Well today is the last day of 2008, I think I will cry. sniff, sniff. 2008 was a blessed year for us and I cherish all that happened during these past 365 days. Here are the highlights of our year. What was intended for evil, God made into something good.
Year in Review-2008
January- I don't remember much about January except that it was cold. LOL
February- we celebrated Micah's 1st birthday, can't believe my little man is growing up on us. We had lots of family come and see us for his birthday.
March- got a nice tax return back from uncle Sam. whoo hoo
April- I spent most of April and May traveling to North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Utah.
May- I spent a lot of this month traveling as well. Alexis ended a rough year of kindergarten. Her teacher was one that should not be teaching and we finally realized that she did not belong in the public school system based on events that transpired under a teacher's watch. We interviewed with the administration of Family of Faith to have Alexis attend there in the fall.
I received a word from God from an elder at church and was given a dream to confirm the word.
June- We kicked off June with a magical family vacation to Disney World in Florida. This trip was one of many firsts. Michele, Alexis and Micah had never flown before nor had they ever been to Florida. I had never been to Florida either. We had never taken a family vacation and I have never spent that much $$ on anything other than non-fun things like cars, houses and student loans. It was definately a vacation to remember. I also celebrated my 33rd birthday and Alexis was accepted into Family of Faith christian school. I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my company.
July- Michele and I celebrated our 9th anniversary, wow! I can't believe it has been that long. I will say this, there definately have been good and bad times, ups and downs, but has been worth every minute. Lots of lessons learned and definately some growing pains, but in the end it has been well worth it.
August- I was offered a part-time position as the head coach for Family of Faith christian school Junior High boys and girls basketball and the assistant head coach for Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball. Alexis started 1st grade at Family of Faith Christian School.
September- Not too much happened during this month and again, time continues to fly by and I am forgetting more and more. :) ***Addendum***I am sooooo stupid! I forgot my wife's birthday. I can't believe it. Geez and I was doing so well. We celebrated Michele's 31st birthday.
October- I spent a week in Park City, Utah for our user's conference. Alexis was busy with Christian Lyrical dance. Michele felt that the Lord was instructing her to quit her fulltime job and stay at home with Micah. It is amazing to see God working even during negative circumstances. Michele was obediant and brought Micah home from daycare and started receiving orders for her cake business. God is faithful!
I helped coach in my first basketball game and had to miss Halloween with the kids.
November- This month started with a lot of anxiety due to the surgery Micah went through to have tubes put in his ears. Both Michele and I did not want to have him go through this procedure, but it has definately been worth it. Micah can hear better and his speech is getting better, Praise God! Our little girl is no longer little. :( Alexis turned 7 on November 19th! We celebrated her birthday with grandparents from both sides, her aunt Ashley and cousing Payton along with a few family friends. We traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma to celebrate Thanksgiving with Michele's parents, brother and his wife.
December- I spent the majority of the first 2 weeks on business trips and so it really took away from the family time that i wanted to share during this holiday season. Before I knew it, Christmas was upon us and I felt rushed. Right before Christmas it finally began to feel like CHRISTmas as the weather began to get really cold and we had some freezing rain with traces of snow. We celebrated our family Christmas a few days before the official day and then loaded up both of our cars and traveled to Alma, Kansas to spend 4 days and 5 nights with my parents, sister and niece and celebrate my dad's 54th birthday and the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ aka Christmas. We ate way too much food (especially cookies). We exchanged gifts and spent a lot of time together. We also enjoyed some major competition between the adults and Alexis when we played Scene It - Disney edition. That was a lot of fun. We also were able to enjoy a white Christmas, first one I have seen in a long time.
The day after Christmas it warmed up to 72 and melted away all the snow. That evening a cold front with hail and freezing rain came through and made everything a winter wonderland again with blizzard like conditions in the afternoon and evening. Before we knew it, we were driving back to Oklahoma and were welcomed back by warmer weather. I had the entire week of Christmas off work and have a half week to work this last week of 2008. I look forward to what the Lord will bring in this next year. I pray that the Lord will protect us from the so-called change that Barack Obama plans to bring to our Nation. It is definately a trying time with our economy and everything else that has transpired. Here's to 2009 and what is to come. May be keep our eyes on Jesus and allow Him to guide our paths.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Christmas gift exchange part 1
Micah with Grandma Higdon
I crown you the bow princess.
You caught me! All this excitement and food is making me want to take a nap.
Micah getting after it on his new 4-wheeler
Alexis finally got a Nintendo DS!
Michele is excited to see what she got!
Here is Michele and some of the spread she fixed for us. It was sure good; especially the cheese dip!
Joy of Christmas
Well Christmas is upon the Gilbert clan. We started with Michele's brother and his wife along with her parents coming down to our house to celebrate Christmas. As always my wife prepared a wonderful spread of treats and eats and we had an enjoyable time of food, fellowship and fun. The days events started at noon with finger foods which soon translated into gift exchanges and finally ended with desserts and coffee. While our time was short it was still fun and memories were definately made. Everyone seemed to be very excited about their gifts. Michele got the cookbooks she has been wanting, Alexis got the Nintendo DS she has been dying to get, Micah got a battery powered 4-wheeler, I received NCAA basketball 2009 for my XBOX 360 and the list goes on and on. This is only a pre-cursor for what will transpire as we load up our cars and make the 6 hour drive to the Stone Haven in Alma home of my parents, sister and niece. Blessings to all and most importantly, Happy Birthday JESUS!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Love to read?
Who is your all-time favorite author and why?
John Eldredge. I choose him because of his writing style. I love his honesty and how he explains things on a level that everyone can relate to, but especially his approach to men and their walk with God. His writing focuses on the heart of God and having men come back to how God really created us. He tells it like it is and doesn't apologize for his approach.
Who was your first favorite author and why?
I really don't know who my first favorite author was, but if I had to choose one it would be J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was this series of books that got me hooked on reading and allowed me for the first time to get into a story and feel like I was one of the characters.
Do you still consider him/her to be among your favorites?
I would definately say his works are among some of my favorites, although I haven't read them in a long time.
Who is the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?
I would have to say Jentezen Franklin, Francis Frangipane, Joseph Prince and William Young. I enjoy their Christian views and writing styles. Franklin, Frangipane and Prince are all pastors and I have nothing but high respect for them. William Young is only in here because I enjoyed his book, "The Shack". While there are a lot of things I don't totally agree with in the book, it was still an enjoyable non-fiction read.
So now I tag:
Simple Beauty
Simple Life Moments
and
Home Haven Ministry
Link to the person that tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your meme, answer the questions, tag six people in your post, let the tagees know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog, let the tagger know your entry is posted.*****Enjoy your day!!
John Eldredge. I choose him because of his writing style. I love his honesty and how he explains things on a level that everyone can relate to, but especially his approach to men and their walk with God. His writing focuses on the heart of God and having men come back to how God really created us. He tells it like it is and doesn't apologize for his approach.
Who was your first favorite author and why?
I really don't know who my first favorite author was, but if I had to choose one it would be J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was this series of books that got me hooked on reading and allowed me for the first time to get into a story and feel like I was one of the characters.
Do you still consider him/her to be among your favorites?
I would definately say his works are among some of my favorites, although I haven't read them in a long time.
Who is the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?
I would have to say Jentezen Franklin, Francis Frangipane, Joseph Prince and William Young. I enjoy their Christian views and writing styles. Franklin, Frangipane and Prince are all pastors and I have nothing but high respect for them. William Young is only in here because I enjoyed his book, "The Shack". While there are a lot of things I don't totally agree with in the book, it was still an enjoyable non-fiction read.
So now I tag:
Simple Beauty
Simple Life Moments
and
Home Haven Ministry
Link to the person that tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your meme, answer the questions, tag six people in your post, let the tagees know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog, let the tagger know your entry is posted.*****Enjoy your day!!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Basketball galore
Well Christmas break is almost upon those at Family of Faith Christian School. It isn't that I don't enjoy spending time with the kids, but I am ready for a break. Why? Well working a full-time job and then add 3 hours minimum of basketball every day for the last 3 1/2 months really begins to wear ones nerves and definately puts a strain on the home life. We had 4 games this evening and have another 2 remaining before we are free for 2 weeks and I can't wait.
I don't want it to sound like I am complaining because I really enjoy coaching. It is very rewarding and very fulfilling and yet very tiring. Who wouldn't be tired after "parenting" 15 junior high boys/girls. Some days it is very challenging to hold my tongue and keep from running their poor souls into an early grave. :) We started games at 4:30pm and didn't get done till 10:00pm tonight, phew! I am tired. My junior high girls played hard, but didn't play as a team nor did they focus quite like they should and ended up losing a tough game. On a side note, my girls are only 1-9 on the season. OUCH! :) There have definately been some peaks and valleys. On a high note...they had an 8 point lead in their third game of the season only to lose by 3 in the end. They won their only game of the season in our junior high pre-season tournament and then last Friday against our rivals, they hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer to tie the game and send it into overtime and again lose by 3 points. I will say this...my girls have played so hard and have learned so much this year. I am anxious and looking forward to their improvement next season.
My boys on the other hand have been quite competitive as well. The first 3 games of the season sure made it seem like it was going to be a long, long season. We were outscored in our first three games by a combined score of 154-34-that is definately ugly, but of course the teams we were playing were large 3-4A schools with a lot of talent. After only scoring 34 in our first 3 games, we scored 29 in our first win of the season. We then played our cross-town rivals in our junior high pre-season tournament and had a lead but ended up losing by 3 points. We then carried that momentum into the next game. We ended up winning that game on the same day the girls won their first game. Since then we have played our cross-town rivals two other times and have fallen short both times by a total of 9 points. We may be 0-3 against them this year, but have only been outscored by 12 points. I hope we get them in the conference tournament or the state tournament. Revenge would be sweet.
And that brings me to our performance tonight. I am very proud of our boys as we dismantled our opponent and won by a margin of 56-28. What a win. That is the most points we have scored all season and definately was a positive going into the Christmas break. That was the most rewarding win as a coach. Finally...all the hardwork paid off in a blowout win. I have had more than my share of heartbreaking losses and gut wrenching close games that a blowout in our favor was much appreciated. Our boys may be 3-7, but we very easily could be 6-4. I know that 2 of our next 5 after Christmas are against teams that are not very good and one of them is the team we got our first win off of. It would be very nice to finish the season on a winning note. Here's to 2009 and a lot of success on the hardwood.
Merry Christmas!
I don't want it to sound like I am complaining because I really enjoy coaching. It is very rewarding and very fulfilling and yet very tiring. Who wouldn't be tired after "parenting" 15 junior high boys/girls. Some days it is very challenging to hold my tongue and keep from running their poor souls into an early grave. :) We started games at 4:30pm and didn't get done till 10:00pm tonight, phew! I am tired. My junior high girls played hard, but didn't play as a team nor did they focus quite like they should and ended up losing a tough game. On a side note, my girls are only 1-9 on the season. OUCH! :) There have definately been some peaks and valleys. On a high note...they had an 8 point lead in their third game of the season only to lose by 3 in the end. They won their only game of the season in our junior high pre-season tournament and then last Friday against our rivals, they hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer to tie the game and send it into overtime and again lose by 3 points. I will say this...my girls have played so hard and have learned so much this year. I am anxious and looking forward to their improvement next season.
My boys on the other hand have been quite competitive as well. The first 3 games of the season sure made it seem like it was going to be a long, long season. We were outscored in our first three games by a combined score of 154-34-that is definately ugly, but of course the teams we were playing were large 3-4A schools with a lot of talent. After only scoring 34 in our first 3 games, we scored 29 in our first win of the season. We then played our cross-town rivals in our junior high pre-season tournament and had a lead but ended up losing by 3 points. We then carried that momentum into the next game. We ended up winning that game on the same day the girls won their first game. Since then we have played our cross-town rivals two other times and have fallen short both times by a total of 9 points. We may be 0-3 against them this year, but have only been outscored by 12 points. I hope we get them in the conference tournament or the state tournament. Revenge would be sweet.
And that brings me to our performance tonight. I am very proud of our boys as we dismantled our opponent and won by a margin of 56-28. What a win. That is the most points we have scored all season and definately was a positive going into the Christmas break. That was the most rewarding win as a coach. Finally...all the hardwork paid off in a blowout win. I have had more than my share of heartbreaking losses and gut wrenching close games that a blowout in our favor was much appreciated. Our boys may be 3-7, but we very easily could be 6-4. I know that 2 of our next 5 after Christmas are against teams that are not very good and one of them is the team we got our first win off of. It would be very nice to finish the season on a winning note. Here's to 2009 and a lot of success on the hardwood.
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Bah Humbug
You know....not everyone is full of joy and not everyone goes around spreading Christmas cheer. In fact there are quite a few people; actually a lot of people who are not happy. Why? well there are too many reasons why someone is not happy and I am not going to waste my time naming them all off. They would range from unhappy marriages to financial woes to God. God you ask? Why would God make people unhappy? Simple. So many people are confused and do not understand God's plan. People generally use God as their scapegoat to feel good about themselves. Just like a bully in school, they belittle someone to make themselves feel better. They would rather blame everything on God so that they have an excuse to explain their circumstances. While I do not know God's plans nor will I claim that I do, I do know this....God's word declares, "For I know the plans for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. A lot of people blame God because they lost their loved one or their job or because they have a poor home life. God is not to blame for things like this. While it is true that God does give life and takes it away, He has a reason why things happen, we just don't understand everything and we won't until we meet Him in the sky. I definately will have lots of questions to ask when I meet Jesus face to face.
Just because something bad has happened doesn't mean that God will not work the circumstances into better ones. Sorry to get off on a tangent. My whole point was this...there are a lot of unhappy people walking around this world; especially during Christmas time. Today as I went to Walmart I was parking my car and a man who had just gotten out of his car stared me down as I parked. It wasn't just a stare, but it was pure hate. I firmly believe that his spirit did not agree with my spirit. The Holy Spirit inside me is full of joy and happiness and it shows everywhere I go. It is not the first time I have ever been stared down by someone. It happens to me quite often as I am at a stop light or driving past another car. People just stare. It isn't because I am driving a funny car or that I am funny looking (as much of you who probably think I am anyways), but i truly believe their spirit and mine do not agree; regardless of the distance between us. As I proceeded into Walmart the looks continued...the only thing I can think of is this. I had been praying in the Holy Ghost as I was driving to Walmart. I remember another time last summer when I had been doing this and a man practically attacked my car and threatened me. When we are about our Father's business, the demons in Hell are upset and they get on the offensive and want to attack us more.
So during this Christmas holiday I want to encourage everyone to let their light shine. If you have Christ in your life then you have the greatest Christmas gift one could ask for and no one can steal that from you.
Go let your light shine. "Do not be conformed to this world, but continually be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is-what is proper, pleasing, and perfect." Romans 12:2
Just because something bad has happened doesn't mean that God will not work the circumstances into better ones. Sorry to get off on a tangent. My whole point was this...there are a lot of unhappy people walking around this world; especially during Christmas time. Today as I went to Walmart I was parking my car and a man who had just gotten out of his car stared me down as I parked. It wasn't just a stare, but it was pure hate. I firmly believe that his spirit did not agree with my spirit. The Holy Spirit inside me is full of joy and happiness and it shows everywhere I go. It is not the first time I have ever been stared down by someone. It happens to me quite often as I am at a stop light or driving past another car. People just stare. It isn't because I am driving a funny car or that I am funny looking (as much of you who probably think I am anyways), but i truly believe their spirit and mine do not agree; regardless of the distance between us. As I proceeded into Walmart the looks continued...the only thing I can think of is this. I had been praying in the Holy Ghost as I was driving to Walmart. I remember another time last summer when I had been doing this and a man practically attacked my car and threatened me. When we are about our Father's business, the demons in Hell are upset and they get on the offensive and want to attack us more.
So during this Christmas holiday I want to encourage everyone to let their light shine. If you have Christ in your life then you have the greatest Christmas gift one could ask for and no one can steal that from you.
Go let your light shine. "Do not be conformed to this world, but continually be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is-what is proper, pleasing, and perfect." Romans 12:2
Sunday, December 14, 2008
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
NOT! At least not today. Today the high is 72 degrees and it is December 14th. It is really hard to get into the Christmas mood when it is so warm outside; especially since my last 2 weeks I have traveled to Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio where it has been cold and snowy. It is hard to come home to 70's and expect to be in the Christmas mood. :) Of course Christmas doesn't have to have snow to enjoy. 'Tis the season to celebrate our dear Saviour's birth. Many forget what this time of year is about. To some it is fighting the crowds at the mall or Walmart. Spending lots of money, giving and receiving gifts, listening to Christmas music, traveling, eating lots of good food and enjoying fellowship with friends and family. While it is a lot of fun to do these things, let us not forget the most important thing. That thing is Jesus! Jesus is the reason for the season. Without Him, nothing else matters. Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace. Peace on earth good will toward men! Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin, mother and child. Holy infant so, tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace...sleep in heavenly peace.
Our pastor said this morning that we can't continue thinking that Jesus is a baby in a manger, or a man on a cross, or even sitting at God's right hand. He is coming back and sooner than we think. He was born in a manger, he did die for our sins, he does sit at God's right hand, but He will also return on a white horse! So if you don't know Christ as your savior, redeemer, friend...I encourage to make some changes this holiday season. We are not promised our next breathe, but this gift has already been paid for. While many say it is free, there actually is a cost attached. The gift of salvation is free. Opening your mouth and asking God into your heart does not cost anything, but it will cost you everything, if you mean it. When you ask Him into your heart you are saying that you want to have a relationship with the creator of the Universe. God Almighty. Abba Father. He wants to have a relationship with you as well. Just as in any relationship, it takes time and energy.
Relationships, if you want them to last or be fruitful, costs something. Are you willing to give up everything to gain everything? What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? We must be willing to lay down our lives, pick up our cross and follow Jesus, daily. It is a sacrifice, a labor of love. Are you willing to give your life for the one that gave us eternal life? I thank my God and my King for giving me life and life more abundantly. It is through Him that I have eternal life and I am eternally greatful. To God be the glory!
Our pastor said this morning that we can't continue thinking that Jesus is a baby in a manger, or a man on a cross, or even sitting at God's right hand. He is coming back and sooner than we think. He was born in a manger, he did die for our sins, he does sit at God's right hand, but He will also return on a white horse! So if you don't know Christ as your savior, redeemer, friend...I encourage to make some changes this holiday season. We are not promised our next breathe, but this gift has already been paid for. While many say it is free, there actually is a cost attached. The gift of salvation is free. Opening your mouth and asking God into your heart does not cost anything, but it will cost you everything, if you mean it. When you ask Him into your heart you are saying that you want to have a relationship with the creator of the Universe. God Almighty. Abba Father. He wants to have a relationship with you as well. Just as in any relationship, it takes time and energy.
Relationships, if you want them to last or be fruitful, costs something. Are you willing to give up everything to gain everything? What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? We must be willing to lay down our lives, pick up our cross and follow Jesus, daily. It is a sacrifice, a labor of love. Are you willing to give your life for the one that gave us eternal life? I thank my God and my King for giving me life and life more abundantly. It is through Him that I have eternal life and I am eternally greatful. To God be the glory!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Back to the basics
This past Friday or should i say Saturday morning since it was after midnight, I attend the Burn at our church. For those who don't know what the Burn is, you can check out the link here http://theburn247.com/. The mission statement of the Burn is this: "BURN 24-7 exists to fulfill the Amos 9 and Acts 15 Biblical prophecy to “rebuild the tabernacle of David and restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord.” To create a place of refuge where worshippers, artists, intercessors, and minstrels can be free from agendas to pleasure themselves in the love of God and the beauty of experiencing his throne room 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. To establish a place and space where God can be glorified in the city and that a community of hungry lovers of God would again build its life around the Presence."
The past couple of months my walk with God has struggled off and on. For some reason I have allowed myself to be too busy for God and have been focused on my own needs and desires. This isn't the proper balance we need to have in our lives. God must come first and if He doesn't, things get messed up and don't flow like they should. I haven't been reading my Bible and studying like I should nor have I been focused on prayer like I should. So the last couple of weeks during worship at church I am just not into things because I have lost my focus.
I decided to put my attitude behind me and just adjust my walk with God. I began to just worship Abba freely and felt His presence descend upon me very quickly. It felt good to be in my heavenly father's presence. The woman who was leading worship was leading from the piano and was just singing from her heart. Several of the songs she sang I was familiar with and used to play while leading worship myself. I began to just get lost in God's presence. I felt God speaking to me and telling me that He loved me and wants me to begin to worship Him again as I once did, but only this time with a passion for Him and not just doing it to do it. While I am not a worship leader anymore it doesn't matter. I can worship God regardless if I am leading others or not. He wants all of our worship and all of our praise. He deserves everything. He wants our very best and wants all of us. It is up to us to give ourselves to Him. My prayer is that I decrease and He increases. We are not to worship the creation, but we are to worship the creator. Too many of us get wrapped up in the ooey, gooey over-stimulated, over-emotionalized feelings that come with music. We get upset if we don't sing a specific song, the one we got goosebumps from last time. We need to adjust our focus and just worship God. We are to worship Him with a new song. It doesn't say anything in the Bible to cling to one song that makes you feel good all over and stick with what worked for you in the past. We are to shout unto God with a voice of triumph, shout unto God with a voice of praise. Shout unto God with a voice of triumph, we lift your name up, we lift your name up! (that is from one of my favorite songs)
While I was worshiping and hearing these familiar songs I will admit I started to get wrapped up in singing the song, but then I began to remember I need to worship God. I allowed the familiarity to guide me as I worshipped the creator of all things. It is often hard for me to worship and sing out to God if I don't know the song, so it definately helps to know the songs. Since the songs were familiar with me I let loose and began to worship God intimately and felt so free. I began to lose myself in His presence and not worry what was going on around me. The music became more angelic and I could feel an annointing on the notes being played. The music was activating the annointing and allowing God to be as big as He wanted to be. I felt freedom and peace fill our sanctuary. God spoke this to my heart, It's time to get back to the basics. You have been too focused on too many other things and you need to get focused on me. Just worship me. If you love me, show me.
So that is what I am going to do. I am not going to get too wrapped up in myself and things around me, but just allow myself to be pursued by the lover of my soul.
Be blessed this week and may we all get back to the basics and worship our God.
The past couple of months my walk with God has struggled off and on. For some reason I have allowed myself to be too busy for God and have been focused on my own needs and desires. This isn't the proper balance we need to have in our lives. God must come first and if He doesn't, things get messed up and don't flow like they should. I haven't been reading my Bible and studying like I should nor have I been focused on prayer like I should. So the last couple of weeks during worship at church I am just not into things because I have lost my focus.
I decided to put my attitude behind me and just adjust my walk with God. I began to just worship Abba freely and felt His presence descend upon me very quickly. It felt good to be in my heavenly father's presence. The woman who was leading worship was leading from the piano and was just singing from her heart. Several of the songs she sang I was familiar with and used to play while leading worship myself. I began to just get lost in God's presence. I felt God speaking to me and telling me that He loved me and wants me to begin to worship Him again as I once did, but only this time with a passion for Him and not just doing it to do it. While I am not a worship leader anymore it doesn't matter. I can worship God regardless if I am leading others or not. He wants all of our worship and all of our praise. He deserves everything. He wants our very best and wants all of us. It is up to us to give ourselves to Him. My prayer is that I decrease and He increases. We are not to worship the creation, but we are to worship the creator. Too many of us get wrapped up in the ooey, gooey over-stimulated, over-emotionalized feelings that come with music. We get upset if we don't sing a specific song, the one we got goosebumps from last time. We need to adjust our focus and just worship God. We are to worship Him with a new song. It doesn't say anything in the Bible to cling to one song that makes you feel good all over and stick with what worked for you in the past. We are to shout unto God with a voice of triumph, shout unto God with a voice of praise. Shout unto God with a voice of triumph, we lift your name up, we lift your name up! (that is from one of my favorite songs)
While I was worshiping and hearing these familiar songs I will admit I started to get wrapped up in singing the song, but then I began to remember I need to worship God. I allowed the familiarity to guide me as I worshipped the creator of all things. It is often hard for me to worship and sing out to God if I don't know the song, so it definately helps to know the songs. Since the songs were familiar with me I let loose and began to worship God intimately and felt so free. I began to lose myself in His presence and not worry what was going on around me. The music became more angelic and I could feel an annointing on the notes being played. The music was activating the annointing and allowing God to be as big as He wanted to be. I felt freedom and peace fill our sanctuary. God spoke this to my heart, It's time to get back to the basics. You have been too focused on too many other things and you need to get focused on me. Just worship me. If you love me, show me.
So that is what I am going to do. I am not going to get too wrapped up in myself and things around me, but just allow myself to be pursued by the lover of my soul.
Be blessed this week and may we all get back to the basics and worship our God.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Life through the spirit
This post will be a lot shorter than most I have written in the past, but I have also learned that you don't have to write a lot of words to get a point across, etc. If we all wrote endless blogs, letters, papers, etc. no one would ever read anything if they had a book before them, lol.
This morning during my quiet time with Father I was just sharing my heart with Him and apologizing for not being as on fire as I should be and for not being completely focused on Him like I should be. My commitment level has not been where it should be. I start tapering off and doing my own thing and I pray here and there, but I don't keep the focus and don't read the Word like I should. The more I let it slide, the more relaxed I become and before I know it I have slipped further than I should be and feel so far away from God when actually I am not.
As I was praying and sharing my heart, God spoke to my spirit, Romans 8. At first I didn't know if it was my flesh or if it was God, but it was God. I read chapter 8 verses 1 through 17 and wow, God was just hammering some things home to me. My mind is always full of selfish, fleshly trash and my spirit is wanting to do the things of God. While I do my best to live according to the Spirit, too many times I allow myself to slip off course and head straight for the sinful nature. Par for the course for most Christians if not all of us. We are all human and are born of the sinful nature so it is natural for us to want to sin. We must make a choice every day and "put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh or its lustful desires." Romans 13:14
As I was thanking God for speaking to my heart, he spoke to me again. This time he threw 1 John 1:9 at me. It states, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." It isn't that I am living in total sin, but having a selfish attitude and not making time for God and doing everything else but spend time for Him is sinful and that is how things have been. I have put myself and worldly desires before God lately and that is putting idols before God. So needless to say, I confessed my sins and just soaked in His presence this morning.
I just wanted to encourage you that we are all sinners and fall short of God's glory. Just don't get wrapped up in your sin and forget about your Daddy! He loves us so much and wants us to know that! In Romans 8:17 it speaks about how we are joint-heirs with Christ and that we are heirs of God. This was a confirmation for a devotional that I had just read about being a co-heir of Christ. If we sit still long enough and quiet ourselves God will speak to us. Be blessed in the Lord and know that He loves you regardless of what you have done.
This morning during my quiet time with Father I was just sharing my heart with Him and apologizing for not being as on fire as I should be and for not being completely focused on Him like I should be. My commitment level has not been where it should be. I start tapering off and doing my own thing and I pray here and there, but I don't keep the focus and don't read the Word like I should. The more I let it slide, the more relaxed I become and before I know it I have slipped further than I should be and feel so far away from God when actually I am not.
As I was praying and sharing my heart, God spoke to my spirit, Romans 8. At first I didn't know if it was my flesh or if it was God, but it was God. I read chapter 8 verses 1 through 17 and wow, God was just hammering some things home to me. My mind is always full of selfish, fleshly trash and my spirit is wanting to do the things of God. While I do my best to live according to the Spirit, too many times I allow myself to slip off course and head straight for the sinful nature. Par for the course for most Christians if not all of us. We are all human and are born of the sinful nature so it is natural for us to want to sin. We must make a choice every day and "put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh or its lustful desires." Romans 13:14
As I was thanking God for speaking to my heart, he spoke to me again. This time he threw 1 John 1:9 at me. It states, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." It isn't that I am living in total sin, but having a selfish attitude and not making time for God and doing everything else but spend time for Him is sinful and that is how things have been. I have put myself and worldly desires before God lately and that is putting idols before God. So needless to say, I confessed my sins and just soaked in His presence this morning.
I just wanted to encourage you that we are all sinners and fall short of God's glory. Just don't get wrapped up in your sin and forget about your Daddy! He loves us so much and wants us to know that! In Romans 8:17 it speaks about how we are joint-heirs with Christ and that we are heirs of God. This was a confirmation for a devotional that I had just read about being a co-heir of Christ. If we sit still long enough and quiet ourselves God will speak to us. Be blessed in the Lord and know that He loves you regardless of what you have done.
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