Move It Monday

Good Monday morning to you! It's an overcast, sleepy Monday here, but we are pushing through, none-the-less! There is much on the agenda today, and it won the coin toss over crawling back into bed! lol! I am getting ready to have some cranberry juice, and some cinnamom raisin bagels with butter. I am NOT a bagel person, but for some reason, if you put some butter on a cinnamon raisin bagel, and microwave it for 30 seconds, I am in love! ;)

Today I need to get most of my list accomplished. I am behind on things again (no surprise) and need to catch up so I have time for flower planting next month! YAY! I hope to:

*Wash a load of laundry-DONE

*Vacuum front room floors-DONE

*Wash dishes-DONE

*Put away clean clothes from yesterday-SOME

*Wash second load of laundry-DONE

*Tests with A.M./Write out this weeks assignments-DONE

*Third load of laundry-DONE

*Schoolwork with A.J.

As you can see, I have my work cut out for me, so I better get to it! I'm already late with my breakfast, and I'm starving! (or so I think :P) I pray you all have a wonderful day, and a wonderful week!

Women In The Word Wednesdays~03/16/11

(Click on the button above for more WITWW posts!)

"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain"; wheras you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that." James 4:13-15 RSV

Now, I don't think it means we can't make plans, or try and prepare for the future. I just think we need to be in constant awareness, that the future belongs to God. We can make those plans, but should be prepared for the Lord to change them if He wills, and not go into a fit over it, or be caught off guard and have the wrong attitude or response.

I used to pray every morning, when we lived in Georgia, for God to guide my day. For Him to lead me, and rebuke satan, that I would stay in His path for my life. I would ask that He help me make all my decisions and be with me every time that I spoke, so that I would speak His words, and not my own. I also asked that He hold my tongue when I should not speak so that I might not sin against Him. (I'm very bad in that area) It's been a few months now, that I haven't been praying this every morning, and God has definitely told me that it's time to return to doing so. I am a planner. I feel much more comfortable having a firm plan in place for everything, but this leads me to great disappointment when it doesn't work out, and sometimes I have even looked like a fool, saying I know somethings going to happen, and then it doesn't!

We do not know what tomorrow will bring. It only makes sense to lean on the One who does, and include Him in our plans!!! An elder woman in the church in Georgia, who really was a Titus 2 woman for me, always said, "Lord willing." She said it so much, that I really pondered it, and if it was necessary. But as time went along, I realized how much everything really was, "Lord willing!" Something as simple as driving to the post office, can be delayed with a suddenly bad starter, or keys being locked in the car! She taught me to always remember that the future is in God's hands, and all I can do is live each day for Him, and see where that takes me! :)

Project Organized Home~Chair Recovering

Today, I thought I'd share with you what I did this past week! So many people are afraid to tackle this project, and they shouldn't be...it's not that complicated! :) I'll show you how to do it!

For the longest time I had just plain wood dinning room chairs, but when we bought our first new set ever, when we moved to Georgia, I was so excited to get wood chairs with a fabric covered padded seat! Well guess what? I have 4 young children, and within months they were nasty looking. :( I decided to recover them with curtain fabric so that they would match the curtains in the room, and I covered the new fabric with clear vinyl so that they could be wiped down, and protect the fabric! Well, they made it almost 4 years, and the kids have finally ripped the vinyl. So, it was time to recover them again. And if you know me at all, you know that I wouldn't dare go another 4 years with the same fabric color! Hehe! So I headed to the local fabric store and picked out one I thought would go great with our rental house!

The first step is to take off the old fabric. Now if you have a new chair, there might be a nice neat covering on the bottom, don't be afraid, just cut or rip it off, and underneath will be the seat fabric stapled on, looking like this in the picture below. There should be screws holding the cushion onto the chair, you'll need to find them, and unscrew them. Now, you can decide...sometimes it's better to leave the fabric and just cover over it, while other times it needs to be taken off, so it's not to bulky. If you are using a thick fabric, plus vinyl, you'll want to start fresh with the wood and batting or foam. Since I had two layers already, I had to take one off. I just use a flat head screwdriver, and pull up the staples...

Once that fabric is removed, I am ready to put on my new fabric! Just place the cushion on the table or floor, over your fabric. Cut it with enough extra fabric to go up and around the cushion, and room to staple it in place. Now this can be done so many ways, but I would highly suggest you staple all sides first, and then tackle the corners. If you have a patterned material, make sure it is centered on the cushion before you staple it! Pull the fabric nice and tight, and staple in place. Keep it as straight as possible, so you don't have pulls or wrinkles in the fabric up the sides. With these cushions, the back is pretty curvy, so I staple the front, then the back, to hold the fabric in place, then I go to the sides.

Now for the corners. There are so many ways to do it. You may have to do trial and error to see how you like them! I just pull a little section at a time, layering it over each other to make a cute little layered corner. I start off with this...

and just keep layering and folding over, until I'm left with this, and I staple it in place...

Once I'm done stapling the corner, I cut off the extra fabric, so it's not too bulky. If the corners are too bulky, they will show space between the chair and the cushion when you try to put it back on.

Finally, when done with the fabric, you can move on to vinyl, if you wish. Same thing. Lay the cushion over the vinyl and cut it to size. Staple it all around, using the same method.

Cut off any excess material once you are done, and you should be left with this!..

Now all you have to do, is place it back on the chair, get your screwdriver, and tighten the screws back into the wood on the bottom of the cushion! I recovered 4 chairs for $30. I am also covering the top of the bench behind this chair in the same fabric, and it only cost me an extra $10. Oh, I just LOVE them! The new fabric just matches this front room so well!!!! It's amazing how such little changes can make such a big difference!

FYI-For 4 chairs, I buy 2 yards of fabric, and 2 yard of vinyl. It just depends on the size of the fabric. They are always cut by 36" yards one way, but they all vary the other way. They could be 43", 24", or any dimension. You should usually always be safe with 2 yards for 4 chairs. It's better to buy more than not enough! You can use the extra to make matching
place mats, a table runner, or other projects for the room!

Women in the Word Wednesday

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

James 4:7-8

If you find yourself feeling down, angry, frustrated, sad, or just not yourself, do a spiritual check up! Ask God to show you what you are doing, or are NOT doing that has pulled you away from Him. He will be faithful and just to show you, so that you may restore your peace with Him!

Our God is a loving God, but he is also a jealous God! He has every right to be too! He created us, and only wants the best for us. Having our loyalties divided between the world and God, will only bring bad things for us. Our eyes need to be set on God above, and He needs to be our #1 priority all the time. As a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, etc, I know how hard it can be. It's a daily struggle for me as well. The blessings are so great though, when God is put in His deserving place! My joy is great, and my cup overfloweth, even through the bad times, when I am close to God!

I pray that today, you will pull that one foot out of the world, and place them both in the Lord's path. I pray you find that same comfort and joy that comes from walking in the Spirit, side by side with our merciful, patient, and loving God!

Move It Monday

Good Monday morning! I do hope that this weeks brings many wonderful things to all of you! I am starting out slow this morning. I am still trying to recover from the shock and pain from losing my dear Natasha this weekend. Some people think it's so silly to get so worked up over an animal, but anyone who's had pets, especially dogs, knows just how personable they are, and just how sad it is when you have to say goodbye. I miss my Tasha so much. I keep thinking my tear ducts have to be empty, but then more tears come out. I know time will heal, and though we can't ever replace her, my husband and friend are already trying to find the kids and I a new friend. They feel it will help us heal. I'm sure it will. We've always gotten a new dog shortly after we've lost one, and it does help. She was my favorite out of all the many dogs we've had over the last 20 years though, and I'm taking it pretty hard...I just don't know if I want another dog right now. The loss is so hard. I can't see us not always having two though, so I guess I'll comply with the process! Harley is pretty lonely too. (our lab) Love you Tash!

Well, on from that. I am trying to stay busy today and not think about my losses. Not think about GA, my old home, or my Tasha. I am focusing on our rental house here, and getting more things organized. Lots of laundry today, and keeping up with schoolwork. We are still behind for the year because of the move, but we are doing good at keeping up with our schedule here lately! I am also going to start getting in more exercise. I am going to keep walking Harley daily, and I am going to start with 20 minutes on the recumbent bike a friend gave me. I will hopefully work my way up to 40 minutes a day. I want to lose 15 pounds to ease the burden on my lower back. I'll need to lose more later, but for now, I think that's a reasonable, and much needed task that I can do in the next couple months! This winter, being back in Kansas, it was just too cold to expect my body to do much physical exercise without majorly increasing the pain from my Fibromyalgia. Hopefully, these slightly warmer temps we are getting now will easily accommodate some exercise!

You all have a wonderful day, and a wonderful week!

Move It Monday

Well, I'm not moving it very quickly or gracefully today. :( Somehow though, with a lower back that's out, and a lingering cold, I have to find a way to go to parent teacher conferences for my oldest, homeschool with my younger 3, meet my cousin in Sabetha, while she's still in the state, and pick up a swingset from Walmart! Hmmm.. Definitely going to need the Lord's grace and strength today..... and maybe even a small miracle?! :o) My spirits are high though, despite my discomfort! I have my first pair of glasses, and I can see SO WELL! Plus, how can you NOT wake up happy when you have another day to spend with your children, and have been blessed with 12 years of marriage with a wonderful husband!?! I pray you all have a wonderful Monday and rest of the week!

Thankful Thursday

Oh, goodness...where does one even begin?! I am so thankful for God's mercy. I am thankful that even though I battle my flesh so much, and succom to tempation from the world, God stays with me. He never gives up on me, and He speaks do the depths of my heart. He gives me the chance to repent and learn from His word, that I might not sin against Him again!

I am so thankful for His provision! I just can't hardly grasp the fact that 4 months ago, hubby's company shut down, and we were without income, and our lives changed forever. It was such a deep, dark place at that moment, and God has brought us through, and is leading us back up the mountain again. Even though we lost our house, and had to move back to Kansas, God was with us, every step of the way. We never felt alone, and God orchestrated it all just perfectly! We were never without food, shelter, or warmth. We were only without each other for a short time, while hubby worked his new job, and the kids and I packed the house. What we now lack, being in a different home, and state, God has made up for with new blessings, that we didn't have before!

I have had to go through many valleys in my life, between standing on the mountain tops, and they have made me a better person. I am a better mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister, neighbor, and most importantly, Christian! Without the valleys, I know that wouldn't be the case. God has used them to shape and mold me into who He wants me to be. I know I'm still not there yet, and will need many, many more valleys, but I know God will always be with me, and will be there on the mountain tops with me too, to rejoice with me! He has blessed me in the hard times, just as much as in the good. I thank God today, and everyday for who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to continue to do!

All the Bible studies I have done and am doing lately, all have one main theme...keeping my eyes upon the LORD. I am so thankful today, that I have a LORD worth keeping my eyes upon! Thank you God, thank you Jesus, thank you Holy Spirit! My life would be nothing without You!

Thankful Thursday is Hosted at Women Taking a Stand this month!

Women In The Word Wednesday

Don't forget to go to the Good Morning Girls site to read more of what God's children are learning from Him!

Good Wednesday morning to you all! Well, I tell you what, this study in James has really been a doosy so far! If you aren't even the slightest bit convicted by the words in James, you need a serious spiritual check-up! James is so blunt, and to the point! (In a good way of course!) But he leaves no room for excuses and loopholes here! It's black and white, and my toes have been stepped on for sure!

I consider myself to be a very compassionate, kind, and caring person...but I definitely show respect of persons, and James makes it clear, that it's a sin! :( I've been reading out of my Life Application Bible, and the foot notes are just wonderful! They really help you to apply the scriptures to your daily life, and understand them on a deeper level. If you've never looked at one, I would recommend you do. They print it in several translations...KJV, NKJV, NIV, and others! One thing I learned last week and wasn't able to post about for time reasons, was that respect of persons and favoritism is actually a selfish act. When you really think about it, what are your motivations for showing favoritism? Most instances of favoritism or respect of persons, is the rich vs the poor. There are others of course, but I think this is why James focuses so much on the rich/poor aspect. This is out of my footnotes....

"To have "respect of persons" means to show favoritism to some people over others. Often we treat a well-dressed, impressive looking person better than someone who looks poor. We do this because we would rather identify with successful people than with apparent failures. The irony, as James reminds us, is that the supposed winners may have gained their impressive lifestyle at our expense. In addition, the rich find it hard to identify with the Lord Jesus who came as a humble servant. Are you easily impressed by status, wealth, or fame? Are you partial to the "haves" while ignoring the "have nots"? This attitude is sin. God views all people as equals......

......By honoring someone just because he dresses well, we are making his appearance more important than his character. We sometimes do this because (1) poverty makes us uncomfortable; we don't want to face our responsibilities to those who have less than we do; (2) we too want to be wealthy, and we hope to use the rich person as a means to that end; (3) we want the rich person to join our church and help support it financially. All these motives are selfish; they view neither the rich nor the poor person as a human being in need of fellowship. If we say Christ is Lord of our lives, then we must live as he requires, showing no favoritism and loving all people regardless of their circumstances."

What about you? Do you have times of favoritism? Are there people you treat better than others for any reason? Family members that get better treatment than other family members? Co-workers that you favor over other co-workers? Sometimes just our personalities clash, and therefore we treat people less than desirably. The thing is, those you shun see your actions, and feel the hurt you cause them. If you claim to be a Christian, and treat people this way, they will NOT see the love of Christ in you. All favoritism stems from selfishness on our part. This has been so convicting for me, and I pray God will help me to overcome my respect of persons. Won't you join me in this prayer today?

God, help me to see people like you see them. Help me to look past the appearance, move past the personalities, and gaze upon the heart. Help me to remember that you created all men, and you created them equally in your sight. Help me to LOVE like you LOVE! Help me to not focus on myself, and my wants and needs, but on You, and on others! Please guard my heart, and may your Spirit speak to me loudly, that I might not sin against you, and cause hurt to others. I want to set the standards of this world aside, and remember that the true goal of this life, is entering your kingdom, and bringing as many with us as possible! In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Move It Monday

Today is not just any Monday, but VALENTINES DAY Monday! I hope you all have a wonderful day, and find a special way to show those you love, just how much you love them! I surprised my dear hubby with a card and a chocolate fish! I snuck out of the house while he was getting ready, and put them on the steering wheel of the van, so he would see them when he left to go to work! I just loved the fish, it said, "I'm deffinately not throwing you back!" I found the perfect card too, that said all the right words! I watched him from the window, and he looked so happy! My husband isn't a smooshy sensitive guy, but he LOVES being appreciated by his wife, and when I take the time to do something extra special for him! We also have Valentines presents for the kids. This year, just like last year, it's Webkinz! They love them, and it's a perfect gift!

I am busy today, per usual. I woke up pretty grogy, but I have a decent energy level, praise the Lord! So I am trying to take full advantage it! I am resuming all my supplements now, and hoping that they will not interfere with my Fibromyaliga medicine. I want so bad, to get back to the good health I was enjoying in July, and I know the supplements will really help! I think if I can add the benefit of better sleep, and less pain that I get with the FM medicine, with the energy that I get from the suppliments, I will feel the best that I have felt in years! My goal is to feel good enough to exercise again, and resume a cardio healthy lifestyle! You all pray for me!

Today, I need to:

*Wash Dishes-DONE

*Load of Hubby's Laundry-DONE

*Mop Kitchen Floor-DONE

*Load of My Laundry-DONE

*Clean Front Rooms

*Load of A.B.'s Laundry-DONE

We also are having gorgeous weather this week, so I fully intend on getting some outdoor time in, even if it's just siting on the bench and drinking a glass of tea! Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Move It Monday

Well, I'm not moving it very well today. :( I don't know why, but I woke up sleepy and unmotivated today. I have MUCH to do, so I hope I can find some higher gears before the day is up! I have a couple things that must get done today, whether in high gear or low...

*Laundry-DONE

*Dishes

*Store return-DONE

*Clean off sewing table-DONE

*Pull out fabric and get it ready

*BUY A SNOW SHOVEL!-DONE

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and rest of the week!!!

Project Organized Home~Kitchen Makeover!

Well, it's been so long since I've done a Friday post, that I felt I owed you a proper one! lol! So, I thought I would share the before and after photos of the kitchen in our new rental house. God really blessed me here... it was so hard to leave the gorgeous kitchen that we had in our home in Georgia...so hard. Then, to see what this kitchen looked like, well it almost brought me to tears. But the landlord here, has been great, and had no problems with me painting whatever I wanted, to make it feel more like our home! :) You just can't beat that when you've owned your own home for so many years! So, I took full advantage of it, and really had fun in this tiny kitchen!

The before.....

The after....

It's still not done, and a little messy, but you get the idea of the transformation!

You can't see it, but I still have the other cabinet that's identical to the one on the left. It's to the right of the fridge, so when you are standing in front of it, it's all symetrical. It all fit just perfectly!

This weekend, we will be moving the microwave to above the oven, where it belongs! It's an over the range microwave, so it's taking up WAY too much of the little counter space I have available!

It's been so fun, and I love walking in there now! I will really be pleased when we move the microwave, and finish the rooster border on the stove wall. I have been searching thrift stores for more tea pots and roosters too, to finish decorating the shelves above the sink. The trick in these old houses, is finding the neat features they have hidden in them, and really exploiting them! Like the shelves, and the cove behind the fridge! Have a great weekend everyone!

Women In The Word Wendesday~2/2/11

Oh, what a wonderful study James is! There is sooo much good, good stuff in here! Convicting, yes...I think the best of God's Word is! If we didn't get our toes stepped on, we wouldn't know what to change, or have the desire to change it! Surrender to the Holy Spirit, is one of the best feelings we will ever have here on this earth!

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." James 1: 22-24

Here's that phrase again..."be ye doers of the word!" You know something is pretty important to God when He repeats it in His Word! He wants to make sure we get it, just in case we skimmed over it the first time! :) Oh how true this passage is! If you read a book about how to ride a bike, are you going to be able to ride one perfectly? If you read a book about how to play the piano, will you be ready for a recital? NO! Of course not. It takes practice! Without actually "doing" it, you cannot have success. Not only will you not have success, but you will eventually forget what you even read.

God's word is that way too, only more so. There is an enemy out there who has had thousands of years of practice doing what...? Everything He can to make you forget God's word, disobey God's word, avoid God's word, etc. James tells us that if we only listen to God's word, and don't obey it, and act upon it as well, we will be deceiving our own selves. Worse yet, we will forget what kind of person we ought to be. Have you ever seen someone really living in sin, and you say to yourself, or someone else, "I don't even know who they are anymore." Well, if we aren't doers of God's word, we will be saying that about ourselves one day too.

Listening to God's word is good! Very good! But what profit it is, to know it, if we aren't going to do anything about it?! Hypocrisy is born this way too. The number one reason I hear from people as to why they don't want to go to church, is that they feel the church is filled with hypocrites. Why is this? Because too many Christians are talking the talk, and not walking the walk! Unsaved people, and even saved people, are going to be more affected by our actions, than by our words, and our "knowledge." Actions speak louder than words! If we say we are different, if we say God has changed us, but we aren't living any different lives, that's hypocrisy. Such a stumbling block that is, for non-believers, and ourselves.

I've seen Christians who are definitely deceiving their selves. They've got so much head knowledge of God's word, but aren't living it in their lives. They put off this "I am so godly" attitude, but then turn around and make filthy jokes, or show judgement to another brethren. Doesn't that just hurt your spirit when you see that? I know I have been guilty of it before, and I just pray I didn't hurt anyones spirit. That is NOT the kind of Christian I want to be. I want to be a "doer of the word and not a hearer only!" God help us to strive to be a great doer of His word, and have it all be for His honor, and His glory!

Feel free to read other posts about what God is teaching the Good Morning Girls in this study of James!

Move It Monday

Good Monday morning, all! It's an interesting Monday for us! We were surprised to find out that they closed school this morning! Thank goodness the only who has to get ready is my oldest! I would of been a little upset if I had to get all 4 kids ready to go, just to find out they weren't going anywhere! I love homeschooling. We have an unexpected layer of ice all over the roads. Hubby barely got to work two blocks from here. I really hope they are doing in-town jobs today. I don't want to see anyone trying to drive down the highways. They are forecasting more freezing rain today, and then a blizzard tomorrow with up to a foot of snow! YIKES! It's going to be treacherous getting anywhere this week! I'm so thankful I got groceries yesterday.

I will be moving it today, in my nice warm, ice free house! There is still so much left to do. I have a few boxes still unpacked, and so many clothes to wash and organize. I had them all clean before we left, but they got thrown everywhere when they helped us load the truck. So now, I have to go through them all again, and wash them, just to be sure. I also have some dishes left from last night. My hands just won't wash them all at once. Hubby has been helping, as much as he hates to, but he knows hand washing is really hard on my hands, and he's such a sweet hubby! Perhaps the Lord will bless us with a way to install a dishwasher here someday. I never took mine for granted, but I didn't realize just how hard hand washing would be for me. The Fibromyalgia medicine helps so much of my symptoms, but it's done little for the pain in my hands.

On the bright side of things!!!! The bunk beds are done! :0) We are sooo happy with them! Thank you for your hard work honey!

I am SO DONE painting for a little while! I think I'll wait a bit before I start on the master bedroom! Painting isn't easy on my hands either. Brushing isn't too bad, but rolling is difficult for me now.

The finished product! I love them so much! Plenty of head room, so they can still play on their beds, even on the bottom bunk. A full on the bottom, so I can read the girls bedtime stories together, and the girls can sleep together when they want to. Since we made it ourselves, it's even sturdy enough to hold adults! I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! :)

Have a good Monday, and a great week, everyone!

Had to show you!

The day I received these, I was feeling so down, and so sad about being in Kansas. I was really missing my home in Georgia. What a surprise when I opened these HUGE packages and found what was inside!

Isn't she beautiful?! She is the newest in my collection. My Grandmother sent her to me in December, along with two of her friends, and this beautiful white wicker furniture!
I'll have to get a picture of all of them together and show you. I love dolls, and these are so special! I love my Grandma so much, and to have something so beautiful, that came from her home, that I enjoy so much....well that's just a precious gift from God!!! So, I just had to share with you!

Women In The Word Wednesday~01/26/11

This has been a good week in James so far! I'm just thoroughly enjoying this book! I've read if before, heard so many sermons based on scripture from it, but there is nothing like doing the S.O.A.P. method of study. Verse by verse, observations and applications of these precious Words of God!

So far this week, James 1:12-15

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, when it is finished, it bringeth forth death."

First, we observe that there is a reward for enduring trials and temptations. Not only do we get the immediate benefits of refining, but we have a crown of life that awaits us!

Next, we observe that God himself cannot be tempted. Temptation comes from evil, and God has no evil in His heart. He is completely righteous. Therefore, he never tempts man. When we are faced with temptation, it is NEVER from God. It is God's will that we be righteous as He is, and He would not tempt, or provoke us into evil. He may allow satan to tempt us, but it is our own lusts in our own hearts that draw us away from God.

Lastly, we observe that lust leads to sin, and sin leads to death. The very reason Jesus had to be sent here to die. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Without Jesus, we would all be dead in our sins, eternally separated from God.


Next, we come to the application of these observations. The first thing that really spoke to me, is that there is a definite separation of trials and temptations. Trials come from God, and are for our own good. They bring us closer to God, by realizing our weaknesses, and inabilities to handle things on our own. They shape and mold us to be more like Christ, and the Father that sent Him. We've all heard the analogy of silver, and it's refining through heat.

Temptations, are not of God. God wants us to be pure, and righteous as He. He always provides a way of escape for us, when the temptation is allowed. Notice I say "allowed" not "given!" "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 In the King James, suffer, means allow. So, God will not allow a temptation that He knows is more than we can bear. A temptation that is to great for us to turn away from. That would be leading us into sin, and God won't do that. The reason we can be tempted, and He can't is because He has no evil in His heart. We do. We have the fleshly lusts that draw us away from God and into sin.

We are rewarded for enduring both trials, and temptations. Not only do we have the immediate rewards, of joy and closeness to God, but we have a crown of life waiting for us! As said earlier in this book, we are to count it all joy, when faced with temptations. I know, at the time, it is so hard to do. We like to be comfortable, and happy all the time. We pay big money for "easy living." But our goal here on this earth, is to further God's Kingdom, and to bring Him glory in everything! Trials, and temptations, can bring those things to pass, so we ought to look at it from God's perspective, and not our own.

That leads me to the last point that God is dealing on my heart about through these verses. I want to be able to not only withstand temptations, and have victory over them, but I want to limit the number of times I'm tempted in the first place. The fewer times I'm tempted, the less chances I have of falling to temptation. So, how do I accomplish this? Well, I look at why God can't be tempted, and what causes my temptations. God can't be tempted, because He has no evil in His heart, and lust is what leads to temptation for me. The answer here is simple. Follow through may not be so easy, but the answer is.

My eyes need to be on God. I need to remember that my goal in life is not to please myself, but to please Him, and bring Him glory. Seeing things as God sees them. Being thankful, for all that God provides, and finding happiness in Godly things, not earthly things. If I am focused on God, and fulfilled in Him, I have no desires for anything else, and therefore no lusts. If I have no lusts, I cannot fall to temptation and be led astray from God. Lust is the root of this horrible cycle, and it has to be stopped there...better yet, before it gets there!

Just because I have accepted Christ as my savior, and I am in the book of life, doesn't mean the journey has ended. I am of no use to God if I am walking in the flesh and fulfilling the lusts thereof. I won't have done anything to glorify God or further His kingdom, if that's the life I chose to live. I may be saved from spiritual death, but I still await physical death. God has given me time beforehand to fulfill a very important calling. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a neighbor, a member of the community, and a member of the body of Christ, the church. I can use that sphere of influence for good, or I can squander it. If I intend to use it for good, I must keep my eyes on God, and strive everyday to be more like Him. Reading His Word, and asking that He help me to see ALL things as He does. I know His ways are above my own, but He has also promised to give me the wisdom I need to do His will, if I just ask! (James 1:5)

For more thoughts on James, head over to the Good Morning Girls site, and see what God is teaching other ladies!

Move It Monday

Good Monday morning! I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying nicer weather than we are! lol! It's still in the single digits, and our roads are covered in ice and snow. We had to go to a church in town yesterday, because it's all we could do to slip and slide that far. There's no way we could of safely driven 25 miles to the church we usually go to. We had to accelerate around every turn. If you tried to break, or do nothing, you just kept sliding straight. Then, when we got out of the van to walk into the church, two of my kids fell, and hubby and I almost did. It's just solid ice out there. :( Good thing the kids think it's funny to fall. I wouldn't of been laughing if it was me!

Well, I have much to do today. Many dishes to wash. (really missing the dishwasher since we moved here) Laundry to do. Cleaning and organizing. Plus, I HAVE to start school up again with my little princess. We put my oldest, now in 5th grade, into public school, but the other 3 will remain at home for now. It's so nice to be in a very small town, and be able to trust the teachers, and faculty to provide a safe, wholesome place for our children to learn! My son is enjoying it so much, and has decided to take up playing the saxophone in band! I'm happy for him!

As for the rest of us, we have homeschooling to do today, and are going to try and finish up the girl's room this week. Hubby and I made them some bunk beds, and I'm finishing up the painting. They are so beautiful! He is so talented, and did such a great job! I just assisted with holding wood while he cut it, and assembling some of it. I do love my power drill! There's just something so neat about building things with your own hands! :)

You all have a great day, and a great week! I need to get back to being busy!

Women In The Word Wednesday~01/19/11

I am doing a bible study in James with the Good Morning Girls. Every Wednesday, I will do my best to post about what the Lord is teaching me and I link it up to their site. I realize I haven't posted here in quite some time. We are settling in here, and doing well. God is good!

James 1:5,6

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

There's a lot to be taken out of this verse. I'll just point out a couple things. One, we need to seek God for our answers. So often, (myself included...at the top of the list!) when trials come our way, we search ourselves, our co-workers, magazines, books, friends, "the world," for answers to fix our problems and situations. We must FIRST seek God, who has abundant wisdom to give to us! It's so sad when a Christian waits until all efforts have failed, to turn to God. I struggle with this so much, and I pray that God will continue to help me to turn to Him first...always.

Second, when we seek God for wisdom, He will give it to us. It's not questionable. There's no stipulations on this. He doesn't have to be in a giving mood, or require that we do all these steps first. God clearly tell us here in verse 4, that it shall be given to us! Praise God!

Thirdly, we must trust in the wisdom and the answers that God gives us. It's so easy to doubt God's ways, because they are above our own understanding sometimes. We still think ourselves and our own wisdom to be so great. I've heard the saying, that it's often not that we don't trust God will answer our prayers, but that we don't know if He will answer our prayers the way WE want Him to answer them! I find this to be so true! We must trust Him though, and know that He will ALWAYS say and do the right things. We can trust the Holy Spirit's leading, and when God gives us an answer, or wisdom about a situation, we need to stick to that, and not waiver in our faith. Wavering gives room for Satan to do real damage.

I leave you with one more passage. I find it no coincidence that both these verses (above in James, and here below in Proverbs), though many years and pages apart, are both verses 5 and 6.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6

Update

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was so wonderful, and I thank God for His love and care for us! We are now in Kansas, and trying to settle in our new home. It was very hard for me at first, but God is giving me the grace I need to move forward and quit looking backwards! There are so many nice things about being here again! We are in a different town then before and hubby's new work is only two blocks from our house. It's been so nice to have him come home for lunch most days! He is really enjoying the country setting and not driving in Atlanta traffic every day anymore! I am enjoying the snow! :-)

Thank you for your prayers, and we will always be grateful for more. I am going to try this week, to get into my old doctor and take her all my recent tests and medical records. I am hoping she will help me find a way to get my medicine cheaper, as I have had to quit taking it because of cost. My pain has gotten dramatically worse since doing so, and I am hoping to find a way to get better again. I will also need to have another pelvic ultrasound in a couple weeks to check on the left ovarian cyst that they found several weeks ago.

I will continue to be without internet for at least two more weeks, so while I am missing you all greatly, I pray you will have a Happy New Year, and hope to be able to communicate more often, soon!

Music For My Soul On a Sad Day

I am sad today. Happy to be picking up Hubby at the airport tomorrow, but oh, so very sad to be leaving my home, and the wonderful state of Georgia. I soothe my soul with prayer, bible reading, and beautiful music!

Don't forget to turn my music player off first!

I AM Wednesday

I AM...

...tired of packing.

...a puzzle master, making all these items fit neatly and tightly into boxes!

...a mother to 4 beautiful and precious children!

...a wife to a loving, hard working husband, who will do whatever it takes to take care of his family!

...a daughter to the strongest, most inspirational mother a girl could ever have; and who never seems to run out of unconditional love!

...so very thankful for all the prayers said on my behalf!

...in pain right now, but thankful to be alive!

...looking forward to our "new" life in Kansas.

...sad to leave our life here in Georgia.

...praising God that home is where the heart is!

...trying to remember that my eternal home isn't in Kansas or Georgia. My eyes are to be kept on things above!