Are you a New You? Day 14...

This devotional ends on a perfect note, and something I think we all need....

Go to the Throne Before the Phone!

Don't run around seeking counsel from just anyone. Pray first, asking the Lord whether it is His will that you go to another human being for counsel or whether He desires to counsel you Himself. In my own life I have had many, many problems, yet I never went to anyone else for counsel with the exception of one time. On this occasion I visited a lady in ministry who had been abused herself. I do not mean to discredit her, but she really was not able to help me. It was not her fault; she simply was not anointed by the Lord to do so.

God is not obligated to anoint what He does not initiate. So often people run to others without following the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit, and it never bears good, lasting fruit. When you are in trouble, go to the throne before you go to the phone. I do not mean to suggest that it is wrong to seek counsel. I am just suggesting that you pray and allow the Lord to lead and guide you through the Holy Spirit. Let Him choose the right counselor for you. Just because a person has been through what you are going through, or is a close personal friend, does not mean that individual is the right counselor for you. So I repeat, pray!

LOVE THIS VERSE!!! 
Proverbs 2: 4 - 6 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Day 12 & 13....

Complain and Remain, Praise and Be Raised
Complaining is a sin! It is a corrupt form of conversation that causes many people a great deal of problems in their lives. It also opens many doors for the enemy. Words are containers of power. Complaining, grumbling words carry destructive power. They destroy the joy of the one doing the complaining and can also affect other people who have to listen to them.

In Ephesians 4:29, the apostle Paul instructs us not to use any foul or polluting language. At one time I would not have known that included complaining, but now I have learned that it does. Murmuring and complaining pollute our lives and probably sound like cursing to the Lord. To Him it is verbal pollution. To pollute is to poison. Did you ever stop to think that you and I can poison our future by complaining about what is going on right now?

When we complain about our current situation, we remain in it; when we praise God in the midst of difficulty, He raises us out of it. The best way to start every day is with gratitude and thanksgiving. Get a jump on the devil. If you don't fill your thoughts and conversation with good things, he will definitely fill them with evil things. Truly thankful people do not complain.

They are so busy being grateful for the good things they do have that they have no time to notice the things they could complain about. Praise and thanksgiving are good; complaining and grumbling are evil.

John 6:43  "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.

Our Standard Is Jesus

Obey God in every little thing, and you will enjoy an excellent life. Be diligent in your obedience. Learn to live your life before God and not before man. Go the extra mile and do all the little things that God tells you to do, even though nobody else may ever know. Put your grocery cart back in the stall where it belongs instead of leaving it out in the middle of the parking lot. Why? Because the owner of the property has put up a sign saying, "Please return carts here," and God has said to submit to authority (SEE TITUS 3:1).

The flesh says, "Well, everybody else leaves their carts everywhere; why should I put mine up?" Because our standard is not others - our standard is Jesus. When I compare myself to everybody else, I don't look too bad. But if I compare myself to Jesus, I am humbled and ask God to help me! Until Jesus comes to get us, we need to compare ourselves to Him and the standard of holiness that He holds up for our lives.

Colossians 1:10   so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

New Day, New You...Day 10...

Oh, Well

Whenever I find myself in a situation I can't do anything about, I have found that a good way to cast my care upon the Lord is simply to say, "Oh, well."

Take, for example, the morning that Dave spilled his orange juice in the car and got a little of it on my sweater. Immediately he said, "Devil, I'm not impressed." And I said, "Oh, well." So that problem was solved, and we pressed forward with the rest of our day.

Some things just aren't worth getting upset about, yet many people do. Unfortunately a large majority of Christians are upset, fretful, and full of anxiety most of the time. It is not the big things that get to them; it is the little things that don't fit into their plans. Instead of casting their care and just saying, "Oh well," they are always trying to do something about something they can't do anything about. On more than one occasion that simple phrase "Oh, well" has really helped me to make it through.

Psalm 37:8 

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

New Day, New You...Day 11...

Shake It Off

One of my favorite stories is about a farmer's donkey that fell into a dry well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do for his poor donkey. Finally, he concluded that the well was too deep, and it really needed to be covered up anyway. Besides, the donkey was old, and it would be a lot of trouble to get him out of the pit. The farmer decided that it was not worth trying to retrieve the animal, so he asked his neighbors to help him fill in the well and bury the donkey.

They all grabbed shovels and began to toss dirt into the well. The donkey immediately realized what was happening, and he began to bray horribly. Crying would be our normal response if somebody was mistreating us this badly, so this donkey was responding the same way we would at first, but then he got real quiet. A few shovel loads of dirt later, the farmer looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit the donkey's back, the donkey would shake it off and step on top of it.

As the neighbors and the farmer continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon the donkey shook off the last shovel full of dirt, took a step up, and walked right out of the well. We can learn so much from this story. When trouble comes, if we will get still and listen, God will tell us what to do.

By the grace and mercy of God, I was able to shake off a lot of things in my life, a lot of hurt feelings, a lot of mistreatment, a lot of abuse, a lot of unfair, unjust, unkind things. Just like the donkey, in order to keep pressing on and have victory in our lives, we are going to have to learn to shake off the troubles that come our way.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

New Day, New You...Day 9...

Let It Drop

According to the dictionary, forgive means "to renounce anger or resentment against, to absolve from payment of (e.g. a debt)." I like the phrase used by The Amplified Bible in Mark 11:25, "Let it drop." How many times have you had a problem with someone and think you have settled it between you, but the other person keeps bringing it back up?


My husband and I have had those kinds of experiences with each other many times in our shared life. I believe most men are more willing and able to let things go than women. The popular stereotype of the nagging wife is not entirely inaccurate. I know, because I used to be one of them.


Dave and I would have a disagreement or problem between us and he would say, "Oh, let's just forget about it." But I would keep dragging it up again and again. I can remember him saying to me in desperation, "Joyce, can't we just drop it?" That's what Jesus is telling us to do here in this verse. Drop it, leave it, let it go, stop talking about it.

Mark 11:25  (I love this verse!)

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

Hope you are having a great Friday night! 

Love,
Carrie

Day 7 & 8...

You can read Day 7 here....

And here is Day 8...  I love it!  It has definitely changed my prayers.  I am still working on praying two or three times a day rather than just at night, but it has me thinking more about the content... one step at a time.  :)

Take a Praise Pause

I don't think anything blesses God more than when we stop right in the middle of what we're doing sometimes and lift our hands to worship Him or take a moment to bow down before Him and say, "I love You, Lord." In the scripture for today, the psalmist says he took time seven times a day and all day long to praise God.

Think about a businessman, for example, maybe the president of a large company. Wouldn't it be wonderful if two or three times a day, he would close the door to his office, turn the lock, kneel, and say, "God, I just want to take some time to worship You. Father, all these things You are giving me - the business, the money, the success - are great, but I just want to worship You. I magnify You. You are so wonderful. I love You. You are all I need. Father, I worship You. Jesus, I worship You. Holy Spirit, I worship You." I believe that if the businessman did that, he would never need to be concerned about his business, his finances, or success. All of those things would be taken care of.

Matthew 6:33 (KJV) says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Psalm 119: 164 

Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.

The Next Chapter...

I was just scanning channels last Sunday and came across Oprah interviewing Joel Osteen on her new show "Next Chapter".  For those of you who haven't seen or heard about Next Chapter, it is basically a show where Oprah interviews different people.  When I was watching the Joel Osteen episode, I decided I needed to record the next episode with T.D. Jakes, and in the process of recording that episode, I decided I should just record them all.  (haha) 

T.D. Jakes is a pastor at The Potter's House in Dallas, and during this episode of Next Chapter, Oprah sits in on one of his Sunday Sermons called "Save the Scraps".  They only played bits and pieces, but let me tell you they were absolutely moving.  So I searched the web for transcripts, but was only able to come up with a video of the whole service.  So far I have only watched the first 45 minutes (it's an hour and 30 minutes long), but I think putting everything in one posting would be too long and I think, at this point, you need to watch it for yourself because then you can take away what you need....not what I think I need.  :)  So here it is....You won't regret watching it...I promise! 

TD Jakes Sermon "Save the Scraps"

Oprah opens the show with "Sometimes in life, you get exactly what you need at the moment you most need it."  It's so true, and I feel like my last few devotionals and this show are really God telling me some stuff that I need right now.  So, in sharing this video, I hope that you find something that you need in this moment and time.

Day 6...

But God...

There is a little phrase in the Bible that I get excited about every time I come across it. It is just two little words, but it is found throughout the Bible and is probably one of the most powerful two-word phrases in it. It is simply this: But God . . .

As we go through the Bible, we constantly read disastrous reports of the terrible things the devil had planned for God's people. Then we come to this little phrase, But God . . ., and the next thing we read about is a victory. In the above scripture, the fact is mentioned that we are all sinners, a condition that deserves punishment and death. The phrase But God . . .
interrupts the process. God's love is brought into the situation and changes everything.

While we were sinners, Christ died for us, and by doing so, proved His love for us. He proved that His love interrupts the devastation of sin. When God called me into the ministry, people told me, "Joyce, a group of us have been talking, and we feel that there is no way you are ever going to be able to do what you say God has told you that you are going to do. We don't feel your personality is suitable for such a job." I still remember how awful I felt when they said those things to me.

I was hurt and discouraged . . . but God had called me, and He qualified me. What others thought was not even usable, God saw value in. He helped me, and He will do the same thing for you.

Romans 5:8 
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

New Day, New You...Day 4 & 5

Day 4:  Love: Your First Priority

Where does love fit into your list of priorities? Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you" (JOHN 13:34 NKJV). It seems to me that Jesus was saying love is the main thing on which we should concentrate. The apostle Paul states that "faith, hope, love abide . . . but the greatest of these is love" (1 CORINTHIANS 13:13).

Love should be number one on our spiritual priority list. We should study love, pray about love, and develop the fruit of love by practicing loving others. God is love, so when we walk in His love we abide in Him.

Because we walk in God's love by receiving and expressing it, we should not deceive ourselves into thinking we can love God while we hate other people (SEE 1 JOHN 4:20). It took me about forty-five years to realize that my priorities were mixed up and that I was not making love the main thing in my life. The commitment to learn how to walk in love has been the single best decision I have ever made as a Christian.

1 Corinthians 12:31
Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

And check out Day 5 here...Another Magical Monday....

New Day, New You, Day 2...

I love Day 2! 

Let Your Mess Become Your Message

I encourage people to let go of their past, but never to run from it. The only way to gain victory over the pain of our past is to let God walk us back through that doorway of pain and into victory. No one can achieve victory for us; we have to work out our own salvation. Paul explained this truth in his letter to the Philippian church, saying: 

"Therefore, my dear ones . . . work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). [Not in your own strength] for it is God 

Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight" (PHILIPPIANS 2:12,13 AMP).

We have to let God take us through things and let Him work in us so our mess becomes our message. Difficult things that we have endured in our past prepare us for God's blessings in our future.  (I am going to blog about this later today!)

2 Corinthians 3:18 

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

A New Day, A New You...Day 1...

I just finished another devotional by Joyce Meyers entitled "New Day, New You".  I really feel like this devotional was written for me these last 14 days so I wanted to recap it here on my blog while doing it AGAIN.  :)  I also find that being able to blog every day keeps my mind on track and keeps me in a positive mindset.  So here we go...

Day 1:  Willpower: The Fair-weather Friend

Willpower sure sounds like a great thing. We are led to believe that we have enough of it to fight off every temptation that comes our way. And sometimes it works. But let me tell you a little secret about willpower. Willpower is your best friend when things go well, but it's the first friend to check out when you get weary. I have found that if I really don't want to do something, my mind gives me plenty of reasons why I don't have to. My emotions even join in, saying, "I agree because I don't feel like doing it anyway."  (This is so me!!!)

Our soul (mind, will, emotions) would love to run our lives, but the Bible says we are to be led by God's Spirit. We are never instructed to be willpower-led, we are told to be Spirit-led. Willpower and discipline are important and vitally necessary to a successful life, but willpower alone won't be enough. Determination gets you started and keeps you going for awhile, but it is never enough to bring you across the finish line. Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV) says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts."

What happens if, instead of turning first to willpower in your time of need, you turn to God instead? God releases His power into your willpower and energizes it to bring you across the finish line. Willpower does not get the credit for our success, God does. Jesus said in John 15:5 (AMP), "Apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing." This is one of the most important and most difficult lessons we must learn if we want to enjoy the life Jesus died to give us.

Galatians 5:16  So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

It's as if those few sentences were written for me. 

Dear Carrie, Stop negotiating with God and just do what he says.  How many times has he told you to move on?  Now stop being stubborn and do it!  Love, Joyce Meyers

Got it... :)

Day 24...Happy Leap Day!

"Day 24: I am believing for God to accelerate my life like never before.Those dreams and goals that seemed so far ahead are within reach. The victory I'm believing for will happen sooner than I ever imagined. God's not only making up for lost time, He is thrusting me further into the blessings He has for me."

Follow Up:  I am excited to see my goals and dreams come true.  There are times that I am just living life and not really focusing on the fact that the goals I have for myself are just sitting idly by.  I found this the other day and I think it's perfect for reminding me to re-energize and refocus....

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Happy Leap Day!  :)

Day 23...

"Day 23: I am waiting on God's promises with expectancy. At a set time they will come to pass, and nothing can stop them. I'm not worried about things happening on my time-table because I know God has everything lined up for me. The moment I pray, He establishes those promises, so I am going to press forward knowing the answer is on its way."

Follow Up:  I heard this song for the first time yesterday and thought it was perfect for today's follow up.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!  :)

Day 22...

"Day 22: I am trusting God with the desires of my heart. He knows what's the best for my life, and give Him complete control over all I am and all I have. Any worry, fear or frustration, I turn over to Him. I'm at peace knowing that He will get me to where he wants me to be, and I will never be disappointed."

Follow Up:  This is such a perfect devotional for me today!  I know I always say that, but it really is!  

Baehr and I are in a really good place right now.  Well, we are always in a really good place so that doesn't really describe where we are...GREAT is more like it.  Some great things are happening in our lives and the blessings continue to flow, but being in a great place for me leads to a lot of worry.  Worrying is one of my biggest obstacles...especially when things are really good.  I often think, "Things are so good right now, what's about to happen?"  It's a terrible thing, and I go thru phases where it gets really bad.  Right now is one of those times.  

I don't worry about menial things like clothes, or cars, or my hair.  I worry about losing loved ones.  It's terrible!  I need to learn to stop worrying and turn it over to God, to enjoy my life and the time I have instead of waiting for the moment when life isn't good and they are gone. 

Matthew 6:27

27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

So true....worrying will not add a minute to my life or to anyone else's life so I will enjoy my time here on earth and enjoy our GREAT life!  :)  I will be at peace knowing that He will get me where He wants me to be!

Day 20 and 21....

‎"Day 20: I am open to the plans God has for my life. Even when I don't understand why something happens the way it does, I know God's ways are better than mine. When God does things differently than I expect, I'm going to be willing to try it His way so that I can experience His best."

"Day 21: I am about to experience breakthroughs. The amazing things God has for me are coming my way. Out of His goodness, God is supplying all my needs. There are moments of favor He's already released into my future, and at just the right time, blessings will pour down from heaven in abundance."

Follow Ups:  I think Day 20 and 21 go hand in hand.  I don't understand some of the things that have happened in my life.  I attribute it to the devil trying to trip me up using people or things that are closest to me, but it could be (and probably is) God showing me that my plan is not always his plan.  I need to be reminded of this weekly.  His plan is better than my plan...

Proverbs 16:9  

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.

Day 19...Happy GO TEXAN Day! :)

"Day 19: I am filled with mountain-moving faith. I'm not afraid of how big or how impossible a difficult situation may look because, I know my God is bigger. Setbacks, strongholds and defeat have NO power over me. In faith I say to those mountains, 'Be removed because God has already given me the victory'."


Follow Up:  I am continuing to have faith in a bigger picture.  A bigger plan for my life.  I am excited to see what is on the other side of this mountain that is in front of me.  I will not be constrained to the people or actions of my past, but look forward to what is ahead of me and know that I can and have moved mountains.  

Day 18...

"Day 18: I am crowned with God's favor. His plans for me will take me further than I ever imagined. I believe God is going to prosper me, and I'm excited about the blessing He's sending my way. I accept the fullness that He has in store for me."

Follow Up: The Lord continues to bless us, our families, and our home.  We are blessed beyond belief and are so thankful for the things God is doing in our lives.  

Day 17...

"Day 17: I am going to keep my joy no matter how difficult things appear. Instead of getting discouraged, I will speak victory over any obstacle that comes my way. I will not lose my passion for the dreams God has placed in my heart. I'm confident that on other side of this challenge is a new level of my destiny."

Follow Up:  I so needed this yesterday.  I really don't have any difficult things going on in my life right now besides my own thoughts.  I need to learn to not let myself be my own obstacle.  I saw a post on Facebook yesterday that said "Life is Simple Silly".  I will share it here. I think it is perfect for me right now:

So why am I worried?  Why do I worry?  It must be a genetic thing because my mother is definitely a worrier.  :)  On another note, I have to go back to earlier in the week and trust in the Lord, and just enjoy life.  There will be more difficult times so enjoy the good, and just remind myself that LIFE IS SIMPLE SILLY!  :)

Day 16...

"Day 16: I am going to stay in faith in times of adversity, because I know God has a purpose for everything. What was meant for my harm, God is turning around to use to my advantage. He is going to bring me out better off than I was before. My heart rejoices over the amazing plans he has for my future."

There is a purpose for everything.  There are times when you look at your life and the people in it and say, "Lord, why are these people here?  Are they supposed to be? Am I supposed to be here?"  I think sometimes the answer comes much later than the question, but in the end it all works out.  It used to irritate me that people would say "It's going to all work out."  I mean...how do you know that?  Now, further down the road, I see that it will all work out.  Sometimes not exactly as we want, but it works out.  I will stay in the faith always, and know that with everything there is a reason.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
   but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Day 15...HAPPY PREZ DAY!

"Day 15: I am living every day like it's a gift from God. His plans for me are good and not evil. I'm not going to drag through this day defeated, complaining or focused on the negative. Instead I will meditate on the good things God has done in my life, thanking Him for all that he's given me."

Follow Up:  I definitely needed this today.  I did drag thru the day a little defeated and just plain worn out, but I ended the day on a great note....sitting in the doctor's office with my sister for 2 hours.  There is nothing better than family time.  I love being able to just sit and spend time with my mom and sister.  Honestly, it's kind of my addiction.  :)  

I know I will have rough days, but I always need to remember that God is good, and I am truly blessed by Him.  More than really I should be.  

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.