Day 12: Pray and Be Thankful

Philippians 4:6-- Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

*****************
The main thing I want to talk about today is "... and thank him for all he has done."

How many times have we prayed, forgot about it, and then miss all the wonderful things God has answered for us?

It's SO easy to do. I've done it.  And then you ask, "God, why haven't you answered my prayers?"  When HE has... but we don't remember it. (We humans tend to have the memory of gnats... or at least, I think I do.)

OR...

You have every intention of praying for something.. be it the church prayer requests.... a facebook friend's prayer request..... something that pops into our mind... and then... we forget it.  Life comes up.  We intend to pray about it, but by the time we get time to actually pray, we have forgotten whatever it is we need (maybe I need to pray for a better memory...)

The point is, we all need a way to remember, to be accountable for our prayers, AND a way to look back and truly see all of the wonderful things God has done for us!

I have started keeping a prayer list in a notebook at the computer desk-- that way when someone asks for prayers on facebook or a mommy message board, I can pray right then, and then write it down so I can remember it for later.

That has helped me really well.  I can see the people I'm praying for AND I can see what God is doing for them. It really is an awesome thing!

AND THEN....

The other day I was readind another blog here and came across something called called a Bible Notebook.  And I so wanted to whack myself up the head for not thinking of it before!  I'm all about my homemaking notebook, so this was a natural progression for me.  I'm a visual person... I have to SEE something to remember it.  I have to write down my prayers to remember them.

Please check out the site http://donotdepart.com/make-a-bible-notebook .  It has some really great ideas on things that can go in your notebook (I'm not affliated with them in anyway.. I just thought it was a really good idea!!)

You don't have to have as in depth of a notebook as that suggests.  Mine is just a regular 1 subject, spiral notebook (It's 1 subject because Wal-mart had them for $0.20 a piece.. so I bought 5, but anyway).  I keep my prayer list in there and a daily prayer that add to as the day goes on.  I keep dates with the days I wrote them and the days they were answered.

I'm NOT doing that to TEST God. Or to see what *I* can do. If it was *me*, nothing would be done. I'm doing this so *I* can remember to THANK HIM for ALL of the prayers he answers.  So I won't FORGET.  So I can THANK HIM for all the things he does... whether I remember it or not. 

I know not all prayers will be answered quickly or even not at all.... but I will continue to pray for them.  Our job isn't to answer prayers (thank goodness).  Our job is to pray with a sincere heart, and thank God for answering them.

If you don't have a prayer journal, I encourage you to start one.  It's honestly a great way to organize things (I'm big on the organizing).  It's actually pretty neat to go back and see what you wanted, what you *thought* you wanted, and what God has done for you, your family, your friends...

God Bless You-- and remember to thank Him for all he has done :)

Kelly

Day 11: "I can do all things..."

Philippians 4:13-- I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

********** 
How awesome is that?  That is a pretty definite statement.

'I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.'

Think on that....

Wow....

Now, that doesn't mean that we should jump off of a 10 story building and expect to fly.  God doesn't make us "superhuman" or "invincible".

But it does mean that the desires of our heart can be done.

Things that scare us.  Things we don't know how to start.  Things we don't know how to finish-- all of these things we can do because of Christ.

When we have a desire in our heart or if we are worried about something-- we need to pray and get our strength from Jesus.

If something is going on in your life, you can gain strength from God.  We humans are weak at times.  God never gets tired.  That is hugely comforting to me!

God Bless You!

Kelly

(linked with Women Living Well Wednesday and Word Filled Wedensday )

Day 10: "With God ALL things are possible."

Matthew 19:26-- Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible.  But with God everything is possible.

************

How's THAT for a promise?!?

With God All things are possible.

Everthing--
*a cure for cancer
*breaking long-time habits
*moving a mountain

All things.....

Nothing is impossible for Him----so (and here is the hard part) why doesn't he do everything we ask for?

Have you ever watched the movie Bruce Almighty?  There were some things I didn't agree with about that movie, but some things I did like.  Bruce, acting as God, answered everyone's 'Email Prayers' "Yes", thinking it would make them all happy--- But they weren't.

Everyone who prayed to win the lottery won--- but only got about a dollar when it was all divided. 

The streets were chaos... and all because everyone got what they thought they wanted.

An unanswered prayer can be a good thing (even if we don't realize it at the time). 

Thank God He can do anything we ask..... but only gives us what is best for us in the long run. 

God Bless You!

Kelly

Day 9: "A Gentle Answer..."

Proverbs 15:1-- A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

***************

Yesterday, we talked about anger.  Today, we will talk about ways to deflect anger.

Have you ever tried to fight with a person who would NOT yell back?

In a word, it's annoying!

If you are in an argument with someone who won't raise their temper back, it's not only frustrating, but it makes you more likely to STOP fighting.

I speak from experience *whistles not so innocently*

When my husband and I first got married, we did what any newly married couple did... we had arguments.  And like lots of married couples, we didn't know 'how' to fight besides yelling.  Well..... ok, that's a lie.  *I* yelled.  He would walk off and 'cool down' (which drove me nuts because *I* wanted to confrontation... *I* wanted to get my anger out.)  HE was actually doing the right thing (not that I saw it at the time) by not raising his voice (which I'm sure he'd LOVE to at times... and did some).  But the times he DIDN'T raise his voice, the argument didn't last as long.

I've learned over the years that if I want to 'win' a fight, I have to control my desire to yell.  I have to be rational and I have to listen/get my point across calmly...

DO you know how hard that is?  Of course you do!  That's why we need to pray for a gentle spirit... for soft words in a fight... and that does NOT mean to let someone run all over you.  Far from it.  When you talk gently, you get everything out in a calm way.  You remember more of what you WANT to say and can have a clear argument.

Now, anger is natural.  We all get angry. It's not healthy to hold it in.  Some ways to do that are:
*exercise
*write in a journal
*use a stressball
*meditate
*light a soothing candle
*go for a walk
*count backwards
*take a few deep breaths

Those are just a few.  You have to get anger out before it turns to hate (which we talked about yesterday), but you need to get it out in the right way (yeap, I'm still working on this one....)

In summary, when we disagree with someone be it our spouse, co-worker, neighbor, etc., try to use gentle words.  Harsh words will just make it worse-- and if you are like me you will just feel bad about it later.

God Bless You!!!

Kelly

Day 8: Anger Leads to Hate....

Ephesians 4:26-- And "don't sin by letting anger control you".  Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

**************

Ah--- anger.

That most disliked and possibly most used emotion.

No one likes it when someone is angry at them, but it is so easy to become angry and stay angry with someone----- Even yourself.

There are a million ways to be angry with yourself.
*You think you say the wrong things.
*You aren't a size 2.
*You say something you regret.
*You aren't "perfect"
*You broke someones heart.
*You think you let God down.

And the hard part is that its actually easier to forgive someone else than ourselves.

Anger--in any form-- is dangerous.  Yoda was right when he said, "Fear is the path to the Dark Side.  Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to Hate.  Hate leads to suffering"  And it's not always you who does the suffering for your fear... and for your anger.... and for your hate.

I know this isn't really uplifting and encouraging today... but it's something I think we all need to think about.  Our actions have a direct relationship with everyone around us.  Our hate... our love.  Our anger... our graciousness.  Our fear... our giving.

Hate and anger fester like some sort of weird little bump on our skin (um.. ewww).  Take a splinter than has wedged itself under our skin (just like a little annoyance we might have).
Maybe a:
*Gossipy friend.
*An unattractive habit of our spouse
*Scoffing at ourselves in the mirror

Then, after a while if we don't deal with the splinter, it grows... gets infected.  The anger rises...
*Will my friend just stop talking!
*I can't STAND being around my spouse!
*Ug!  I detest my body!!

By that time, if not dealt with, the splinter has gotten so infected, so nasty that it's big.. and green... and ugly (as hate often is.  There is nothing pretty about hate.)
*A Friendship ended by harsh words
*A marriage ended
*Non-existant self-esteem

The Fear, Anger, and Hate are usually followed by another emotion... another dirty one.  Suffering.
*We suffer because we lose a close friend and now have no one to talk to
*The kids suffer because our marriage ended
*Our self-worth suffers because we think more about some photoshopped celebrity than ourselves

Anger is a normal emotion. It is!  We all have it.  But we have got to be watchful to forgive whatever it is that has caused our anger (be it another person, ourselves, circumstances, etc) and not let it control us.  We can't dwell on it.  If we do, it will start eating at us.

Don't let anger control you.  I know its hard... I KNOW it's hard.  Believe me.  But it will make us happier in the end.

God Bless you!!!!!

Kelly

Day 7: 'Gracious vs Ruthless'

Proverbs 11:16-- A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth

*************
I love Proverbs. Its one of my favorite books of the Bible.  Its filled with good advice and practical life applications... plus its easy to read (a plus for me!)

Now... on to today's verse....

If the first thing you see in this verse is women vs men then you miss one of the biggest points about the scripture.  It's not a gender.  Its about character.

Gracious vs Ruthless

Lets think of it like this...

A gracious 'person' gets respect. 

What does Gracious mean?  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary , gracious means:

1 obsolete: godly

   archaic: pleasing, acceptable

2. marked by kindness and courtesy <a gracious host> b: graceful c: marked by tact and delicacy : urbane d: characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, and the tasteful leisure of wealth and good breeding <gracious living>

3merciful, compassionate —used conventionally of royalty and high nobility

***********************

Basically, gracious means a kind, courteous person.  So a kind, nice, courteous person who thinks of others is respected....

By contrast, a ruthless 'person' ONLY gains wealth.

ONLY

Respect is held WAY above Wealth here. 

That's hard for our 'celebrity' crazy society to grasp.

'Fear' of the wealthy (ie what some billionaires demand) is not REAL respect. TRUE respect comes from a sincere, genuine, God-loving, Gracious heart.

Weath is only wealth. It can come and go.  But respect... respect is something that should be cherished.

I want to do my best to have a gracious spirit... not a ruthless one.  A giving spirit... not a greedy one.  How about you?

God bless you today!

Kelly

Day 6: Just My Luck

Numbers 13:25-33-- After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Isreal at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran.  They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land.  This was their report to Moses: "We entered the land you sent us to explore, an it is indeed a bountiful country--a land flowing with milk and honey.  Here is the kind of fruit it produces.

BUT the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified.  We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!  The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hitites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country.  The Canannites live along the coast of the Medierrean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.

But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses.  "Let's go at once and take the land," he said. "We can certainly conquer it!"

But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed.  "We can't go up against them!  They are stronger than we are!"  So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: "The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there.  All the people we saw were huge.  We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak.  Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that's what they thought, too!"

****************
Can you imagine that type of let down? 

God's people, the Israelites, had wandered all that time. They had left everything they knew (even if it wasn't a great life, it was all they had known) to travel to this distant land that God had promised them.....

And when the scouts came back....

They couldn't go in.

Wonder how many of those thousands of people thought, "Well, that's just my luck." while stamping their feet and throwing their hands to the sky?

Apparently all of them, save Caleb, since they had to wander 40 years for their attitudes.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm really hoping God doesn't punish me that way.

Who hasn't said, "Well, that's just my luck!"  Something goes wrong... we break a nail..... the car tears up right before a vacation... it rains on the wedding day... something... it's just my luck!

Tonight, I was so excited for the girls to go to bed because it's been a long day..... not a bad day, but a long day.  I got on here and was writing some posts (something I LOVE to do) and what happened?  My head started to pound. 

And I thought, "Man, that's just my luck! I wait all day for this, and now I have a headache."

Not nearly as bad as what the Israelites went through, but still... the sentiment was the same. 

Not everything in live is going to be rosey.  Sometimes stumbling blocks stand in our way either physically or spiritually.  Our goal is to push past those and focus on God and what we are doing for him.  And also his promises for us. 

Do you ever say that?  "Man, that's JUST my luck!"?  You aren't alone.  We just have to remember that even a slight inconvience or a big mountain (or army in the Israelites case) is no match for God.  Lets trust in Him. :)

God bless you :)

Kelly


(http://www.beholdingglory.com/ )

Day 5: The "Levels" of Sin?

Romans 3:23-24~ For everyone has sinnned; we all fall short of God's glorious standards.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penality for our sins.

This goes along with what we talked about yesterday--All have sinned, so we best not judge.

But today's verse goes a bit farther.

Do you know the difference between big and little sin?

Yeah, of course, that is a trick question.  To God-- all sins are equal.  Murders are no better/worse than liars.  Adulterers lumped with prideful people....

I don't know about you, but that's hard for me to swallow.

I, with my little white lies (at times), am no better than a cold, hearted murderer in God's eyes.

Well, Kelly!  I thought these were supposed to be UPLIFTING!  That's pretty depressing! (I love how I can read your mind....)

It IS uplifting.... Read on!

God doesn't catagorize sin like human's do.  He used Saul-- a murder-- to become a leader for Him-- to bring people to Him.  What would have happened to Saul, to those Gentiles, to the Bible, to us,  if God hadn't forgiven Saul his sins?

Saul was the worst of the worst (a man who killed in the name of 'God')-- but became Paul, the best of the best.

All sins are equal in God's eyes, that true... but the good in that is that all forgiveness is equal as well!  We don't have to sacrifice a dove for lying and a hundred bulls for murder. Jesus died and came back for ALL sins.  "BIG and small"-- you just have to ask.

See, I told you it was uplifting!!!! 

Thank you, Lord, for forgiving my sins. 

God bless you :)

Kelly

Day 4: "I Will Blot Out Your Sins"

Isaiah 43:25-- I, yes, I alone will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.

This... (an elephant)


is God's mind when you haven't asked him to forgive your sins.  God has the memory of an elephant.

This... (a piece of paper)

is God's mind when you ask him to forgive you sins...

See the difference?

Who among us has never sinned? (yes, that is a rhetorical question).  Everyone (except Jesus) has sinned-- has some sort of past.  Now, some of our pasts are much different than others, but the point is that we all have 'something' there that we wish we didn't or that we are sorry for.  And, if you are like me, you can't forget it.

It's easy to get caught up in our past sins-- and even easier to get caught up with other's past sins! 

Oh--- yeap--- hitting my nerve there a bit....

Judging other is SO easy-- so.easy!  We all do it at one time or another whether we realize it or not.  Suzie from high school who was a major.. um... lets say 'popular' girl with the boys.... we remember.  Tom who used to pull our hair in gym.  Mr. Santo, the meanest boss ever!  (And yeah, those names are made up, and situations changed to fit everyone).  The point is that we ALL know something about other people, and it's hard not to judge them by their past sins.

I, personally, am very forgetful--Having kids will do that to you.  I have had to resort so something called a 'Homemaking binder' which I LOVE!  I won't get into details, but basically I use it so I won't forget important dates, appointment, bills, etc-- because if I didn't have it, we might not have any electricity because I'd forget to pay the bill.

Basically, I have a horrible memory--- except when it comes to sin.  Sin, my own and others, tend to be easy to remember.  Quick, who won the Stanley Cup 6 years ago?  Um... I have no idea.  BUT: Which former Governor cheated on his well known wife resulting in a child that looks about like him?  Yeap, I can tell you that! 

God (thankfully) isn't like that.  Once you accept Jesus, you can ask God for forgiveness and

This (an elephant)

Turns to this (a piece of paper)

A new, fresh clean slate.

Your sin is GONE.  Forever Gone in God's mind.  Maybe not the world, but who cares what the world thinks? (easier said than done, I know). 

God forgets our sin when He forgives it.  We get a clean slate... a clean page every time we ask for forgiveness-- God's own dry erase marker board as it were.

God makes things SO easy--but we make them so hard.

We aren't God, but we do need to get in the habit of forgiving and forgetting.  The past needs to stay there.  How much happier would we all be if we left it there?

God bless you :)

Kelly

Day 3: .... Because You Do Not Ask

James 4:2-- You desire and do not have, so you murder.  You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

If you are a parent, you know how it is. 

You are in the store.  You just need one.more.thing.  Just one.  One little measly thing and then you check out...

And then you pass by 'something'.  Whatever it is to make your kid go wild-- first with a nice "I want that!" then to a major tantrum in the middle of the aisle... with everyone around.... staring.... at you.

Oh.......... we have all been there.  And if we haven't, we've all seen it play out.  It's frustrating, but it's life with a child.

And how did that parent know without a shadow of a doubt what that child wanted?  Because.... (say it with me) They asked!

Now, I personally wouldn't recommend having  a major come apart tantrum to God...... (Though, I'm sure I have had a few in my lifetime...).  The point, however, is that God listens to all of our prayers.  He knows what we want, but He also likes for us to ask.

What is the worst that can happen (if I was to ever write a book, I think I'd name it that.. I seem to use it a lot!)?  God may say, "No." but that doesn't mean that is the end.  Maybe had has a better 'gift' later on.  Maybe He is waiting.. bidding his time to give us something else/better.  We can't see it as humans, but God can.  A 'No' from God can be a good thing.  Sometimes, it can keep us out of a whole lot of trouble in the long run.

So, if you desire something, ask for it.  With God (as with life), the worse anyone can say is "No."

God Bless You!

Kelly

Day 2: For the Shy Types

Acts 18:9-10-- One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, "Don't be afraid!  Speak out!  Don't be silent. For I am with you, and no one will attack or harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.

Lets get the confessions out of the way first (I'm big on confessions...).

I am very shy.

I know!

Who would have thought it!?

I'm a teacher.  I write on here. I'm very shy. I don't like talking to people.. and it's NOTHING against THEM!  I'm all for them.  They are not the problem.  I am.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

I'm scared that I'll say something stupid... or wrong... or weird and people will go, "What in the world is wrong with her?" Or you know the WORST thing? The Polite grin, Followed by the nod, and the half-way turned-but-not-completely eye roll.

Oh yes, I have actually thought about this... in great detail!

I don't mind talking in my classroom because.. well, I don't. I'm not shy in my room, but I am shy talking to other teachers, etc.

I don't like to do it.  Period.

Anyone in that boat with me?

And then I read this verse and I thought, OH!!!!!

Don't be afraid!  Speak out!  Don't be silent.

Got something you want to say for the Lord?  Say it.

Got something you want to say (nicely) to a co-worker/peer?  Say it. (I said nicely.. don't use this as an excuse to bless someone out and then say, "But Kelly told me too!"  Um... no!)

The point is that God is with you.  God wants you to speak out and not be nervous.

What, seriously, is the worst that can happen?  That girl that nodded, turned, and rolled her eyes, what is the worst that that could do to me?  Hurt me feelings?  Wow, in the scheme of things, that's not such a big deal.... as long as I don't let it be.

I have to work on this too (big gulp from Kelly here!). We have to loose our tongues.  And speak out... now do it nicely and politely (that is SO the teacher coming out), but still... do it.  And it doesn't have to be a great, grand gesture. It could be a little thing like saying, "Amen" at church a little more loudly than before, posting a bible verse on facebook, or offering a prayer request.  A 'little' something means a lot to God. 

Don't be Afraid.

God Bless You :)

Kelly

Day 1: What Do You Want to Do..."

Proverbs 3:6-- Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.


What do you want to do with your life? 

Wow....  hard hitting question right off the bat!

Do you ever have the desire for..... something?

Are you at a crossroads and unsure which way to go?

Ever have this nagging feeling that you should do..... something/anything and you just aren't doing it for whatever reason?

It could be a spiritual 'something' or it could be a physical one (like putting off cleaning that huge ginormous mess because it looks too big to start... I mean, where to even begin????)  Either way, the best way to figure out which path to take is to pray about it. Pray that God show you which path to take.

A few months ago, I started praying-- asking God what I could do for Him.  It was the beginning of my 'cleaning craze' (which I'm still on...) and I had came across a daily organizing sheet from http://www.moneysavingmoms.com/ with a section for Extra Ministry...

Whoa. Baby!

I didn't even have a ministry.. much less an extra one! 

I started praying-- God, what can *I* do?

I work full time, have 3 small girls, can't really do anything outside the home because of scheduling conflicts (they go to bed early)..... Lots of excuses... but a willing heart... What can *I* do?

I love to write.. always have.  I love to be goofy and talk (I'm the youngest child..I think it comes with the territory...) so OBVIOUSLY I should sing praises on YouTube... right?  Um... no.  No, God gives us gifts for a reason.  Don't think a YouTube channel was in my future (although.. you never know I guess!).  It hit me like a ton of bricks--I could write... on the internet...were other people could read.... from my home... after the girls go to bed!!
HUZZAH!

Sure it sounds like a 'Duh' moment now, but it actually took a while for the lightbulb to click for me..

So that lead to http://www.ohthatmomagain.blogspot.com/ (the sister site to this one) which lead to here.

If you are like me and had no idea what path to take--in faith--in life... pray about it- "Seek Him"... He won't lead you wrong.

HOWEVER-- with all that said, it's up to YOU to make the first move.

YOU can pray and God can beat it in your head that you need to be-- say-- a children's leader at church.  It does no good until YOU listen and make the first move.

The first step is the hard part-- deciding to add a 'second' blog devoted to the Bible was the hart part- but every step after gets easier.

So, what do you want to do?  Even if you have no idea... you can pray, listen, and act. If its the wrong thing, God will tell you.  But in the mean time, you learn and you grow, and you get in the habit of making that first step.

God bless you :)

Kelly

What is '365 Days of Biblical Encouragement'?

365 of Biblical Encouragement is a blog designed to do just what it says... be 365 days of encouragement from the Bible.  There will be a post daily starting at Day 1 and going all the way to day 365.  This is a challenge for me... I challenge I'm very exciting to take on!  HUZZAH!

My name is Kelly.  I'm a Christian, a wife, a mommy, a teacher, and (apparently) a blogger.  I have always loved to write.  I've just recently started to love blogging (because I can do it from home after the kids go to bed). 

I prayed for God to show me something *I* could do... and that's where this blog came from.  I hope you enjoy your stay here... I hope you click the follow button so you can get daily updates... I hope it leaves you feeling encouraged and happy :) 

My goal is for us to grow, pray, and learn together for the next 365 days... and hopefully beyond.

If you have any questions, please leave them in comments. 

God bless you! 

Kelly