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Surrounded

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP) The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you]; The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor], and be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness]; The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval], and give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’

Yesterday started off pretty rough. I am not going to go into all of the details of it. Just know it was getting my stress level up. Then I had my emotions get in a mess with a statement my husband made. My biggest stressor was getting tickets to see our youngest son play in the game this week.

The tickets for our home games go on sale the week of the game. This week’s game is on Thursday, but the tickets were not going on sale until Tuesday because Monday was a holiday. The tickets were not going to be released until noon. We live in the south, in central Alabama. We do not have professional sports here. We have college sports and high school sports. Football being the biggest fan base. Our youngest has been playing full tackle since he was five and this is his senior year. This game is the biggest rivalry game in our city. It is the 100th game for Opelika verses Auburn. This is usually a sold-out game. Being a stay-at-home mom, you might say, then just get there early and get in line.

Tuesday’s we also have Corporate Prayer. The only time I miss is I am out of town, then I ask someone else to open up the building so it can still happen. I believe the church should not just gather for teaching, but for community and for prayer. Prayer starts at eleven in the morning, and we usually wrap up around noon, giving time for the Word to come forth and not rushing out. It is very important that when we pray, we also listen.

Ephesians 2:22 (AMP) In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Before going into prayer, I handled the business side of things, so my mind would be clear. Then I settled things that were going on with my husband. If you have an offense or in strife with someone, settle it. The Bible talks about before you bring an offering to the altar, and you have offense or know of someone with an offense to you, make it right before presenting your offering. We can nurture an offense and hold onto things that will result in interfering with our relationship with God. All of these are from the teaching of Jesus in the first five chapters of Matthew. I just read those chapters this week, and would you know it I would be tested in it.

Matthew 6:33 (AMP) But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

We had a great time in prayer. We encouraged each other in the Word, then it was time to make my way to buy tickets. I checked the parent football messaging board, and they said the line was around the building. On the way there I am praying, “God, You know that seeing his son play is a big deal to his father. You said that if I put you first that You would take care of everything else. I did not cancel prayer to get in line for tickets, I put You first. I do not know how, but You will give me favor.” I get there at ten minutes after twelve and the sign on the door says, “SOLD OUT.” I am upset and just praying for the one ticket for my husband. I am thinking about putting my plea on the messaging board. I type it out and another message pops up deleting mine before I can send. I am just going to run in and ask for advice. They advised that they reserve some tickets to sell at field on game day at five thirty. I am disappointed, my face shows it. I tell them I have a senior playing. One employee calls me to the side, she has a booklet of tickets in hand, pulls out two. She says, “I see you mama, you can buy two of mine.” Right then it was if God said, “I see your faithfulness.” I gave her my gratitude, but He is getting the praise. He is getting the glory. He is good. He surrounds us with loving kindness. He even cares about the little things like football tickets.

Jehovah, our Father, You are so Wonderful. You are Holy. Thank You for Your Son, the One who brought us into adoptions to be Your sons and daughters. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, our Teacher and Comforter. Thank You for Your Word, so that we may know You more. We repent for the times we have placed ourselves before You. The god of ‘self’ has to be dethroned. We choose to surrender our thoughts and our ways to You. Thank You for the grace to grow in letting go of offenses and not living in anger. The most precious relationship we have is with You. Thank You for caring about even the little things. You deserve all of the Honor and all of the Praise. In Your Presence is fullness of Joy. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Why is my neck so stiff?

2 Chronicles 30:8 (AMP)  Now do not stiffen your neck [becoming obstinate] like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and come to His sanctuary which He has sanctified and set apart forever, and serve the Lord your God, so that His burning anger will turn away from you.

Stiff necked really got my attention. My body takes the brunt of stress. Some areas I have felt it is in my lower back, but lately it has been the right side of my neck. Which makes it really hard to look for other cars to change lanes. I have to turn my whole upper body. Yesterday I was able to move my neck fluidly with ease and it was wonderful. Then I remembered the position of peace that I have been in lately. That happens when thanksgiving is what you think of more and you count it all as joy.

2 Chronicles 24:19 (AMP) Yet God sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord; these prophets testified against them, but they would not listen.

What happens when we start allowing the Word to do the work in and through us? “For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)” My mind is the gateway to my soul. My soul is what needs to be renewed daily. My mind will affect my heart, my attitude and eventually my body (3 John 1:2). I have to remain teachable. I have to put myself in a position to be challenged so that I can continue to grow. Part of this cultivating that God is doing takes change within us (1 Corinthians 3:9).

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. What happened to them when they would not listen? They started losing wars. They would have tribes captured. They even fought amongst each other. We are also called God’s chosen people.

Colossians 3:12-14 (AMP) So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. 

Colossians 3:12-14 (MSG) So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

As God’s chosen people we need to be wearing the wardrobe that sets us apart. I talked about wardrobe on Sunday. How we dress reflects how we feel about ourselves, whether you want to admit it or not. We can be defensive and say it does not matter how I dress; God loves me for who I am. That is true, but do you love yourself? One of the biggest signs that we set the standards in our lives and not God is being defensive. Which is another way of nicely saying living in offense. That is what I thought about when I read the “stiff necked people.” I really did an inward look at myself. I do not want to live in a way that I am looking only at what offends me. Worry is the reason for my stiff neck, and it is offensive to God. Which means I need to be putting on another fresh garment of love.

Seeking God as my vital necessity is the quickest way to put on the right set of clothes. What we wear is important to God. He tells us to put on the garment of love. This is not some love power that the enemy has twisted. This is a garment that we never have to worry about outgrowing, actually, we get to grown more into it. It will never be out of style.

What if what I choose to be offended at stops the growth in the lives of the people I love? Or even myself? So, ask yourself, am I wearing the right garment? Yielding to the Lord is not a bad thing, it a place of strength. Going back into the opening verse, come to the sanctuary that He has sanctified and set apart forever. He is talking about His chosen people. We are the temple (together as a body) being built up in unity for His glory. A unified temple cannot stand if it is filled with strife and offense. I have to take those garments off and put on the garment of love. It will work on that stiff neck and move the way God created it to.

Abba, Father, my Adonai, You are so Marvelous and Wonderful. Your Holiness cannot be compared. You set all of creation in motion and we cannot help to speak of Your Goodness and Mercy. Your Loving Kindness is the Banner over us. Thank You for Your Son, to be the Restorer of our Purpose. Thank You for the Holy Spirit to be the Comforter, Teacher and Cultivator. We take Your Word as Truth and we worship You in Spirit and Truth. Let nothing we do be looked at as mere lip service, but You have searched the deep things in our lives. We repent for putting on garments that we were no longer to wear, such as offense, strife and selfishness. We repent for putting on the garments of worry. All of those result in a stiffness and rigidity that keeps Your temple (Your body) from unity and glorifying You. We are choosing to clothe ourselves in Your perfect Love. We are choosing to forgive freely. We are choosing to walk in Your Peace and Joy. We desire You as our vital necessity. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Found my rest

Matthew 11:28-30 (AMP) “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”

In a time where it is easy to give up, do not quit. There are times that we are going to get tired and exhausted, that is why Jesus said to yoke up with Him. I use to think that He would carry all of the burden, but that is not what it means to be equally yoked and that is not us allowing the transforming work of Christ in our lives. He said to take His yoke and to learn from Him. It was in my surrender that I started to yoke up correctly.

I did a quick google search on ‘yoking two different animals together’ and the AI overview showed “Yoking two different animals together, or ‘unequally yoking’ them, can cause discomfort, pain and injury. When animals are properly yoked, they are usually the same type, height, and strength, and are attached together so they can pull together on the load. However, if the animals are different, one might be stronger, taller, or have shorter legs than the other, causing them to pull unevenly. This can lead to chafing and discomfort, and eventually animals might not be able to pull together at all. For example, if an ox and a donkey are yoked together, the ox might carry most of the load, and the donkey might refuse to move, veer to the side, or leave important seeds unplanted.” When I decide to yoke up with Christ, He is not doing all of the work and that is what makes it easier, it is because I am aligning my life with His.

Jeremiah 6:16-17 (AMP) Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the roads and look; ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’ I have set watchmen (prophets) over you, Saying, ‘Listen and pay attention to the [warning] sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’

My rest is not in the absence of action, it is in the obedience to Christ. When we look to anything else to satisfy us, we become hardened. Our burdens in life become too heavy and even though we may love Christ, He is not what we have yoked up to. Instead of waiting and becoming we look to satisfy the right now. It is like Esau when he sold his birthright. What made him do it? A momentary discomfort that he could not take his mind off of.

Genesis 25:29-34 (AMP) Jacob had cooked [reddish-brown lentil] stew [one day], when Esau came from the field and was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, “Please, let me have a quick swallow of that red stuff there, because I am exhausted and famished.” For that reason Esau was [also] called Edom (Red). Jacob answered, “First sell me your birthright (the rights of a firstborn).” Esau said, “Look, I am about to die [if I do not eat soon]; so of what use is this birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear [an oath] to me today [that you are selling it to me for this food]”; so he swore [an oath] to him, and sold him his birthright.Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went on his way. In this way Esau scorned his birthright. 

In Hebrews 12:15-17 there is a reference to this very lesson for us, “See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears. (AMP)

There is something to these verses that should give us a wake up call to the meaning of God’s grace. A root of resentment comes from the seed of offense and/or anger, which ultimately is rooted in pride. When I yoke myself with Christ, I have given Him permission to help me break up the hardened ground so that the seed of His Word can be planted there. Being yoked up with Him is what makes the soil good for planting (Read the meaning of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18-23). Do not take for granted the grace of God, it is not meant for a license to do as you want, it is an empowerment to overcome. We can do that because of Christ. He did not promise a life absent of trials, He did promise us peace in the midst of them (John 14:27).

John 15:4-5 (AMP) Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. 

Christ wants us to be united in Him. I encourage you to read all of John 15 if you have not had the chance, or read it again if you have. Jesus gives some rich teaching to His disciples in that chapter. My prayer has been for God to align my heart with His, I want to love how He loves so that it is all that flows out of me. Now in doing that, it does not mean that people can abuse you. Bowing down to a narcissist or someone who is always playing the victim is not love and it is not being peaceful. God said blessed are the peacemakers (those grounded in His Word) not the peace keepers (compromisers of His Word). My greatest love for others is to point them to Christ, in doing so I have to be united with Him. I am yoking up to Him. We are in this together and peace abounds there. This is how I have found my rest.

Father, our Creator and our Banner. You are Mighty and Holy. Thank you for Your Son to be our Redeemer. Thank You for the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter and Teacher. Thank You for Your Word and the revelation that You desire for us to know You more. We repent for not aligning our hearts with Yours. We repent for not abiding on the vine and allowing our hearts to be hardened by this world. We choose to yoke up with Your Son. We are choosing a life of surrender and abiding. We are choosing to forgive and not allow the seed of resentment to take root. We are thankful for Your grace so that we make be overcomers. We choose love today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Signs and wonders

Mark 16: 17-20 (AMP) These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.” So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord was working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed.]

I am excited about the state the church is in right now. At the beginning of the year, God gave me the Word “Presence.” For us to truly enter and be at a state of His Presence, we must have a heart of surrender. This starts with repentance and forgiveness.

As I have written earlier, I am in the process of watching The Chosen Series through the Angel Productions app. In season three, episode two, Jesus sends His disciples out two by two to preach what He preached, to lay hands on the sick and to cast out demons in His name. He told them to take no money and not even an extra tunic. The only other instruction was who they were partnered up with. The one that gave the most rebuttal was the pairing of Simon the former zealot and Matthew the former tax collector. It was not them with the problem, but the others, their concern was that the best pair to work together. Could they work together despite their different backgrounds? Often our perception of others limit what we believe they are capable of.

My favorite person to watch in this series is Matthew, I love his transformation. In my reading of the Word it had always been Peter, because he is mentioned so much I guess. In this perspective I just love Matthew. Simon in his former self would have despised and spat on Matthew, just like all the others did in the streets. He would have probably killed him, as zealots were trained assassins by the radical priests that wanted to overthrow the government. Matthew was a tax collector for the Romans, and his people saws him as a traitor. What a fun pair!

I wept when I saw that Simon kept the man calm while he had Matthew cast out the demon. Simon had the strength to do all and just allow Matthew to be a spectator, but that is not how Jesus instructs. It was a real confidence builder in Matthew. You can tell in his face that he felt accepted and needed.

We are in exciting times. There is a spread of revival in our college campuses and a shift in the atmosphere in our churches. Why? There is a heart change happening. It starts with repentance and forgiveness. It is not surrounding one charismatic preacher or one team of people. It is because the body started working like it should. They are no longer spectators waiting for a move, they are the move, they have the power of the Holy Spirit inside of them. The church has awakened.

Every person that we come in contact with has potential. I am a born again child of God and I still desire more of Him in my life. I still desire more freedom. Why? The enemy wants me to stay bound to things in my past, in my offenses, to what science tells me I am predisposed for genetically, therefore, I have become so beat down that oppression is what I would choose to function through. Just enough freedom to go to heaven, but not enough to rejoice and set other captives free. Oppression is a demonic stronghold that has had it’s hold on the body of Christ long enough. It keeps us in the back ground. It keeps us in the dark to say that the Word does not work that way for them. Enough is enough and we need to be bold enough to look the devil in the eye and say they have no place here any longer. Jesus is Lord here!!

Let’s just say demons oppress believers and a woman was set free yesterday in service. Is the promise of heaven just enough? For me it is not. I want all that God has for me. Jesus came to restore me, to make me whole, on earth. I am excited to see the ones who have been satisfied with the background to gain freedom in Christ. I was one of those. I want to be confident in Christ so that when the demons present themselves I do not have to look for someone with the authority, I have the authority. I can lay hands on the sick and they will recover. There is an awakening returning to the body. Signs and wonders will be follow. We are the move of God!

Father, forgive me for doubting Your power that was placed inside of me. I repent for putting me first in what comforts me. I repent for holding onto unforgiveness of those that have hurt me intentionally or unintentionally. You are more than enough for me. Thank You for Jesus and His compassion to lead well, and to humble Himself to teach us how to do Your mighty works. We want to see Your Kingdom here. We want to see the captives free. If there is anything in my life that is still holding me captive, I release it to You. I surrender my life, my will, my emotions so that freedom can flow through me. I ask that You place opportunities before me so that I can present Your Gospel, the ministry of reconciliation. I surrender all. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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What is success?

1 Chronicles 28: 2, 3, 6 (AMP) I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and as a footstool for our God, and I prepared materials for the building. But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My Name (Presence)…He said to me, ‘Solomon your son shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him.

I am in the process of reading the Bible Chronologically using the Amplified Version in the You Version App. It is different from reading a complete book at a time, because it puts you in the perspective of what was going on during the time it was written. Reading Psalms out of context before had me feeling like David was a big whiner sometimes. It reminded me that we can make judgments about people because we do not know the whole story.

I just finished reading where David is at the end of his life and his heart’s desire was to build the permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant. He has spent years studying the texts and his heart was to see it completed. In 1 Chronicles 23-29 David is making preparations for his son, Solomon, to become king and to build the temple.

1 Chronicles 28:11 (AMP) Then David gave to his son Solomon the plan… This had me thinking. When was the last time you helped someone with their success knowing that you would not reap the benefits of it? I gained a new respect for David when I saw his heart for his son to succeed. David had been talking about and dreaming about building this temple for years. What would you have done if God told you that you would not be the one to build what you dreamed? Would you still gather the materials? Would you still do the research? Would you still buy that plot of land?

We live in a culture where offense is the norm. I actually think some people do not know how to function without someone being the villain in their lives. David did not look at his son as his successor, nor as his competition. He looked at Solomon as the one who was going to succeed him, and he was excited about it.

My husband and I are pastors of a church in Opelika, Alabama. We were not the ones who started the ministry, his parents were. I often look back as to when were did not have a title, or considered the “assistants,” and how our hearts were to see the church succeed. We had no intentions nor was it on our minds that one day we would lead. Every event was planned and executed by us, yet we did not take the lead role during the event (to include baby and bridal showers). If there was a need to reach a certain demographic with a small group or a type of fellowship, we started and led it, willingly! We were excited to be at the church early and doing whatever needed to be done way before service started. If they needed someone in nursery, I was there. They needed a pre-teen class for an age group to be ministered to, I will teach it!! They just needed to state the need, not ask me to meet the need.

When was the last time you looked around and saw a need and did not just say “someone needs to,” but instead said “there is a need and I am going to make sure it is met”? Instead of being offended with your church or pastors for not meeting your needs (or expectations), ask yourself what you can do to help that area succeed. When others succeed, you will succeed. Do you need the recognition here or is it enough that the Father sees your heart and has a reward for you in heaven? Instead of taking on offense at the leader, what can we do to make sure they succeed?

I do not know if you are a leader or if you look to your leader to meet all of your needs. Only he Father can meet all of our needs. I want to be a light to this world. I want to make an impact that brings glory to God. If that means that I do all the work in the background to make sure there is a good foundation laid for the next generation, then so be it. If they succeed, then I succeed!

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Begin Again

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and for the past few years my husband and I take the time to talk to the church together about marriage and relationships. This year it was important that we talked about managing conflict and walking in forgiveness. This year with the pandemic we have spent more time with our families, especially if you were in a stay at home order like we were.

I think we did pretty good with it. The stressful activity we did was to paint the outside of our house. We have a ranch style home built in 1968, addition was done in 2000. Part of the house is on foundation, the other is crawl space. It is a brick home that was painted a sea foam green. When we moved in thirteen years ago I had always wanted to paint the house, I did not like the color. The home has sixteen windows that looks to be original to the house (except for the addition) and they have the pained glass. We had gotten quotes to get the job done. They ranged from six to eight thousand dollars. The pandemic hit, and we all had to stay home together. My husband and I went out and bought a paint sprayer, rollers, brushes, paper, tape and lots of paint. Stay at home did not mean we could not go outside, and I did not want my kids playing video games all day.

Marriage, more than any other relationship, is going to highlight your flaws. A project of this magnitude with two teenage boys, was going to highlight some flaws as well. We each had a job, and we assisted each other when our job did not need to be done at the moment. The struggle that we found was when we needed help, how to communicate that. In the middle of the frustration on not being able to do this task or problem solve it, how to communicate without filtering that frustration in how we talked to each other.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (TLB) I beg you—I, a prisoner here in jail for serving the Lord—to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another.

We each have faults. In love, we must make allowances for each other. Grace needed to be applied to each other. Be patient with your children and spouse. Have faith in what your marriage/family can become. Do not heap on expectations on where you think you should be. Enjoy the journey.

Hebrews 12:2 (MSG) Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. 

If in the process of painting the house we fixed your thoughts on the faults and failure’s of each other the project would probably had never gotten completed. Our family relationship would have suffered a great loss. The problems in our marriage/family are going to be magnified if we do not keep our eyes on Jesus. Study how He lived His life. He had some different personalities to do life with.

The problems in our marriage/family are going to be magnified if we do not keep our eyes on Jesus.

The bigger picture is that I want my children to have lasting relationships. The highlighted flaws that their parents have are going to come out in front of them. When my husband and I first got married my reaction to a question or statement would have been returned with a quick straight to the point answer. I filtered my responses through defense. I thought I was always under a microscope waiting for someone to point out my flaws, this person now being my husband. In return, how I answered was not clear or was often misunderstood because of how I said it, not in what I said. This escalated the conversation into a fight. My husband when he is flustered can come off as very aggravated, this combined with filtering through defense was a combination for disaster. One of us needed to do something. I went to a really good source. I went to my Word.

Colossians 3:13 (NLT) Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Philippians 4:8 (TLB) Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.

When tensions started to flair, we had to go back to this. Someone was not ready to change how they approached the problem, that is okay because they need grace in the moment and we are going to give it to them. Did we have a few blow ups? Yes! We are not perfect. In the end, I do not recall what they were about. I do know that the house is painted. We have to redo the porch, we did not seal it…oops! We still love each other. We still enjoy each other’s company. We have had to tackle other projects together and did not dread it!

It is not too late for your marriage or your family. For us, it started with one person making up their mind that they were not going to hold onto offense and to be quick to forgive. I just so happened to be that person in my home. I had to lay down my pride and me wanting to always be right. In turn there was a change in me. I no longer responded in defense. Peace was raging in me, so it was also becoming a part of what our home would be.

You can make up your mind to begin again. What if you spouse is not wanting to make the change? You make the change. Let God work on them. At the end of all of this, we will give an account of what we did, not what they did. I want to hear “well done good and faithful servant”. We are not going to hear “well done perfect servant.” So please stop putting that expectation on the people you have relationships with, including leaders. I want to point out that He uses the word servant. Are we serving in our families? If not, you can begin now. It is not too late. I do not regret making that change. I have my moments, because I am not going to be perfect at it all the time, in return my family have made allowances for me as I have made allowances for them. It is pretty nice.

If you need prayer or would like to talk about anything feel free to email me at amanda@desiringformore.org.