Fearless 2013...

                                                                              

Well let me start out by saying I thought "TRUTH" was my word for 2013. I even had a great understanding of how I would implement "TRUTH" into every day of 2013. But it didn't feel like it fit completely. I woke up this morning before anyone else to have time with God to pray & seek God about my word. What followed hasn't happened since shortly after my father died. With pen in hand, an expectant heart and the cry of my heart to hear from God, He began to speak, here is what He said

                                              Hemmed In

I go before you wherever you go. You need not ever worry about my care for you. I hem you in from every side. I am behind as well as beside you at all time. Call to me in those moments of fear, I'm right there & I'll answer you faithfully every single time. My love for you reaches to the Heavens. It is everlasting and unending. You are my child, whom I dearly love. Fear has & never will be apart of who I AM. My path for you is one of consistent victory. Always beside you every step of the way. Rest in me my child. I will never lead you astray. Never let yourself forget how immense the love I have for my children is. Precious. Precious child…you are MINE now & for an eternity.

That was the first of my confirmations. The second was a daily email I receive from Adrain Rogers ministry. The title was believe it or not "A New Year Without Fear" I smiled. Then logged onto Instagram & Lecrae a musician I follow had a picture that said "Please do not feed the Fears in 2013" What the heck?! All within a 30 minute period! I rarely wait for confirmation but at this point it was so obvious I couldn't deny what I knew to be true about what my 2013 word would be…FEARLESS.

I am pretty much a bold, strong, fearless person. I rarely back down from something I am passionate about. But since my father's passing fear has slowly but surely crept in. It isn't always obvious to me until I hear of someone dying, getting sick, or tragedy. I'm not real sure why fear has attempted to make it's home in me other than the fact my father's life ended abruptly & it threw me for a loop. I also believe I would be lying if I didn't confess that because I fasted, prayed like crazy, and other things I expected God to move on my behalf. What I think I learned was that God is sovereign. He is good in the face of tragedy. His ways are not my ways. His thoughts not my thoughts. He loves in a way so much deeper than I can understand & although my father did not receive his earthly healing, he did receive complete healing the moment he entered heaven. I tend to want to control whats next. What I quickly learned through that experience is I can't. In 2013 I want to become fearless in the face of adversity, tragedy, loss. I want to know that despite what I see with my eyes that God is for me. That no matter what may come His grace is enough. I will conquer this in 2013. I will become more acquainted with the Word in this area & my Savior too. The opposite of fear is love. So really what I need is a deeper revelation of His love. We all do.

                                               

I think Paul said it best in Ephesians 3:16-20

" I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

"Perfect love cast out all fear"~1 John 4:18

I am confident that with God I can accomplish all things. I also believe that being fearless is having fears but not being afraid to face them. To stand in the face of fear & know that if God be for me who can be against me! So I'm reporting ahead of time that I am indeed FEARLESS in Christ Jesus.

In HIM,

Katie

Overall...

Overall...

I am finally walking in fullness of who God created me to be.

I wake up knowing that my identity is soley found in Christ. Therefore I will be the best wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend that I can be.

I cherish the journey it took to get me to this place in Christ. I have encountered Him through the darkest of days & know for certain that it takes darkness to appreciate the light.

I plan on getting more discipline when it comes to exercise...big challenge for me to stay consistent.

I foresee lots of ridiculous God sized moments spent telling others about true freedom! My heart could burst thinking about all the opportunities I believe I'm going to get in the future to tell women about HIM!

I like who He made me to be...bold, authentic, loyal and passionate.

Short but sweet today...blessings friends!

xoxo, Katie

keep us loyal to You...

I've been stuck in 1 Chronicles 28-29 for over a week now trying to soak it in so that I could accurately portray it the way I should after reading about King David in the later part of his years & his mission to give Solomon, his son the kingdom. What I love most about this story is the wisdom he imparted to Solomon who would write over 3,000 proverbs & be known as the wisest man to ever live. What has stuck with me is what David told Solomon who repeatedly in chapter 28 was referred to as "chosen". Here's just a sneak peek of all the wise words including what God was speaking to David about Solomon.


 ⁶ He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father. ⁷ And if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdom last forever.’
⁸ “So now, with God as our witness, and in the sight of all Israel—the Lord’s assembly—I give you this charge. Be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance.
⁹ “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.”~1 Chronicles 28:6-10

Here's what I want to emphasize. David knew what it took to follow God & to live a life that was pleasing to Him even though he had some bumps in the road along the way. After all He is the only man to be referred in the Bible as a man after God's own heart. His first piece of wisdom in the above scriptures was for Solomon to intimately know God. When I looked up know in the Hebrew for "know" in this passage of scripture it defined it as: relationally to learn, to discover, to experience. Secondly, he instructed him to serve God delightfully with a whole heart and a willing mind (the inner being with thoughts & emotions), Thirdly, he told him to seek Him because in seeking he would find Him. Fourthly, He warned him to not forsake(or abandon) God or he would be rejected forever. Lastly, he instructed to take it seriously to be strong & to the work God had purposed for him to do.

What great advice to plant into not only our children but those around us. I get the privilege to speak into the lives of countless women. When I read this I couldn't think of any better words of advice to tell someone who needs encouragement. Because the truth is... we do have to seek God to find Him. We do need to put our game faces on because there is much to inherit & Satan would like to rob us(John10:10) all of our inheritance by wearing down of the Saints(Daniel 7:25) We must be aware of our purpose. We must endure right now like never before. 

My hearts concern is the level in which Christians are being defeated & ultimately giving up. We must take the advice of King David to Solomon because if we do not take serving & seeking God seriously we stand the chance of being rejected forever. Now is the time to dig in. Now is the time to walk in His glory. We are so close, too close to give up or retreat back from our pursuit of the One who loves us with an everlasting love. We can not let circumstances or life cause us to stop conversing with our Savior & best friend Jesus. He is for us, He is interceding at the throne for us (Romans 8:34) I would encourage any who are reading to endure(Matt 24:13).We're almost HOME!  Let us echo the prayers of David in 1 Chronicles 29:10-13.

^"Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! ¹¹ Yours, OLord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. ¹² Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.¹³ “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! ¹⁴ But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! ¹⁵ We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace." 1 Chronicles 29:10-13

My prayer is what David prayed in verses 17 &18 "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and honest intent. And know I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to You."

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.~John 10:10

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.~Matthew 24:13

Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.~Romans 8:34

And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.~1 Kings 4:29

Thankful Thursday...

I'll keep this one short & sweet...God has been good to me.

It goes like this & in no order of the degree of thankfulness.

1.) The fact I will be able to spend Thanksgiving with my little brother & his girlfriend (whom I love) and their family this year.

2.) I can't wait to start cooking with Bonnie & Lisa next Wednesday.

3.) Friday night lights in my home town. It's been so fun to get to catch up in person with old friends that are dear to me & to get to re-experience the energy & excitement of a great football team!

4.) My friends. Lord have mercy what I fail to have by way of family God has given me by way of friends. I have the best, hands down!

5.) My husband who just last night held me without saying a word while I let out a long overdue ugly cry! He is my best friend & I plan on honoring him all the days of my life!

What are you thankful for? Get to writing, it feels good!

Katie

be ever learning...ever listening

I just read The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers in two days, it was that good. I couldn't lay it down. The Lord spoke to me through this book over & over. Right down to the main character's name being "Cadi" So not a coincidence if you ask me. I've had many opportunities to read this book but I guess this was the right season. Or so I believe. Here is one of the most poignant things I read.

"Eagles fly higher in a storm...

Trees grow strong in stiff winds...

and our mountains and valley's drink of the water from the rains of heaven."

What I feel I've learned over the last few years but heard as clear as day this week when I read that sentence was this. Is God not the same God during the storm as He is in the calm? Is He not the same God on the mountain top as He is in the valley? Matter of fact I would say we are more sensitive & aware of God's presence in the darkest of times. With that being said I thank God for the valley... for the storms. What I heard dancing around in my spirit that night was this.

"Have you ever stopped to think that it was Me that allowed the storm to come? Did it ever occur to you that in order to be who I needed you to be it would require walking through the lowest of valley? You see child I knew what circumstance would develop & strengthen your loudest voice for Me."

I was speechless & moved to tears.

I've learned that we can't forsake our lives for one moment. Not the way they've turned out. Or the circumstances we are in because our heavenly Father has determined our steps before we were created. He knows us intimately and what it takes to bring us to our full purpose for Him. What He promises & we can be certain is that the ending is GOOD!

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.~Romans 5:3-4

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.~James 1:2-4

Thankful Thursday Part Dos

It's only 2 weeks until Thanksgiving?! What? I don't know about you but this year has flown by & I can barely get adjusted! I've had an interesting week. None the less blessed so here's it goes:

~ to have been born in America, to have been able to always have a free "choice" in everything I've done...

~to have had a safe, enjoyable childhood. My dad was always there for us & so was my mom.

~ for the hard times in my life because I'm convinced it's those times of shame & disappointment that drove me to my dependence on Christ...

~for the opportunity to minister to the woman in jail. It's amazing to be able to read & explain the scriptures to them & see God moving in there lives...

~for the ability to help others out that need it & having the resources to do so...

~for pedicures & manicures. It always relaxs me & they make my nails look so PRee-Tay...

~to be able to trust God for my future & the future of my family...

~to know God desires to bless us all despite our shortcomings & He faithfully does it to show us His goodness...

~to be able to pray & converse with God my Savior...


God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart.~Izaak Walton

Even though we can't have all we want, we ought to be thankful we don't get what we deserve.

 

 

 

Thankful Thursday...

How appropriate that the first day of November be a Thursday &what a perfect time to place emphasis on what we're thankful for! So here it goes for my thankful Thursday...

1 Thessalonians 5:18  in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” ~ Harry Ironside

1. A loving God, what a privilege it is to be able to serve Him on a daily basis.

2. A godly husband, it's amazing to watch God transform someone you have prayed for, for so long! It's been a hard but rewarding journey simply proving His faithfulness to answer prayer!

3. Healthy, sweet natured, onry sons...I certainly would not be the same without them in my life!

4. Coffee & Jesus...no words really express the fulfillment this ministry has given me. Thankful that God has entrusted me with this!

5. Friends that are more like family...God has placed woman in my life who genuinely love & care for me. Life would be a lot harder if it weren't for Cheri, Amanda, Dana, and Lindsey pouring into me when I'm down, loving & believing in me!

6. Stable jobs, with steady income... I've been blessed with a great boss!

7. Quiet time in the Word...there is nothing more refreshing than hearing God through scripture, especially when it lines up with what your currently battling.

8. Restful weekends spent relaxing & enjoying my family.

9. Laughing! My favorite is laughing so hard I cry! I have really humerous sons & brothers so never a dull moment when they're around.

10. Adorable coffee mugs & new journals! Both bring me joy, call me corny(me no care!) lol I'm easy to please.


Now share what your thankful for! It feels good to think of all God's done inspite of the difficulties of life!


In Him,

 KATIE