Five Minute Friday: Haven

There's a place I like to go.  It's normally quiet.  It's quite comfortable.  It's my own little spot.  It takes me to my haven.

I rise early in the morning. Make my coffee. Have a seat. Cuddle with the cat. Open the Good Book.

In this spot I read.  I'm taken beyond the Living Word and placed alongside my God.  My Safe Haven. My Rock. My Refuge.

Regardless of what is on my heart that morning, He tends to my soul.  In this spot, it's just me and Him.  Spending time together. Knowing each other. Loving each other.  Me listening and learning.  Him speaking to my heart.

I cherish this time.

It isn't always uninterrupted.  Sometimes it may come later in the day.  Some days it comes multiple times per day.

Always a safe space.

Always my haven.

I read His Holy Word.

I devour it.

It leaves an imprint on my heart, mind, and soul.

It's is a part of me.

His Word is living.

His Word is powerful.

His Word is what I crave.

His Word takes me to a place of love, mercy, hope, and comfort.

His Word is full of grace.

His Word is my haven.

If you've enjoyed my FMF post, stop over at Kate's to read LeeAnn's thoughts on the word Haven.  There are other great writers' links as well. 

Armed and Dangerous

There was this girl in high school that I loved, but she drove me crazy.  She was ALWAYS happy.  She never seemed to have a bad day, always had a smile on her face. It was slightly annoying.

And now, 20 years later, my desire is to be that girl, that girl who chooses joy in all circumstances.

The first part of John 10:10 says this,

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy."

And I ask you this: What is your thief?  What has come to steal, kill, and destroy your joy?

Is it worry?
Are you worried about how you are going to make ends meet until the next paycheck? Are you worried what your test results will be when you meet with your doctor?  Are you worried what life will be like when your child goes off to college?  Are you worried about your husband when he leaves for deployment?
What are you worried about?

Is it fear?
Are you afraid you aren't good enough? Are you afraid the treatments won't work?  Are you afraid your wayward child won't return?  Are you afraid to let your child behind the wheel without you?  Are you afraid of how war will change your spouse?
What are you afraid of?

Is it insecurity?
Do you wonder if you are a good enough mom, if you are messing up your kids? Do you wonder if your husband really and truly loves you? Do you wonder if your coworkers are secretly talking about you? Do you wonder if you are special? Do you wish you could change your body, get rid of that muffin top, smooth those cellulite thighs, or just buy flowy tops to cover up all of your flaws?
What are you insecure about?

The list can go. Questions can continue to arise. All of those doubts and fears and insecurities are thieves out to destroy our joy, our peace, and our hope.  But wait. Listen to the second part of John 10:10:

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

And that is the sound of Christ reminding us that our joy comes from Him.  Those are the words of hope, peace, and love.

Jesus said in John 16:33 that we would have trouble in this world. He never promised life would be easy, so why do we think we are exempt from sorrow?  As Christians, we endure trials for many reasons. I won't claim to know them all, but I think some of our trials are due to sin (ours and others) and so that we can grow in our faith and relationship with Christ.

I would never hope to experience any type of difficulty. However, I do know that when everything seems to be right in the world, we don't depend on God as much. We don't grow closer to him. But the moment our faith is shaken and tested, we reach out to Him. We want Him to fix things.  And we aren't the only ones. In fact, Israel did the same thing. In Jeremiah 2:27, we are told that Israel turned her back on God, "but in times of trouble they cry out to me, 'Come and save us!'"

And that's us, isn't it? Sometimes.   In times of trouble we want God. We call out to Him to come save us and fix everything.

We shouldn't wait for times of trouble to call on God.  He wants us to be with Him each and every day.  He should be our priority.  He should be the first one we talk to in the morning and the last one we talk to at bedtime. We should thank Him and praise Him on the good days and the bad days.

The best way we can choose joy is to become armed and dangerous against the thief: know God's Word.  

Romans 8:31 asks us "If God is for us, then who can be against us?" We are our own worst enemies. Satan knows our worries and fears and insecurities, and he will use those to drag us down and destroy our joy. To defeat him, we must "put on the full armor of God" and not forget about "the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God," (Ephesians 6:11,17).

Often, we wonder WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? We know from the Bible that Jesus himself used God's living word against Satan. Luke 4:1-13 tells us how Jesus used scripture as Satan tempted him. And if Jesus uses scripture to fight Satan, so should we!

So my challenge for you is this: Spend some extra time each day in God's word.  Ask Him to speak to you through it.  He will.  God's word is alive.  God's word is powerful. God's word will add joy to your life.

His Word Wednesday

His Word Wednesday

There is a sign on the way to work that says, "Honk if you are believing Jesus for something." At first, I thought they just worded the sign wrong, but then I thought about it a little more. I think we are all "believing Jesus for something."

Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding."



I think we have all been in a situation where we had to lay it in God's hands and let him take control. The situation surpassed our understanding, and it was useless for us to try to wrap our minds around it.



My coworker friend and her family are moving back to their hometown. When I talked to her about it yesterday, she said, "This is totally a God thing. We would never have done this on our own." You see, her husband is leaving full time ministry to work in a secular job. She is leaving her job and not going to have any income. However, since they have agreed to this move, so many ministry doors have opened for them. God is in control of their situation and they realized they had to trust him.



I think some of the most comforting words in the Bible are "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).



We see the moment. God sees the entirety (if that is a word). We think, "oh, this is wrong, I can't do this." God says, "This is right. Trust Me and let Me do this." We can handle anything that comes our way if we just TRUST HIM.



Remember, We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).



There are two things I'd like for you to do today. Three really. First, trust God with whatever he has laid before you. Hand it over to Him and quit trying to take control and rationalize everything. Second click on the Praying for Stellan button at the top of the page. Read about this precious baby and pray for him and his family. If there was ever a family that need to trust God, this is it. Lastly, either leave a comment about a verse of scripture or devotional that has touched your heart this week, or leave a post on your blog and then come back here to the MckLinky and link to your blog so we can see how His Word has touched you.

His Word Wednesday

The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace.
Psalm 12:6


Today, I'd like to share a recent devotion that touched my heart. It came from my The Word for You Today devotional.

Parents are the pride of their children.
Proverbs 17:6

The famous biographer Boswell tells of a day when his busy father took him fishing. Later when he read what his dad wrote in his journal, he was devastated: "Went fishing with my son; a day wasted!"If you want your children to be proud of you:

1. Protect them. Guard them physically when they are young and emotionally as they mature. Teach your son to respect girls, and interview the guys who date your daughter. Be sure to check out what they (and you) watch on TV, especially the increasingly dangerous influences of the Internet.

2. Listen to them. Don't be like the kid who told his mom, "I'm gonna be just like dad when I grow up. My eyebrows are already growing together, and when people talk to me, I don't listen." Listening builds a lifetime bridge to your child's heart.

3. Be affectionate with the them. Nothing builds security and self-worth in your kids like holding them. If you grew up without expressions of affection, make sure the don't.

4. Discipline them. But go one step further, model self-discipline in your own life. don't just preach, live it!

5. Be fun to be around. Show your children your lighter side. Don't be so preoccupied with work or church that you're a bore. "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance" (Proverbs 15:13).

6. Walk the walk. Former atheist Lee Strobel says, "When I became a Christian, my five year old daughter said, 'Mommy, I want God to do for me what He's done for daddy,'" and she gave her life to Jesus. Make Christ attractive to your children, and they will be drawn to Him.


Here is what I would like for you to day. Please share a recent devotional or scripture that has touched your heart. You can leave a comment or create a post on your blog and then add your site to the MckLinky so other visitors can read it. Thanks for sharing His Word on this Wednesday.

Nightlight

I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4

Many of our children are afraid of the dark. So, what do we do? We put a nightlight in the bedroom to calm their fears. This small dim light doesn't brighten the whole room, but it puts off just enough light for our children to see. We even go so far as to show them the inside of the closet and peek under the bed, you know, just to make sure.


I've always told Colin, "You know what is in the dark? The same things that are there when the lights are on."



Eventually, our children grow out of this fear because they do realize its the same in the dark as in the light. That nightlight helps give them that assurance.



The older we get, we have our own fears: health, finances, future, death. But God gives us a nightlight to help calm our fears: His Word, The Holy Bible. It is filled with God's promises to us, promises to calm our fears and take away our worries. If we didn't didn't seek God to calm our fears, we would be scared children hiding under our blankets. Night after night, we would fall asleep, exhausted from our fear. Life doesn't have to be that way, and God is the answer.



If we seek Him through His Word and prayer, He will be faithful and meet with us. He will shine His light upon us, alleviating our fears. Those same things will be there, but God will make them less scary.

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
Isaiah 41:13