfortable.

The first morning of the internship I woke up with those butterflies like it was the first day of school. I opened my Bible to these verses from Daniel. I noticed in the context that Daniel was praying out of need for himself and the Lord’s people. Daniel shows throughout this book how important and crucial prayer is for believers, but here I noticed something that gave me not an example to learn from but a description of God that I could surrender myself to and hold onto in these uncomfortable times I faced.

Daniel shows us an example of laying our lives before God in prayer, seeking Him for help, provision, and guidance in our lives. We see from Daniel that praying is the only answer in any situation of life but from Daniel’s description when he called on God, describing God as who He truly is, “great” and “awesome.” Calling out the characteristics of God, how He is always faithful to keep His promises to us, to deliver us and be there for us. How God’s love for us is “steadfast.” Constant, always increasing, and never-failing. That’s how God feels and acts towards His children.

That struck me right there, instead of just going to God like He’s a genie in a bottle that’s going to grant my wishes. Stepping back from all of my needs, complaints, and insecurities long enough to really call on God for who He is, how He feels about us and how He treats us. Seeing God in the truth of who He is, that He is greater than any darkness in this world or uncomfortable situation we will ever face, and how is so faithful and constant in His love for us. My eyes got big and heart was filled with peace as I went into this new situation filled with a lot of uncomfortable change and new things. I felt a confidence that was overflowing despite how I wanted to feel or how I would’ve felt yesterday, I had no reason to put my trust in me or my human ability because of seeing God in His fullness. He made it easy to trust Him and find my confidence in Him and Him alone.

I was given a schedule from the youth pastor I’m interning under and after lunch for 30 minutes, he gave me a scheduled time for prayer. I kept looking at it all morning thinking, “I’ve never prayed for 30 minutes at one time.” And I kept thinking about all the other tasks I had to do but I followed the schedule and took this BIGGER and TRUE view of God into that time of prayer. Stopping from all my to-do’s, stepping back from my worries and fears and stepping into His presence, it changed my heart, my day, and this time with God has changed my life.

I thought before no way I can pray for 30 minutes straight, got off my knees 27 minutes later and time had flown by! I felt renewed, fresh and ready to attack the rest of the day ahead! I don’t write this to recommend that you pray, I write this to remind you as Daniel has done in these verses of the powerful, mighty, awesome and constantly loving God you are speaking to. Just the fact we have access to God blows my mind but just take time in your day to hit your knees, let all the other stuff you’re dealing with take a time out and surrender yourself before this mighty God we serve! Impossible turns to more than possible, fear turns to faith, and doubt turns to hope and confidence! Not because of you but the faithful and loving God you are speaking to! Know who you’re speaking to and He’ll do more than change your day, He’ll change your LIFE!!!!