The Reward for Surviving Rough Seas
We are all like sea shells tossed about in rough waters and being re-shaped in wondrous ways. But have you ever contemplated the notion that sea shells have to complete their journey through the rough waters before they get to rest on the shore? Yeah, we are ALL like sea shells and Heaven is The Great Shore.
Showing posts with label Prayer Journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayer Journal. Show all posts
Monday, March 5, 2012
Putting God 1st
Greetings Everybody,
Wanna take a look at something that happened this morning, link it to a scripture, and bring the lesson home for ya.
This morning, I got up at my usual time, got my coffee, and sat down to visit with God in my prayer journal.
And it didn't take long before there was this wee little nagging going on inside me.
I was curious to see if anyone had read my blog while I had been sleeping.
And though I tried to keep my focus on my prayers, I didn't try hard enough.
I told myself that it was no big deal to put God on hold for a few minutes to go check my Christian Blog. (But in my heart I knew that what I was considering was wrongheaded.)
Still, I stepped away from those prayers to check the stats on this blog.
And so today I committed Idolatry.
When I left the Throne Room of God to check on "something else" I in effect placed that "something else" above GOD.
Now if you want to get technical, No I didn't actually break one of the 10 Commandments.
-No Graven Images.
-I did NOT bow down before an idol.
But it was still a form of mental idolatry.
It happened in my mind the minute I let "something else" become more important than my time with God.
There are a million ways I could try to overlook, justify, or minimalize what I did this morning...but the bottom line is that I let something else get between God and me this morning.
I gave something else too much importance.
I gave it a slice of the precious time that I set aside with to be with God
So What Happened Next?
As soon as I opened the blog I became uncomfortable.
I discovered that Yes there had been readers through the night
...but suddenly that didn't matter to me anymore.
I felt guilty and knew that I was doing something wrong.
And I went back to my prayers and asked for forgiveness.
When those prayers were finished, I did come back here.
But I came with the purpose of telling this story and of sharing this scripture:
"For The Lord is the great God, the Great King above all gods." Psalms 95:3
In Reflection, I have to ask:
-How many times have I done this?
-How many times have I casually stepped way from what
I know is right and tried to justify it?
-How many times have I mentally lost my focus on God?
-Or worse, how many times have I deliberately stepped
away from what I know is right because I was angry or
defiant?
Perhaps the lesson today is this:
Q: What Could Possibly Be More Important Than Sharing Time With The One Who Created The Heavens and The Earth?
A: NOTHING.
Yet the evil one used a blog that was created to talk about The Christian Experience as the bait to lure me away from my time with God this morning.
Scripture says:
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
The Lesson is yours now.
Let me leave you with this prayer:
God, please help me to stay focused and aware of my own motivations and actions.
God help me to discern when the evil one is present in my own mind.
God, please help me to choose YOU above everything else.
In Him
Grace
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Welcome 2012
Greetings Everyone,
Every morning, I sit down and have some time in prayer.
Actually it turns out to be about an hour.
Didn't plan it that way, it has just evolved into that routine.
Originally it was a lot longer, but then there were some gigantic troubles in my life when I first started prayer journaling and as those burdens eased, the prayer time just kind of morphed into about an hour time slot each morning.
It takes about a hour for me to get all of my Thank You's and Please Help's itemized.
And that hour is the most precious part of my life now.
Every corner of my mind gets swept clean...all the fluff, all the darkness, all the cobwebs.
God, listens to it all, and in return...
He gives me PEACE.
And He gives me JOY.
And He gives me ENERGY.
And He gives me a zillion other things I need to get through each day.
I've been doing this for a number of years...and it is simply "a part of me" now.
Along the way, I have gleaned a few crystalized thoughts.
And I cherish them.
Every morning, I ask God for the 5 things that are listed below.
And He is faithful.
And My GOD Delivers!
Today, I am going to post one of those thoughts in the form of a Blessing to those of you who are reading.
Yes these are my original words, I am the one who penned them...but it was
"The Great I AM"
who gave me these words...I'm not this smart on my own.
I hope this touches your life in some way.
A Blessing for 2012
May The Lord God Almighty,
PROTECT You,
PROVIDE for You,
PREPARE You,
PURPOSE You,
and POSITION You.
Welcome 2012!
Come on in, take off your coat and stay a while.
We've been waiting for you.
In Him,
Grace
Every morning, I sit down and have some time in prayer.
Actually it turns out to be about an hour.
Didn't plan it that way, it has just evolved into that routine.
Originally it was a lot longer, but then there were some gigantic troubles in my life when I first started prayer journaling and as those burdens eased, the prayer time just kind of morphed into about an hour time slot each morning.
It takes about a hour for me to get all of my Thank You's and Please Help's itemized.
And that hour is the most precious part of my life now.
Every corner of my mind gets swept clean...all the fluff, all the darkness, all the cobwebs.
God, listens to it all, and in return...
He gives me PEACE.
And He gives me JOY.
And He gives me ENERGY.
And He gives me a zillion other things I need to get through each day.
I've been doing this for a number of years...and it is simply "a part of me" now.
Along the way, I have gleaned a few crystalized thoughts.
And I cherish them.
Every morning, I ask God for the 5 things that are listed below.
And He is faithful.
And My GOD Delivers!
Today, I am going to post one of those thoughts in the form of a Blessing to those of you who are reading.
Yes these are my original words, I am the one who penned them...but it was
"The Great I AM"
who gave me these words...I'm not this smart on my own.
I hope this touches your life in some way.
A Blessing for 2012
May The Lord God Almighty,
PROTECT You,
PROVIDE for You,
PREPARE You,
PURPOSE You,
and POSITION You.
Welcome 2012!
Come on in, take off your coat and stay a while.
We've been waiting for you.
In Him,
Grace
Saturday, October 15, 2011
In the Quiet of the Dark Morning
Greetings,
It's a little after 5 am on a Saturday morning.Yes I am an early riser, usually earlier than this. Today I slept in for a bit.
This is my prayer time and I have found great joy and comfort in the discipline of getting up early, getting my coffee and sitting down at my computer to do my prayer journaling.
Let's talk for just a minute about prayer journaling: It's Amazing.
I start off every morning with a blank page. I type the date and the phrase "Good Morning God,"
It looks like a letter to God. And I have found that in the quiet of the dark morning, the first words out of my mouth are generally "Thank You". This is when I usually begin to itemize the list of Blessings that came to me the day before or have already come that morning.
It is a humbling and soul satisfying thing to begin itemizing every little thing that God has blessed you with. Often I thank God for my coffee, and the fresh milk in it, and for the coffee pot and the filter and the sugar and the pretty cup I drink from,... and the refrigerator to keep the milk cold, and the money to pay for the electricity that runs the refrigerator.
Do you see how one blessing links to so many others?
Do you see just exactly how many things we tend to take for granted?
Do you see my point about how humbling and soul satisfying it is to itemize the zillions of blessings that surround us?
When I am done with the listing of the blessings (though I have never managed to exhaust the list...ever), my frame of mind has been altered significantly. The tasks of the upcoming day, the cares of the world and the fears in my soul have been subdued; for I have just been reminded that I am loved, blessed and protected by God.
I challenge you to start off your prayers listing blessings and see if it doesn't change your whole sense of well being. My prayer journal awaits:)...time to list my blessings and invite God to enter my day. It's time to thank Him for allowing me to ride in the palm of His Hand once more.
God is Good!
In Him,
Grace
It's a little after 5 am on a Saturday morning.Yes I am an early riser, usually earlier than this. Today I slept in for a bit.
This is my prayer time and I have found great joy and comfort in the discipline of getting up early, getting my coffee and sitting down at my computer to do my prayer journaling.
Let's talk for just a minute about prayer journaling: It's Amazing.
I start off every morning with a blank page. I type the date and the phrase "Good Morning God,"
It looks like a letter to God. And I have found that in the quiet of the dark morning, the first words out of my mouth are generally "Thank You". This is when I usually begin to itemize the list of Blessings that came to me the day before or have already come that morning.
It is a humbling and soul satisfying thing to begin itemizing every little thing that God has blessed you with. Often I thank God for my coffee, and the fresh milk in it, and for the coffee pot and the filter and the sugar and the pretty cup I drink from,... and the refrigerator to keep the milk cold, and the money to pay for the electricity that runs the refrigerator.
Do you see how one blessing links to so many others?
Do you see just exactly how many things we tend to take for granted?
Do you see my point about how humbling and soul satisfying it is to itemize the zillions of blessings that surround us?
When I am done with the listing of the blessings (though I have never managed to exhaust the list...ever), my frame of mind has been altered significantly. The tasks of the upcoming day, the cares of the world and the fears in my soul have been subdued; for I have just been reminded that I am loved, blessed and protected by God.
I challenge you to start off your prayers listing blessings and see if it doesn't change your whole sense of well being. My prayer journal awaits:)...time to list my blessings and invite God to enter my day. It's time to thank Him for allowing me to ride in the palm of His Hand once more.
God is Good!
In Him,
Grace
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