Sunday, March 17, 2013

~Daniel and the Lions Den~

Faithfulness: 
Is choosing daily to follow God,
regardless of our circumstances. 

Today, I spent ALOT of time at church between two services and biblestudy...
so I have alot to think about for the upcoming week but I wanted to share something that really popped out to me today....It was a simple story about
 "Daniel and the Lions Den".
The childhood story is told over and over again in christianity and I think we overlook the 
"kid stories" and don't pay attention to the message that is being said;
 since we have heard them countless times.

(so here is tiny tidbits of the story.....If you want you can go here and read the whole story)
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10.Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

This passage really stuck out to me because Daniel didn't do anything out of the ordinary. 
In this time it was custom to have your windows open toward Jerusalem, He was doing exactly what he had always done, 3 times a day down on his knees in prayer. Daniel didn't close his windows in fear, he didn't pray 3 times a day because he wanted to prove he was holier than the rest....he simply did what God asks of us and that is to steadily follow him regardless of what the circumstances around us. Daniel prayed in pure faith....If he wouldn't have prayed he wouldn't have needed to ask God for help because he wouldn't have been thrown into the den. 
Are we faithful with our prayers to God even when the consequences 
seam hopeless? 
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25.Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: 
"May you prosper greatly!
26.I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. 
"For he is the living God and he endures forever; 
his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.
27.He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth. 
He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."  

If you've read the story you know about Daniel getting thrown into the lions den and God saving him from the mouths of the lions. Sometimes God works in ways we don't understand at first....we think we KNOW the plan and we think that we can outsmart him. God didn't save daniel from the lions den, he helped daniel through it so that through Daniel all nations and people would learn to know that "Daniels God" is the one and true God. Sometimes we have to go through ruff patches in our life, and God WILL be there to help us and provide us the safety that we need....and through our struggles may our faith be apparent so that Gods compassion and love will shine through us. 
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If you have any questions or thoughts feel free to message me
 have a great monday morning!!!!! :) 

#42-going to the movies
#43-new pillow shams made 
#44-the quiet, still....silence

Saturday, March 9, 2013

{worry}

Do not be afraid, little flock,
 for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. 
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, 
a treasure in heaven that will never fail, 
where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
Luke 12:32-34
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Here lately I have been catching myself worrying....alot! Granted, to me they are valid things to worry about but....what I constantly have to keep reminding myself is that God is in control.
He has control over every aspect of my life wither it is something huge or something small.

I have never been a worrier....I always go with the flow, it takes alot for something to upset me...and generally I have alot of peace in my life(only by the grace of God). But, I suppose that sometimes in life God gives us challenges and trials to see how we will react to those situations and to test us and make us stronger. We should be mindfull of our problems and trials and bring them to God with our hearts wide open.

 BUT: 
Worrying will not effect anything, it won't add more power to the prayers; It won't make us feel better; It won't add time to our life; It won't "Fix" our problems.....

My heart has ached so badly sometimes because I just want to "fix" what is broken and for life to be back to the normal carefree times....but, through alot of prayer...God has given me a spirit of peace. His hand is over every aspect of my life, so why am I second guessing that? He made the whole earth and everything in it...and i'm worried about him not "having a plan??". He hears our cries and he blesses those who run after him. As long as I stay in his word and follow after him with my whole heart, he will bless me and those around me....Our God is a God of healing, peace and comfort. Whenever I am faced in a time of worry....I always quote quietly to myself...

"All I have need of his hand will provide, He's always been faithful to me"

No matter what has happened in my life....he has provided for me...he has always been there even when I went astray..he always has been a provider over my life. So in times of worry and doubt I try to think about all the things he has blessed me with and how he hasn't failed me yet....
he IS the God of provision and faithfulness. 


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#39-Gods provision 
#40-Tomato, Fetta and Cucumber salad
#41-Being able to reach family members with push of a button