Hi, everyone!
Just a quick note to remind you that the F*R*E*E webinar “Step UP! Overcoming today’s struggles to embrace tomorrow’s promises” is tomorrow, Tuesday the 31 at 1:00. It’s not too late to sign up and join us! Just go to http://www.bethjones.net/stepupwebinar.html . Freebies will be given away, and while I’m going to keep it as a surprise, my give away is one of the products you’ll find on My Products page 
. Hope to see you there!
In His Love,
Kimberly
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I keep a Bible Study and Prayer notebook. Since I’m a note taker, it’s the perfect place to store those notes from sermons, workshops, and books. As I read Scripture, I jot down verses that strike me, how it applies to me or life in general, and prayers it leads me to. Yesterday, I was reading Exodus 16 and verse 6 said, “So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, ‘In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt,’”(New International Version). (The Israelites were upset because of a lack of food and complaining to say the least.) That verse led me to write, “Father, help me not to forget what you’ve done. (The Israelites were good at that and so am I.) Help me to remember, be patient, and trust you in every difficult situation. When a new problem comes help me to remember what you’ve already done. Help me to see my fault clearly instead of looking for excuses and someone else to blame. (Again, both the Israelites and I tend to do that.)” After praying that prayer I re-read (and wrote down) verse 4, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.”
Now, let me tell you about the rest of my day. While trying to park my parents car, I hit the cement parking block and, like a true Israelite, panicked and made it worse, driving it further over the block. I was sure I had just destroyed the front end of their car. Thankfully, the damage was limited to a dent under the front bumper. (Which my sweet mom claims she did a few days ago.) How the excuses ran through my mind – their car is lower than I’m use to; I’m use to a stick shift, not an automatic (which does explain why, in my panic, I searched for the clutch and stick shift both). My excuses could have gone on, but my prayer came to mind. I shut off the explanations and simply said, “I am so sorry.” Does it make me feel any better? Not really.
But things did get worse. I was told that someone who I love dearly and can’t imagine life without, has to under go tests. There seems to be something suspicious that the doctors would like to look at more closely. So, now, here I am, living the first part of my prayer. Help me, Father, to remember what You’ve done, to be patient, and to trust You with this person who is so precious to me.
Last night, I cried tears of worry and fear. I cried over this person who means so much to me. I even asked, “Haven’t we gone through enough?” Today, I sat down with my Heavenly Father, and began to remember. Those of you who have The Faith Challenge know that the very first thing I have you do is to create a Praise List. This is exactly why. We know all too well that hard things come. We have to remember what God has already done so that we can have the faith and courage to face the next hard thing. So, I made a new Praise List and re-read the old, which hangs on my bedroom wall. Oh, the things I had forgotten!
That’s why we write it down. We do forget. Just as easily as the Israelites forgot the parting of the Red Sea, we will forget what God does for us, no matter how big it is. There’s also another reason. When God intervenes for us we see it so clearly. As time goes on, though, doubts slip in (was it really Him?) and memories of what really happened fade. It becomes just another memory that doesn’t help us face the troubles of today.
After writing my newest Praise List in my journal, I also wrote, “I can trust Him with my loved one. I will not forget that He is the LORD who did all those things and more and will continue to Lord over my life.” After remembering all that He’s done, that gives me great peace. Am I worry free? No, but I can say that I trust God because He’s more than proved His goodness and love to me. I will read and reread my Praise List often and cling to Him. That’s a very good place for a person who’s had a very bad day to be.
What can you put on your Praise List? Please share a praise in the comment box below! I could use the encouragement!
In His Love,
Kimberly
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Need some fun and fellowship without leaving home? Come be blessed at our webinar, “Step UP! Overcoming today’s struggles to embrace tomorrow’s promises.” It’s next Tuesday, so hurry and sign up! http://www.bethjones.net/stepupwebinar.html
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Have you ever experienced rereading a well known passage in Scripture (almost with boredom because you know it so well) when, suddenly, words hit you differently? Nothing’s new. Nothing’s changed. God just shined His light on His Word touching your heart in a whole new way.
That just happened to me. God used some “old” verses to show me something I’ve done as a mom whose son has had serious health problems. I wonder if you’ve done it too.
Anyway, I was reading Exodus 14 in my New International Version when I got to this part: “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on,’” (Exodus 14:13-15). The Israelites had been freed from Egypt, but, now, Pharaoh was in hot pursuit. Seeing the Egyptian army thundering towards them and knowing the Red Sea was at their back, Moses did something I never noticed before. He decided he knew God’s plan and delivered that plan in a very brave speech. It was a great speech, except that it wasn’t God’s plan. God had something bigger than Moses could imagine. So He told him to stop talking and follow His directions.
Later, as I shared this new insight with my husband, God’s Word really hit me. I said to Randy, “That’s exactly what we do! We’re in a crisis, our backs are to the wall, and we think we know exactly what God is going to do. (Long pause.) Oh, that’s what we did. We thought we knew how God had to heal Seth’s heart.” There was only one way that we could see. God, forgive me and my little mind for thinking I knew what You needed to do! We couldn’t imagine God so clearly taking over the surgery in such a powerful way, revealing Himself. Moses couldn’t have dreamt God would part the Red Sea giving them dry land to cross on. Yet, He did both.
He had told Moses in verse 4, “‘And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.’ So the Israelites did this,” (Exodus 14:4, NIV). I confess that as I read those words I thought, “But what does that mean for the Israelites? There’s no promise of a good outcome for them!” At the same time, I realized, I was really asking, “What about us? What does that mean You’ll do for us?” In our situation, it was as if God told us, “I will gain glory for myself through the doctors and their staff, and they will all know that I am the LORD.” As a mom, afraid for my child, those words would not have brought me comfort before heart surgery. No, I wanted to hear, “I will heal your son. He won’t need surgery, and I’ll be glorified.” Me first, God. It wasn’t until after Seth’s surgery that I could see Him glorified and how He had also taken care of Seth, giving him health we’d never imagined possible, in a way that humbled us with the honor of receiving His miracle.
Dear One, is your back against a wall right now? Are you panicked over the events you believe are about to unfold? Have you decided the one thing that God has to do to make everything OK? Does hearing “this is for My glory” hit you in the gut, like it did me, and make you shout, “But what about me? What about my child? What’s going to happen to us?”
I believe that panicking and worry are very human. In fact, I’ve come to understand that it’s only by the grace of God if we don’t panic when we face danger, or feel fear for our child, or are able to trust Him completely. (I’m not saying you don’t have God’s grace if you feel those things. I am saying only He can produce real peace in us, and that comes through a process that He takes us all through.) The good news is that God understands. He gave us those emotions. We also learn something very precious from this little interaction between Moses, God, and, indirectly, the Israelites. God can handle our emotions. (Need more proof? Keep reading through Exodus.) He can override our plans and do things our minds can’t even imagine. We can’t begin to understand all that God can do because our minds are limited and He is the God of no limits. We strive to figure out what God needs to do. It makes us feel better if we know the plan. The truth is we struggle to understand much of “reality”, don’t we? (I don’t think my mind will ever grasp how exactly a computer works!) How can we ever figure out a God who knows no limits and completely understands how everything works because He made it all? God’s reality is much different than ours. He does things like part the Red Sea and grow tiny parts of hearts that “couldn’t grow” according to man.
Dear One, hold on to God. Stay by His side and know in your heart that He has it all figured out. Let Him take over the reigns and show you His reality.
In His Love,
Kimberly
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Signed up for the webinar yet? Hurry, it’s coming soon and you don’t want to miss out on “Step UP! Overcoming today’s struggles to embrace tomorrow’s promises.” We just had a little practice run through, and had so much fun! Lois and Beth are so precious, you’ll LOVE them! Go to http://www.bethjones.net/stepupwebinar.html to find out more and sign up. IT’S F*R*E*E!
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“And he said, ‘Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel,” ( 2 Chronicles 20:14-16 New King James Version).
Hmmm… strange verse to start an article with, huh? Hold on until the end, and I promise it will make sense.
I’m taking a chance today, one again, of stepping on toes. I really hate that. The last thing I want to do is hurt anyone or mislead them into a direction God would not have them go. So, I prayerfully write this hoping that God will direct and heal you. I pray you hear what He has for you.
See, I’ve had a lot of experience watching people, myself included, suffer under worry, fear and the stress of their situations. I’ve watched precious people become stuck in misery. If you’ve read any of my other writings, you know I’m constantly encouraging people to be completely honest with God. Honesty is the key to the door of healing. The problem I’ve seen happen time and again is that people get stuck there. I’m afraid that in my encouragement for honesty, I’m also encouraging you to be stuck. That isn’t what I want for you! I want you to know God’s healing.
I’ve been blessed to pray with people and hear them pour their hearts out, not once but multiple times. They battle and battle the same thing. For many years, I was that person. I could always sense a wall. Even though I was being so honest with God (just as my friends were), I could sense the distance between the two of us. I couldn’t understand it and it broke my heart even more. Now, I’ve come to see what that wall is. It’s God saying, “I’m here, and I love you, but it’s time for you to step up to the real battle. The battle for faith.”
I’m praying God will help you to see where you are in this because I don’t know. You may not be ready for this now, and that’s OK! Just keep this in the back of your mind; there will come a time when you are ready. At some point, we need to take the step to push back against the attacks of lies and negative thoughts. For example, we can say, “No, I’m not going to think about this worry and follow its trail to other worries.”
You have to also recognize when you can’t fight off the attack, step out of the way and surrender the battle to God. How? We simply say, “God, I can’t fight this (worry, thought, fear, stress). Help me. Help me to know your truths and love.”
Before we can just jump into the battle for faith, we need to let God show us what it is He wants us to battle. Is it a fear? Lack of faith? Spending more time with Him? Replacing old damaging thoughts with new, life giving ones? Does He want you to pop in praise music and worship Him? Go to Him and ask what He would like you to do to grow your faith. There may be something you already know He wants you to do. Or, you may not get your answer until you’re in a situation, and you feel the push to respond in a different way – His way.
Then we begin our attack. Yes, we start the fight to show God that staying stuck is not good enough for us. This first step in battle sounds so small but it’s huge! We can get stuck wanting God to grow our faith and make us trust Him. We have to make the switch and decide to want to trust Him, to believe He’s good, and that He loves us. Do you see the difference? We take the step to no longer be passive in our faith. We decide to really want it. Second, we make prayer and Bible reading part of our daily routine, and we listen to what He has to tell us. Let Him refine you with the power of His word. Third, we determine not to listen to the enemy’s lies and either reject those lies as soon as they pop up OR give them to God when they’re too strong. Of course, we pray for His protection, but we have to be prepared to stop the lies and keep them from gaining a foothold in our minds. Don’t let them take root! Be careful because the enemy loves to twist a little bit of God’s truth with his lies making it harder for us to recognize them. Also, be watchful of the little voice whispering that it’s noble to suffer. Ask God to set you free from that kind of thinking because it easily becomes a source of pride. Yes, we can be prideful of how hard things are for us.
There comes a time, I believe, when God is waiting for us to take a step in faith. It’s a time of growth. If we don’t, we can become stuck in the enemy’s muck. He’s so happy to have us there. There’s nothing better to the enemy than a Christian stuck in darkness. There’s nothing worse to the enemy than a Christian stepping out of the muck in faith.
Again, Dear One, ask God where you are in this battle. Let Him show you the next step, and be listening for the time when He’s asking you to go against your enemy. Remember, as the verse from 2 Chronicles tells us, even though He wants you to go and face this huge adversary, the battle is really His. It’s His to fight. He just wants you to take that step…
In His Love,
Kimberly
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Are you feeling “stuck in the enemy’s muck”? Too afraid to take that step of faith God is asking you to take? Take “The Faith Challenge” and watch your fear become faith while you are empowered by the truth of who God is. Start today and you soon find yourself free from the enemy’s hold!
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I am just so excited about this webinar! I know the things God has been laying on my heart for over a month now, and I’m so full I could burst . I really can not wait to share, but what has me REALLY excited is sitting back and seeing what God is putting together. This truly is a “God Thing”. The hostess, sweet Beth Jones at www.BethJones.net has paired me up with Lois Graham, as I told you yesterday. Today, Beth sent me an e-mail with the details of our very separate talks, and I have to laugh at how God has worked this out, but, at the same time, get tears in my eyes because it’s just so amazing how He’s done this.
Lois and I have not talked at all about our topics. We didn’t decide to “tag team” and have one person talk about one thing and the other a complimentary topic. God has layed on our hearts 2 topics that go together so perfectly. I just love it! It is exactly the message I hope to convey on this website – overcoming the harships by the grace of God and living His purpose. I don’t feel as though I’ve quite been able to get there yet in my writing. Evidently, this is a message God is saying it’s time for !
I know that He doesn’t want us to live hurting fearful lives. That is not a life for the King’s child. He also doesn’t want us to pretend that everything’s OK. He wants us to genuinely be more than OK.
Oh, boy, I could go on and on! Better save it for the webinar!
Here’s the link to the page Beth has created to give you more information and get you signed up: http://www.bethjones.net/stepupwebinar.html . Remember, it’s FREE! It’s also coming soon, so get signed up right away! I can’t wait to talk with you!
In His Love,
Kimberly
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The new year is here! Do you have the faith it takes to face the health challenges 2012 may bring your child? Are you ready for that peace and even joy faith is suppose to bring? Let me help you get ready for this new year.
