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Finished up day 2 of my study….and decided to write about it.
I can’t decide if it’s to choppy…takes you all over the place?
What do you think?

How would you describe your trust in the Lord? Is it like a chain of mighty mountains—unshakable? Confident, secure, sure? “Batach” was the translated Hebrew word for trust, which was defined as being “confident, secure, sure”.

Where is your security? Money? Your job? Church? Family? Many of us mistakenly place our security in the blessing of God rather than God Himself. Even if our security is in something God has given us–our gifts, talents, consistent victory, etc–our seemingly secure mountain ultimately will fall into the sea. Does your faith and trust weaken because of a troubled situation, or an unanswered prayer, or an unexpected death. God is with us and for us even when His face and His favor seem hidden.

Few things in the human experience breed misery more than insecurity—the opposite of security & trust: jealousy, envy, pride, manipulation, low self-worth, promiscuity, unbelief and anger. Satan himself can weave a web of lies and deception that our feeling of “security”, our trust in God begins to shake. We get so wrapped up in what is happening to us we lose sight of God. We lose sight of our trust in God.

God has us surrounded in his love even when we don’t want Him anywhere near you because of sin. “If you are in Christ, you can’t get rid of him. He has us surrounded like a chain of mighty mountains or like a wall made out of fire.”

Why does God allow us to encounter trouble and hardship, sadness and heart brokenness?

Psalm 34:19 reminds us that God never promised to remove us from human experience. Troubled times will happen, broken heartedness and soul crushing experiences will occur…ouch! They have to happen.

“God’s delivering us from every ounce of trial will never develop the relationship that occurs when God shows himself faithful right in the midst of difficulty, delivering us through it. That’s where we come to know Him, to love Him, to appreciate Him. In the case of death–when we lose loved ones…that’s where the ultimate trust enters in. If we believe God’s words are true, when tragedy strikes we’ve got to believe God has us so tightly interwoven in His care that we are instantaneously swept to heaven. God never more closely surrounds us than when He lifts us to His breast and carries us home.” Beth Moore–Stepping Up

For me the answer to the question was this: God allows those things to happen, so that we may seek him out for help. So that we will know he has been there all long, and that he will be there in the end. (“Be at rest once more, O my Soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7) God allows those things to happen so we can be reshaped and refined. Sometimes it strenghtens the muscels we’ll need at the next level. Sometimes your experience will be the sandpaper that rubs you so raw that you have to let go of that grudge. Sometimes your experience will be a blazing fire that burns off your ropes of bondage and you no longer feel the oppression of a past sin. But always, your experience being part of God’s plan for us: to be the best person we are called to be.
Another way to look at it God is permitting the enemy to sift us like wheat, to radically extract something from our lives. Sure it can hurt, it can be down right exruciating! But it’s all for a reason unknown to us…but surely known to God himself….out of love for us.

Slowly but surely we all get there. Rely on God, trust in Him.

Have a confidence in the Lord. Have a security in the Lord. Be sure about the Lord.

Here is an update on TRs bball game–last Saturday. They are now 2 & 1, with their win this weekend. Spurs: 29-25

The Light of God surrounds you;
The Love of God enfolds you;
The Power of God protects you;
The Presence of God watches over you;
Wherever you are, God is,
And all is well.

A time to think: There is one friend in the life of each of us who seems not a separate person, however dear and beloved, but an expansion, an interpretation, of one’s self, the very meaning of one’s soul. – Edith Wharton

A time to act: Heal a wounded heart. What friendship do you need to mend?

A time to pray: Lord, help me to nurture the relationships in my life with time and attentiveness.

I am the flexible, forgiving person I was created to be.

The flexible willow tree has a deep, inner strength that encourages new growth and healing from any damage done to its graceful branches.

God’s love is the source of a strength and flexibility that helps me weather any storm. If I feel that I have been harmed by another’s words or actions, God’s love helps me forgive and keeps me strong.

In times of prayer, I nurture a deeper awareness of the love of God within me. With each prayerful moment, I become more conscious of Divine Love and its healing, strengthening power. I am the flexible, forgiving person I was created to be.

“I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.”—Ephesians 3:16-17

Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent by Beth Moore :: Description :: an in-depth look at 15 Psalms. Just as a song or poem can express feelings of fear, doubt, hope, and joy, these 15 psalms model how study participants can voice their own petitions and praises to our God, who is always available and ready to hear us. Explore the major feasts of Israel and journey with Beth through Psalms 120-134 in this 7-session study. Themes such as unity, joy and gratitude, redemption, repentance, the power of blessings, facing ridicule, and more are explored in detail. Modern-day believers can learn much from these treasured Psalms in their journey toward greater intimacy with God.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Philippians 4:6

At first, St. Paul’s admonition seems unrealistic: “have no anxiety at all”? Who among us can go even one day without worrying about something? Perhaps we are worried about a loved one, our health, our financial security, some worthwhile project we’re working on, a terrorist attack, global warming, or our own failures and shortcomings. But St. Paul adds this: “by prayer and petition…make your requests know to God.” In other words, turn your anxieties into prayer.

Today let us list our major anxieties–perhaps even in writing. Then let us turn each anxiety into a petition to God, ending with something like this:
These are my major anxieties today, God. I entrust them all to you. If there is some specific action you want me to take with regard to any of these anxieties, please let me know. Thank you! Amen.

Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D.

Had a free afternoon…so TR volunteer’d himself as my model for the day! He was such a good sport about it. Even getting into where we would go next.

I am ready to experience a fresh, new day!

My thoughts are the initiators of my actions. So where will my thoughts take me in the ongoing story of my life? With a faith-based commitment, I do not move backward by rehashing details of how I was wronged. I let my positive, forward thinking move me on.

God is my source of love, a love that soothes and strengthens me. Because God loves me and Divine Love is expressed by me, I am forgiving. I forgive others and myself for anything said or left unsaid, done or left undone, that could possibly keep me from living in the fullness of life today.

I am ready to experience a fresh, new day. If any negative thoughts do rise to the surface of my mind, I imagine myself deleting them. I am creating a beautiful and fulfilling story of life that continually unfolds.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”—Luke 6:37