This Girl's Heartbeat

NO! We hate that answer. We want a yes.   We want a yes the way WE want our yes.   The way WE want things to go.  The way WE have made it up in our mind how our lives should work. But what do you do when He says no? Do you even give Him an opportunity to say no or do we not even ask Him? His yes will be determined by how we handle His no.   What do I mean by that? It comes down to obedience.   If you get into your car to go to a destination, there are certain roads that you shouldn't take.  Those roads may lead to dead ends, a bridge that's out, or  a detour that will take you hours away from your final destination. It's important to follow the directions to get to your goal on time and efficiently.   I think sometimes we obey google maps more than we obey God.  We put our trust in a computer program to get us to where we need to go more than we put our trust in an all knowing, all powerful God who can direct our lives and lead us along the p...

I think we overcomplicate living for Jesus sometimes.   I woke up this morning saying this to myself.   Like literally, opened my eyes and this was running in my head.   I'm an over thinker, and over analyzer, and over explainer.  I always have been and that has been a hinderance to me so many times.  Jesus is teaching me to just be.  Live for Him, speak to Him, walk in Him, and let Him work where He needs to work. Living for God isn't complicated. We make it complicated.   We feel like we need to fully understand all the mysteries of our Father and be perfect little human beings before we can accomplish anything in Him.  We try to "do" our way to his heart.  If we pray this amount, He will pick me. If we work this hard, He will approve of me. If we take out or add XYZ to my life, then He will accept me. We have it backwards. Because He loves me, I want to talk to Him. Because He loves me, I want to work for His Kingdom. Because He loves me, ...

I recently purchased this book called Women of the Word which was recommended to me by a friend.  It's a year long devotional of 52 women in the Bible.  I'm on week one and God is already using it to teach me.  EVE WHAT GOD SAID:  You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. WHAT EVE TOLD THE ENEMY GOD SAID:  We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and  you must not touch it,  or you will die." WHAT THE ENEMY TOLD EVE:  You will not certainly die,  for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. First -  Eve added to God's word. Second - so did the enemy. Seeing this leads me to ask two questions: 1. How of...

I'm right there with most parents. My kids have been driving me nuts.  As I write this, both of them have crawled up right on side of me to touch me for the 29,703,048 time today.  Can I just not be touched for one minute? Please? Can you not put your foot on my face and stick your little big toe into the side of my thigh like you're digging for gold? But you know what else I am? I am so very thankful. This quarantine has made me stop. I don't have a schedule to stay on. I don't have supper to fix by a certain time. I don't have things to occupy my time like grocery shopping, running errands, or taking those weekly trips to Target. I don't really have a whole lot of restraints on me other than to stay home and stop. Yes, my kids have been driving me nuts, BUT, I have been able to stop and just BE with them. I've been able to make blanket forts and color and tomorrow we're baking cookies.  I've had time...

If you've ever experience crippling anxiety or fear, you know that it can make everyday life really difficult. It's terrifying. It's makes you feel like your drowning in a fog of darkness. It's real.  But so is my God! This Coronavirus is a perfect storm that the enemy can use to create an atmosphere of fear and torment - neither of which is of God. That's SO important to remember.  God brings peace beyond understanding.  He brings joy unspeakable.  He brings calm in the midst of chaos. Here are a few things that God has taught me throughout the years to help fight this battle with anxiety and fear.  Hopefully it can help some of you who may be dealing with fear and anxiety with the Coronavirus swirling all round us: 1.  Guard your eyes and ears.     Fear grows if we feed it - so starve it! Limit or cut out TV, Facebook, and negative conversation.  Be wise and learn what we have to about this virus and then s...

Disclaimer: This is long!  But the healing could have never come without the process. Two months of barely eating.  I'd lost so much weight that I didn't fit any of my clothes anymore.   Two months of no sleeping.  Like literally waking up every thirty minutes...for months. The only thing that would keep me asleep was to play preaching on youtube. When the sermon was over, I'd wake up.   Nauseated every minute of every day. The enemy whispering in my ear horrible, disgusting, off the wall things that I have never spoken of to anyone.  It was a constant record of lies playing on repeat in my head daily, nightly, for months. Fear gripped me. Worry engulfed me. It was a perfect storm that the enemy orchestrated. He had waged war on my mind, my body, my future, and my spirit.  And he almost won. It was three months before I was to leave for Africa.  Daniel and I were still dating but I knew that a proposal was...

Matthew 6:25-34 I've always read this chapter thinking that God doesn't want me to worry about material things. But today I read it a bit differently. He will provide my EVERY need, my heart's desire, He will stay true to His promises  BUT He may have you wait! It will sometimes lead to what I like to call as Holy Frustration.  Knowing that the waiting is part of His will for your life, but still, because we're human, leads to us being impatient at times and getting frustrated at His timing. BUT GOD ALWAYS COMES THROUGH! This is my testimony. My family. My husband and my children.  I call them my miracles from God. God had me wait for all of it. But it was so worth it. You see, I didn't get married in my 20's like all my other friends.  And let me tell you, the waiting was hard. It was trying, it was lonely, and it was exactly what I needed, but didn't want. In the waiting, He taught me so much: His love fo...