Monthly Archives: January 2019

A New Year a New View

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This first week of 2019 has propelled me into a new way of thinking! My word for this year is RENEW. God is wasting no time in my renewal by personally showing me how changing my focus can change everything! Let me give you a couple of examples.

First of all was our trip to Florida for the holidays. We had one of our best trips yet. We were able to spend an entire week visiting friends and family stress free. Everything was falling into place perfectly! Then came the 3 a.m. wake up to a very sick stomach which resulted in my throwing up dinner from the night before and spending the next day with a very sour stomach. I chose to take some medication to soothe my tummy and continue on as planned. Things were back on track and the final day came for us to start our journey back home. Less than 30 minutes into our trip my husband decided to follow my lead and we spent the next 4 hours in a stop and go mode as we pulled over for him to get sick.

The reason I am sharing this craziness is this; We could choose to focus on the end of our trip when things turned bad and a “monkey wrench” was thrown into our “perfect”. Or we could choose to focus on the amazing time we had, that far outweighed the bad ending. In shifting my focus to the best parts of our trip, the bad seemed so insignificant and not worth even mentioning. (Except for this blog to explain my point…lol!) I also have a very difficult time with night driving and since moving to the mountains, traffic anxiety when returning to Florida! Due to Bryan being so sick. I had to get behind the wheel, after dark, on the interstate!! I could have focused on my fear and anxiety and made a difficult situation even more difficult, but I chose to use the weapon of prayer to defeat my anxiety.

The second way my thinking is being renewed is in my work environment. I realized that my tendency has been to focus on the negative things that happened at work each day; store them up then come home and download them all over my hubby. This was not only having a negative impact on my evenings but causing undue stress and frustration in my work days. This first week of the year I have chosen to not talk about work when i get home. We are discovering that there are so many more interesting and uplifting conversations that we can have and our nights are much more relaxed. I have to admit that I am battling to overcome my frustration level while at work but I have the armor to overcome it and know that I will find victory.

Making the decision to refocus can be challenging. But it amazes me how making those decisions can so drastically change the environment you live in. The enemy’s greatest tool is our mind and our focus! His ultimate goal from the time our feet hit the floor each morning is to cause as much havoc as he can and keep our focus on it. The smallest things can grow into the greatest obstacles all by the power of the minds focus.

We have the weapons we need to fight off the fiery darts that are shot into our minds!

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one”. Ephesians 6:16

“God’s word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare”. Ephesians 6:17-18 (The message)

We should not be surprised by this warfare. Jesus himself walked it, lived it out and gave His life to conquer it! He then gave us the tools we need to walk this same journey out until He calls us home. The struggle is that we do not pour the word into our minds as much as we pour the world into our minds!!  This year I am going to intentionally choose to pour in more of the word and focus on the blessings.   How about you?

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the RENEWING of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

Relentless pursuit of “me”

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2018 is coming to a close and I am reflecting on what I learned from my word for the year “RELENTLESS “. When I first received this word I did not understand the direction it was going to take me. The pull to relentlessly pursue my true self took me on a journey of discovery that was unexpected. You see I thought the only way to true happiness and self fulfillment was somehow buried inside me, in a place that I had not tapped into or understood about what my true identity was. This could not be further from the truth.

So my pursuit began as I began to follow the hints God gave me as to where my focus should be.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
    and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)

The Lord your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. (Psalm 103:11)    

There is no God like you in the skies above or on the earth below who … relentlessly loves (1 Kings 8:23 MSG)

The ongoing theme was the love God has for me. His love is RELENTLESS! His pursuit of us is RELENTLESS! The very thing I was looking for to validate my true identity was not going to be found by my RELENTLESS pursuit of anything, but from me grasping the understanding of the RELENTLESS love the Father has for me!

It is from the place of accepting this love that I can freely walk out the purpose God predestined for me from my inception.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

It is not by any power I possess that I can find who I truly am but by walking in the knowledge of God’s unfailing and RELENTLESS love. His love has the healing power to loosen the chains and allow me to live an abundant life full of hope and purpose. Walking my personal pathway and keeping my eyes focused on my father is the only way I will find true happiness and success. I am uniquely designed for a specific purpose that only I can fill. I cannot compare myself to those around me because there unique calling is not mine. Success is measured by my understanding of His love that leads to obedience to the voice of the one who sings over me.

With the ringing in of 2019 I have my word for this year. RENEW! This new year is rolling in with a lot of structural renewal in the works around me, but I believe the RENEWAL that is going to make the most impact on me this year is the RENEWAL of my mind to this new found concept of abiding in the Love of Christ. I will have a RENEWED perspective, A RENEWED frame of mind and a RENEWED definition of a successful life. I cannot wait to see where this years journey takes me!