Like a Little Child

      Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:15

     Every night before bed, I read my Bible. It's a practice I hold very dear and sacred. Partly because reading helps me feel tired, partly because I know as a Christian I need to be reading the Bible every day to know my God and partly because, like every one of us, I'm hoping to find something that amazes me. But sometimes (I'm ashamed to say) the act of reading the Bible can become a task which I must complete rather than one I long to complete. If I am totally honest with myself, sometimes I read the Bible and don't come away feeling amazed. Grateful, yes. But if I read something I've read a hundred times before, I can sometimes take on the attitude of indifference. 
      Last night, though, as I laid down to read, it struck me that it's been a loooong time since I've even asked the Lord to show me something amazing. James says "You have not because you ask not." James 4:2-3 Of course I wouldn't see anything awe inspiring if I'm not even looking for it! The Lord knows my heart and knows when I'm ready to receive the riches of truth and wisdom He has for me. He also knows when I'm not. So I prayed and asked Him to show me something amazing. 
     Here's what He showed me. In Mark 10:15 Jesus said "I tell you the truth, anyone who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Wow. This amazed me! I began to think of my own children. 
     My mother-in-law happens to live right next door to us. This is a wonderful blessing to us as she is like a mom to me and a very good Memaw to my children. The boys ask me at least 8 times a day if they can go over and see her. I don't allow it quite as often as that because we strive to teach them proper boundaries, but if I know she doesn't mind I will tell them "Yes, you can go to Memaw's for a bit." You should see how fast these kids will drop whatever they are doing (even their friends) to get to one of their favorite people on earth. I'm pretty sure Ephraim left skid marks in the grass one day. 😂
     To them, being 9 year old boys, Memaw's house probably is like the Kingdom of Heaven. There's treats and hugs and love galore. (Not that they don't get those things at home but it's just different at Memaw's) When I tell my children they can go visit for a bit, they don't stop to ask me if they are worthy. They don't try to do chores around the house first to "earn" their privilege of being with their beloved Memaw. They don't recount all their past sins to me in an effort to sabotage their right to be their. They JUST GO. They've been told they are invited and they don't stop to question or doubt. They just get there as quickly as possible. Man, what a blessing!
    What a blessing it must be to not recount sins that God Himself has already paid for! What a blessing to not search for stains that Jesus has already washed clean with His blood! Oh to receive the Kingdom of Heaven like a child!
     Here are two things I learned last night. First, if we ask the Lord to show us amazing things, He will. But we have to be ready and willing to receive whatever gift He's waiting to give us out of the treasures of His wonderful Word. He told Jeremiah "Call to Me and I will tell you great and unsearchable things which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3 Did you see that? He said call to me! Our precious Lord and Savior wants to share His riches of knowledge and truth and love with us but we must call to Him. We must go to Him with a heart open and humbled. 
     If you pour water on a rock it usually just runs right off and is wasted on the ground. The rock is too hard and brittle to absorb any of it. But if you pour water into the dirt of a potted plant, the dirt will absorb and carry as much of the water as it can. It receives the blessing of the refreshing and life-giving water! Let's strive to cultivate hearts that are more like the plant than the rocks! 
     The second thing I learned is that God wants - no COMMANDS - us to receive the Kingdom of Heaven like a little child. Unquestioning, undoubting, fully assured that what He has promised He will deliver. This is going to be my goal today and hopefully for the rest of my days. How about you? Are you ready to run to Father's house at the very moment you are invited? Because I tell you the truth; now is the time, today is the day. 2 Corinthians 6:2

Father God I thank you for the amazing and awe-inspiring lessons you teach me through my children. If I would just pay more attention, I'd hear your sweet voice a lot more and be consistently satisfied in YOU. I pray you help me to remember to always ask so that I may receieve. I love you Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen

When God Doesn't Make Sense

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. ***No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.***  Psalm 84:11 (emphasis mine)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11

Last night was one of the worst nights of RLS I've had in a while. I've finally been able to see a doctor and get some medicine to help and yet last night I felt like I was in a battle. I may have been laying in bed physically but spiritually and mentally I was fighting. It could've been the Wendy's I ate yesterday. It could've been an attack of the enemy knowing today was church day. Whatever it was, it really messed me up. When it was finally time to get up this morning, feeling bleary-eyed and half-dead, I thought to myself "There's no way I'm going to church like this."

I was angry. I was bitter. "Why do You allow me to go through this?!" I yelled at God. If He wants me to be at church, I thought to myself, He's going to have to start helping me get some sleep. Then I did what I normally do when the world doesn't make sense and I need my Father to make sense of it for me. I began to pour out my heart in my prayer journal.

Teary-eyed, I began to remind Him of His promises about not withholding good (Psalm 84:11) and having plans for welfare and NOT harm for me (Jeremiah 29:11). I wanted Him to see that He was not holding up His end of the bargain. But as I continued to write and remind HIM of these promises something amazing happened. I also began to be reminded of them. And instead of a bitter, fist-shaking rant toward my Father, it began to turn into something gentler, something that made a little more sense than my chaotic ramblings.

It was as if the communication direction changed. Instead of from me to Him, it began to flow from Him to me, You see, when I began to offer up the deepest cries of my heart the Lord began to remind me of His truth. When we see painful circumstances and heartache around us we begin to think our world is out of alignment with God's word. But this is not the truth.

Sometimes, what we think is good and right and true, is actually not. Sometimes what we think the plan should be, is not God's plan. When we make the choice to follow Jesus (though it's really HIS choice we just come to realize it) we have to be prepared to let go of our ideals of what a "good" life looks like.

I know, it's hard to imagine a God who loves us allowing us any pain or trouble. But yet it remains a fact of life. The difference is, when you walk through the heartache and the trials with Jesus, you have a fortress, a foundation, and a refuge to run to. You are not alone and you are not helpless.

Sometimes His "plans" for our lives may include hard things. We can either chose to tun away from Him in bitterness and anger and be no worse or better off than we were before. But we can also choose to turn TOWARD Him. We can chose, as Psalm 91 says, to find refuge under His wings. When we do that is when we will find strength and joy that we so desperately search for. And not a strength that comes from our resolve to put on a smile a "fake it till we make it". No, a strength that comes from the Holy Spirit within us. The same power that rose Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power and strength and joy that will carry us through even the valley of the shadow of death.

Life throws things at us that make us want to run and hide. Sometimes you just have to make the choice of where you want to run.

You Can't Out-Give God

"...whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully...And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:6,8

      I sometimes struggle with giving and being generous. I know, gasp. The truth is, though, I have a sin nature that often wants to close my fists tight around the things God has graciously given me instead of sharing with others as I am intended to. But over and over again He shows me how very wrong this thinking is. Have you ever wondered why Jesus said it is better to give than to receive? 

      Over the weekend I was doing some budgeting and my husband and I agreed to pay off a few debts that we had. It wasn't in the "budget" per se but we did have the money and decided it wasn't worth waiting. So we took care of it like a big boy and girl. While we were thankful to be able to do so I won't lie and say I wasn't feeling the squeeze in the budget a bit. 😅 

      But somehow, when I double checked all the numbers to put into my handy budget app, there was extra money left over that I hadn't counted on originally. As I looked at the categories I could add the "extra" to, I pondered. Fun money, eating out, miscellaneous, household, and groceries were all options. But something inside tugged at my heart and told me the right thing to do was add it to our monthly tithes. 

     Please hear me when I say I don't tell you this to toot our own horns. I tell you this because God is so incredibly faithful and just floors me every. single. time. Today, in the mail we received two checks from previous credit cards for over payment of balances. The amounts equaled out to be around the same amount that I had added to the tithe budget!!!! (Actually a bit more) Our Lord is so faithful!

      You see, I have never once in my life acquired more from grasping and clinging to what I have. But it has always been the opening of the hands that has caused the multiplying. The releasing of the grip that causes the growth. This is so backwards and contrary to what the world teaches. But God says this is the way it works. I believe and have found this to be true.

      No we shouldn't give expecting to get back. We should give knowing that we have already received the best treasure there ever was or ever will be. Jesus Christ Himself. The radiance of God's glory. The beginning and the end. The One through whom all things are held together. We should know that we don't need to receive anything from this world because we already have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:3)

      But I'll tell you a secret. You can't out-give God. You just can't. Go ahead and try it. Give your time, give your energy, give your praises and worship. But most importantly of all - give your heart. You will find that you are so filled up in your life that you just can't contain it all. 

      I know that we don't all have big ol bank accounts from which to freely give. We don't all have excessive amounts of time to serve (helloooo mamas ✋) God knows that too. But as Jesus said the poor widow put in more than all the others with her two small copper coins, so too can we. It's not about the size of the bank account from which the gift comes, but the size of the heart. 

He gave us everything when He gave up His Son for our benefit. How could not give Him our very lives in return? 

Are You Good Enough?

"Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ " Matthew 7:22-23

       Do you think that you are good enough to get into heaven? Perhaps you think because you don't murder or commit adultery or steal that you are not bad enough to go to hell. Maybe you think because you give to the poor or rescue abandon dogs or give money to charity that you are safe. You think your good deeds outweigh your bad ones and so the scales are tipped in your favor. We see here in Matthew chapter 7 that this is not the case! Jesus himself said there will be many who drove out demons, prophesied (preached the bible), and did many miracles who will be rejected at the gates of heaven. Why, you ask? Why would a good God turn away those who did good things in His name? The answer is because they were trusting in their own good deeds instead of the saving power of the blood of Jesus. Let me say this loud and clear - YOUR GOOD DEEDS CANNOT OUT WEIGHT YOUR BAD. Yes it's human nature to want to "make up" for our mistakes but this does not work with Jesus. Here, when the many are trying to justify themselves by their works He makes it very clear that is not what He is looking for. So what is He looking for?

     He goes on to say "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on a rock." (vs.24) He also says in Matthew 9:13 "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." And again in Psalm 51:17 that He will not reject a broken and contrite heart.

     Jesus is not looking for the "elite" of the world to do His work. He does not need your strength or wisdom or skill or talent. He has all that Himself and more. He is seeking those hearts that are broken and can be worked with. Have you ever tried to mold a big ball of hardened clay? It doesn't work. But break that clay into pieces and soften it with water and then you can create something beautiful.

     Don't be like the many who justified themselves by their own actions. Be like the man who wouldn't even lift his eyes up to the altar and cried out "Forgive me God! I am a sinner!" 🧡💚💙💜🖤❤️

Arrows

     I've been praying and wondering what the next thing I should write about is. I feel the Lord has made it clear to me that I need to write about arrows. Why arrows? Well, because they are one of the enemies main weapons and we need to be aware. These are not your average, every day hunting arrows I am talking about here. Oh no, these are the flaming arrows of the one who detests our very souls. 

     The apostle Paul wrote about a spiritual battle. One which, though we cannot see it, is waged daily all around us. We are not simply passive watchers to this battle either. No, we are in the battle whether we realize it or want to admit it or not. Yes, Christ has won the victory when He overcame the grave but satan is a stubborn old goat and can't face the facts that he's already defeated. And so he continues to attack the children of God relentlessly. We must be ready.

      You see, this enemy of ours does not play fair. He follows no rules of engagement and he holds not one shred of mercy. He will attack children, husbands, wives, and yes, ourselves if we allow him. His arrows are set on fire before he even shoots them to cause maximum damage should they reach their target. But don't be on the lookout for a big ball of fire speeding toward you. Oh no, these arrows are much more subtle than that. They come in disguise in hopes that we won't recognize them. An off-handed remark carelessly dropped by a friend. An inconspicuous temptation...."maybe just one pill" (or drink or video or whatever it may be for you). They can come through tragedy or trial or even sometimes contentment. 

      The sad part about it is that sometimes, in our own foolish ways, we actually help our enemy defeat us. Through our disobedient actions, sinful thoughts, prideful attitudes of the heart, the way we treat others...we actually help the enemy along in his sinister plot to destroy the children of the God he hates. 

       I don't say this to scare you or make you feel condemned. I too stumble way more than I'd like to admit and fail to obtain the victory God wants me to have. I say this because the enemy has been shooting his flaming arrows at me lately and I'm about sick of it. 🙅 But the wonderful news is that it doesn't have to be this way! Our loving Father and God has given us weapons of warfare that cannot be matched in power or strength. Even by satan and his minions. It is up to us, however, to pick them up and use them.   

     Ephesians 6:16 tells us that we have a "shield of faith that can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one". Did you catch that? The Bible says we are able to extinguish ALL the flaming arrows of the enemy. Not just some. All! Our shield with which we do this is our faith. What is faith? It is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1) So just as these arrows are unseen but nonetheless as real as ever, so our faith must be in the unseen, but very real, promises of God. 1 John 5:4 says our faith is the victory that has overcome the world. By faith we defeat the enemies attacks before they even reach us!  Our shield must be taken up. It will do us no good laying down beside us! 

      The same goes for our sword. The sword of the spirit, the Bible tells us, is actually the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17) You see, the enemy is full of lies and deception but God's word is absolute, undeniable, inherrant truth. The same as you must fight fire with water you must fight lies with truth. The Word of God is our sword to cut down our enemy in mid-attack. I love how in Hebrews it tells us the Word of God is alive and active. Not only this but it is sharper than any two edged sword! (Hebrews 4:12) THIS is our sword! 

      So how do we "pick up" a spiritual sword that we cannot necessarily see or touch in the physical? We write it down, we remember it, and we say it out loud. One thing I have started doing is writing down certain scriptures on index cards and sticking them in my Bible as book marks. It's a known fact that writing things down helps us remember and the same goes for reading things over and over. Find some verses that help you fight whatever attack the enemy is throwing your way and write them down. Then put them wherever you will see them most. Bathroom mirror, purse, heck in your car! Pray and ask the Lord to help you come up with a plan of defense when the enemy attacks. 

     We also must be vigilant. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be alert and sober-minded because our enemy is always seeking to destroy us. Remember, an enemy rarely attacks in areas where one is strong. Our enemy is no different. His flaming arrows are deliberately aimed right for our weak spots. If you struggle with having a gentle and quiet spirit he's going to send arrows to push your buttons to try to get you to lose it. If you struggle with addiction, he's going to send situations that make you want to run to that drug or that alcohol. If you struggle with pride he's going to send arrows of offense (and he'll usually use someone we care deeply about to do it). Wherever your weak spot is, that's where he's going to attack. 

     But don't you dare despair or be afraid!! God is more powerful, more wise, more able than satan could ever hope to be. He is the beginning and the end, the alpha and omega. He is everywhere and His eyes are on everything (and everyone). He never fails and He never, ever, EVER leaves His children alone. (Isaiah 41:10) THIS is our God and Father. To Him be all the glory now and forevermore! 

Father God I praise you for your goodness and faithfulness. I thank you for the armor that you have graciously given us to defeat the enemy where he stands. Thank you that You have already won the victory for us. Remind us of this when the battle seems long and ceaseless. Please help us to recognize the arrows when they come so that we can take up our shield of faith in time. May it all be for your praise and honor and glory. In Jesus Name, Amen! 

Ten Scriptures to Pray Over Your Children

"Children are a gift from the Lord." Psalm 127:3

     Children are one of God's most wonderful blessings. Through them, He teaches us the true meaning of grace, shows us the depth of His unfailing love and faithfulness and molds us into the people He created us to be. I can't tell you how many lesson the Lord has taught me through my boys! 

     Whether you are a believer or not I think we can all agree that, as parents, we want the best for our children and would go to great lengths to protect them. But sometimes I think we forget the best defense we have to protect them against harm is right there in front of us, readily available any time of day or night. What I mean is, of course, prayer! And what better way than to pray the sweet, precious promises God has already given in the Bible? I remember when my boys were younger I would always pray God's word over them. It gave me indescribable comfort to know that what I was praying God has already promised. And He is always faithful even when we are faithless! 

     Here, I've complied 10 scriptures to pray over your children. These are scriptures near and dear to my own heart but this is far from an exhaustive list! Feel free to use these as a starting point but don't feel like you need to stick strictly to these words only. God wants you to share your heart with Him so don't be afraid to add your own prayers to these. And don't be afraid to go searching for more beautiful promises of God in the Bible to pray over your children! 

Without further ado, here are 10 scriptures to pray over your children! 

1. "...so is My Word which goes out from My mouth. It will not return to Me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I send it."  Isaiah 55:11 
I love this scripture because it declares the sovereignty of God and His word. I would always start with this scripture when praying over my boys because it is a reminder that our prayers are not only heard, but if we are praying in alignment with God's will (i.e. His word) we can be sure they will come to pass. 

2. "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord 'He is my refuge and my fortress. My God in whom I trust.' "  Psalm 91:1-2 
This is such a sweet, sweet promise of God! This world is full of scary and painful things. As a mom or dad it can be a paralyzing thought to send your kids out into the world on their own. When we "dwell in the shadow of the Almighty through trusting Him and obeying His word, we stay under His umbrella of protection. Pray that your children would always dwell in the shadow of the Almighty and declare Him their refuge and fortress!

3. "Do not forsake wisdom and she will protect you; love her and she will watch over you."  Proverbs 4:6 
The world will offer our children all sorts of "wisdom". Most of which is not really wisdom at all but foolishness. I am constantly praying for them not just to have wisdom but for them to seek the wisdom of God above the wisdom of the world. Part of gaining the wisdom of God is not simply sitting around waiting for it to pop into your head but to seek it out through prayer, reading of the Word and being in relationship with other God-seeking Christians. God promises that His wisdom will protect us. Let's pray that our children become active and relentless seekers of that precious wisdom!

4. "Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty"  Job 5:17 
Children are sinners just like us and they will no doubt make plenty of mistakes. We should always be praying for their hearts to receive the discipline we give with trust and humility. We may discipline our children all we want but if their hearts are not receiving it with a humble spirit, it will do no good. One scripture I always direct my boys to when we are disciplining is Hebrews 12:5. I try to let them know that we discipline because we love them and not because we want to harm them. It is important to lay a foundation of receiving correction with trust and thankfulness while they are young and under our authority. When they are older, it will help to foster a greater faith and obedience to God.  

5. "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."  Ephesians 6:4 
Before we even attempt to discipline our children, we should be praying fervently for the Holy Spirit to help us do so according to His ways - in love and not anger. Believe me, I understand just how angry our children can make us at times. But when we discipline out of our anger instead of love, we totally miss the entire purpose of discipline set forth by God. Our children are a blessing from God and our purpose as parents is ultimately to help them become more and more like Jesus daily. Discipline, when given in love and with a heart that is fully submissive to God, supports and nourishes this process. 

**As a side note - we will no doubt mess this one up a time or two. Don't beat yourself up. 1 John 1:9 says if we confess our sins to God He is faithful and just to forgive us. We all get cranky and short-tempered. If you find you've been overly harsh with your child, confess your sin to them and humbly ask for forgiveness. By doing this you can model the proper way to come to the throne of grace and help them learn how to handle it when they mess up themselves. 

6. "Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you can take your stand against the devil."  Ephesians 6:10-11 
This day and age, our children are facing more temptations than ever before. There is so much pressure to conform placed on them by friends, social media, movies, music... And each temptation is designed cleverly by their adversary to pull them a little bit further away from God. But let's declare these powerful words over our children's lives and pray that they would always take up ALL of God's spiritual armor. We can only do so much as human parents and then we have to send them out into the world. But let us remember they have a Father in Heaven who is never taken by surprise or caught off guard. Let us pray they will be properly equipped to fight the spiritual battle in God's strength and that they will be victorious! And speaking of friends...

7. "He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  Proverbs 13:20 
No explanation needed here! Let's pray for our children's present and future friends that they will also be wise and God-seeking. And while we are at it, let's pray for their future mates. Besides the fact they will greatly influence our children's future lives, they will also be family someday. No harm in praying for good ones! 😅

8. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms." 1  Peter 4:10 
God gives us all different gifts and talents to be used for the furthering of the Kingdom. Let us pray that our children would nurture and grow their spiritual gifts and be passionate about serving the church with them. 

9. "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?' ”  Hebrews 13:5-6 
One of my deepest prayers for my children is that they will always find their joy and happiness in Christ alone. In a world that not only fosters but praises a rise-to-the-top-and-never-give-up kind of attitude, it can be easy to get caught up in striving for the material things of this life. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the blessings God gives us but when they begin to replace Him on the throne of our hearts, we've gone off course. Let's pray that our children would be content in the Lord and develop grateful, humble spirits that do not cling to the things of the world. 

10. "...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."  Ephesians 3:17-19 
Last but certainly not least, let us pray that our children will have a full knowledge of the Savior they serve and their position as children of God. That they would possess a supernatural understanding of Christ's love and that everything they do and say and think all the days of their lives would stem out of that understanding. 

I pray these verses are a blessing to you and your family. God is always faithful even when we are faithless! If you enjoyed reading, would you mind sharing so others can benefit from these precious promises of God as well? Thanks friend! <3