Wednesday, April 23, 2014

AMEN!

I think the first time I heard this was on KLOVE. But I'm not positive. But for whatever reason it has stuck with me.

We end our prayers with Amen. Mostly we whisper them, as if we are afraid or maybe awed. But we should shout it with expectation and enthusiasm. I first heard that Amen means "so be it". We are ending our prayers with "so be it!" Something that we have an expectation to happen. It should be shouted from the treetops and we should let everyone know jut how serious we are about trusting in the strength of our God. My God! 

But as I was writing this is was trying to come up with where I first heard this. I went off to the internet and found some interesting things. Some people think that we should not say it at the end of our own benedictions, but as a response of others, an affirmation of what you heard.  Then I found what I was looking for... The Hebrew meaning.  "Truly!" That is what it means. Truly! I believe that what was said will be!  So be it! Amen isn't an ending, but rather the beginning of the great things that God is about to do in your life.

So when you pray, pray with confidence and know that you are ending with "Truly, so be it!"
 

Sunday, April 13, 2014

P31 OBS: Living So That. Week 1

After completely failing at the Made to Crave Action Plan (as in- never even opened the book), I missed the time that I had with God. I think that I wasn't able to do it because my heart just was not prepared to do the work. And that is ok, I will get to it. But the new Bible study will help me prepare my heart a little more. We are using the book "Living So That" by Wendy Blight, and this past week I have gained so much more insight than I have ever had about the reason behind the Law and how it has influenced our lives, and why we are truly freed from ourselves!!

In the first week we memorized John 3:16, which honestly wasn't very hard for me because it is probably the ONLY verse I have ever completely memorized.  But never through the lense why God has done something. Then I had to get over my apprehension of having wrong answers and writing in books because she doesn't always give answers to questions she poses, and that is ok... I am coming to grips with it. It makes sense, we all gain something new each time we enter into God's word. He speaks to us through it.  I have a lot written about the struggles I have with food, because that is the one place I struggle, with myself, and to go to the One that can truly set me free.

But the one thing that I wanted to share from this week was what Wendy said on page 30.  When I make a wrong decision (and that right now has been apple fritters from our local donut shop- supper yummy!) I am often riddled with GUILT and then am so ashamed because I went ahead and drove to the shop and bought it and then ate the WHOLE thing. I feel miserable.... Miserable that I didn't make a better choice, miserable from all the sugar, and miserable that I didn't do what I know I should have and that was to ask for strength. But being a Christain, I am not supposed drown in that guilt and shame. That is because I was given a gift from God, and that was the Holy Spirit, and that CONVICTS me to change. The shame that I feel is because I know it was wrong, but God doesn't want that for me, he wants SO MUCH MORE, he wants me convicted to change. It was only a small paragraph, but it stuck with me all through the week.  And it still does. This is what I wrote in my book " know the difference between guilt & shame :( and conviction (DO SOMETHING!!!)"

My goal is to stop feeling shame and to do something! What about you, do you have something in your life that just pulls you down? Remember that God didn't give us rules for that reason, they we're given to us to keep us safe from ourselves. Can you let it go? Can you listen to the Holy Spirit, acknowledge that thing and then, with God's strength, change it? Please pray for me as I continue on this journey. And if you need prayers ask for them too, from me, from your friends, and pray for yourself.