ONE Step at a Time

The testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:3 (NIV 1984)

Hardship...it sometimes destroys a spirit. But character can be strengthened in the crucible of suffering. Do you ask God to develop perseverance in you through each trial you face? I didn’t use to ask God for anything but relief! But I have learned through the most difficult trials in my life there is great value in asking God to develop in me perseverance so that when the next trial comes... I will be more fully prepared to know how to respond in it. Remembering God's strong arm of faithfulness will be all we will ever need to help us withstand any crisis. 

God’’s Word is my Guide... and it is good to remember that it is God who is leading me. So I have learned to banish my worries by adopting these words..."one step ~ enough for me.”  

God desire to lead you too. You might as well quit straining to know what tomorrow will hold since God doesn't give us a crystal ball to see into the future. His Word is like a lamp unto our feet and a light for our path, (Psalms 119:105). God's Word tells us we don't need to know what will happen tomorrow. Praise the Lord! I can leave tomorrows problems until tomorrow...so this gives me at least one less thing to persevere through today! 

I have been given today to walk one step at a time... unafraid because I’m walking on the lighted path with Jesus. 

God has many ways that He might use to achieve His ends, but His wisdom determined the best way to accomplish them. ~Samuel Willard

The Victory is Yours...

    ...They will fight against you,
       but they will not defeat you,
    because I am with you.
    I will rescue you and save you," says the Lord. ~Jeremiah 15:20b (NCV)

We’ve all been there. Life seems to be going along peacefully and your problems are small, when suddenly out of “nowhere” you are engaged in a battle! 

Like a peaceful nation that must defend it’s walls and enter into battle when attacked from it’s enemies, our peaceful lives are called to battle when we are attacked by life’s harsh realities. When our lives are touched by serious illnesses, broken relationships or financial worries...to name just a few...we must leave our “mountaintop retreat” and go down into the valley. The valley is a sandy battlefield where keeping a firm footing on the solid foundation of God’s promises will be necessary for our victory.

One of our most difficult struggles we will engaged in will be to resist the noise of the enemy’s taunts and seek the Lord’s voice instead. Thankfully, the Lord understands our weaknesses and weariness and He is faithful to lead us firmly to victory in the valley. Yet, how bittersweet the victories can be when the battle ends. 

Feeling tired but grateful for all God has done...the Lord gives us His strength for our victory journey up to the summit with Him. Gently He guides us to sit with him high above the trees and look out with Him to a breath-taking view of what He has created. While resting with God in this moment of peace and beauty, it seemed safe to ask him...”Why?” Feeling a bit bolder still, we may even make a heartfelt request, “Please Lord, no more tough battles...this last one was too hard”. 

 It is here in these intimate moments with God that the Lord has chosen to speak to our hears and imparts the godly wisdom we pray so often for.

“What is necessary will come.” he reveals, “There is nowhere you will ever go that I have not also been. My truth always wins...you are assured the victory.”

Ahh... the sacred summit. In a world of constant change...there is a place that we can find a permanence. That place is in the person of Jesus Christ.

This is why You are great, Lord GOD . There is no one like You, and there is no God besides You, as all we have heard confirms. 2 Samuel 7:22

Trust Me!

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans:15:13 NLT

Last night was a rough one. My mom who lives with me had what I will call an “episode of obsession”.  Somehow her thoughts took her to thinking about her photo ID that will expire next year on her 85th birthday. She became very consumed in worry about how she was going to be able to renew it. I assured her that she had a full year before it would expire and that I would make sure it was renewed well in advance of it’s expiration. Yet, she continued to fret and worry as she began to search her address book for the phone number and address of who to contact regarding her ID. 

As I sat down beside her, I reminded her that I knew this was important to her and that it was important to me too. I promised her I would not forget to take care of this and then asked her if she trusted me to take care of all the things she no longer can do for herself alone. She said “Yes, but...” So we went round and round a few times as I tried to assure her of my competence to take care of this important matter. I again asked her to trust me and she kept saying she believed me and trusted me. 

Finally after many reassurances, I told her I loved her and then made her promise me to stop searching in her purse and drawer for information that I already possessed and would take care of. She said she loved me too and with a laugh we “agreed” that she would stop worrying about her ID. But she did not keep her promise. I saw that she was consumed in worry by the “unknown” of how I would get this done for her. So I went to my computer and found all the information we would need, printed it out and showed it to her. Finally, she seemed to breath a sign of relief as she “believed” me by seeing that I did have all the necessary paperwork to send in. After a while I went into her room to see how she was doing and she was contently reading her book. She looked up at me and smiled saying, "I feel it will be ok to wait until next year to renew my photo ID”. 

This morning as I sat and read my Bible, I found myself feeling very overwhelmed with sadness and dissatisfied with my life. My thoughts were filled with missing Brad. I was longing for what I had with him and feeling very depressed. I tried to pray but couldn’t. So, I sat silently instead. 

It was in the quiet I heard the Lord speak to my heart and ask; “Do you trust Me? I promised you I would take care of you. I will make sure you have all your needs met before any one of them “expires”. Stop worrying and rest...you can trust Me.”

I had to smile as I recognized some of my own assurances to my mom the night before and even more... I saw myself, as my mom, in my consuming thoughts of worry over the things I can not do alone. 

So I prayed. “Thank you Lord for loving me and for caring about what is important to me and treating them as important to you. Help me to place my complete trust in you so that I am able to take my eyes and thoughts off of me and find your rest from all concerns. I know You have every one of my needs in your hand and You will not fail to provide for each one as the need arises. Oh Lord, I am filled with joy and hope when I am found trusting you. I am greatly blessed to be given the opportunities your give me to serve the needs of others with the power of Christ in me. When my eyes leave me and are focused firmly on Jesus, I discover peace and find rest in hope. All glory is to God. Amen.”

Depend on the Lord;
       trust him, and he will take care of you. ~  Psalms 37:5 NCV

God's Testing

...He might test you, to do you good in the end— ~Deuteronomy 8:16c NKJV

Jesus is the great burden-bearer. I don’t know about you, but too often when trouble enters my life, I have first sought out and accepted anyone and everyone, who professes concern for me, hoping to find the comfort and relief I am desperately needing. Whenever I do this, I find I have created a painful delay in receiving the very things I crave the most! The truth is, none of us need to look beyond God to find the guidance and wisdom we are seeking when burdened. 

All things that touch our lives will unfold in perfect order as God has planned them, if we allow Him the freedom to shape our circumstances and lead us in the right decisions. 

It is good to remember...the Lord is merciful and kind. He loves us beyond measure. He intends to do us good, and He will bring into our lives those who can truly help us, if we leave it all in His capable hands.

God’s Word assures us that the Lord’s plans are ones that will ultimately prosper us. He wants us to know Him, and to know him more intimately. When difficulties come, it is by His order and filtered through his fingers for our benefit. 

When others say you have trouble. God says you have a test.

The test we face in life may seem impossible to pass...but our God who gives the test...also provides the answer. 

 “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. ~ Matthew 11:28-29 Common English Bible

Today is the Day!

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead... ~ Matthew 28:5-7b

I love Easter! Of all the special days in the year, celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection brings me the greatest joy and overflows my soul with boundless hope! It is also impossible for me not to be focused on the promise of His return as well. One day...Jesus will come back! 

Jesus’ first visit here on earth was greatly misunderstood by the people during that time as it remains still to this day. The Jewish people were looking for a king...not a servant. Like many today, the people during Jesus’ time must have had many debates and long discussions that included long streams of unanswered questions. Not so unlike today. Perhaps the most common question for all would be...”How could it be that God would wear the skin of mankind and allow himself to be treated with such distain... with such disregard?” 

The power He displayed in calming the sea and winds...healing the sick and even raising the dead, must have created great confusion amid their awe and as we read in God’s Word these miracles even angered many. The Jews and Gentiles who met and heard of Jesus must have asked many times over; “Who is this Jesus? Why does he speak with the authority of God, but look like an ordinary man? How can I be sure He is the One?” 

Feeling both drawn to Jesus and feeling perhaps afraid...it is easier to “do nothing” when given a choice to follow Jesus. 

He (Jesus) said to another person, “Come, follow me.”The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” ~ Luke 9:59-60 (NLT)

This kind of excuse sounds acceptable to our ears until we understand the real heart of the matter. A choice was given to this man to go with the Messiah! To go with Jesus would mean he would have to leave behind the familiar. He would have to leave behind some of the people he loved and give up some of the things that he thought brought him security. It would cause him to make a sacrifice...give up temporary contentment and acceptance for a life that would surely bring great challenges, trials and even rejection. Sounds like a pretty bad trade until you remember who it is you are going with! 

Is there really any doubt if you believe Jesus... that you can also trust Him? You can trust him not only with your father, but with every person you love. You can trust Him with your life! In fact... your life is what Jesus cares most about!

Which brings me back to Easter...did I mention I love Easter! Here is why...

By Easter morning the grief stricken disciples of Christ had spent three days in deep sorrow and morning over the brutal death of Jesus. (Perhaps like me, you also know what this kind of grief feels like..the unimaginable pain). This is what the followers of Jesus are experiencing... By now all hope is lost...all faith in what they believed to be true has been replaced with fear and unending questions full of doubts. It even appears to them that the religious leaders were right after all...as well as all the people who had rejected Jesus’ call to follow Him. Following Jesus had cost each man the rejection and ridicule from those family members and friends who did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. So in the midst of grief mingled with despair over what to do now... suddenly comes a rapid secession of knocks on the door...it’s Mary Magdalene and she is saying she and Mary has just seen Jesus. He’s alive!

“Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. ~ Luke 24:38-41a (NLT)

Easter fills the Christian heart with joy and wonder... and hope. Amazingly...the story doesn’t end here...Jesus is coming back! 

Jesus came to earth the first time he said; “to serve and give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). When Jesus returns in glory, He will be honored, exalted, and bowed down to. “At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-10).

Before Jesus’ return we still have time to make the choice of acknowledging His lordship and submitting to Him voluntarily. When Jesus returns, it will be too late to choose, too late to change your mind, too late to receive His gift of eternal life by belief that He died for your sins. Everyone who has not believed and bowed before Him will be forced to bow...even worse...will be then banned from His presence - forever. 

Have you chosen? To refuse to chose is to have chosen already. Dear friends... Choose now, before it is too late. 

For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. ~ 2 Corinthians 6:2 (Bold type added is mine)

Kathy

What's In A Name?

Nice / Pleasant / Thoughtful / Considerate / Honest / Trustworthy / Hard- working / Fun / Encouraging / Friendly / Generous / Forgiving /Positive...Mean / Unpleasant / Forgetful / Inconsiderate / Liar / Gossip / Lazy / Difficult / Unkind / Selfish / Self-absorbed / Stingy / Unforgiving / Negative.

Christian / Prays / Believes the Bible / Full of Hope / Lives life as though God is the answer to everything /Naive / Foolish / Delusional / Out of touch / Inconsistent / Hateful / Prejudice /Hypocrite....Lost / Unsaved / Evil / Beyond Reach / Closed -minded / Sinner / Rejected... 

Have you noticed how people (even you and me) tend to instantly label (name) other people? I find that this happen a lot with people we don’t know very well or have just met. It is also something that is done to us! This “name calling” isn’t limited to people who don’t know each other very well... we actually add even more “names” to the people we know best. Like it or not... we will always have people who both know us well and don’t know us at all... give us new names. 

As Christians we understand by God’s Word that the world will not understand our ways. In fact we have examples in the Bible of how some pagan rulers did their own version of “name calling” by attempting to change the names of God’s devoted followers. In Genesis 41:45 we learn that Pharaoh “renamed” Joseph, Zaphenath-Paneah. Giving Joseph this Egyptian name was probably meant to entice him into the Egyptian culture and to sooth the ego of this Ruler who may have been uncomfortable with placing a foreigner and former slave in charge of all of Egypt, second only to himself. This new name is mentioned... but the biblical writer is careful to ignore the name thereafter. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would later attempt in much the same way to conform Daniel and His friends to Babylon culture (See Daniel 1:7). The efforts of these Rulers fell short of success in both cases.

Today Christians are pressured to conform to the world as the world attempts to “rename” us too. We are in a constant battle as the world ~ even those with kind intentions ~ attempt to mold us into the image of the world’s culture. Like Joseph, who could not control what other people called him, but remained faithful and dependent on God, we too can keep from adopting what the world says is common and acceptable and remain faithful to God’s teachings.

 “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” ~John 15:19

Joseph’s new name was intended to make him “blend in”...unfortunately... the “new” names we as Christians today are labeled with are not usually given to “adopt” us or draw us into closer ties with the world but are given to isolate and disclaim us. How we respond...or rather not respond to these names is vital to our witness of who we are in Christ. The names placed on us that the world gives to Christians should not affect our actions. Whether these names are given to flatter us or insult us, we can choose to ignore the world’s names and rejoice in the fact that God has adopted us and knows our real name...our true identity is found in Him alone. 

Fruit of the Spirit ~ Kind, Faithful, Gentle, Self-Controlled, Loves, Joy-Filled, Patient, Full of Peace.

The sound of some names we are called just sound good...and right to our ears... but the most pleasing sound to my ears will be the sound of Jesus’ voice when he calls me by name and leads me home.

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ~ John 10:3 (Bold emphasis is mine)

Kathy

TRY AGAIN

Romans 5:1-5                                                                                                             Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

“Easy to Assemble”... that’s what the box said in bold print, so I bought it over another brand that didn’t claim the same. There was no mention in that bold lettering about the bag of tiny parts I found inside which required me to find a pair of glasses strong enough to see what they were...let alone know how to use them as they were designed to be! 

Yikes! When will I ever learn... “Nothing’s easy”... especially when it’s unfamiliar...and especially when it requires me to try the same thing more than once or twice to accomplish it. I’m really drawn to “easy”... I think most people are. 

The truth is; I like easy so much that I too often set myself up for disappointment and even failure when I open those boxes of challenging situations or difficult relationships. As it sits in my lap, I see that small bag of “parts that must be used” and moan as I realize I must “put on my stronger glasses” and pursue what God has for me in it. 

I have found “easy” is not always best... and “best” is not very often easy! Yet... what great peace and comfort I have discovered when I respond to life’s trials with the desire to “assemble” all the pieces that I have been handed with the guidance of God’s Word. I know I can trust that the finished product (me) will one day be completed. Glory!

So... if you are facing one struggle after another and your feeling tired and even overwhelmed by what you are being asked to do...try again...and also try responding as Peter did to Jesus after a long night of casting nets and catching no fish... 

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:5 (Emphasis mine)

Giving God my best in a situation or relationship doesn’t always produce the results I was expecting. Most often... I get so much more than I ever dreamed.

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats... Luke 6-7a

Praying you have a “boat-load” of encouragement from knowing that there is no shame in God’s mercy and grace as He leads us to “Try Again”...

Kathy

Comfort Zone

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”    ~ Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Old and Young ~ Rich and Poor ~Successful and Failed again ~ Ambitious and Not interested ~ Believer and Seeker....

No matter what your currently life situation is ... We all have a place we retreat to when life either is offering or confronting us with something we do not have an instant liking to or an instant “I can do that” response! Our Comfort Zone”!

In the past when I felt the Lord was leading me towards a new uncharted opportunity that seemed too big for me or that I didn’t feel qualified for, I didn’t walk ... I ran straight to my “comfort Zone” and screamed, “Not me”!

If you could place in a big box all the things that you feel would be found in your “comfort zone”, it might look a bit like mine.... 

~Only asked to do the things I already like and know how to do well. ~ Only work with people I know and like and get along with. ~ Everything asked of me comes naturally and is easy or takes little to no effort. ~ Healthy, no illnesses or afflictions for me or anyone I care about. ~ Plenty of money. No “surprise” bills.

Funny thing about our “Comfort Zone”. If you’re like me...you tend to think of it as a place of safety and a place to find rest and even peace. But is it really? I think you will find along side of each piece of “comfort” something else is attached to it as well...

~While “doing” the things that I like to do and that come easy and naturally I still get frustrated? How does that happen? ~ While I work along side of good friends I sometimes need more from them then they seem willing to give... disappointment and emotional fatigue begins to set in. ~ The doctor tells me I’m healthy so why does my head ache and my back hurt? I feel pain. Family and friends may have no serious health problems so why don’t they all have more energy? We’re all feeling so tired...discouraged even. ~ I have more than enough money to pay my current bills...but will I have enough as the cost of everything rises? Future money concerns have me feeing anxious and stressed. 

Yikes! I’m not feeling all that comfortable in my “comfort zone”! 

God did not create us to remain infants. I’m pretty confident if you’re breathing, you’re in a constant state of change! We are actually “wired for change.” 

We don’t have to look further than modern technology to see how fast our world is changing. No sooner do we buy the latest smart phone or computer and something better and faster comes on the market. Aren’t you glad we are not still using the phones and computers from years past?

I don’t even have to understand how these gadgets work to use them properly.The designer does all the hard internal work... all I have to do is agree to partner with him by following the directions. I am then enabled to obtain far greater knowledge and accomplish so much more than I ever could on my own.

We can resist the changes God brings into our lives...but why? What has indeed been  “good enough” yesterday is what has prepared us for our “even better” today...which leads us to God’s “better still” for tomorrow. 

Our God has already done all the hard work...He has also prepared us in advance (even if we don't think were ready) for what He is calling us to do. We don’t have to know how it will work out...we can just trust that not only will God’s Plan prevail...but that He will bless us and bring us success ...all for the Glory of God!

Why would you want to keep a “comfort zone” that is full of glitches and disconnects you from the abundance of God? Get connected and upgrade your “Comfort Zone” to Jesus...I’m willing to find my comfort zone in Christ...are you?

 “...because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” ~ Genesis 39:23b (NIV)

Kathy

Diluted Devotion

Psalm 119:71-75 (NIV)
It was good for me to be afflicted
   so that I might learn your decrees.
The law from your mouth is more precious to me
   than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Your hands made me and formed me;
   give me understanding to learn your commands.
May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
   for I have put my hope in your word.
I know, LORD, that your laws are righteous,
   and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

I recently read in one of my bible studies this statement; “If Satan cannot destroy God’s people he often settles for the next best option; he will try to dilute their commitment to God.”

At first I thought ~ OK... maybe that was something Satan was able to accomplish in the past with me, but Hey.... I’ve traveled a long distance away from my former “worldly- self” with Jesus, and there is no way Satan is going to be able to ever entice me again with anything he can offer! Nope...not possible. So I decided to sit down at my computer this morning and write about this very subject! 

Yikes! The first thing I saw as I entered my office was that my new computer screen was “lit up” but there were no images on it! Well that’s not right... So I giggled this and pushed that and still....nothing. As I decided to unplug it (yeah I know...you’re not suppose to unplug a computer before turning it off...) I began to feel upset since this computer is new and this is not suppose to happen. My thoughts raced to disgust as I also began to wonder if I will be without my computer if it needs repaired....how long will that take?  That thought really upset me as I rushed back to my first thought which was “this isn’t suppose to happen to a new computer”! Suddenly my beautiful song of victory I was humming as I entered my office quickly changed tunes from “I am woman hear me roar ~ of God” into “I am woman hear me roar ~ of the world.”

Well...after the unplugging and re-plugging, my computer instantly came on. “Praise the Lord’ I said out loud, as I sat down in front of my computer.... ‘now I’m ready to write...”

My first thoughts went to Peter who told Jesus; “But Peter said to Him, Even if they all fall away and are caused to stumble and distrust and desert You, yet I will not [do so]”! Mark 14:29 (Amplified Bible).

I think what I love the most about how God loves me is that He never gives up on me. Jesus knows exactly where my weaknesses are and in His protective care he will allow Satan and my sin nature to expose my worldly attitudes to my eyes and heart so that I can better see which path my feet are walking on. I can choose either the path of this world that may indeed lead to temporary pleasures but also great distress without hope...or choose the Path that leads to the Savior’s arms and eternal life with Him in heaven. Satan will attack my resolve to never stumble and tempt me with trusting “what seems right and good”...but God is faithful even when I am not. 

 "People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy".~ Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)

Dear Lord, Thank you for your mercy and grace...your love. Thank you for the example of Peter so that I may be encouraged by his example. I have stumbled and my devotion to you get’s diluted with my devotion to me. I pray that like Peter, I too will surrender my ways to Yours. This life is not my own and this world is not my home. Praise God! Increase my faith so that I will live each day fully devoted to Jesus. ~ Amen

Kathy

Divine Interruptions

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. ~ Philippians 3:7 NLT

I’m not very graceful. I tripped and stumbled so often as a child that when I was about 12 or 13 years old my mom even enrolled me in several classes that taught young girls how to properly and gracefully sit, stand...and walk! I may have gained some much needed skills way back when... but unfortunately I can still trip over the tiniest pebble as easily as the sizable stone to this day! Perhaps the clumsiness of my feet is due more to my “unawareness”  of where I’m walking than just my being unable to walk without stumbling.

I use to live my life the same way I use to walk as a child ~ not really paying attention and even unaware of what was right under my nose. I also wanted life to be smooth and easy without any ‘trip ups”. I was easily thrown off my feet by the unexpected changes to “my plans”.

Life. Who has a life that is not filled with the unexpected change to their plans?  Who lives a life that is not challenged by the need to adjust and change their focus to what is needed “right now”? 

Sadly, I have too often chosen to put on a big pair of rose-colored glasses...

sometimes even blinders... so I can either shade or completely block out the “stuff” I don’t want to see or possibly be asked to deal with. This “defensive” tool seems to have allowed me to see only a shadow of and at times even run away from people and circumstances that I saw as an unwanted interruption to my day ~to my life! Instead of seeing the interruption as coming from God and His desire for me to respond with His leading... I resented them.

I became very adept at dodging the people and circumstances that God intended for me to encounter....not understanding that God was giving me these things in answer to my long sought prayers to Him! “Lord” I prayed... “Help me to know You more” ~ “Love You more” ~ “ Trust You more” and to be “With me Lord always, so that I may be so bold one day as to say to You ‘Send me’ and be used by You for Your glory”. (Isaiah 6:8)

While I had been avoiding and resenting...even fearing “today’s” interruptions...I also was tripping over and miss seeing God’s love and blessing He had given to me "in it" for this day! 

I’m not very graceful...but God is full of grace for me. Far from having perfected my "walk" at least now my feet today are a bit more steady.

“Dear Lord,

Forgive my narrow thinking - my selfish attitude. I desire to be re-molded by the only One I trust to reshape my heart and give sight to my eyes. Protect me from stumbling as I trust You never will lead me where You have not also prepared for me to go. I know in asking this, I will be given opportunities that will change the direction of “my plans” ...but Lord, thank you....for how blessed am I that you would even choose me to be a part of a Divine interruption.”

I pray you too will accept God’s grace filled invitation to join Him in His work today.

Kathy