Follow Your heart

I need to stop following my heart and start following His heart!
                               Isaiah 55:9, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
                                                    So are My ways higher than your ways,
                                                    And My thoughts than your thoughts."
Help me follow Your heart, Lord! 

Wait for God's timing

Sometimes we have to wait for God’s timing.

The Israelites

waited 40 years wandering in the wilderness to see the promise land.

Abraham and Sarah waited their whole life to have a son.

Israel and the world waited for hundreds of years to see the Messiah come to earth to save us from our sins.

Noah’s family waited for 40 days and 40 nights for the flood to end and then waited another one hundred and fifty days for the water to recede.

People all through the Bible waited for God’s timing. And when they waited on the Lord, He always gave them blessings.

God’s timing is not always our timing. We may be tired of waiting for Him to work in our lives, but our lives are a vapor, God works outside of time.  

God has been teaching me to trust in His timing and wait on Him to work. He will never fail me when I wait on Him.

Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

God’s timing is perfect, we have to wait on Him and trust in His will for our lives.

who is in control of the airplane...

While flying, you always have to know who is in control of the airplane. A positive exchange of the controls is necessary for safe flight. A positive exchange of flight controls includes an audible response from each pilot. The only time I have ever felt unsafe in an airplane was when I was flying with an instructor who always wanted to take control. There were times I had to ask who was in control of the airplane; should I be making the turn ahead, or was he going to force the controls to make a turn in the opposite direction? I felt like whenever we flew there was a constant battle over the controls. My last flight with the instructor I gave up trying to hold onto the controls and every time we came to land I audibly gave him the controls, because I was worried that if I didn’t audibly give him controls no one would know who was in control and we would be in danger of crashing into the tarmac.

A good instructor knows when to let me fly and when to take the controls. While training there will always be times we need help from our instructor to adjust a mistake or to demonstrate a maneuver. When they take the controls there is either a positive exchange of controls or they get on and make a small adjustment to show us that they will be there if we need them. There is not struggle over who is in control and there is never a question of who is in control.

Knowing who is in control of my airplane is crucial for a safe and smooth flight. Knowing who is in control of my life is just as important. Like a good instructor, God sits beside us in the cockpit. He is the pilot in command on the flight and we have to respect His advice and guidance. When He takes the controls we need to acknowledge His expertise and trust Him to fly. We can never fight over the controls. Give Him control and know that He is taking control so that we can learn from Him.

Even in a plane, I like being in control. I like seeing my instructor allowing me to be completely in control. He is there to help me succeed in my flying. God is there when we need Him and when we have learned from Him, He gives us the controls and allows us to fly on our own. We have to be willing to give up the controls to God, we have to be willing to admit to our shortcomings and audibly give Him the controls. Like a good instructor, He will sometimes give us the controls and as long as we aren’t putting the plane in danger, will allow us to make mistakes so that He can show us just how much we need to rely on Him.

If we are holding onto the controls to tightly and not allowing Him to help us, we could be in danger of crashing and never know it. Rather we have to admit to our weakness and audibly give Him the control. It is often difficult for me to admit weakness and give up control. But whenever I refuse to give up control problems begin coming and I find myself hearing the stall horn going off.

A positive exchange of controls always includes an audible response from each pilot. As I give God the controls of my life I am going to audibly pray that He would take the controls from me. And in response I can hear Him saying, “Child, I have control and always will be in control. You can stop fighting and allow Me to lead you, teach you and keep you safe.”

A man after God's own heart

King David has always been known as a man after God’s own heart. On reading 1 Samuel 17 and 18 a few of David’s characteristics stuck out to me as attributes of a man of God.

In 1 Samuel 17 the army of Israel is fighting against the Philistine army, headed by King Saul. When Goliath is sent out to challenge the Israelites, everyone is afraid (1 Samuel 17:11, 24). They had forgotten that God was on their side and would give them victory. No one even thinks about God until David comes and sees Goliath defiling the Lord’s army (1 Samuel 17:26). David is not afraid of Goliath, instead he seems to be angry that Goliath is challenging the people of God. He knows that God is on their side and will give them victory. Goliath mocks him when he goes out with only a sling shot, but David knows that no weapon can match the power of the name of God (1 Samuel 17:45-46). David kills Goliath by the power of God because he was not afraid to stand up in the name of God.

David was also wise. God was with him and had given him wisdom (1 Samuel 18:14). The people of Israel saw his wise behavior and respected him.

Although he knew that God had chosen him as the king of Israel over Saul, David still respected Saul as the king and was humble before him. When Saul offered to give his daughter, Michal, to David for his wife, David did not feel that he was worthy of the honor of being the king’s son-in-law (1 Samuel 18:23). He was humble in recognizing that although God had chosen him to be king, God would give him the throne in His timing. He waited patiently, obeying and serving King Saul.

Although David was not perfect and there are times when his sin is recorded in the Bible, he was a man after God’s own heart. We need to strive to be men and women after God’s own heart. I believe that seeking wisdom and humility in our actions, trusting in the power of God for victory and not being afraid, and waiting patiently for God’s timing are characteristics that I want to have in my life. I want to strive to be a women of God.  

Our Father in Heaven

 Matthew 6:9-13

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. 

 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors. 

 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sometimes we pray the same thing using different phrases which mean the same thing. We embellish our words and say it over and over again trying to make it sound different. But God only requires simple prayers. We don't have to use big words or try to say something in a more spiritual way. He understands what we are asking for and doesn't need to hear it in many different ways.  When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray He gave them a simple example, no big words, no repeated sentences. God doesn't need long embellished prayers, rather He wants us to come before Him and simply talk to Him. Prayer is talking to God about what is on our heart, He understands and He cares, and He will listen to our simple prayers.

God has given us 2014

A new year means new resolutions and high hopes. It is a New Year, a new chance God gives to us. But a year is not going to make itself, we make a year into what we want it to be. If we treat this year the same as last year, it will be the same as last year. It is not what happens throughout the year that makes it good or bad, it is out attitude toward the events. We make this year what we want this year to be. What do you want your year to look like?

So let’s strive to make 2014 better than 2013. I’m not talking about making New Year’s resolutions that last up to February; I’m talking about changing ourselves. For me, I want 2014 to be more of God and less of me. Reading my Bible more and watching TV less. Trusting on God through the struggles and praising God for the blessings. I want to constantly be reminded that I have a responsibility to be who God wants me to be.

We get a new chance every day, not just on New Year’s day. Our God is a God of second chances. It is up to us to take those second chances and do something more. 2014 is a new year to grow closer to God and thank Him for His blessings and mercy.

When it feels like this year is getting difficult, God will come beside us and help us to keep going. When there is chaos around us Jesus is the still, peaceful figure in front of us, beaming with light and holding out His hand to us. Once we reach out and take His hand, He will lead us through the chaos and will fill our heart and mind with peace. He is the calm in the midst of the storm. Don’t get caught up in the chaos, take His hand and allow Him to lead you out.

Be thankful today that God has given us a new year. And whatever happens this year remember that we are never alone. Christ died alone so that we would never have to be alone.