S.O.A.P. for 03/11/2009 Reminders

S: Numbers 15:37-41
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord, instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do. The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt that I might be your God. I am the Lord, your God!"

O: God was teaching them a way to remember Him and His commands through living daily life when not in His presence. He knew they would falter and knew they'd need ways to refocus on Him constantly throughout living daily life. What he offered was genius. A real, touchable, visible reminder that would be close to them, that would be with them all through their daily chores, tasks, living, to "keep them in check", because as they glanced at this item, it would force their thoughts on Him. He knew we'd need these tools, and knew we'd falter without something because He had already states "as we are prone to do". He knew the human condition, and was trying to offer tools to fight against that to be better people.

A: What can I bring in to my life that can help keep my focus on Him? I need to think of valid, "user friendly" ways of forcing my mind to refocus on him throughout my day. Maybe I can place index cards with scripture on my bathroom mirror, and over my visor in the car. Maybe I can choose one "odd" thing to bring into my world that will have no other relevance than serving as a reminder of Him. I don't know that I'll make tassels and start attaching them to my clothing, but what can I replace that with? Food for thought here, but very applicable, and very smart.

Wow, I'm continually amazed at how well our creator knows us, and how difficult He knows it is to apply something to your life continually, especially something that goes against our sinful nature! But He offers us tools! He offers us second chances! He offers us His Word! How can I NOT try to find ways to force His presence into every moment of every day, that even in the smallest moments, washing the dishes, I can be fellowshipping with Him! What a smile that brings to my face to know I can take every step of my walk with Him, if only I figure out how to make that happen! It's right there!

P: Father God,
How amazing and wise You are! You share these pearls of wisdom with us, that after reading, I sometimes feel like slapping myself in the forehead with a big "duh!" "Why didn't I think of that?" Lord, You know me and my nature, but You also know my heart. You know the depths of my heart and You know I long to serve You, I long to abide in You, I long to feel the joy of a complete walk with You, in Your presence, according to Your ways!! Oh just to know I've made you smile at some point along my journey would give me such peace and satisfaction! But Oh, to make You smile over and over again!

Lord I pray that You would reveal to me viable ways to bring You into my life every moment of every day. Lord I also ask for You to give me the tools that will serve as the reminders through my day to keep my focus on You! Lord, help me to think of the things that can make this happen! Bring into my mind the ideas that You would offer to me, a willing heart, who wants to share every part of my day with You, and who knowingly does NOT do that as well as perhaps I could, and for that I'm so very sorry.

I confess I do not abide with You as I should, and I confess that I haven't figured out how to make myself refocus on You, or have things to serve as reminders about me to help me with that task! My request is for Your wisdom to shine on me so that I may discover ways to keep my eyes on You. I thank You for listening, I thank You for loving, I thank You for teaching, each and every day , through Your living, breathing Word.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

S.O.A.P. for 03/10/2009 Denial

S: Mark 14:71+72
Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!" A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And when he thought about it, he wept.

O: According to scripture, Peter indeed denied Christ 3 x's in a certain span of time, not long after having said He would die with Jesus! After having denied Him, Peter recalls Jesus' words and the pain and guilt of what he'd done became evident.

A: My App is this: How quick are we to condemn Peter and judge him for something that we do so easily, almost on a daily basis! What I notice here is that Peter is strong when in the presence of Christ, but weak when separated from Him. Much like us! When we are in the presence of God, in His Word, daily, abiding in His presence, how much easier it is to be joyful, loving, strong, and committed to walking in His Ways to glorify Him! At the same token, when we are NOT in the Word, NOT seeking Him, NOT wanting to be in His presence whenever we can, how easy it is now, intentionally or unintentionally, to deny Him by our thoughts, our words, and/or our deeds! We are just as guilty as Peter.

Peter is the prime example of seeing what happens to us when we fall away from His presence (reading, studying, journaling, praying) daily, and when we separate ourselves by feeding ourselves worldly pleasures and let the Evil One lead us astray, even in small ways. Are you inviting Him in as much as you should? Or are you inviting the things of this world to take up residence in your heart where Christ should be moving in? By not "following the rules" we, too, are denying our Lord and Savior, Our God, in small but very evident ways, for what is in us spills out into others around us, and most times, if it is worldly coming in, what's coming out is not loving.

When I feel angry by a sin I see, most often times it is because I have not addressed that sin in myself, and want to remove myself as far away from it as possible. Unfortunately, we must admit, that we ARE like the disciples that we are so quick to become angry with, because all of us have been guilty of denying Christ in vital areas of our lives.

Take an account of yesterday. Did you say something you wish you hadn't? Did you spend more time for yourself than for Him or someone you love? Did you go out of your way to do something "nice"? Let your life speak in ways that do not deny the One you've chosen as your Savior.

P: Loving, Merciful Father,
Please forgive your servant! Lord, I'm getting better, but I do recognize the difference in my behavior when I've not been in Your presence, and for that I'm truly sorry, and confess with my mouth this thing. I pray for Your forgiveness for behavior that is not befitting the "Bride of Christ". I DO love You and seek You and seek to walk in Your ways all of my days, so Lord, help me to commit to entering into Your presence daily, so that I may never be far enough from You to let my behavior reflect that.

Lord, hold me close, for it is never my purpose to deny You, but intentional or not, You still see it as sin and I must learn to focus on staying close to You. I must not falter! I've come so far, and there's still so far to go, but I notice and love the changes in myself, I feel You more and more! I pray that I never open a window for the Evil One to climb into the gap I've provided. I confess that I have been like Peter, Lord, but I also vow to grow beyond this, and in this lesson You've revealed to me, may I completely learn to abide in You, and You in me, that I may never deny You again! I'm sure I may still stumble, Lord, but just know that I will always try to get back on the right path that leads back to You.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

I will stumble
I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes
I will face heartache
But I will not be moved
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
I will not be moved
*Natalie Grant*

S.O.A.P. for 03/09/2009 Where is the faith?

S: Numbers 13:31-33
But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

O: These men lost their faith in God's promise to lead them to the land promised to them, and they did so very quickly! All it took was a glance at the people currently living there and they were ready to tuck their tails and run! God lead them to a land HE promised them, and yet they still lost faith and refused to believe that HE would see it through! How great is the human paralyzing fear that even freezes us from believing someone ALL Powerful, who placed the stars in the sky, who delivered them out of slavery, who created the heavens and the earth may not be able to deliver them in to the land HE promised them. They even began to gossip and spread rumors to spread the fear among all the peoples so that all of them would lose their faith in God!

A: How quickly we lose faith when the "going gets tough" when what we really should do is be MORE faithful! God never said the road ahead would be easy, He did promise to be there with us. God's promises are not mere words to be tossed aside, they are true everlasting covenants. If there's anyone whose word means everything it is His. He is all powerful and our creator, so who are we to doubt His abilities, when we wouldn't be here without His mere desire. How can we doubt that He will not fulfill His promises when He leads us somewhere. If God leads me / compels me to do something, I must have the faith that He will help see me through, and that together we can make it happen if I remain faithful. He alone can make the impossible possible. I must simply believe that and have the faith that He can do what He says He's going to do.

P: Father God,
I know You to be all powerful and magnificent. My love for You grows and grows each and every day. I value Your precious Word and Your promises. Father, help me to never doubt Your leading, or Your call on my life. Even mores so, help me to never doubt that You'll see me through anything that gets in my way. Lord, let me be courageous and never want to run away from the "tough times". Lord, You are capable of all and You know what I'm capable of. Lord, I pray for a brave heart that has the faith to always trust and obey! Lord, grow my confidence for if I believe, I must wholly believe, and in so doing, it will come to pass according to Your will! That is glorious, Lord!

Forgive me for the times I question You and falter, Lord. Forgive me for the times that I think the challenge is too hard, and remind me that You are by my side, each step of the way. Just help me step strong. Let all I do be according to Your will that our paths may run together to glorify and honor You and I pray I never run away.

In Jesus Name
Amen



When all around me starts to fall and when my faith it seems so small
Even in my darkest hour, I will believe
Even if the sun begins to fall, even when I feel nothing at all
Even if I'm all alone, I will believe
*Mainstay*

S.O.A.P. for 03/08/2009 Sweet Fragrance

S: Mark 14:3-9:
Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,[a] a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head. Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.
But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time.I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

O: This woman had done something truly beautiful, touching, personal, for Jesus, whom she apparently loved dearly. The disciples, however, didn't see the "heart of the matter" and were more worried about the money that could have been made off of said sacrifice. Jesus reprimands them, reminding them that he would leave them soon, but they still did not understand. He understood the offering, and felt the love that was poured out from this woman, as her perfume was poured out on Him. He goes on to ensure that this one task, this one act of love, would be recorded and remembered throughout history! She would leave a beautiful legacy behind just by having played such a small part in the greatest story of all time.

A: What prompted her to do this? Maybe even she didn't know how significant this act of love was and yet, here Jesus proclaims that her story would endure. Maybe Jesus is expressing to us that what we do doesn't have to be big to be remembered, that maybe it's the smallest things that can mean the most, the one's done out of pure love and affection for our brother that will be more remembered that just a hand out. Yes, maybe she could have sold the perfume and fed everyone for a week, but would that have been AS special as something personal and truly affectionate? Would that have been worth remembering? Jesus could have fed them, but he couldn't have anointed himself for burial. She felt compelled to do so. How can we express God's love to those around us in real, physical ways? How can we literally touch someone? I feel as though it has become too easy to do something from a distance, rather than rub the shoulders of one who has had a tough day, hug someone dearly, "wash someone's feet". Somehow the "person" has been removed from the word "personal" and we see that more as of leaving a note, slipping some cash in, sending an email to just one person. hmmm.... Something is wrong with that picture.

Proverbs 29:7 says Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of friends counsel that comes from the heart.

P: Father God,
I love You so much, and cannot comprehend how it even grows day by day, when each day is just so glorious when walked in Your sight. I pray that I may learn to live my life as a sweet fragrance of Your grace, so wherever I go, I leave a piece of that fragrance in other's lives, building a true legacy, a story that will remain and teach other's of how they too can leave a fragrant mark reflective of You! Lord, help me be as this woman, help me to pour out my all to You, in all ways. Let me be a fragrant offering to You. You poured Your grace on me as a sweet smelling perfume, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere! In Jesus name, Amen.

2 Corinthians 2:15-16
For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ, that exhales into God, discernible and different in aroma to those who are saved, and those who would perish; to the latter it is an aroma as death to death; to those who are saved, it is an aroma of life to life! And who is qualified for these things?


You did not feel what I felt when He wrapped His love all around me.
And you don't know the cost of the oil in my Alabaster Box.
*Cece Winans*

S.O.A.P. for 03/07/2009 If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck...

S: Numbers 8:1-4
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and say to him, 'When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.'" And Aaron did so, he arranged the lamps to face towards the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work; According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

O: When God has a desire to create something - he not only creates it, but designs it to serve a specific purpose in the best way possible, according to that design. He doesn't just make something, and then try to figure out what it is and what it's for. God had specific plans for creating a lampstand and knew how best it would shine its light. A shining light is also an expression of God's presence. Jesus said, " I am the Light of the World."

A: I must remember that God designed me, not just made me to flop around. God designed me in His image. Also, He knows what's best for me and He knows exactly how I should function so that I may flourish! His rules and laws aren't to hinder or hurt me, but to allow me to fulfill the purpose of being the best I can be according to my specific design. He knows best how I may shine the most light for Him. He also knows that when I find that, I will feel complete, complete joy, happiness, and purpose! He didn't create and design me for one thing and decide to have me do something else because it wasn't quite right. His design is perfect and right. My purpose remains, it's up to me to desire to fulfill that with His help. He didn't say, "Make a lampstand and now use it as a fishing rod." We are wonderfully made and can truly experience who and what we are meant to be when we truly follow Him and look to Him for direction.

P: Father God,
I thank You for the great care that You take in Your creation. Your plans are flawless and never haphazard. They are well thought out, and well executed, especially when we are perfectly functioning according to that Glorious design! You are the Divine creator and as everything that You've created has a wonderful purpose to fill, when it IS fulfilled, it truly becomes a majestic thing! A lion on the hunt, a lamb in it's gentleness, how the animals of the jungle are used to propagate the trees, a lampstand to shine a perfect light. Lord, I pray, as you've thoughtfully and lovingly created me, that I may beautifully serve the purpose I was created for and remind myself to not try to be something I'm not. How wonderful must the feeling be to flourish in Your sight and truly fulfill why I was created. What a majestic light that must be! I pray to one day fulfill this design and be perfect in Your sight, learning how to "shine the greatest light possible".

In Jesus Name,
Amen

You and I were made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free
When You and I embrace surrender
You and I choose to believe
You and I will see, who we were meant to be....
*Chris Tomlin*

I want to live like there's no tomorrow
I want to dance like no one's around
I want to sing like nobody's listening
Before I lay my body down
I want to give like I have plenty
I want to love like I'm not afraid
I want to be the man I was meant to be
I want to be the way I was made
*Chris Tomlin*

S.O.A.P. for 03/06/2009 True Wealth

All I want, All I need is YOU.

S: Psalm 49: 16-20
Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descent after him. Though while he lives, he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), He shall go to the generation of His fathers (death); They shall never see light. A man, who is in honor, yet does not understand, will perish like the beasts.

O: We are being told to rest easy and not become jealous when we see someone else who has more that we do. We are also to remind ourselves that things of this world are fleeting. We should not think it unfair when we find that someone with LESS love for God may have more worldly things than we do, and remind ourselves to see with HIs eyes for what is truly of value. We must continue to count our spiritual blessings in order to see that we truly have so much more that the person with an abundance of worldly gifts, for truth be told, without love, without Jesus, without salvation, he truly has nothing because he can't take any of what he's accumulated with him.

A: At the moment of death, both rich and poor are naked and empty handed before God. The only riches we have at that time are the ones that have become a part of us, those we ahave already invested into our eternal heritage. When we die, we will wish we had spent more time and focus on heaven, where we will retain it forever, and less time on the temporary luxuries we may have found on earth that now leave us barren, empty, and hollow before God. To have treasure in heaven, HE must be our priority here on earth, we must pledge ourselves to obey Him and use our resources to glorify His Kingdon. This is a good time for a self inventory. How am I using what I DO have? What am I fighting for? What are my goals? Where and how am I spending my time?

P: Father God,
I thank You for your spiritual gifts, that have made me feel much happier, and far more blessed than when I can remember actually having "things" of this world. Thank You for the gifts and blessings that truly do fill my life and make me feel rich. Father, please remind me to never compare myself to someone else for I do not know what goes on behind those custom doors, and I do not know of their salvation and I DO know of mine, which is the treasure of treasures! Help me to not feel lacking when I find I may have less than others, but remind me of what I DO have that will be with me forever! Help me to keep the "green-eyed-monster" at bay so that I may focus my time and energy on storing up Godly treasure for myself in heaven. Let me be truly wealthy in Your eyes, according to Your will for my life and let that be all that matters on this earth.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

No flashy cars, no movie stars, no man, woman, boy or girl
No fancy things, no diamond rings, nothing in the whole wide world
Can make me happy
Can make me feel the way You do
You make me happy
I want to make You happy too
You make me happy
*Ayiesha Woods*

S.O.A.P. for 03/05/2009 All you need is love...

S: Mark 12:30-31
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment, and the second, like it, is this. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater that these.

O: God's laws are not burdensome. They can be reduced to 2 simple truths. Love God + love others. When you love God completely and love others as yourself, then you have fulfilled the intent of All the commandments. According to Jesus, these two encompass ALL of the laws. These are not requests, they are commandments. We are COMMANDED to love, meaning that HE knows it won't come easy. Love is an action, not just a feeling, as me must CHOOSE to love.

1 John 3:18 says Dear Children, let us not love with mere words or our tongues, but in truth and in deed!

Romans 13:10 says Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore Love is the fulfillment of the Law.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a says Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely; does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, ENDURES all things. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:13 says And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

A: I must choose to love, for love in itself is active, is purposeful. It is a command, not a request. We cannot say that it only applies to the OT when clearly Jesus Himself reminds us of it in the NT - and earnestly tells us of it's importance. I must love, not with just my heart, and my emotion, but with my hands, feet, mind, prayers, walk, talk, everything. God knew that people would hurt each other intentionally and UNintentionally, and He knew that we'd need to find a way to love each other despite it all, as He continues to love us. I can't imagine how many times I may have hurt my God. I can't imagine the dismay, and the hurt, for I feel it from my own children when they don't love as they should. Love doesn't just "happen". We have the ability to make it happen. How cool is that? How can we show love today? Think of 1 way that we can choose to make love a verb today.

P: Father God,
Your love alone is so great, limitless, majestic, strong yet gentle and all we need. Father, You know what's best for us and You try to reveal that to us each and every day. You give us Your commandments to live by, that to many people, feel like a bunch of rules and ways to control us. But Lord, I feel nothing but joy and freedom when I follow you. There are no regrets, there are no, "I wish I hadn't done that"....And to think that even though the rules and laws seem so many, there are really only 2. For if we simply choose to love as You do, ALL the others will fall into place. How simple is that? It sounds so easy. Lord I pray for a heart that can love as You love. I pray for eyes and ears that can notice where I have an opportunity to show love. I pray that I don't let any of those opportunities to reflect You slip me by. I pray that I remember that love is an action, an active choice, a living, breathing, powerful thing, not just a fleeting thought.

In Jesus Name,
Amen
To my brothers and sisters in Christ,
2 Thessalonians 1:3 says We are bound to thank God always for you, my brothers, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you abounds towards each other.

Love the Lord Your God,
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
*Lincoln Brewster*

Hey, tell me haven't you heard
Love is a serious word
Hey, I think it's time that you learned
I don't care what you say
I don't care what you heard
The word love, LOVE
Love is a VERB!
*D.C. Talk*

I was made to love,
and be loved by You!
*Tobymac*

All you need is love
*Beatles*

S.O.A.P. for 03/03/2009 Be Fruitful

S: Mark 11:12-14
Now the next day, when they had come out of Bethany, He was hungry - And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He could find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response, Jesus said to it," Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."

O: Fig trees were a popular source of inexpensive food in Israel. The tree itself takes 3 years to bear fruit, and once it does it will bear fruit TWICE every year. When the leaves grow, the figs appear and grow as well, so even though it wasn't the "season" for figs, meaning ready to pick, there still should have been "something" on it growing until said time. Leaves = figs. The tree looked promising from afar, but upon closer inspection, it offered no fruit - it was like the White Washed Tombs that Jesus labeled the Pharisees. He may have been comparing the tree to Israel, fruitful in appearance, but spiritually barren. After noticing that, He goes further by punishing the tree/Israel, to never be fruitful again.

A: Jesus knew that when a tree no longer produces fruit, it's time was up, and the tree was basically a lost cause. Anyone who spent time in trying to revive the barren tree would be wasting their time, when they could move to a new tree who could use the love and care to be fruitful. He also felt this was about Israel. Their roots did not go deep, and they were quick to fall into sinful traps and become unfruitful.

How can I choose to NOT be "seasonal" but to bear fruit continuously? I must choose to produce fruit each and every day, and be increasing my knowledge and improving my gifts so that the fruit offered up to the Lord is more and more bountiful and sweet. I can only hope to never be caught up in a time of "wilting" that God would deem me to be no longer useful or able to produce fruit. I must strive to remain useful and never to choose to be lazy and not improve what I can offer to His glory~!

P: Father God, Yahweh,
You are truly worthy of all I have to give, and You are truly a Father that loves us and wants the best for us. Let me be able to prove my love to You each and every day, Lord. I pray that what fruit I have to give is always deemed suitable to You. Lord, please, I pray, that You continue to teach me and fill me and keep me useful. I pray that I never get to a place where I don't think I have to do anything else, that I've done all I want to do do, that it's been enough, and become complacent. Lord, I fear that if I ever reside too long in that place, You may tell me that "No one may ever eat of my fruit again!" My purpose in life is to serve You, so how empty my life would become if there was no purpose! May I always be filled with the desire to fertilize my soil and prune my branches that I may prove to be a bountiful harvest for You, Lord. I pray that I may forever be ripe for the picking, and fruitful enough to share with others, that they may be fed with my fruit as well.

In Jesus Name.
Amen

One day I was full of life
My sap was rich and I was strong
From seed to tree I grew so tall
Through wind and rain I could not fall

But now my branches suffer
And my leaves don't offer
Poetry to men of song
*Beach Boys*

S.O.A.P. for 03/01/2009 Children

S: Mark 10:13-16
Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, " Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior. So are the children of one's youth.

O: To often, children are seen as secondary, or a bother rather than assets. But the Bible and God call children "A heritage from the Lord." a reward. We can learn something very valuable from their inquisitive minds filled with curiosity and their trusting spirits! Those who view children as a distraction or a nuisance should instead see them as an opportunity to shape the future. How dare we treat them as an inconvenience or an "afterthought" when God places such a high value on them!
Jesus was often criticized for spending too much time with children, tax collectors, and sinners. Even the disciples fell into this trap, forgetting the real purpose of the Messiah, to save the lost, not attain status in the world. Many people thought HE should be spending time with religious leaders and the devout so that he could improve His standing, but Jesus had no need to improve His standing, and neither do we. He was God, and He wanted to speak to and love those who needed Him the most.

A: Adults are not as trusting as children. That's probably more than obvious. All a child needs to trust you is a loving look, a hug, or a gentle touch, from someone who cares. Being able to analyze and intellectualize is not a requirement. They believe us if they trust us. Jesus so wants us to have that trust in Him, to just believe, like our children look at us and just KNOW that we are their for them, and we will provide for them, and wipe their tears, and fix what's wrong. He desires that childlike faith from us. It should be enough to know that He loves us and forgives us, and we should stop trying to "Understand" it all. Adding to this is the fact that children themselves are to be blessed. How many times have people picked on me for how much time I spend on my children? How many times have I gotten mad over people not doing ANYTHING with their children? If children are our reward from God, then do we not owe it to Him to show that? To me, teaching them, loving them, teaching them of God, cleaning the house for them, being tired for them, getting over nightmares with them, snuggling with them, teaching them of life, of responsibility is simply my duty and my way of showing God that I'm thankful for Him choosing me to raise some of His little ones and I in no way want to let Him or them down. If someone thinks I do too much, I can let them take it up with God, and He can handle it. Otherwise, I'm going to stick with my plan of being the best darned mom I can be to these children who aren't promised to me forever, but that I'm supposed to do the best I can with while they are in my care. I don't have long, and neither do you. Will we one day release them with pride?

P: Abba, Father,
You have truly blessed me, and my life, with allowing me the gift of being a mother to Your children. I pray for the tenacity it takes to stay strong in raising these young men for You. I pray for wisdom, so that I may never lead them astray. I pray that in leading them to You so early, that even though I may be rough around the edges, that I may be making up for it in them, that they will retain their childlike faith in You! That they may truly be worthy of a place with You. I pray that every day I go one better than the opportunities that were before me at a young age. Lord, let me not fail them. Lord work through me that You may be proud of these boys who will one day walk as men on earth, leading others, and their own families to You!

In Jesus Name
Amen

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms
*Plumb*

S.O.A.P. for 02/28/2009 Shhh!!

S: Proverbs 10:19
Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.

O: Shhh!!!!

A: Shhh!!!!

P: Father God,
I thank You for revealing greatness in quietness. Let my words be few. I pray that I remember to hold my tongue whenever it is necessary as I feel You tug on my conscience. May my ears and eyes be stronger than my tongue.

In Jesus Name,
Amen


So I'll let my words be few..
Jesus I am so in love with You
*Phillips, Craig, and Dean*