Sweet 16 Tips For Living a God Honoring Life.

As we looked this week on controlling our actions to live a life of balance and harmony in accordance to God's plan, I want to share the verse from 2 Corinthians 6: 1 - 10 that I feel gives us a good picture of how our actions should look.

Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us.

Tip 1. Paul is saying, we are all in this together. Lets not waste one minute of this incredible life we have been given.

God reminds us.

I heard your call in the nick of time; The day you needed me, I was there to help. God is always there for us!

Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped.

Tip 2. Don't put it off; don't frustrate God's work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're doing. Don't procrastinate or be lazy!

Tip 3. Our work as God's servants gets validated, or not, in the details. Sometimes our work for God gets recognized and sometimes it doesn't, it doesn't matter, just do the work!

People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly in

Tip 4. Hard and tough times, when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed
How do I react to hard times in my life?

Tip 5. Working hard, working late, working without eating
Am I quick to brag about how hard I am working?

Tip 6. With pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love Am I quick to share my intentions for why I do what I do?

Tip 7. When we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power
Am I first to give God the credit for everything?

Tip 8. When we're doing our best setting things right
Am I always doing the right thing?

Tip 9. When we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored. Am I quick to take the praise and just as quick to shift the blame?

Tip 10. True to our word, though distrusted
Do I hold all commitments that I make?

Tip 11. Ignored by the world, but recognized by God
Do I care if my efforts are not recognized by the world?

Tip 12. Terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead
Am I living as though I am terrifically alive in Christ?

Tip 13. Beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die
No matter how bad the situation, do I trust in God to NEVER give up?

Tip 14. Immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy
Knowing how bad the situation, do I believe that God's plan is perfect!

Tip 15. Living on handouts, yet enriching many
Do I give all that I have, knowing that God will provide more?

Tip 16. Having nothing, having it all.
Do I realize that by having nothing, I actually have it all?

Now I can not answer yes to every one of those 16 actions in my life, however I can see some that I am strong in and others were I have a weakness. The Bible says you must confess your sin. Confession of sins means to admit to God that a particular action or thought is indeed sin. Which of those 16 actions have you not held true this week? Once you agree with God that your actions are sinful, confess, and He forgives you!

We have been given an incredible gift in Christ, let us remember that our salvation is secure if we believe that Christ died on the cross to forgive our sins. We do not need to follow a set a rules to earn our salvation, it has already been provided for us. However we do need to work daily at striving to become better and better at the list provided, knowing that when we do mess up, Christ will forgive us and allow us to start over the next day!

Blessings,

Jill

Don't Put Off Today, What You Can Do Tomorrow

One of the things I learned as a child from my parents was to have a good work ethic. To dive into the task at hand and not to procrastinate. Growing up on a farm in NW Iowa provided lots of opportunities for hard work, from walking beans in the summer to morning cattle chores. One summer I remember my mom putting my sister and I in charge of running the house, which included washing, cleaning, cooking, meal planning, grocery shopping, etc...I remember my sister and I taking our 'noon' lunch break while we got caught up on 'All My Children'. I am proud to say that I can make bread and pie crusts from scratch and nothing smells better than homemade bread baking in the oven! Making bread takes most of the day as you walk through the various stages and have to allow time for it to rise. It is a time consuming task and require patience and dilegent effort. I believe the work ethic I learned as a child embedded in me good organization, time management, and even becoming a good cook. With so much to be done, there was no room for procrastination.

In Ephesians 4:1, Paul shares, 'I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love.

Should you seek to keep your life under control simply to avoid negative consequences? Wait until the last minute to complete your tasks so that you just skim past the deadline?

Your motivation for Christian living isn't fear of God's punishment or a frantic drive to earn God's favor, rather it is the steady eddy of life. The day in and day out continuous work and you will get tired!

When Abraham had been promised a son and was in age of 100 and his wife barren he didn't rest rather in Romans 4:20 - 21 it shares, 'He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.' He kept on working for God! God made him strong in his weakness in order for God's glory to shine through!

The good news is that God hears your cry, when you are tired and weak. When you think I will just do it tomorrow. Living a life that is in balance and harmonious with God's plan will not be easy, in fact it will be exhausting at times, however 'to be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.'

Don't put off today, what you can do tomorrow!

Work hard and diligent and rely on God's strength when you are weak!

Blessings,

Jill

A Foothold In My Life

This week we are talking about controlling our actions in order to live a more balanced life in harmony with God's plan.

Do you ever feel like Satan has a foothold in an area of your life? Something that you know is not good for you, yet you succumb every time to that temptation?
The verse I would like to focus on today is from 1 Corinthians 10:13.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.

Even when we are armed with spiritual truths, situations develop that push us to our limits. At times, sin's attraction and temptation enticement feel too powerful to resist and when we give into temptations, our lives spin out of control.

When I reflected on this principal, a temptation that I face daily would be my battle with diet and exercise. Amazing to me as I look back on the last 25 years of my life, (and no, I am not 25) I have always had body image issues. I can never remember a time when I didn't think I was heavy. I was a track athlete in high school and college and struggled with this issue constantly. As I look back at pictures during that time and even after I had my two babies, I marvel at the fact of what distortion I saw in the mirror. Now I would give anything to have that body back! What was I thinking? I was thinking in terms of the world and what it was telling me. I have been to the both extremes with diet and exercise.

As I my relationship with God grows closer, I also know that Satan works even harder on my heart and the one area where he has a foothold in my life would be in taking care of my 'temple'. Satan knows my weaknesses, my distortion with food and exercise, how I react to stress or boredom, and he is right there encouraging me daily to succumb to out of control eating and laziness. He knows I have developed bad habits over the years and bad habits are not easy to break on my own.

So I was convicted today with this passage, AGAIN! I know that God will help me overcome this sin in my life. He has given me the Holy Spirit to dwell within my 'temple' and I am not doing a very good job of taking care of it!

Proverbs 21:20 says that 'In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all that he has.' I am often times the foolish man!

Matthew 6:25 says, Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes? Why do I constantly think about food?

Ephesians 4:27. Do not give the devil a foothold! I will not any more!

Hebrews 5:14. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. I choose to train myself for only solid food and to distinguish from good from evil!

Ephesians 6:10. Be strong in the Lord (not in myself) and draw from His might power!

So in the days and weeks to come at the end of every day, I plan to hold myself accountable and share in my success in this area of my life and how God is helping me to take better care of my temple!

Because I know that 'No test or temptation that comes MY way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All I need to remember is that God will never let ME down; He'll never let ME be pushed past MY limit; he'll always be there to help ME come through it.'

I choose TODAY to no longer let Satan have a foothold in this area of my life!

I choose FREEDOM in Christ!

Blessings,

Jill

A House on a Rock

As a little girl, one song that I remember learning in Sunday School was 'The wise man built his house upon the rock and the rains came tumbling down. The foolish man built his house upon the sand and the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up and the house on the rock stood firm." Well, at least that was part of the song.

When I was preparing for today's blog, the Holy Spirit really spoke to me on being dead to sin. We hear a lot of being dead to sin and alive in Christ, but what does that really look like in your life? I realized that when I count myself dead to sin, I simply remind myself that I no longer have to respond to sin's demands. Christ is giving me the FREEDOM and the STRENGTH to say NO!

Romans 6:11 - 13 states, "That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God."

Did you know it takes 21 days to form a new habit? 21 days of consistently changing your thought patterns and actions. I often times look at sin as bad habits. Bad habits that I easily fall prey to over and over again. A situation arises and I react the same way over and over again. I know I shouldn't. How many times have you said, 'But I just can't help myself.'

I just can't help myself! You are absolutely RIGHT! You CAN'T help yourself! We can try over and over again, but we are building a house on sand and when the rains and the floods come, it will wash away every time!

So how do I stop the cycle?

1. Have you received and accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior of your life? Have you verbally and with your whole heart committed your life to Christ?

2. Have you identified unconfessed sins in your life and confessed them to Christ?

3. Knowing that those sins can easily resurface what are you doing that will trigger your heart and your thought process to remind yourself that you no longer have to respond to sin's demands?

You best defense is to be grounded in God's Word daily. Growing closer to Him will trigger your heart and your thought processes back to Him, breaking the pattern of sin.

However, in spite of all God has done to empower me to keep me from sub combing to old, sinful habits, I still find myself failing and sinning. People still sin after they become Christians. So I must confess those sins and agree with God in His assessment of my actions. God will then strengthen me to walk with greater victory over sin in the future!

Recognizing that I will occasionally continue to think that building my house on the sand will hold strong, I must continually day after day continue to build with solid bricks and mortar building my house on the ROCK, so when the rains and the floods come my house will stand firm!

Blessings,

Jill

P.S. As we discussed building our houses on the rock today, I would ask for prayers for the people of Parkersburg, Iowa. Many lost their homes and lives in the tornados that swept through Iowa on Sunday evening. This is an email I received from a friend, who's mother-in-law (Bertha) was affected by this tradegy.

Al's mother lives in Parkersburg, IA and her home was destroyed by Sunday night's tornado. She did not make it to the basement in time and it is only by the grace of God that she is alive.

A neighbor found her in the rubble of her home. He found sheets to help slow the bleeding, boards and pillows to transport her by ATV to the fire station where she was taken by ambulance. We knew that she had been taken because a giant x was placed in her driveway and we started calling all emergency rooms and placing family members at each of the area hospitals till we could find her. One family member did see her being lifted into the ambulance so we at least knew she was receiving immediate attention somewhere.

My mother-in-laws name is Bertha, she is 85 years old and a fighter. Her left lung is collapsed, with broken ribs. The left side of her body was injured, and the Drs say something of great force went through her rotator cuff of her left arm. She has multiple fractures, cuts and bruises and open wounds. There is some muscle gone from her left leg.

Only the floorboards and basement of her home are left. We have no idea where her appliances went, the carpeting is gone, there are no walls. Her car is upside down in her back yard. The neighbors did make it to the basement but even the floor boards were ripped off their house and a car and golf cart ended up in the basement with them.

We were in the town of Parkersburg today to salvage what we could from Bertha's home. I cannot even begin to describe the devastation all around. However many more lives could have been lost. I am hearing miracle after miracle of how people lives were protected and saved. People from all across Iowa are coming to aide of the people of Parkersburg.

But MOM....!

Over the past three weeks, we have begun to look at what living a life of balance, harmony, and control can be with Christ in the center of our lives. As we head into week 4, our focus moves to looking at our actions and more about God's expectation for our actions.

If you are a mom, you have probably heard, 'But mom, she made me do it!' And without see the situation unfold, you are left to discern who is right and who is wrong, knowing that whatever side you pick, you are going to suffer the consequences.

From the beginning people have struggled to keep their lives under control. In Genesis when God asked Adam and Eve to explain their action they responded with "The woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the woman, "What is this that you've done?" "The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

Given the opportunity most of us will shift the blame when we are confronted with sin.

For the past 10 years, the majority of weeks in a year I am a solo parent for a three of the four days in a week. Although you would think that after 10 years, I would have this down, I will admit there are some weeks when frustrations build and my parenting skills are not at there peak. After a few too many 'MOM! She....', I can be at my wits end. Milo walks in the door after a long three days of traveling and instead of a warm hug he gets an earful of my week. As I pour out my frustrations sometimes I end up blaming him for being gone, for not understanding, for not answering his phone, and the list can go on. Sometimes he retaliates and lashes back shifting his frustrations into the situation only to add more fuel to our fire. Other times he calmly confronts me with truth, asking if I am blaming him for either my personal struggles or my struggles with the kids.

It is those times when I am confronted with the truth that although painful to hear, it stops me to truly evaluate my lack of patience, my lack of boundaries in parenting that have caused this situation. Instead of shifting that on him I need to step back and look at my own sinful nature.

God created us in His image and gave us the freedom to make moral choices. He holds us responsible for the choices we make. Blame shifting is not an option; we are accountable ONLY to God for our actions.

So what should I do when those weeks of a few too many 'MOMs!' happen? Romans 1 - 2 gives me the answer.

'What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?'

It is important for me to remember to die to the old self and not let my sinful, human nature try to fix the situation. Instead I need to pray for discernment, patience, peace, and the right words to handle the parenting situation at hand relying not on my own power, but God's strength to get me through those three days a week.

As a slave to righteousness, we can live a life that pleases God. The time of negative reactions ends and positive spiritual control begins.

From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did. Romans 6:11

Blessings,

Jill

Reflections from Week 3

Week 3 in our 10 week series brought us to Philippians 4:8 where we looked at our thoughts. When we looked at the impact that our thoughts can have on our lives, we saw just how important it was to fill our minds with things that bring pleasure to God. Our thoughts greatly affect our lives and the lives of those around us in both positive and negative ways.

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.

On Monday, we got the 'wheels turning' as we examined what the definition of true and noble meant to us. We saw that the one absolute truth in this messy world is God's Word. That no matter what, we can always rely on looking to His Word as our compass in life. Noble meant how we were living out our lives as examples of our thoughts. That our thoughts and actions were true reflections of our lives. The question was posed, what are your thoughts and are they truly pleasing to God and to others?

Tuesday, we realized that often times the 'truth hurts'. As we looked at the definition of right, we identified that God is able to see past the hollowness in our hearts and extract the truth in our lives. Through using the example of a bone marrow harvest, God extracts the lies within the hollowness of our hearts. Bringing the reality of the situation to the surface can hurt, however ridding ourselves of the bad and replacing it with the good, results in true spiritual growth.

On Wednesday we learned about the 'Japenga's, 10 second tidy'. How important it is for us to honestly look at what we are subjecting our minds to on a daily basis. Questions were asked of what type of media are we routinely exposing ourselves to and how that can affect us consciously and unconsciously.

Thursday brought us to reflect on the words lovely and admirable. This was my favorite day of the week because I was able to share deep feelings from my heart regarding my awesome husband. I asked the question regarding 'who was in your fave 5' and where those individuals reflective of admiration, love, and were they morally and spiritually attractive. Milo is truly a reflection of those traits and because of that he has a significant impact on my thoughts, actions, and life.

Finally Friday gave us permission to set the bar high, 'to shoot for the moon and land among the stars'! God is worthy of and expects our thoughts and actions to be excellent and praise worthy. Mediocrity is not allowed, for God has put us in charge of much and to much is given, much is expected. We are called to give and do our best in all walks of our lives.

Thoughts that are pleasing to God are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. By focusing our thinking on those things set forth in Philippians you will bring pleasure to God, to yourself, and to those around you! When your thoughts reflect the above traits, you begin the first step in living a life of balance, control, and harmony.

Your best means of defense from Satan, who will easily obscure your thoughts is to be grounded in God's Word DAILY! No situation will be too difficult, no temptation will be to great that Scripture can't help you through successfully!

Wishing you all a fun and safe, Memorial Day weekend! I am planting my FIRST vegetable garden tomorrow, so please pray for great weather and a GREEN thumb! ;-)

Blessings,

Jill

Shoot For the Moon and Land Among The Stars

A wise woman once said, "Shoot for the moon and you will land among the stars." Or if you don't set a goal, you will miss it every time. Excellence is one of my favorite words in the dictionary and is the final leg of Philippians 4:8 that we will reflected on this week. I love setting goals and striving for excellence in my life. Do I always reach those goals? NO! Am I living a life of higher excellence because I am always striving for something? YES!

I believe it is important to surround yourself with individuals who believe in living a life of excellence. When you are able to be with people who allow you to think beyond your present, it expands your mind into the possibilities of becoming and doing more than you could have ever imagined.

I believe that God has given us enormous talents and that we often times only skim the surface of those gifts and the impact that using those talents can have on those around us. We also underestimate God's power in our life.

Psalm 8 can help us focus on the excellence of God.

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place. What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.

God has set a high standard of excellence for us to strive for. We are not made to settle just being mediocre. We are made for excellence.

How many times have you given up, right before the finish line? May be something was just too hard, too time consuming, too burdensome, and it was easier to throw in the towel.

What about those times when you gave everything you had. You laid exhausted at the finish line, knowing that you didn't have an ounce left.

We often times view the success of others and are envious. We think, 'wow, she has it all'. All we see if the end result. We didn't see the efforts leading up to the success; the hours of work, the missed attempts, and the high level of excellence that was set.

Websters defines excellent as outstandingly good among its kind, of exceptional merit. Praiseworthy means commendable.

So what standard have you set for you life?

This is good enough, not great, but good enough.
If they want better work, they should pay me more!
Why should I try hard, no one else does?
I am just too tired!
I am not going to try something new, because I am afraid I will fail.
I am just too busy.

Are you too busy doing a lot of things mediocre and really nothing excellent?

Statements such as these could indicate problems.
Is there a possibility you might be settling for mediocrity?

When you child comes home from school and he or she is 'just too tired' to do their homework, do you say, 'Don't worry honey, you don't have to do it." Or do you set a high level of excellence for them reinforcing that it is important for them to finish the task at hand and strive for a level of excellence.

So why is that bar not set high enough for you?

What would you life or job be like if you set high standards and were able to declare: 'This is my best work, I'm proud to put my name on it!'

God has given us the responsibility to care for everything he has given us and to do it with excellence!

When you settle for mediocrity that is exactly what you will get. When you allow mediocrity to fill your mind and your life and accept that which is second best you are not living up to God's standards.

Pray today that God will help you set high standards in the way that He will be pleased! Afterall if you shoot for the moon, you will always land among the stars.

Blessings,

Jill

Who Is In Your Fave 5?

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Phillipians 4:8 is the passage we are focusing on this week as we evaluate our thoughts when looking at how we can live a life under God's control.

Lovely and admirable, as I sat and pondered on those two words this morning what continued to come to my mind over and over was my husband, Milo.

Loveliness usually brings to mind beauty. Websters defines lovely as having those qualities that inspire love or affection, morally or spiritually attractive. Admirable means inspiring or deserving of esteem. Two weeks ago I wrote a blog on 'What Goes In, Must Come Out' and asked the question, 'Who are the top 5 people you spend the most time with?' I believe there is a cell phone commercial that ask, 'Who is in your fave 5?'

One person that is in my fave 5 would be Milo. Next week we will be celebrating our 18 year anniversary. We began dating right after I graduated from high school. He was going into his senior year and I was off to the University of Iowa. We grew up together in a small town in NW Iowa and our graduating classes ranged from 22 - 28. We were both actively involved in sports and music, however never really noticed each other until a few months before graduation. In May of 1987, I started receiving 'secret admire' notes in my locker. I was dating a young man 2 years my senior, so I blew the notes off as a prank being pulled by one of my classmates. Milo finally came clean at a year end school banquet, so I politely humored his 'puppy love' and thought one date would be harmless in exchange for his obvious admiration. After methodically plotting out our 'friendship' date in a town 30 miles north of small town Iowa, we ventured in his newly clean and polished Grandma's Buick to see 'Nightmare on Elm Street 3'. And well, the rest is history. My boyfriend came back from ISU only to have his heart broken and Milo and I have been together ever since. That first date would actually have been 21 years ago this month.

Milo and I have really grown up together. We got married in June of 1990 and lived in Decorah, Iowa in a small married student housing apartment while we completed our last 2 years of college. Our careers in nursing and teaching led us to Hokah, MN where we rented a small two bedroom apartment right on the main street of the 800 person town. Two years later we moved 10 miles east to Houston, MN and purchased our first 'starter' home. The summer of 1995, I was 7 months pregnant and we completely gutted our home except for two rooms. We finished our remodel and even added a 2 stall garage just a month before Kennedy Christine arrived.

1998 brought career changes for both of us as Milo moved into the insurance business and I became a Mary Kay Consultant. December of 1998, Madison Mary joined her sister and we moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for Milo to accept a position with Aegon.

As I reflect on those last 18 years, we have had the normal ups and downs of any marriage. We have struggled with the addition of children and the changes in dynamics in our relationship. We have muddled through poor financial decisions. Between the two of us, we have had 8 major surgeries. We have moved 5 times and been through marital counseling 3 times. We have had those hard discussions into the early morning hours wondering if we should really stay together or would it be easier to get divorced. We have gone for months being emotionally and physically distant from one another. We have grown spiritually at different times.

But in the last 18 years, we have collected pop cans just to go to the movie. We have witness the miraculous birth of our two daughters. We rode in a horse driven cart up the side of a mountain in Ireland in the pouring rain laughing so hard our stomachs hurt. We have connected on such a deep emotional level that we can usually say what the other one is thinking. Just a month ago, we made a bon fire and camped together in our back yard. We recently became a 'biker couple'. The traits that used to drive us crazy about each other, we now graciously accept with love. He has become more tidy and I have become more relaxed. We both love Jesus with our whole heart and welcome Him as the cord that makes the three strands in our marriage not easily broken.

We now see each other for the individuals that we are and we can't imagine not growing old together. Milo has a spirit of graciousness and sweetness that comes from deep inside and can't help but shine through to others. I see the power of God in him because he has lived through times of difficulty and is strengthened by God's grace and love. He lives a life worthy of admiration and respect. He is an incredible father, friend, and husband. I would travel to the ends of the earth to be with him, even if it meant living in a van down by the river. He is a man of integrity, unending love, and humor. He hopes to leave this world knowing that he made others feel good about themselves. He is forth right, honest, and gifted in wisdom and mercy. He is a man after God's heart. I love him with every ounce of my heart and because of our faith in Christ I know that we will spend eternity together. When I ponder on lovely and admirable today, Milo Robert Japenga is the first to come to mind.

Blessings,

Jill

The 10 Second Tidy.

This week we are looking at Philippians 4:8.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Yesterday we looked at 'whatever is right' and today we will focus on 'whatever is pure'.

One of the lessons I learned early on in life was 'not to be a litterbug'. It seems I knew from a young age that it was inappropriate to throw my trash out the car window and in a home everything has a place. As an adult I will have to admit one of my 'hang ups' is a 'littered' house. Although I have relaxed a bit in my older age, having a picked up house enables me to focus on other tasks. In our house we have what is called the '10 second tidy'.

A '10 second tidy' is simply checking every room in the house to make sure that things are in their proper place. Once my 10 second tidy is completed, I have the next 6 hours (before the kids get home from school) to focus on my tasks at hand. Then the 10 second tidy starts all over again between 3:30 and bedtime and in the summer, well, it is an ongoing process! :-)

Like our houses can get cluttered with 'stuff', so can our minds become clogged with impurity. Our world brings so much into our minds consciously and unconsciously that we can be come stagnant in our thinking. A steady focus on impure thoughts will send our lives out of control.

Remember in week 1 when we looked at David and how he focused on Bathsheba's beauty which then spiraled into a web of lies and a murder?

Today I want you to ponder on the following 8 sources of input.

What do you watch on television?

What do you listen to on the radio?

What type of music do you prefer?

What books are you reading?

What magazines do you look at?

What types of movies do you watch?

What do you view on the Internet?

While media can be a source of information for our good, it is important for you to evaluate what you are taking in by God's standards. While some may say, I am only viewing this for entertainment purposes. I would challenge to ask you why do you want to be entertained by impure, violent, or corrupt things?

I am the first to admit that I can and have gotten easily caught up in reality TV for the entertainment of watching people back stab, gossip, and hurt others. I have watched movies with nudity, violence, and drug use. I am the first to grab the tabloid magazines at the grocery check out counter and read the lies and gossip. However as I walk closer to Christ my sensitivity to those forms of media becomes greater and greater. While a few years ago, I would have thought nothing of it. Now I feel a knot in my stomach or an ache in my heart that may be this is not what God wants me to view, read, or listen to. Do I always listen to that nudge? No. However do I seek those media sources less and less. YES!

Websters defines pure as free from anything that taints, impairs, or infects.

Scriptures definition of pure comes from James 1:27.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Proverbs 15:26 shares that The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him.

So while every day my house needs several 10 second tidys, so does my mind need 10 second tidys throughout the day.

A 10 second tidy can be our best action to monitor the purity of our thoughts.

Have you done yours today?

Blessings,

Jill

OUCH! That HURTS!

Have you ever heard the saying, "The Truth Hurts"?

We face an incredible challenge in today's world to seek what is right and to do it while the world tells us that nothing is inherently right or wrong. We are in a world where 'any thing goes'. Our wrong doings are easily justified into believing it is OK or it is our right.

I believe the closer we get to God and study His Word the more we are convicted and learn exactly what is right and what is wrong and sometimes the truth, HURTS! In fact, the truth can hurt so much that a lot of society decides to not even look at it. It is easier to just go about our own sinful way, allowing the world to justify it as OK.

Hebrews 4:12 states, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

OUCH! Sharper than any double edge sword?

No wonder it sometimes hurts to see and hear the truth.

God's word penetrates to divide joints and marrow.

Bone marrow is a flexible tissue found in the hollow interior of the bone. Often times bone marrow is extracted from a healthy donor in order to give to a person with a decrease in the production of platelets or blood cells. Harvesting bone marrow is done through inserting a large needle into the hip bone to extract the cells from within the interior of the bone.

God's truth often times is knocking on the hardness of our bone in order to get into the interior, hollow parts of our souls to extract and bring to the surface sinful thoughts. The extraction is painful and we loose what we once were hiding within the hollowness of our hearts.

This week we are looking at Philippians 4:8 and yesterday we focused on the words true and noble, today we move to the second leg of the passage, 'whatever is right'.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Websters defines right as being in conformity with moral law, standards or truth. What is the moral law of the world? What are the world's standards?

Scripture often uses right in conjunction with 'just' and is applied to what is considered just through God's evaluation or what should be done to please God in a particular situation. As we learn and apply God's standards to our lives we often times find ourselves giving up things that we once deemed 'acceptable', justified by the world's standards.

Whenever a questionable thought comes into your mind, ask yourself if the results of the thought would be pleasing to God. No one else know your thoughts but God. No one else but God can see into the hollowness of your heart. God reveals to us through His Word what is right and what is wrong. The truth is clearly evident and it's extraction can hurt! However, like bone marrow new platelets and blood cells are produced to replace the ones loss. God wants our old selves to be extracted and replaced with the new, modeled and formed to His likeness.

Blessings,

Jill

The Wheels Are Turning

This week we start week 3 of living a life under God's control, the focus for this week is on a verse from Philippians 4:8. As we look at living a life with our thoughts under control. What does that look like?

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Psychologists estimate that 10,000 thoughts go through our minds every day. I challenge you to take 30 seconds in silence and count how many thoughts go through your mind in that short amount of time.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Beware of what you set your mind on for that you will surely become." That is a powerful statement. We can't afford to let our minds race with undisciplined thoughts. We must assume responsibility for them.

Our focus for today day is on the first two traits of Godly thinking - True and Noble.

Webster's definition of true is that which is in accordance with fact and agrees with reality; real, genuine, authentic.

Noble is defined as a means showing high moral qualities, ideas or greatness of character; grand, stately.

Scriptures definition of true from Romans 3:2 -4 is First, there's the matter of being put in charge of writing down and caring for God's revelation, these Holy Scriptures. So, what if, in the course of doing that, some of those Jews abandoned their post? God didn't abandon them. Do you think their faithlessness cancels out his faithfulness? Not on your life! Depend on it: God keeps his word even when the whole world is lying through its teeth. Scripture says the same: Your words stand fast and true; Rejection doesn't faze you.

We know that God' Word is absolute truth!

Scripture defines noble from 1 Timothy 3:8 and 13 as The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, not too free with the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on.

What speaks to me the most from looking at the definitions of true and noble is before I do anything, I must first look at my thoughts. Without careful attention, I can clutter my mind with so much that is negative and worthless that you lose your capacity to focus on valuable thoughts.

A wise mentor once shared that once I have identified a negative thought and that thought resurfaces, I need to verbally stop myself and say, 'Stop, Cancel' and think a positive thought to counteract the negative one. The process repeated over and over will change my thought pattern.

Paul in Philippians is first directing our thoughts to what is true. The absolute truth is scripture. How are you filling your mind with scripture on a daily basis? Canceling negative thoughts with God's spoken word can change your life.

The second thing Paul directs us to in our thoughts is what is noble. As a leader in my church, family, and community I believe it is vitally important that I walk the walk and not just talk about it. I must live as an example to others, while seeking individuals in my life that are living a God centered existence.

So I leave you with a few 'thoughts' for the day.

What are your thoughts?

What are you filling your mind with?

How are you living a God centered life, that others will seek to follow?

Are you living a life of truth and nobility?

Blessings,

Jill

You are One of a Kind.

You are one of a kind and God is guiding your life from the inside out. As we mature spiritually, He also enables us to mature emotionally. Spiritual strength combined with emotional maturity makes it possible for you to live a controlled life over an extended period of time.

So what does your life look like from the inside out? Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22 -23."But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." These spiritual and emotional character qualities are the product of the Holy Spirit's presence in your life, just like fruit is the natural product of a fruit tree.

If you were to rank yourself on a scale of 1 - 5, 5 being the degree in which you do see this quality and 1 being the degree in which you do not see this quality, how would you do? I will admit that I am a work in progress, which my graphics for the day demonstrate.

I believe that God is chiseling, hammering, and perfecting me every day. Some days I don't realize it until I look back in retrospect and other days, it down right hurts! When we pray for more patience in our lives, God doesn't strike us with an increased amount of patience the next day. Instead He gives us situations in which to develop and mature our patience.

A few summers ago, the girls and I did a bible study on the fruits of spirit. That summer vacation we had stopped for gas in a tiny, congested gas station and Milo was trying to maneuver the van through the tight quarters. His patience was being tested and he screamed out in frustration. Madison, who was 6 at the time, from the back seat, quietly said "Dad, the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL." Putting strong emphasis on the two qualities he was lacking at the time. We all laughed, including Milo and it was a great example of how speaking scripture can immediately change your attitude in a situation.

As I reflected on those qualities it was interesting because for about half I was able to rate myself at either a 4 or a 5, however the other 4 pulled in only a 2 or a 3. The ones needing some work were patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. My selfish nature kicks in pretty good some days and I will have to admit that when I get focused on something any distractions truly test my level of patience and often times not for the better.

I also have been praying for God to soften my heart for people in need, to develop my gentleness. I sometimes have an attitude of 'If you need to change your situation, then do it!' I don't stop to realize that some people have lost complete control over their situation and truly need the compassion of others to sustain them for a while. This was readily identified during a mission trip that our family took a few years ago. It was hard for me to have compassion in my heart and I really struggled with not having that emotion. Since then God has presented me with other opportunities to serve others and although that egotistical attitude can rear it's nasty head, I have seen how God is softening my heart and compassion for others in need. He is giving me a desire to want to do more, which sometimes I have to stop that think, 'WOW, that is really Him working in my life, where did that feeling come from?'

So while we are all at different development levels in the growth of the fruits, Paul is quick to remind us in verses 25 - 26 that, 'Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.'

Don't play the comparison game, God is at work in each of us and we are growing and maturing at different paces. Stay tight to Him and He who started a good work in you, WILL bring it to full fruition on the day that Christ returns!

Keep on keeping on, YOU are one of a kind!

Blessings,

Jill

If It Is FREE, It's For ME!

Won't you agree, we all love a bargain? One of my favorite past times is bargain shopping! It is the thrill of the adventure in doing the research and making sure I get the best bang for my buck! In fact, I am proud to say that this spring I researched and bought my first used vehicle all by myself! The first time my husband saw it was when it was parked in the garage. I am blessed that he has the confidence in me to make such a purchase. Going into dealerships by myself, as a woman, well that is a whole other blog!

It was a great learning and growing experience.

This week, we have been talking about the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. On Monday, we talked about accepting the Spirit in our life. Tuesday, we ventured into being filled with the Spirit and not putting any holds on His impact in our lives. And yesterday, I encouraged you to let your light shine, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today we discover that we have been given the BEST bargain of our lives! We are no longer controlled by sin because we have received it FREE for the taking!

Without God's Holy Spirit, we are not Christians. Without the Spirit we cannot break free from sin's grip on our lives. Since the Holy Spirit broke the chains of our slavery to sin, we now have the power to live without gratifying our sinful desires!

In Galatians 5:16, Paul tells us to "Live freely, animated, and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness."

Doesn't that sound awesome? If we were to give up all of our sinful natures, bad habits, and live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit what would our life look like?

Paul goes onto say, "Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness."

Have you ever dreaded doing something that you committed to and wished you hadn't said yes? However, after you follow through on your commitment you wonder why you ever considered not doing it?

That happens to me ALL THE TIME! In fact, just last night I had committed to a small group discussion at church. My selfish nature kicked in about an 1 hour before I had to leave and the thought of staying home sounded much more appealing. After all, I had a list of things I still had not accomplished for the day. My selfishness was taking over my thoughts and my feelings. However because I had committed I needed to follow through. I prayed that God would change my heart and within just a few minutes of getting to church, I had a renewed sense of passion and excitement. My selfishness or in this case laziness was completely gone! How cool is that?

The free spirit is not compatible with selfishness.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 states, "Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master."

So on those days when your selfish nature wants to kick in, I pray that you seek the Holy Spirit in your life. That you pray that He would rid you from those selfish feelings, that He would give you energy, endurance, and excitement to follow through with your task at hand.

Remember the most powerful bargain of your life is already within you, all you have to do is choose to use it. It is FREE for the taking!

Blessings,

Jill

This Little Light of Mine.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

I think that is one of my most favorite quotes from a movie. It comes for the 'Akelea and the Bee'. It is very fitting with today's blog on sharing God's power through the Holy Spirit. The last two days we have looked at accepting Him into our lives and yesterday talked about what it means to be filled with His spirit.

When our lives spin out of control, we can usually hold things together through our personal energy and discipline for a time. However, after a while the stress will be come too great and that's when we lose control. We need a source of power that is sufficient to counteract the negative stresses in our lives. God is that source of power and the Holy Spirit in you is the means for releasing that power in your life.

Ephesians 3:20 - 21 shares "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."

So what in your life has spun out of control or may be is on the verge? The one thing that you have tried and tried to fix on your on, but time and time again you come up short. It makes you feel frustrated and guilty. Because of that short coming, not only is it affecting you personally, but you are seeing it reflected in your relationships. Because of your frustration, you take it out on your children, your husband, or those closest to you.

It is when we allow God to work in our lives EVERY DAY and with EVERY THING that we can then begin to see His power and it's affect on our life.

While God called us to be a witness for him in Acts 1:8. "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business. What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world."

Is being a witness only traveling to a foreign country witnessing to those not saved? Is being a witness only standing on the street corner or in front of thousands of individuals proclaiming God's word? Yes to both, however being a witness is sharing with others just how God is working in your everyday life.

How He gave you the right words to say in a difficult conversation with a co-worker.

How He helped you feel less stressed caring for your children for a week, while your spouse was on a business trip.

How He helped heal a broken relationship after harsh words had been spoken.

How He helped ward off your strongest temptation in order to stay on His path.

God is working every day and all the time. We just have to take a moment to pause, listen, and observe the many things He does in a day. I would refer you back to a blog I wrote on January 6th 2008, called 'It's a Mini Miracle' and is a great example of how God works in even the littlest things in our life.

When we share with others our examples of the big and the little ways God is working in our life, we are a witness to Him and as 'we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same'

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Blessings,

Jill

STOP!

I will have to admit that I love roller coasters, the higher, faster, and more twists and turns the better.

Put me on the back of my husband's motorcycle and we get going over 50 mph and I am yelling, 'slow down'. Pull me behind a boat on an inner tube and I will be the first to scream 'STOP'. I think my love of roller coasters comes from the thrill of heights and going fast, however I am safely secured, latched, and buckled in my seat. Riding on the motorcycle or the inner tube I feel a lack of security or control, causing me to want to stop or slow down.

I can relate this to how I let God be actively involved in my life. While He wants to direct and empower me in every aspect, I want to pick and choose and often times scream 'slow down' or even 'stop'.

John 3:34 states that "The One that God sent speaks God's words. And don't think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces. The Father loves the Son extravagantly. He turned everything over to him so he could give it away—a lavish distribution of gifts. That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn't see life."

Even with God's Spirit working in us, we still take actions to limit His work in us.

So what are your doing that may be blocking the Holy Spirit from filling you or working in your life? Sometimes it may be a stubborn attitude, harboring anger and resentment towards a person, bad habits that you are trying to manage in your own, pride, and the list can go on and on.

Romans 8:15 - 16 described our relationship with the Father as, This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" If we go through the hard times with Him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with Him!

This life is an adventure with Jesus as our adventure guide. If we trust in Him and follow His lead there will be no need to yell, 'slow down' or 'stop'. He has our best interest at heart and will lead and guide us into a life eternal filled with richness and abundance beyond our imagination.

Living a life under God's control first involves accepting Christ into our hearts and lives and then allowing Him to guide us through this thing we call life.

Like my new 'biker dude' husband always say, 'MaMa lets jump on the bike and hit the open rode and just see where it takes us!' Life is an adventure, be willingly and accepting to live it that way.

Blessings,

Jill

Fill 'Er Up!

If you have visited the gas pump recently, you know the price of gas is skyrocketing. I had to take a big gulp the other day as I shelled out $75.00 to fill up my vehicle. Gas is a necessity for me to get places of any great distance. Like gas, our bodies need fuel to operate. We need good nutrition, hydration, exercise, and rest just to name a few.

Our focus for this week is looking at what a life under Christ's control can be for our lives.

I received the most incredible link to a video clip (watch video) the other day and had to share. Louie Giglio is sharing an inspiring message about Laminin, an amazing molecule in the human body. The scientific definition of Laminin is a protein molecule with a long arm that binds to cells which helps anchor the actual organs to the membrane. Laminin is vital to making overall body structures hold together. Laminin is like the steel they put in the concrete to hold the structure together.

When Christ designed our lives, He planned to be actively involved in and with us, all the way down to the tinest molecule that physically holds us together.

1 Corinthains 3:16 shares, You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God and God himself is present in you. No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred and remember you are the temple.

In Old Testament times, the temple was a physical temple or building where priests made sacrifices for the people. In the New Testament, the focus shifted when Christ came to earth in the form of a human. After His death and resurrection, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, making our bodies the physical temple in which Christ dwells.

1 Corinthians 6:20 states, The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. He entrusts our life and body to us so that we can glorify Him as we live. He doesn't want an absentee owner. He has taken up residence and He is the glue that holds us together.

The presence of God' Spirit in my life confirms that I have begun eternal life and that God created me to be in a relationship with Him. Or as I would like to look at it, the laminin that holds me together.

My spiritual independence ended when I acknowledged this and invited Christ to be the Lord of my life.

Spiritual intimacy with God begins as God's Spirit begins to actively work in my life through my deliberate thoughts and actions. It is a longing to know Him better and better with each passing day. Like I need nutrition, hydration, rest, and exercise to fuel my physical body, it is important that I fuel my spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being with a dose of Jesus every day!

Sharing in that intimate relationship and growing closer to Christ on a daily basis is reflected in spending time with Him. I have come to learn that for me it doesn't have to be a long segment of time that has to be scheduled on my calendar, but it can also be an ongoing communication through out the day. May be a passage I read in the morning I am able to reflect on while waiting to pick up kids from school. A song on Christian radio inspires me to sing at the top of my lungs with praises to God. An upcoming difficult conversation is proceeded by a quick request for the right words to say. The silence as I fall asleep at night offers a great time to thank God for my blessings during the day, leaving me to fall asleep in Him arms.

The difference between that fuel and the fuel at the gas pump?

This price tag has already been paid.

Blessings,

Jill

Reflections from Week 1

This past week we ventured into 2 Samuel 11 and 12 as we started this 10 week series on Living a Life Under Control: Seeking a God Centered Life of Balance and Harmony.

In Day 1, we looked at a situation in David's life in which his life spun out of control within a short period of time. We realized that we can easily be plodding along when one decision can downward spiral into a series of poor choices. How a life filled with a lot of 'stuff' can lead us into saying, I will do this when? We realized that with God's direction and guidance we can begin a NEW chapter every day. Our sins are wiped clean and we can even start a diet in the middle of a bag of potato chips!

In Day 2, we saw that making a poor choice and taking an easier route can then have ramifications on future decisions placed in our path. We used the analogy of taking that extra 5 minutes of sleep in the morning and how that can affect other actions and choices throughout the day.

Day 3 took us to ponder on what we were putting in our minds, heart, and bodies in realtion to what was coming out. We saw that it was not in the first look that prompted David to call for Bathsheba, but in the second, more admiring look that began a web of lies and deception. That what we watch, listen to, and even spend our time with can affect our relationship to God and to sin.

A praise to note on this Saturday as we were headed to Des Moines for my daughters track meet, our first stop was the Handimart for a coffee. As I cruised by the magazine stand, I simply stated in my head, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' and I didn't have one urge to pick up a magazine! You will have to read Day 3 to appreciate this one.

We jumped on the hamster wheel of life in day 4 and realized that when we continue to do the same things over and over, we can not except different results. That it is not within OUR 'will power' to evoke change, but with the help of our Father we CAN change old, nasty, bad habits. When we are willingly to step off of the hamster wheel and make a different choice, we can experience a life filled with abundance and blessings.

Finally in day 5, we saw how carrying the weight of the world can literally cause our souls to dry up. That without the receiving of forgiveness, we continue to carry a heavy load of guilt and frustration for days and sometimes even years. When we are honest with ourselves and with God our slate is wiped clean and we CAN live a life under control once again.

From the life of David, we learned the even godly people experience times when their life spins out of control. However, we know that God offers forgiveness and a restored balance and harmony into our lives once again IF we are willingly to EARNESTLY seek and ask!

Please check in this next week to see what a life under Christ's control can look like for your life.

Blessings,

Jill

The Weight of the World

Do you ever walk around feeling like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? Perhaps what is done in secret racks your heart with feelings of guilt and unrest.

Your life can spin out of control when you attempt to cover up your problems. It is easy to believe that if others know your failure and struggle they may be hurt, mad, or even not love you any more. This week, as we have looked at the story of David in 2 Samuel 11 and 12 we see how David tried to cover up his sin and how he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

After discovering that Bathsheba was with child, David began to devise his plan to cover up his wrong doings. He sent for Bathsheba's husband,Uriah who was out in the battle field fighting with the troops that David had dispatched earlier. When Uriah arrived at David's home, David inquired about the fighting and offered him the opportunity to bathe and return home with his wife for a good night's sleep. Encouraging Uriah to sleep with his wife, thus being able to pass the child off as Uriahs. Knowing his fellow soliders were out in the fields, he slept at the palace entrance not wanting to enjoy the luxuries of a home cooked meal and good nights rest. The next day David sent for him again, this time offering him good food and drink, enough to get Uriah drunk and then again sent him back to his home to sleep with his wife. Uriah again slept at the palace gates. The following day David ordered Uriah on the front lines, knowing that he was putting him in the line of fire. Uriah, probably a bit hung-over and not well rested from a few nights at the palace entrance was killed in the line of duty. David then called for Bathsheba and took her as her as his wife and she bore him a son. One would have thought that David's troubles were now behind him.

David shares with us in Psalm 32:3-4 how the cover up affected him.

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

Covering up our sin is not something God wants us to do. God is not shocked by our sin and our weaknesses. Remember God also doesn't classify our sin, so adultery and murder is no different in God's eyes as overindulgence. The situation is compounded when we don't' confront it head on.

About 5 years ago, I was carrying a very heavy load. I had over charged on credit cards and was hiding it from my husband. I was burden with guilt and shame and convinced that I could fix the situation on my own without him ever knowing. If I was going to be out of town, I feared the thought of him getting the mail and exposing my mismanagement of money. I thought he would deem me as a failure and be very angry with me.

God sent a man by the name of Nathan to confront David with his sin in 2 Samuel 12:1-14. When David was confronted he exploded in anger, but evidently confessed his sin to Nathan AND to God. What happen next is explained in Psalm 32:1 - 2, 5.

Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be— you get a fresh start, your slate's wiped clean. Count yourself lucky— God holds nothing against you and you're holding nothing back from him. Then I let it all out; I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God." Suddenly the pressure was gone—my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.

Can't you feel the weight lifted off of David's shoulders? The pressure was gone and my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.

Well, like David I was confronted by my husband one evening and I of course denied the accusations only later to realize that he indeed knew the truth. Although angry because I hid it from him, he graciously forgave me and we are currently on a path to financial freedom. Freedom from the bondage of debt! Since we have become better stewards of our money, God has blessed us and we in turn are able to give back generously to God's kingdom and it feels so good! The pressure was gone, my guilt dissolved and my sin disappeared! To think I walked around for years hiding my sin and carrying such a heavy load.




No matter how bad things get,
God can bring YOUR life under control once again AND it feels so good!

Blessings,

Jill

The Hamster Wheel of Life

Do you ever feel like you are on the hamster wheel of life? You try and you try and you just can't overcome a bad habit? I can so relate to Paul in Romans 7:18 when he says,

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do!

Have you ever felt frustrated about 'knowing what is the right thing to do, yet you still do the bad thing?'

Our life can spin out of control when we think we can sin without consequences and sin is usually outwardly appealing and initially enjoyable. Nothing says in the Bible that David's night spent with Bathsheba wasn't pleasurable? However, the consequences of his sin came after the initial gratification.

Galations 6:7 shares about the consequences of sin.

Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

A recent bad habit that I have tried and tried on my own will power to overcome is poor nutritional habits and lack of exercise. It dawned on me that with the Holy Spirit dwelling in me, it is important for me to take can of my body, fueling it with proper nutrition and exercise. However the day I am going to make this dramatic change, I most of the time end up sub cumming to a tasty temptation or 'just don't' feel' like exercising. Then I over indulging on foods not good for me like donuts, candy, cake, cookies, and brownies. Can you tell what I have a weakness for? And I just continue on this hamster wheel of guilt and frustration.

The consequence of this sin has caused me to have a lower confidence about myself and often times will be reflected in my relationships with my husband, my daughters, family, or friends.

I have learned that I can't rely on my own 'will power' to overcome this sinful area of my life, but I need to rely on God's power in my life. I need to recognize and receive His love for me regardless of my past mistakes. I believe that Satan knows my area of weakness and works on me even harder to pull me down. However through the power, forgiveness, and strength of Christ, Satan can and will be over come. I can live in victory over sin!

1 John 1:9 states, 'If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.'

So TODAY I choose God over sin! I repent my sin and KNOW that the slate as been wiped clean. I can step off of the hamster wheel and onto a path already laid out for me, a path filled with abundance and blessings because I KNOW that....

The my LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youth will grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40: 28 - 32

Blessings,

Jill

What Goes In, Must Come Out!

Have you ever heard the saying, ' You become like the top 5 people you hang out with?' In the last 18 years of my marriage, I will have to admit that we have grown to become more like the other with every passing year. My OCD tendencies to have everything picked up have relaxed a bit, while Milo has developed some interesting obsessive traits with loading the dishwasher. More times than not, we will both be thinking the same thing even before anything is spoken and we can finish each other's sentences without even trying.

This week we have been looking at David in 2 Samuel 11:2-3.

One late afternoon, David got up from taking his nap and was strolling on the roof of the palace. From his vantage point on the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was stunningly beautiful.

David's sin didn't begin when he noticed a woman bathing, what got him into trouble was when he stopped to take a second, more observant look to see that she was stunningly beautiful. It was the second look that prompted him to act on what he saw, leading to a path of destruction. When you toy with sin, your evil desires often overpower you and this holds true to many areas of our lives.

I will have to admit, I am a junkie when it comes to the magazines you pick up when checking out at the grocery store; People, OK, InTouch, and the list goes on. I always say to myself, 'You are not going to buy a magazine!' as I unload my groceries from the cart. But one glance too long and I start to read the headlines, the teasers that get me curious as to what more is on the inside and more times than not, I toss one in.

I used to say that I only picked them up because I liked looking at the cool dresses, fashions and trends. However if I am truly honest, I am curious to read all of the gossip and probable lies about everyday humans just like you and me. Then I start sizing myself up to the air brushed, perfectly sculpted people inside and everything downward spirals from there. I like David, ponder to take a second look. While you may not think that it could be a sin, in God's eyes there is no ranking of sin. Sin is sin anyway you look at it. If you toy with sin, your evil desires often overpower you.

So I challenge you and myself today to take a good hard look at what you are putting into your mind and your body. After all, what goes in, must come out! Who are you spending your time with? What type of books are you reading? What are you watching on television? Are you becoming like the top 5 people you hang out with?

I love the advice given in Proverbs 4:25 - 27

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

In fact, I believe I am going to write this on at the bottom of my grocery list as a reminder to keep my eyes and thoughts focused on God. May be instead of reading the tabloids, I visit with the checkout person to find out more about them? Always remembering that we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18.

Blessings,

Jill