Good Evening Ladies,
Wow! We made it...and we are still alive! This past 30 days has been tremendous. As I look back on this journey I cant help but marvel at how much has happened in such a small time span. God has done so much in my life in 30 days. I hope He has touched you in ways that you will never forget as well.
Today's lesson talks about following God wholeheartedly. No matter the circumstances just follow Him and seek His will. The plain truth is that we are totally human. 100% flesh and bone, self-seeking human. The good news is that while that may be a grim fact, we have a huge God that is not human! God requires more of us than our humanness would readily provide if it were not for His commands.
Think back to the beginning of Judges 6. Gideon was a fearful no-name guy in his tribe. God came to him and required him to complete a task that would alter history. Think about that for a minute. Imagine yourself folding the laundry or washing dishes when out of nowhere the Angel of Lord comes to you and asks something big of you. All you are required to do is trust Him. God never promises us bodily safety. He never promises us an easy road. What He does say is that if we do His will it will bring glory to him. But wait a minute, I am not finished with my laundry or the dishes yet. God is going to need to wait. As soon as I am finished with what I have on my list I can jump right on that! Doesn't that sound like us? Well, it absolutely sounds like me!
As I sat down to open this last days study I felt like I was standing in front of a firing squad! I read the title and sunk in my seat a little bit. Like most moms I am busy. Really busy. I have my days and months scheduled out. This summer was no exception. While I was planning to participate in this study I looked at my schedule and I had the time. Let me tell you ladies something you probably already know. God has His own plans for my life, daily! God had so many adventures on the calendar for me this summer that I had no clue about. So plans changed! My life is not usually this interesting. This summer however my plans would change right up to the minute before I was to walk out the door. At first I would get tight in the chest and get frustrated. I would just like to highlight a few of my unforeseen adventures. At the beginning of the summer we started off with 2 rounds of seasonal allergies with the kids and wrapped up with them each getting a virus that I had never heard of. An uncle passed away after a long hard battle that truly brought him closer to the Lord and I believe healed some large cracks in my family. My brother had routine surgery to remove his appendix which turned out to be cancerous. He, his wife and new baby waited weeks to learn that it was only contained in his appendix and had been removed. It is a miracle that it was found in the first place. Praise God! This has also lead to some major family healing! My dad has major heart issues. Usually once a year for the past 3 or 4 years he has been in the hospital for a stint and once for bypass surgery. It looked like this summer was no exception. He felt that he had a heart attack but waited until the next day to tell anyone! MEN!! So, we went to the doctor to get him checked out, fully anticipating the worst. After the doctor gave him the once over it was discovered that he only had vertigo. Sheesh! This was a blessing because it really got his wheels turning on his health again. He is recommitted to cleaning up his health. (This is a very frustrating topic for me because I just want him to fix it. But then I am reminded of my lack of will power and shut down my judgements) During most of all of this my sweet mother in law was battling a nasty virus of her own that is just now subsiding. It has taken all summer. She is usually my biggest help with the kids. The kids and I had alot of time together this summer:) I have also dealt with an intestinal issue for years that became a huge problem for me this summer. Then I was introduced to a new way of eating that has taken away every single symptom! Praise God!!
There was actually more to write but I want to get to my point. God has His plans for us. Each day He has our day laid out. All we are required to do is get in the thick of it with Him. We need to do the inconvenient things. As I looked back on this summer and all of its drama I am blinded by the fact that God delivered me through it all. Did I loose 2 uncles to Heaven this summer? Yes. Did the family have more than its share of health scares? Yes. Did my kids go to more funerals and viewings and doctors appointments and road trips than either of us cared for? Yes! But when each situation is looked at individually I can see what God wanted me to learn or how He wanted to change my perspective on something. It was almost as if He was showing off! He really did deliver my family in so many ways this summer.
Back to the firing squad. Nearly a year ago God started working on me to do a study in a public format. It turns out that it was this blog. Once I quit dodging His request I committed to this study. However, I have not been faithful in staying on the schedule. I know that I had a lot going on. That was my excuse for lagging behind. The truth is I was exhausted by the end of the day when I sat down to work on the study. Getting up early was not always an option either. I was tired!! It was not convenient for me to stay the course and stay up later or to rise earlier. I have felt convicted about this. God has given me numerous lessons this summer that were so perfect. Stay the course, He has me! He can change hearts that were once so hard. Live a life so much for God that when you die that is what people remember.
Do not be so wounded that you don't let God reach you. This world is not for us, do not get too comfortable here. Learn from the lives of older folks. Be kind and generous with your words. Love on people, it will touch them in ways that you may never know.
Something that Priscilla said in her study was that 'our convenience does not trump Gods rules!!
There are so many reasons we give for not attending church, reading the Word, praying, getting involved. Just don't. Save the excuses and get into Kingdom work. Start at home. Keep your life Christ centered! I am talking to myself as well here. Remain humble because the minute you get it all together on your own, God will show you otherwise. The best part about doing Gods will is seeing His glory shine!
My hope is that this blog was helpful to you in your walk. Ladies, I love y'all so much for supporting this Blog and for loving our Lord! Your love for the Lord will always encourage others. I would love your suggestions on what you would like to see next on here. Or would you like to take a break? I'm open and praying:)
~Randi
Judges 6:12
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
You are what God says you are.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Day 29- The Problem With Me
Hello ladies!
How about that for a title! The Problem With Me... Where do we start with that?
Our society tells us that we are the most important person in our lives. We are to worship our bodies, our intelligence, our talents, our status. We are told that we are deserving of what ever we want. We deserve the accolades for anything we do, even if our performance is sub par.
Today's lesson was tough for me. Our character, Gideon, did not persevere at the end of his story. He fell to his human standards instead of rising up to the Lords standards. What I found so disappointing was that God had been so supportive of him. God chose Gideon to lead Israel out of oppression. With Gods leading he was successful. God coddled him and reassured him. In the end Gideon took the credit for himself. He also garnered the status of a king with out actually becoming a king.
I was angry with him. How could he have been so stupid!?
As I type this I am reflecting on my life. How many times have I fallen to human standards? How often do I take the credit? God has blessed me immensely. God has used me to do positive things for people. While I am quick to give God the credit I quietly pat myself on the back for being a good person and allowing God to use me. What?? I need to always remember that God has his hand on my life. He is in total control of my life and I deserve no credit!!
I say that I love the Lord. I do love the Lord! I need to always reflect that outwardly as well as inwardly.
Lets pray for each other to be humble and always give God the glory he so richly deserves.
Ladies I love you!!
~Randi
How about that for a title! The Problem With Me... Where do we start with that?
Our society tells us that we are the most important person in our lives. We are to worship our bodies, our intelligence, our talents, our status. We are told that we are deserving of what ever we want. We deserve the accolades for anything we do, even if our performance is sub par.
Today's lesson was tough for me. Our character, Gideon, did not persevere at the end of his story. He fell to his human standards instead of rising up to the Lords standards. What I found so disappointing was that God had been so supportive of him. God chose Gideon to lead Israel out of oppression. With Gods leading he was successful. God coddled him and reassured him. In the end Gideon took the credit for himself. He also garnered the status of a king with out actually becoming a king.
I was angry with him. How could he have been so stupid!?
As I type this I am reflecting on my life. How many times have I fallen to human standards? How often do I take the credit? God has blessed me immensely. God has used me to do positive things for people. While I am quick to give God the credit I quietly pat myself on the back for being a good person and allowing God to use me. What?? I need to always remember that God has his hand on my life. He is in total control of my life and I deserve no credit!!
I say that I love the Lord. I do love the Lord! I need to always reflect that outwardly as well as inwardly.
Lets pray for each other to be humble and always give God the glory he so richly deserves.
Ladies I love you!!
~Randi
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Day 28
Hello Ladies!
As I said before, today we welcome a guest blogger. Christina is a work from home mother of two, wife to a great guy and friend to many. As I was feeling overwhelmed a few weeks ago I thought to ask her to guest blog for us. Actually God really placed her on my heart and here we are. I love that she accepted the challenge. As I mentioned above, she is a work from home mom! Its a hectic life:) I am blessed to call her friend. Please leave her some love in the comments!
~Randi
Feeling Fine:
Hello Ladies how are you feeling today? Hopefully, great. I am the guest blogger today and my anxiety has been sky high over being a guest blogger. This is my first bible study and I am anything but a great writer/blogger. I have read these pages about 100 times over the past few days praying for the words to come to me.
" Put me on trail, Lord and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart." Ps. 26:2
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need." Luke 12:31
This chapter talks about emotions, idols, who we turn to in times of need. Do we give credit where credit is do...A couple of weeks ago I had a really stressful week. One that was tough on my emotionally, physically and spiritually. I was so overwhelmed and had so much anxiety that day I was I couldn't even make a grocery list. As, I sat there I felt the anxiety creeping up to me chest and squeezing...in desperation I called a friend who suffers with anxiety from time to time and she was able to talk me off the ledge. As, we started talking we brought up God and how we need to turn to him in times of need. That in the mornings instead of checking FB and instagram for new post and pictures we need to thank God be quiet with him in prayer and in the Bible. This was a huge help and eye opener for me. As, I was reading about idols and distractions I realized these two things are huge idols in my life. Am I proud of that? No! But, I know now that what I need to make the most important thing in my life. What I need to center my life around. It is really simple! GOD.
"Therefore if you have been raised up in Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind of things above, not on the things that are on Earth." Col 3:1-2
I kid you not I have seen this scripture more than once this week on different wall, post etc. Think God was trying to pass the memo to me!! It was like the light went on in my head and heart. Seek me first, for comfort, guidance, reassurance anything that I may need seek to my God first and for most! I love this too Priscilla writes at the end of the chapter "Restructure your life to exclude the idols that have become your go-to activities or relationships. Cement boundaries in place and enlist accountability to keep you on track."
AMEN!!! AMEN!!
Today I took a vow with God that every morning I will wake up and praise him. I will pray to him, I will give thanks and take time for him, with him and him alone. I will read scripture and devour it as hungry as I am for it now. My heart feels so happy tonight as I write this. I hope and pray yours does too. Thank you wonderful ladies for being here with me today and letting me share with you a newbie's insight. Have a happy, blessed day! Christina
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Day 27- Good to Bad, Bad to Worse
Hi there Ladies!
Let us get to it.
Do we have idols that we worship other than God? Yes. Do we want to admit it? No.
A huge idol that we worship whether we know it or not is money. Our money, someone elses money. Money we don't have. Money we are going to make in the future. It is a huge factor in our decision making. Sometimes it makes us think that we are something we are not. Other times, the lack of money, does the same thing. We judge people a certain way for having it and others in another way for not having it. Doesn't this seem silly? It is silly.
Money is a tool to be used in life. It is not our guidance. God is our guidance.
As a society we need to back away from placing so much emphasis on money and place more emphasis on the Lord. If we will look to the Lord like we look at money we will be so productive in Kingdom work. Think about how the homeless population might look if we all spent a little more time helping those in need. Help them by just listening and praying with them. Help them by teaching them a new skill. In turn they would help us see things with a new perspective and therefor allow us to help others that we may not have been able to reach before!
Let's move it a little closer to home. Grab the hand of an older member in your church or maybe a neighbor. Listen to them. Pray with them. Learn from them. God has given us all so many different paths in life. We should share where we have been so that others may use the information to benefit the whole.
Do not make anything an idol. Even if it is a blessing. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Unless you are talking about God. We must stay in His word daily to really get convicted to do the right things.
I leave you with this. Love on your people, your neighbors and even strangers. Do not judge them for what they have or for what they lack. Do not allow yourself to be judged in the same ways. Live a life so "FOR" God that people will over look what you have or don't have.
I love you ladies!
~Randi
Let us get to it.
Do we have idols that we worship other than God? Yes. Do we want to admit it? No.
A huge idol that we worship whether we know it or not is money. Our money, someone elses money. Money we don't have. Money we are going to make in the future. It is a huge factor in our decision making. Sometimes it makes us think that we are something we are not. Other times, the lack of money, does the same thing. We judge people a certain way for having it and others in another way for not having it. Doesn't this seem silly? It is silly.
Money is a tool to be used in life. It is not our guidance. God is our guidance.
As a society we need to back away from placing so much emphasis on money and place more emphasis on the Lord. If we will look to the Lord like we look at money we will be so productive in Kingdom work. Think about how the homeless population might look if we all spent a little more time helping those in need. Help them by just listening and praying with them. Help them by teaching them a new skill. In turn they would help us see things with a new perspective and therefor allow us to help others that we may not have been able to reach before!
Let's move it a little closer to home. Grab the hand of an older member in your church or maybe a neighbor. Listen to them. Pray with them. Learn from them. God has given us all so many different paths in life. We should share where we have been so that others may use the information to benefit the whole.
Do not make anything an idol. Even if it is a blessing. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Unless you are talking about God. We must stay in His word daily to really get convicted to do the right things.
I leave you with this. Love on your people, your neighbors and even strangers. Do not judge them for what they have or for what they lack. Do not allow yourself to be judged in the same ways. Live a life so "FOR" God that people will over look what you have or don't have.
I love you ladies!
~Randi
Monday, August 5, 2013
Day 26- No Other Gods
No Other Gods!!!
Hi ladies. Today's lesson is so real and applicable in our lives. Yet, we do not want to talk about it or even acknowledge it.
Is it our children? Our husbands? Our bank accounts? TV? Internet? Work? Church?
The list could go on and on. God says that we are to worship nothing else above Him.
Our lives are so fast and full. We have 50 tasks to complete in a day and only have time for 30. Does this sound like you? It is absolutely me. I am an over committer. I want to do so many things with so many people. When I do this, over- commit, I am cheating myself of time with my God. Now, I may have time for God...but do I the energy for Him? So for me, my idol is 'fitting it all in'.
For you it may be different. But I know that there are many women out there that have the same ugly idol that I do.
This past few weeks have been very stressful for me. Guess what? I do not have TIME to be stressed. God puts things in our lives for us to gain insight and learn from. When we over schedule our selves we do not have 10 seconds to deal with what God gives us. Our loyalty and our commitment needs to start with God. I need to slow down and smell the roses that God allowed to grow in my garden:)
Lets challenge each other to start and end each day in prayer. But also pray through out the day for continued guidance. Let us make sure that the tasks we are setting our time to is important to God and His Kingdom work. And for me, I need to be reminded that God is not asking for me to fit all of it into one day:)
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon,"Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have delivered is from the hand of Midian."
Judges 8:22
Do we subconsciously ask our worldly priorities to rule over us? If we do, we need to stop it....NOW:)
I hope you can see the rabbit trail that got me to post this blog. It does not directly pertain to today's study but it was what was convicting my heart when I went through today's study.
I love you ladies and I will see you tomorrow!
~Randi
Hi ladies. Today's lesson is so real and applicable in our lives. Yet, we do not want to talk about it or even acknowledge it.
Idolatry.
There it is in black and white.
Who do we worship?
What do we worship?
Is it our children? Our husbands? Our bank accounts? TV? Internet? Work? Church?
The list could go on and on. God says that we are to worship nothing else above Him.
Our lives are so fast and full. We have 50 tasks to complete in a day and only have time for 30. Does this sound like you? It is absolutely me. I am an over committer. I want to do so many things with so many people. When I do this, over- commit, I am cheating myself of time with my God. Now, I may have time for God...but do I the energy for Him? So for me, my idol is 'fitting it all in'.
For you it may be different. But I know that there are many women out there that have the same ugly idol that I do.
This past few weeks have been very stressful for me. Guess what? I do not have TIME to be stressed. God puts things in our lives for us to gain insight and learn from. When we over schedule our selves we do not have 10 seconds to deal with what God gives us. Our loyalty and our commitment needs to start with God. I need to slow down and smell the roses that God allowed to grow in my garden:)
Lets challenge each other to start and end each day in prayer. But also pray through out the day for continued guidance. Let us make sure that the tasks we are setting our time to is important to God and His Kingdom work. And for me, I need to be reminded that God is not asking for me to fit all of it into one day:)
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon,"Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have delivered is from the hand of Midian."
Judges 8:22
Do we subconsciously ask our worldly priorities to rule over us? If we do, we need to stop it....NOW:)
I hope you can see the rabbit trail that got me to post this blog. It does not directly pertain to today's study but it was what was convicting my heart when I went through today's study.
I love you ladies and I will see you tomorrow!
~Randi
Day 25- The Domino Effect
Good morning!
Girls, we have all been there. We open our mouths in anger and then one thing leads to another. Maybe you have not been there. I have, many times. It never ends well. Hurtful things get said in the name of honesty and truth. Once again, this is an ancient problem. Gideon was angry at his fellow tribesmen for denying his troops bread. In Gideons eyes they might as well just have killed them there. His troops were weary and needed food and encouragement. Being denied these things by his fellow tribesmen infuriated Gideon. He vowed to come back and punish them!
Have you ever felt that way? I have. I have been denied love and support at times. It cut so deeply that I thought I might never recover. But, I thought, if I did recover I would show them how it felt. Thankfully, God grabbed ahold of my heart before it came to that.
Judges 8:19
'They were my brothers, the sons of my mother! As the Lord lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you.'
We must stay in constant communication and prayer with God to stay on track. I know that if left to my own choices that I would not do the right things. I rely on God to keep me steady and true.
Proverbs 3:5-6
'Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Ladies, I love you and I will see you for day 26!
Randi
Girls, we have all been there. We open our mouths in anger and then one thing leads to another. Maybe you have not been there. I have, many times. It never ends well. Hurtful things get said in the name of honesty and truth. Once again, this is an ancient problem. Gideon was angry at his fellow tribesmen for denying his troops bread. In Gideons eyes they might as well just have killed them there. His troops were weary and needed food and encouragement. Being denied these things by his fellow tribesmen infuriated Gideon. He vowed to come back and punish them!
Have you ever felt that way? I have. I have been denied love and support at times. It cut so deeply that I thought I might never recover. But, I thought, if I did recover I would show them how it felt. Thankfully, God grabbed ahold of my heart before it came to that.
Judges 8:19
'They were my brothers, the sons of my mother! As the Lord lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you.'
We must stay in constant communication and prayer with God to stay on track. I know that if left to my own choices that I would not do the right things. I rely on God to keep me steady and true.
Proverbs 3:5-6
'Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Ladies, I love you and I will see you for day 26!
Randi
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Life Happens :)
Hello ladies!
Wow! I am so embarrassed at how far behind I am this week. Each day I keep thinking, "OK, tonight I will have time to sit down and work on this." Then, tonight comes and I am exhausted. I know that I am preaching to the choir here. Instead of starting this week late I have decided to begin again on Monday. I hope you will tune in. Thank you for understanding and I ask for prayers for restful nights and productive days.
I love you ladies.
Randi
P.S. We will have a guest blogger on day 3 next week. You will love her!
Wow! I am so embarrassed at how far behind I am this week. Each day I keep thinking, "OK, tonight I will have time to sit down and work on this." Then, tonight comes and I am exhausted. I know that I am preaching to the choir here. Instead of starting this week late I have decided to begin again on Monday. I hope you will tune in. Thank you for understanding and I ask for prayers for restful nights and productive days.
I love you ladies.
Randi
P.S. We will have a guest blogger on day 3 next week. You will love her!
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