Matthew 7:7

"Ask, and it will be given to you; Seek and you will find; Knock, and it will be opened to you." (NKJV)

God says to me, be active in your faith and in your walk. God is here all around with outstretched hands. I have to open my eyes to see Him...to seek Him out. I have to open my hand to receive all He has to offer.

Right now God is leading me through doors that He opened when I knocked! Not only is He opening those doors, but He led me to those doors because I sought Him out!

Lord, help me to be more active in my walk and in my faith. Help me as I seek You out and meet You in Your word. Give me the grace to follow after you with all my heart. Amen.

When God Speaks

Many years ago, God spoke into my heart the dream/calling of being a counselor. I majored in Psychology in college and even worked with juveniles for a while doing counseling. The issue that drove me away was the inability to detach from people and be clinical.

So I wrote that off as something of my own desire rather than the voice of God. But I still loved being an attentive ear to friends, family, colleagues, etc. And I would get insight into the heart of the matter....only possible with God.

Fast forward a few years and I'm doing an assessment to determine my spiritual gift as part of a bible study. Any guesses as to my gift? Encourager/counselor. Well I already kind of knew that God was using me to encourage people. It's one of the things I've always felt deep in my heart. So I began to just think the dream of counselor was really just part of being an encourager.

One of the most powerful things drawing me and my husband together was a desire for ministry. God has made it very clear to both of us that He has a powerful plan for us as a ministry team.

This morning my husband said God gave me a little glimpse of our ministry together. And I said oh yeah what was it? His answer.....christian counseling. God is good and faithful.

A time to heal

When you are weak He is strong. When you are hurting, He will heal your heart. When you can't see through the fog, He will lead you to safety...He is with you, He will never leave you, He has everything you need, and His love will make a way. Thank you Jesus.

The above words were authored by the site Groundwire. I look forward to their posts. They are always encouraging and timely. I know that God has His hand on their ministry and my subscription to it.

It can be so easy to become complacent in our prayer lives. And sometimes God uses a dream or a choice phrase to say, hey, don't get comfortable, don't forget that enemy is lurking waiting to strike. And like a good girl I receive that warning. But then I relax thinking all is well again. 

So when that attack happens it knocks the breath out of me. It shakes my foundation and I feel like I'm floating....all gravity is gone. 

Then I'm reminded by the Father that I am not alone. He is strong and capable and loving. He is with me, He loves me and He will make a way.

Hold on

Life isn't always easy but it's good. I can't remember where I heard that line but it's a lot of truth. But we're not called to an easy life. In fact, Jesus himself said that in this life we would have trouble. The great thing is that He never leaves us or forsakes us so when we are having those times of trouble, He is right there in the midst with us. He brings the strength, the stamina....the grace we need to get to the other side.

As I do more and more prep work for the wedding, I see God's beautiful tapestry that is my life. I haven't had a trouble-free life. In fact this journey just to the wedding has been long and fraught with detours and set backs. But one thing remains....the plan God has for our life. He is the one who brought us together and He's the one that will join us for life.

When God places a dream in your heart...a plan in your life....don't lose sight of the end result. The enemy likes to distract and dismantle your dream, but God put it there for a reason. And when God does something like that, He means for that dream to come true...for that plan to come to fruition. He doesn't give up, or change His mind. So hold tight and fast to that dream.