I recently started the “Draw the Circle” The 40 Day Prayer challenge book by Pastor Mark Batterson.
Thought I would capture and share a snippet of today’s devotional as a reminder how Big our God is.

Yesterday I went to the local apple farm near where I live, and I came across this beautiful field of mini sunflowers. It just brought a smile to my face to see these happy little flowers smiling back at me. It is God’s way of saying “I am here for you! Your breakthrough is coming!”

Lay Down Your Expectations. Easier said than done, right? I know I personally have had many expectations, and none of them turned out the way I thought it would or should go in my life. But then that’s when I need to remember God’s faithfulness and his timing NEVER fails. My pain and your pain is NEVER wasted. He is still writing my story, and your story.

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us.” - Exodus 32:1

400 years. That’s how long the Israelites waited for God to deliver them from slavery. But after they left Egypt, God didn’t take them directly to Canaan. Instead, they camped at the base of a mountain while God instructed Moses. 
But after 40 days, the Israelites grew frustrated. Their delayed expectations led to poor decisions: they rejected God and pursued whatever pleased them.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by an uncertain season that lasts longer than you anticipated, you’re not alone. We can become so focused on our disappointments that we forget God is still in control. That’s why it’s important to remember that your waiting is never wasted.

Even though the Israelites couldn’t see it at the time, God wasn’t withholding His promises from them—He was preparing them for it.
So, if you find yourself weary from waiting, do what the Israelites forgot to do: look for evidence of God’s presence, and look back on what He’s already done. God’s timeline may be different than yours, but His faithfulness doesn’t waver. Your waiting might be preparing you for the plans and purposes God has for you.

Reflection Questions: 
What have you held onto that you know you need to surrender?
In what ways has God been faithful in your life? 
What might God be trying to show you in your current season? 

“Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
Psalms 55:22 NKJV

“and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 NKJV

“The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.””
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”
Psalms 32:8 NKJV

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”
Psalms 46:1 NKJV

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39 NKJV

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.””
Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
I John 4:18 NKJV

“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”
Philippians 1:6 NKJV

We are in not only a spiritual war but an information war. Add Wikipedia to your list of bias information right along next to Google. Be wise, because the days are evil. God gives us discernment when we seek Him with our whole hearts.

Found this in my archives. I am a collector of inspiring notes from other writers. I try to give credit to the author, but in this case I didn’t record it for some reason. But, I found it still worth sharing. Here’s to all of us overcomers!

We all have names we carry around with us. Some of them are wonderful and we wear them with pride. Others, not so much. 
I’ve taken on names like: 
Not Enough
Unqualified
Damaged
Depressed
Overwhelmed 
Maybe you carry names like that around too. Ever wanted to trade those names for a new name? I certainly have. 
Tucked away in Revelation 2, Jesus promises, “I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it” (verse 17). 
A new, God-given name engraved on a white stone? Sign me up. 
Is it really possible to trade in our old names for something new? Can we upgrade to far better names? The names we were created for all along? 
We can. 
Because God is in the upgrade business. He isn’t going to leave us in our old, broken down, torn up lives. God will come alongside us and upgrade us to something fresh and new — to something victorious.
Maybe God—our Savior and Redeemer, The Mighty One—is whispering:
I will exchange your burden for freedom
your unworthy for valuable
your insecure for confident
your not enough for enough
your damaged for restored
and your bitter for grateful
I will make peace your leader
and righteousness your ruler. 
Let me have your old, hurtful names and harmful, distorted identities and instead make you victorious. 
I believe God is ready to make an exchange. I believe He is offering to let us trade in the names that have haunted us, followed us, and held us back. We can grasp new names and embrace the fact that Jesus has declared us victors, overcomers, and people worthy to be awarded a new name on a white stone. 
Your name is Overcomer. Your name is Conqueror. Your name is Champion. Your name is Victorious!

A good reminder!

Folks God has been preparing us for years for this one moment in time. You could have been born 100 years ago but God said no! I need you for now! This fight that we are in, is the largest Spiritual Battle since the Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Make no mistake, this is a Battle of Good vs Evil. It may look like we are loosing at times, but rest assured we are not. We are winning every day, but it depends on your perception. We can't go by what we see I'm the natural, but by what is happening in the Spirit! Don't let your emotions get the best of you, but let Christ in you the hope of Glory lead you in this Epic battle! No one said this would be easy, it will probably get worse before it gets better, but we are prepared! NOW ARMOUR UP and STAY in the FIGHT! ...-

Testimony Tuesday
Part 1 of 3
“For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.”
Psalms 91:11

Years ago I used to work for the American Red Cross. I worked in the biomedical division, collecting whole blood from donors as a health history registered nurse and phlebotomist.

I was part of a big operation of other nursing staff, medical assistants, and mobile unit assistants, together we traveled all over the Pacific North West, particular in Oregon and Washington state.

It was a fun and rewarding experience, but the schedule was horrific. Lot of travel, and many nights in hotels. The schedule was hard, because it changed weekly.
Many times we were dispatched out for 2 to 5 days at a time.

We had the option to travel with the team in a van, or we could drive directly to the site in our own personal cars.
Our job description included setting up a lot of equipment. It’s not a job for everyone, given it requires physical stamina due to setting up the site with equipment and tearing down sometimes everyday, even though we were coming back on site the very next day.

We traveled in all kinds of weather, you name it , we experienced it. I got to see beautiful parts of Oregon and Washington state as a perk.

Part 2 of 3

One particular winter day I will never forget. The blood drive was held at a church in Tillamook, Oregon, (Home of the famous Tillamook Cheese factory) a coastal town. It was an overnight blood drive. Meaning we were scheduled for a two day blood collection event.

The weather forecast was for snow, in the coastal range.
Rain continued in Tillamook during the blood drive. When we ended the blood drive at 6:00PM on our final night. The charge nurse needed to make a decision. Should we stay in Tillamook another night and go home in the morning, or take the risk and head home that night? Either way, it still meant passing through the coast range which had a least a couple of feet of snow and ice.

We collectively made the decision to go for it. I had a small compact car with good tires. I had tire chains with me, in case I needed them. I’ve driven in snow and ice many times before. I knew how to put chains on by myself. I felt confident enough to take the risk.

As always I drove direct, so that meant driving by myself back home, while the remainder of the team headed back to the main headquarters in Portland. To be honest I didn’t want to wait for the team because sometimes they would dilly-dally and would want to stop at a fast food drive thru on the way home. I was anxious to get home. So, I ended up leaving well ahead of them.

As I headed into the coastal range the snow began to fall pretty heavy. The road was packed in snow and ice, it was pitch dark through the forest range. There was nobody else on the road except me. Foolish perhaps, but I just wanted to get home and sleep in my own bed.

Soon, big fat wet snow flakes began to garnish my surroundings like powdered sugar on mom’s apple cake.
My headlights lit up the road a few yards, but the snow fall was so heavy coming towards me, it made me dizzy and messed up my depth perception. Yeah, just like the scene in Star Wars with the Millennium Falcon traveling at warp speed. You get the idea.

I started to get anxious because I couldn’t tell where the road began or ended. I could see where the snow plows had been through previously but even that was difficult to navigate.

My biggest fear was driving over the edge of the road down into a deep ravine. I thought, “They’re not going to find my body ‘till next Spring!” Although, my car was bright red and could be found pretty easily from a drone or helicopter. So my chances of survival were good, right?!
Oh, my mind was all over the place. As I speculated my demise, and how this would turn out, I corralled my thoughts back in line. Have you ever noticed “speculations” are never positive? I digress.

Part 3 of 3

I could tell I was pretty close to the summit. There were no cars in front of me, and no one trailing me. It was dark, cold, and I am driving in the middle of a heavy snowstorm in the Cascade Range mountains. It’s normally a 2 hour drive back home in good weather. But under the conditions, I was driving anywhere between 15 to 25 miles per hour to safely navigate. I had no cell reception, no radio or anything. It was to say the least, going to be a long drive home.

I began to pray, and shot an arrow prayer to the Lord. I remember asking Him; “Dear Lord, please help me get through this storm safely. I can’t see where the road begins or ends. Can you please guide me? Thank you.”

I drove for about another minute or so and what I saw next made my heart skip a beat. Off in the distance about a quarter of a mile I saw a glow of light illuminate the trees around a bend in the road in front of me. Then, appeared two headlights. As it got closer I could tell it was a big truck hauler or 18 wheeler since I could see panel lights on the side of the truck glowing orange.

When it came around the bend the headlights revealed the entire road in front of me like a runway at an airport. I could now see where I was going. It gave me a reference point to know exactly what was ahead of me. This was the break I needed.

Soon, the truck got closer and as it passed me I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the red tail lights growing dimmer as it trailed off out of view, then nothing but blackness.

I regained my focus in that moment. Thank you Lord! God had provided an angel to guide me. It was the confidence I needed. Just as I completed the bend in the road the truck had lit up for me, I saw another car’s red tail lights in the darkness before me. I shouted out in glee, thanking the Lord again. I knew at that moment God had provided another lighthouse beacon of hope in the midst of the storm.

I followed the 2nd angel in that car the rest of the way. As I began to descend out of the coast range, the snowstorm began to ease up the roads became clearer, the weather was warmer. I peeled off to my exit driving in the now all too familiar rain of the Pacific North West, praising God for His divine protection. I got home safely about 9:30pm.

I often wonder how many times the Lord protected me without even knowing it. I have a feeling it is a lot.

I will never forget that night. God sent His heavenly guardians to clear my path.
There is a saying, that God doesn’t always remove the storms in your life, but He will get you through them.
I would say that is completely accurate.

Thank you Papa!

Good morning warriors

I wanted to share 3 mantras if you will, that I live by, but before I do…

One thing I quickly learned is that none of us have “arrived”. All of us are still learning, taking in, and hopefully growing into Christ’s image. It’s more about transformation.
Given our present culture of truth and lies, and division, all I know is I want God to show me how to do things His way. I want God to order my steps, in choosing my battles wisely.

Know when to engage in the battle and know when to stand still and watch the deliverance from the Lord.

Here are some words that helped me a long the way that God reminds me of every now and then.

No. 1
Don’t die on small mountains, die on big mountains.
In other words. Take your cause to a higher level rather than verbally punching out an individual with your facts because it just creates more divisiveness and gives place to the enemy. Start a prayer group in your home, stand up for your children at school board meetings, Send emails, boycott companies, hit ‘em where it hurts, etc. Don’t waste your time trying to convince some you are right, but go after the source who has them convinced them of the lie. You get the gist.

No. 2
A bulldog can be a skunk any day, but sometimes it just isn’t worth it. Just ask Paul and Barnabus. Shake the dust off and move on. There are some people whose ears and hearts are not ready to receive it yet. We need to ask God to give us the grace to sustain the strength to stand firm, and the will power to keep on keeping on in certain situations but also know when to take it to Him in prayer instead, and take our hands off of it. There are rules of engagement as we listen to God’s voice in our hearts. So skip the skunk and you come out smelling like a rose!

No. 3
“Let God be as original with other people as He is with you”—Oswald Chambers. Not everyone comes to the knowledge of truth the same way you did. The Holy Spirit can use any circumstance to bring truth and light into a person’s heart. Don’t be quick to judge. We need to quit putting God in our own box of understanding. Let Him out! Besides, like a lion let loose from a cage, with God there are no boundaries to His truth once it’s released. All of us have had to work out our own salvation as God released His Spirit upon us. Allow God to do His work in others apart from your preconceived idea. God’s grace is unlimited and so freeing!

I think what I am really trying to say here in this thread is, we don’t really know everyone’s story, or what they are in the middle of, or where they came from. All I know is Jesus had compassion on those who were spiritually depleted. It wasn’t about being right or wrong, but more about life and death. He wanted them to know the abundance of life was through His Kingdom.
Ask God to show you what to say, or to give you guidance in any given situation. That door in their hearts will begin to crack open. At least you planted a seed.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10 NKJV

I hope this all makes sense. I just wanted to share what was on my heart this morning.
Blessings my friends! ❤️🙏🏻

We currently live in an upside down world 🤔

I’m a sucker for cute stuff like this!

A meaningful life is not being rich, being popular, or being perfect. It’s about being real, being humble, being able to share ourselves and touch the lives of others.

© Unknown @quote

Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon
against your challenges.
So relax.

© Bryant McGill @quote

Here is the irony in today’s medical world.

Life saving treatment is being denied to the unvaccinated.
No vax, no kidney transplant, etc.
No vax, no Rx’s for you to cure your diseases
No vax, no physician will treat you (in some cases)
No vax, no health insurance
Did I miss anything?

But yet, those who are sure the un-vaxxed are killing everyone are the same ones who are contributing to the death rate by not treating the sick.

Let that sink in!

Prayer and declaration

Heavenly Father,

We live in perilous time, but you are our anchor in time of trouble. You give us peace in the midst of this crazy world.
Help all of us to see Your goodness in all of this.

Thank you for reminding us that the giant in front of us is never bigger that the God behind us.

Thank you that you are for us and not against us.

Thank you that You have already provided a way of salvation through Your Son Jesus Christ.

Thank you that we are never alone in our personal battles.

Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us and groan for us.

Thank you for Your Word and the promises You have for us.
It is our weapon of warfare!

Though we do not understand completely how all these trials will come out, I know our pain is not wasted, and every bit of it will be used for Your Glory!

You make all things work together for our good.

We are over comers, and we will be victorious!

In Jesus name, I declare and decree all these things.
Amen!