Be The Example Not The Hinderance

I have had a very stressful last two weeks with work. Sometimes you wonder how you are going to get through all the stress and just be able to do your job effectively. This was my prayer for one of the days that I had and that day I felt god settle in the warehouse and no matter what happened that day I felt peace.


My Prayer For The Day January 29, 2010

God you know the week I have been having and you know the circumstances behind all of it. Please help me not to become frustrated, lose my patience, let words come out of my mouth that shouldn't. Instead god let your presence settle in this place so they when we take a breathe we can smell your sweet presence. Let us soak it in and have the peace and joy of having you near to us. I pray that you touch each of my co-workers and that they come to know you as i know you. Let our thoughts be your thoughts today. Let us not worry about petty things that don't matter but to keep our eyes focused on you. I want my desires to be your desires. Change our hearts and our minds today so that we can show others of the perfect love you have given us. Thank you god for resting in this place today.


We sometimes need to change our attitude and our way of doing things. We are the ones who change the atmosphere around us. When we give that control up to the enemy or to people around us then the peace, joy, and love of god takes a back seat to the chaos around us. I had to stop that day at work and pray for my co-workers and pray that god change my mindset and my attitude that day. How can I expect god to do something in my co-workers lives when I don't change my way of thinking and doing things. As Christians the world watches us and we should be the example not the hindrance.

The Three Trees

A friend of mine sent this to me and I loved it and thought I would share it on my blog. It was something I think that we as christians need to keep in mind.

THE 3 TREES

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods.
They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said,


"Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver
and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone
would see the beauty."




Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take
kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world.
Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and
straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the Hill and
look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to
them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will
always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of
woodsmen came upon the trees.
When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I
think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began
cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter
would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree. I
should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy
because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the
woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew
that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the
Woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my Tree, I'll take this
one," and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box
for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not
at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of
being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn.. She gave birth and they
placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first
tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this
manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event
and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second
tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the
water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to
keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said
"Peace" and the Storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had
carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the
streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to
a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the
top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong
enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was
possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.



The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way,
always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God
will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had
Imagined.

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways
are not our ways, but His ways are always best..

Drench Me

Some wonderful things are already happening during this fast. I pray that many more prayers are answered and that we let his desires become our desires. That our mindset be changed to focus on him and what he has for us to do. Many times we pray for our own desires and we never think to ask what his desire for us is. Sunday at the end of service the song "Rain Dance" was played and we did flags and a billow to it. That song has stuck with me since then. I just want god to drench me in his presence and speak to me what his will is for me. I have my own desires that I would like to see come to pass, but I want what his will is for me first and foremost. This time of fasting for me is for me to get myself ready for this new journey he has me on. The unknown can be difficult because we always want to know whats going to happen, but if we knew what was going to happen then we might change the course that god has us set on. I cant help but to sit here and think of that song "The More I Seek You" while I'm writing this and all I can think about is god drench me. I want to soak in his presence and lay at his feet and rest in him. Listening to the words of that song....."I want to sit at your feet... drink from the cup in your hand....lay back against you and breathe...feel your heartbeat...this love is so deep...its more than I can stand ....I melt in your peace....its overwhelming..."

I Dont Want To Eat My Blessing

Last nite Pastor Josh was talking about fasting and praying. Something that Beth said last nite rang deep in my spirit. She said "I don't want to eat my blessing". Its very true that when are fasting that we have all kinds of thoughts running through our minds that we cant make it through the fast. Sometimes you have to push through the pain in order to receive the blessing. I know myself in the past when I was on a fast it was very difficult because I would tell myself that I couldn't possibly do it. I always would find an excuse to either stop or to alter it somehow. I had to learn to push myself through the hunger pains, the headaches, and the thoughts that would come to my mind that I couldn't possibly make it. Many times we don't always see a result right away from when we fasted and prayed for something and we get discouraged. Sometimes god has other things to show us and he will often change our mindset through it all. Be specific in what you are praying for and be open to what god is trying to say to you and show you. Pastor Josh also made a good point in saying that wouldn't it be awesome if we fasted and prayed for others needs just like we do our own needs. Could you imagine the breakthroughs that would take place in peoples lives if everyone would do that. I know myself I am praying for some specific things during this fast. I want god to bless me financially so that I may be able to purchase a house. That is something I have wanted for a longtime, but I have to say that god had to show me how to be a good steward of what I had and be happy with where I was at before he allows me to step into owning a house. I pray for more wisdom so that I don't make the same mistakes as I have in the past. I am praying for the one god has for me to spend my life with whomever he maybe. I know god is preparing him as he is preparing me for the journey we will have together. I am also praying for my children and for god to keep them safe and guide them through the many decisions they will have to face. There are many other things I am praying for, but that is a few of them. Take this time of fasting and praying and put everything aside and focus on him. That is probly the one thing that I am praying for the most is for him to help me keep my focus on him and to always put him first in all that I do.

LISTEN........THINK........LOOK!!!!

Think about what you're thinking about, Look at what you looking at, Listen to what it is you're listening to. Those words have spoken to me so deeply since Wednesday nite. They are very simple words that are said but have such a profound meaning to them. We are so busy we don't take the time to stop and ponder that. Look at what it is your looking at. We find ourselves looking at things that don't matter sometimes and we have to regain our focus on god. We are so easily distracted by things that we need our vision refocused on him. Don't let your eyes wander from here to there but stay focused on him. Don't get your eyes on man but on god. Let him put the blinders like a horse has to help you stay on the right track. He will lead you where it is that you are to be. We seem to focus on the circumstances that are in front of our face instead of looking passed them and keeping our eyes on the destination ahead. Think about what it is your thinking about. The mind is a battlefield of thoughts that are going all over the place sometimes. We need to pray that our minds be renewed and think thoughts of him and what is he would have us to do. So many times the thoughts in our minds are what comes out of our mouths and our mouths are the powerful tool that god has given us. It shows whats in our hearts and minds. If your filling yourself with things that are not of god then people see the fruit of what we are by what we speak and what we speak is what we think. So what is it your thinking is it the thoughts of god or our own thoughts of confusion. Listen to what it is your listening to. Are you listening to the voice of god and hearing what it is he is speaking to you? We have all kinds of opinions and voices around us all the time that speak all kinds of things that sound good sometimes, but its not the voice of god. We think because someone has good intentions and the words sound good it must be from god. We need to be on our faces seeking his voice to speak to us not taking for granted that what someone speaks out of their mouths that its from god. We need to be in his word letting him speak to us thru his words not mans words. We need to be still and say god I'm listening speak to me. I want to hear what it is he has for me not what someone says he has for me. So take a few moments and ponder those three things. LISTEN TO WHAT IT IS YOUR LISTENING TO, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR THINKING ABOUT, LOOK AT WHAT YOU LOOKING AT.