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Sourced Creatively
Be Encouraged! God is THE source of creativity, even in provision. While your job and your side hussle(s) are ways God provides for you, He is not bound by your those 2 ways to provide for you.
He provided using a ram in the thicket (Gen 22:13), Widow’s Oil (2 Kings 4:1-7), and a coin in the fish’s mouth (Matt 17:27) for example.
Point to ponder while you wander…“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV
The Truth About Me & You
So this morning I started thinking about wisdom while reading Proverbs 4. Then I sent out the verse of the day.
God’s word is both alive and life giving! “Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit. Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being.” Proverbs 4:21-22 TPT
And I was inspired me to write this, to share it with you. It is important.
If you are believing something about yourself that causes you to feel less than or to be sad more often than not. Then that belief is a lie that needs to be replaced by what the Word says about you!
I’ve been told that I am annoying, that I’m not worth being with until I am my high school weight and size again (95 lbs in case you’re wondering), that I am invasive, that I am lame, and a host of other things I won’t mention on social media. Some of these things cut me deeply and I carried them for a long time as truth because of who said them to me.
But I was listening to the wrong voices. I should have been listening to this voice….
I am wonderfully made and mah-vel-ous!
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:13-14 NKJV
I am chosen. I am unique and peculiar and that is by design! I am bathed in mercy. I am necessary, and I have a purpose in life.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 KJV
The Word also says I am crowned with glory and honor, that I am beautiful, that I am loved, that I was created in His image, that I am more than a conqueror, and that I was made to be in partnership with God.
That isn’t pride…it’s believing what God says about me. Believing a lie about yourself over what God says about you is actually pride. #truthbomb
I am nerdy…full stop true. I am weird…full stop true. I sometimes care about people more than they care about themselves….full stop true. I don’t trust easily and I don’t just let anyone into my inner circle. I am not the best money manager…I’d love to just spend it all doing things with people, giving to people going on missions & charities, or buying things for people than saving. Jesus holds my heart completely. Although I do want to marry a fictional character named Clark Kent. I prefer older people and kids to everyone else.
I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, and not everyone is my cup of tea. But I try to be kind and patient and gracious. I do my best love people like Jesus does but it is not easy.
That being said, I cannot claim to be perfect or even near normal. I tried that path once…it’s stressful and boring. I ended up sick and depressed and I almost married someone completely wrong for me!
Point to ponder while you wander….Maybe it’s because I’m 3 months shy of 43 and am nearing that threshold of being that old lady who just doesn’t care anymore or maybe I’ve finally embraced who I really am on the inside.
Either way I want you to go to the Word and see what it says about you! Ask God to show you verses that will speak to your inner most person. Or private message me if you need some truth and can’t seem to get there.
I may not always have a lot to give but I can always be counted on for bad jokes and encouragement. Truth is that is who I am and how I was designed.
Maybe a Fence
What do you think of when you see this picture?
Do you think of home? Family? Protection? Style? Curb appeal?
I took photo this yesterday because it reminded me of wisdom passed on to me…
Don’t build walls. Build a fence.
If you’ve ever read Ezra and Nehemiah you might remember that the bulk of it is about rebuilding the defensive walls. Defensive walls for a city are a good thing. Defensive walls around a person, not so much.
If you build walls and isolate yourself, you may be protected from hurt, but you’re also not living an abundant life nor are you growing.
Tear down the walls, and build a fence instead. A fence is like a healthy boundary.
The gate in your fence allows you to participate. It allows you to communicate. And it allows you to let people in, some will be in the yard, some in the house, and some won’t be allowed past the gate. That’s why the gate opens, closes, and locks.
Only Jesus should be allowed access to every part of you. He has top secret clearance and need to know.
Everyone else has a varying degree of clearance and need to know. You need boundaries in every relationship.
Healthy boundaries foster your growth.
But walls so high they block out the sun, stunt your growth.
There have been times in my life that my walls were so high and so thick that I missed opportunities that God Himself provided for me. I simply was not open to anyone or anything.
I trusted no one. Not even God.
Truth is I was alive but not living. And I was miserable. But I stayed there far too long because I felt safe in the little world I made for myself.
It took time. It took effort. It took counseling. But I slowly began opening up to trusting others.
It isn’t always easy. You will make mistakes. I did! You’ll probably fall and fail a time or two. I do! Sometimes you will trust the wrong person. But you’ll learn and grow, just like I am.
Point to ponder while you wander…
Life is both miraculous and brief. So…
Maybe replace you walls with a fence and open the gate a bit.
Come out to play.
Be open to new adventures.
Trust God.
John 10:10… “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” NKJV
Isaiah 53:18-19… “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” NKJV
Psalm 91:2… “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.‘” NKJV
Okay..so I’m in NY
I’ve been having conversations lately about living vs existing with Jesus, my roommate, and several others. I need to fully LIVE this life and I haven’t been.
John 10:10 is really on my heart…Jesus came to give us life…abundant life. But we need to choose to receive that gift and really life every day as an adventure. I was beginning to just sit in a rut of work and Netflix. (11. Seasons of Criminal Minds, Stranger Things, and the like) And that is NOT who I am. Not even a little bit. So this trip I am on is me returning to me.
What trip? On Thursday I decided to go to a women’s conference in NYC. I flew out on Friday. And now I am in NYC for the weekend. Yesterday I started exploring a little bit and I started to feel alive again for the first time in a while.
Maybe my rut came from me being in grief. Maybe from fear. Maybe from the weariness of waiting. I don’t know. But I stopped exploring and being spontaneous. I love exploring my Michigan and her cities.And I just stopped.
I just sorta checked out.
So if you’re in a rut too, get out and explore today. LIVE! Do something spontaneous.
YES! Jesus died to reconcile and reconnect you to God.
YES! Jesus died to take your sin and shame and for your healing, body, soul, and spirit.
YES! Jesus died so you could be free from the weight of sin and death.
BUT He also was RESURRECTED so you can LIVE AN ABUNDANT LIFE! And He sent Holy Spirit to EMPOWER you to be bold and courageous.
So dooooooo it! Get out there. Go after what makes you feel alive.
Point to ponder while you wander…your time on Earth is short…even at Moses’s 120 years…in comparison to eternity. So take some time and ask yourself what makes you feel alive? What really wakes up your soul and makes your spirit do flips in your belly?
Then partner with Jesus and go doooooo it!
You may not be living your dream life right this second…but that doesn’t mean you can’t fully live right where you are!
PS Want to change? Change your perspective my friends…because true change begins with a changed mindset. You we were given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Use it. Declare it. Tell fear to go back from whence it came! 😉
Life is For Living
This morning I was praying about what encouragement to send out today and I heard Romans 8:10. This is the verse:
“Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.” Romans 8:10
Jesus came to give us life. Not so that we could just exist or barely make it, but so that we would really live full and abundant lives!! In other words, life is for living!!!
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” John 10:10 AMP
We are spirit. We have a soul (mind, will and emotions). And we live in an earthly body. That body will die. Because, here on earth, death is inevitable.
But death here is not the end.
We are spirit. Spirit doesn’t die like the body. So when we leave this world it’s not the end of life, but the beginning of eternity with Jesus.
“For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 NIV
So live this first life fully, but there’s no reason to fear death. To leave here means we will be with our Savior, Jesus.
Point to ponder while you wander. . . We were given freedom so that we could be free. (Galatians 5:1) We were loved first, so that we can love. (1 John 4:19) And we were given life to live!! (John 10:10) #hope #lovewon #lifeisforliving
Better or Bitter
Hardship and troubles happen to everyone, that’s just life. But how you choose to see those times either creates a bitter and angry you or changes you into a better and stronger you. Better or bitter, the choice is yours!
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5.
I Shall Not Be Moved
I know that I haven’t done Musical Monday in a while, so today I’m going to give you a two-fer. One is old school and the other is a few years old and my on-going theme song.
Old school classic: I Shall Not Be Moved sung by Mr. Johnny Cash.
This song is sourced from Psalm 1 and/or Jeremiah 17 (which quotes Psalm 1). Biblical scholars believe that this Psalm was written to Rehoboam from his father, Solomon, as he was about to succeed him as king. It warns Rehoboam to choose God’s way, and what will most likely happen to him if he does not. Solomon had been led astray by several of his wives and he did not want his son to repeat his errors.
I am a big fan of the Prophet Jeremiah’s flare so here’s Jeremiah 17:5-8 NKJV:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
Your bonus song is my theme song. I know I’ve posted it before, but like I said, it’s my theme song. So here is the lovely Ms. Natalie Grant singing I Will Not Be Moved.
Like everything else, you choose how you react to things. Choose to be still and know that He is God, even if Monday is attempting to take you down. Choose to remain planted in His promises.
You Are Alive
“But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.” Ephesians 2:8
Yes, Jesus died for us, taking ALL our diseases & ALL our sins (past present & future) But that’s only 1/2 the gift! Jesus was resurrected to give us life! Staying focused on sin & death all the time is like hanging in the cemetery & mourning eternally for someone who’s not even dead. There is a time for grieving & dealing with our sin, but we then we need to move on & live the abundant life Jesus was resurrected to give us! #JesusIsAlive #SoAreYou
Superabundant
So many people read the first half of this verse and stop…but the life is in the second half.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life; and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
Abundantly means super abundant in quantity and superior in quality. Even when the thief is trying to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus enabled YOU to have a lifetime full of exceedingly abundantly above!
Greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world.
jillbeingstill 