Trusting God in Every Area

This past week, I've been learning how to trust God even more.
We all go through phases in life that we don't quite give our all to Christ. We may give parts of our life to God... but what do we really "surrender" to Christ?
We say that we trust God in all things, but what happens when our faith is tried and tested? When we find out that a loved one has passed, or when we find out that our loved one has cancer. Do we trust God that Is He's in control of everything even then? Do we trust that He is still sovereign over all?
I can remember 13 years ago, when my mom was pregnant at the time with child number 5. She carried to full term, but baby Grace ended up being a still born. During this time of loss, my parents became so close to Christ, because they knew it was part of His plan and His will. It wasn't easy at first to accept that they had lost a child. My mom had her up and down days of trying to figure out why God had chosen to take their child away. My mom began to realize, it was never her child. It was always Gods child.

6 Weeks later, my mom was pregnant with my sister, Joy. The realization that God gives and takes away in the blink of an eye, was unreal. My sister, Joy, ended up having a cleft lip and pallet. She wasn't breathing when she was born, and then my dad talked to her and said, "Joy! Joy!" The doctor said to keep talking, and so my dad did. Joy responded to my dads voice, and started to breath.

I couldn't help but think of how we respond when God calls us by name. In those moments that we might have gone astray, or  feel lost, scared, and alone, God is with us even then.
9/11 was just a couple days ago. The day in history that has been marked as a terrorist attack. Many asked, "Where was God when _____?" we all might have doubts like that; but what do we choose to do with those thoughts? Do we choose to trust God, and know that He has a will and plan that may defer from ours? I pray that in my trying times, that God uses it for His glory, and not my own.

"In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." ~Psalm 62:7-8~

"As for God, His way is perfect... He is a shield to all who trust in Him." ~Psalm 18:30~

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." ~John 16:33~

God's Will

As I write this, I'm in Russia for the first Homeschool Conference!
DURING the time That I've Been here, I've Been Thinking and Praying A lot! 
It has Been super neat to see God work in this, for ALL of His glory!!! :)
When I first WAS Asked to Come to Russia, I WAS super excited! ... Still am! ;) HOWEVER, WAS A Their Process of trusting God That I HAD to Experience. When I first HAD Applied for my Passport, I Told That WAS with expedited shipping, it Should be here within A Week in A Half. Two weeks later, it WAS still not here. I WAS worried That Would not it be here in time, and I Went over the "What if's" in my head. It WAS DURING this Process That my parents Constantly reminded me That if God wanted me to go, That He'd make it happen ... in His timing! One thing .. . That my heart WAS not Willing to Let God have. Once I received my passport, I HAD to apply for A Visa to go to Russia. You have to be Invited, but I just Applied for A 29 day tourist Visa, since we ' d only be there for 2 weeks. I HAD to go over to the Davidson's house to fill out That, Because Their WAS so many Questions That I did not know the answer to.
When I sent in the Passport, Visa to receive A passport, I WAS Told That it'd be here within A Week in A Half. It WAS here in one Week! :) After That, it WAS Official That I Would be going to Russia!!! 
however the the the, WAS not at the Process All Easy to Trust in God! God Knew the Entire time, What the Outcome WAS going to be, and yet I WAS worried That this Opportunity WAS going to Pass up.

• 1 Peter 4:11-12

  If anyone Speaks, Should he do it as one speaking the very Words of God. Serves If anyone, he Should do it with the strength God Provides, so in That All May be things God through Jesus Christ Praised. To HIM be the glory and the power for Ever and Ever. Amen. Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.

• 1 Chronicles 16:11

  Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

• Exodus 15:2

  The LORD is my strength and my song; he has Become my Salvation. He is my God, and I Will Praise HIM, my Father's God, and I Will Exalt HIM. I saw this the Other Day, and thought I'd Post That it! Enjoy! Me: God, can I ask you A question? God: Sure! Me: Why did You Let so much stuff happen to me Today? God: What do you Mean? Me: Well, I woke up late, took my car forever to start. At lunch they made ​​my sandwich wrong and I had to wait. On my way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call. And to top it all off, when I got home I just wanted to soak my feet in my new foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work! Nothing went right today! Why did you do That? God: Let me ... See the Death angel WAS at your Bed this morning and I had to send one of My angels to Battle HIM for your Life. I let you sleep through that. I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road. The first person who made ​​your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work. Your phone Went Dead Because the person Calling That WAS going to Give false Witness About What you Said That on call, I did not even Talk to you so you Let Them Would be Covered. Oh, and Foot Massager That, it HAD A shortage That was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I did not think you wanted to be in the Dark. Me: I'm sorry God!
  God: Do not be sorry, just learn to Trust Me in ALL things, the good and the bad.
  Me: I Will Trust You!
  god : And do not Doubt That my plan for your Day is always better than your plan.
  Me: I Will not God. And Let me just Tell you God, Thank You for everything Today!
  God: You're welcome Child! It was just another day being your God and I love looking after My children! :) May we learn to Trust God in All Circumstances!

Trusting God & Waiting on His timing

This past week, I've been learning a lot about trusting God. I have the opportunity to go to Russia with a homeschooling family that I know. Because they leave in March, I have to get my first passport... So, I sent it in, and expedited the shipping. I got worried, that the passport wouldn't get here in time to get the Visa for Russia. I'm still worried! In fact, I was so worried, that my mom had to constantly tell me, "if it's God's will that you go, then He will make it happen! Don't worry about it! You've done all that you can do, it's in God hands now." What a great reminder! I was so worried that "I" did something wrong and that
"I" didn't do it soon enough, when really, it doesn't matter... it's in God's hands.
I've been really trusting God in this matter. Have you ever had that happen in your life? You feel like you've done all that you can do, and now you just have to... WAIT. :)
Waiting... waiting... and waiting...
Can't say that I like it. Time moves like an Alaskan glacier. The clock ticks every five minutes, not every second. Someone pressed the pause button. Life in slo-mo. We don't like to wait. We are the giddyup generation. We weave through traffic, looking for the faster lane. We frown at the person who takes eleven items into the ten-item express checkout. We drum our fingers while the song downloads
or the microwave heats our coffee/tea.
Waiting on God to give, help, heal, waiting on God to come. We indwell the land betwixt prayer offered and prayer answered. The land of waiting.
Are you in God's waiting room? If so, here is what you need to know: while you wait, God works. (John 5:17) He's working for you as well. "Be still, and know that I am God" reads the sign on God's waiting room wall. You can be glad because God is good. You can be still because he is active. You can rest because he is busy. To wait, biblically speaking, is not to assume the worst, worry, fret, make demands, or take control. Nor is waiting inactivity. Waiting is a sustained effort to stay focused on God through prayer and belief. To wait is to "rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;... not fret."
(Psalm 37:7)
Waiting is easier read than done. It doesn't come easily for me. I've been in a hurry my whole life. Keep waiting! "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
Fresh strength. Renewed vigor. Lets that don't grow weary. Delight yourself in God, and he will bring rest to your soul. :)

God, give me the Strength to Stand!

Recently, a friend of mine told me some things that she needed prayer for. I felt so special, to know that she trusted me by telling me her hurts and pains.
Sometimes in life, all we need is a shoulder to cry on, or someone to tell us that it's going to be okay. We need the strength to stand, and sometimes, God gives us friends to show us just that. God is our ultimate Strength!

So, when we need strength...where do we go to? Whom do we turn to?
My siblings this past week, have had this dry cough. For my 14 year old brother, Austin, it's not as big of a deal, but for my 4 year old brother, Elijah, he coughs so much at night that he can't breath, which scares him, so he cries...keeping specifically my parents up all night! So in the morning, my parents need Gods strength to get through the day. They can't make it without Him.

When we are most desperate, we cry out to God, and God strengthens us to get back up again and stand. So, maybe you have a friend whose struggling. Maybe their struggling to put food on the table, maybe their struggling financially, or maybe their struggling in some other way. Whatever they are struggling in, offer to pray for them, and see if there's anything else you can help with; whether it's cooking for them, offering to watch their kids for the day, (whether you feel like it or not) or something else. Show a little encouragement to them, and let God use you to give them the Strength to stand! And the next time you feel weak, pray to God,
"God, give me the Strength to Stand!"

Do you Trust God?

When times are tough, I have a question...Do you trust God?
My mom just recently got a surgery on her mouth, and during the entire day and week before her surgery, she was worried, and scared. She knew that God was there, but she had to keep reminding herself, "Do I Trust God"...to know that I will be alright? Do I trust God to know that the Doctor's/surgeons know what their doing?
Life is like that isn't it? With friendship we have to earn each other's trust, and with God, we have to trust him to know that he's there.
I found this poem online, and i thought I'd share it with you.
Enjoy!

Do You Trust Me?
Do you trust me
When things aren’t going right
When life deals some painful blows
When finances are awfully tight?

Do you trust me
When tragedy comes your way
When you don't get all the answers
When you bend your knee to pray?

Do you trust me
When friends don't understand
When there's no one you can talk to
No one to hold your hand?

Do you trust me
When there's warring in your soul
When there's darkness all around you
And you’re left out in the cold?

Do you trust me
When evil is against you
When there's nowhere left to run
And you can't find the truth?

Do you trust me?
I need to ask you this
'Cause you don't always know
I'm there in the midst
Of all your tribulations
Everything that you go through
I am always there, my child
And I will never leave you

So I must ask of you
To see if you believe
No matter what you face in life
You must always trust in me

~© By M.S.Lowndes

When You are at your Wits End Part 2

The Lord's our rock, in Him we hide,
secure whatever ill betide
A shelter in the time of storm

The raging storms may round us beat
We'll never leave our safe retreat,
a shelter in the time of storm.

~Ira Sankey

This song brings me to the question...Who do you put your trust in? When times are tough, and it's hard to hold on, where do you go? Where do you hide?

The Storm:
"It causes us to catch our breath. It captures perfectly the power of nature in all its unleashed fury. As our eyes move across the canvas, we know what it means to be clinging to the deck of a ship that is caught in a terrible storm. We take the forces of nature for granted-until we become their helpless prey.
We know how the disciples felt, violently tossed in the nighttime waves and fearing death before Jesus came. We know how the passengers of the Titanic felt on a far calmer night-but one in Which the greatest ship ever built was no match for a stray block of ice. We're gazing at the portrait of a furious tempest."

(Excerpt from: When your world falls apart by David Jeremiah)

The question is...can we stand?
The answer is...no! We can't stand. Not alone! that's why God's there. He takes us by the hand, and he helps us along the way. He helps us through the raging seas, and torrents of water that come crashing down on us. God is right there with us at our Wit's End. He will guide us safely through.

Here is a video. It's called, "Hold On" by 33 Miles.

I hope you enjoy

Hold On on GodTube.

Too Blessed to be Stressed!

Too Blessed To Be Stressed

I'm Too Blessed To Be Stressed,
Too Anointed To Be Disappointed
I refuse to be discouraged,
to be sad or to cry.
I refuse to be downhearted
and here's the reason why:

I have a God who is almighty;
who is sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me,
and I am on His team.

He is all wise and powerful;
Jesus is His Name;
though everything else is changeable,
My God remains the same.

I refuse to be defeated!
My eyes are on my GOD!
He has promised to be with me,
as through this life I trod.

I am looking past my circumstances,
to Heaven's throne above.
My prayers have reached the heart of God.
I am resting in His Love.

I give thanks to Him in everything.
My eyes are on His face.
The battle is His; the victory is mine;
He will help me win the race!

I repeat, "I'M TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!"

~ Eric Geoffrey Plott ~
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