Part of the Daily Devotion from Proverbs 31 Ministires.

"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 13:43 (NIV)

Last week my seven-year-old son and I were waiting for his sister to get her hair cut. As we sat in the waiting area, we had no choice but to listen to the radio that played in the background. The forecast came on and the announcer said that it was going to be partly cloudy. My son, who was playing with LEGOs® on the floor, stopped playing and looked up with an indignant look on his face. "Mom," he said, "That man said it's partly cloudy but it's not. It's partly sunny." Then he went back to playing.

I thought this was so cute! To get the full devotion click on my link below and it will take you to the website. Hope you enjoy and hope your day isn't partly cloudy but partly sunny! God Bless
Rebecca

Notes on "Lord, I want to be Whole"

Step 2: Live in Obedience (continued)

Live in obedience by taking charge of your mind!

2 Cor. 10:5
Casting down imaginations, and every thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

We must discard and choose not to think about anything against God's word. That means daydreaming too...we are not to meditate on things that we wish we had or hope to have. We are to be content it whatever our state. We are to mediate on the Lord's word and the things that are according to His will.

Phil. 4:8
Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue , and if there be any praise, think on these things.

God is specific to tells us what things we are to think about so we need to be obedient in our thoughts. Our minds is an easy tool for the devil to use. It is very easy for him to place thoughts in our minds that we would not want to think about and certainly do not come from the Lord. You have to recognize that these thought are a ploy from the devil and cast them out immediately choosing to not mediate or give reason to these thoughts but to remember what Phil. 4:8 say and obey.


What is the state of your mind?
The state of your mind affects the state of your heart which in turn affects your entire being. So we must keep our mind in check. Stormie says to ask yourself these questions.


*Do my thoughts make me feel sad, depressed, lonely or hopeless?

*Do my thoughts cause me to be angry, bitter or unforgiving?

*Do my thoughts cause me to feel self-hatred and self-doubt?

*Do my thoughts bring feelings of anxiety or fear?

*Do my thoughts constantly rehearse negative memories?

*Do my thoughts become dominated by immoral sexual images?

*Do my thoughts make me feel unclean or sickend?

*Do my thoughts cause me to feel anything other then peace and well-being?

If you said yes to any of these you need to start to take control of your thoughts. Living with these kind of thoughts is living with unneeded torment. You must control the outside influences that you allow into your mind. Watching the wrong t.v. shows or movies can leave you feeling empty, sad, mad or anxious. I used to love watching Lifetime movies until I realized that most of the time I was left feeling depressed, tired, worried and full of doubt. Not that every movie is bad but I certainly don't watch the ones about a husband cheating, beating or trying to murder his wife. I don't need that doubt creeping into my thoughts and my marriage. So guard your mind and what you allow into. Its even as simply as listening to a radio station that maybe most the songs are good but suddenly you are listening to a song that depresses you or has bad lyrics. Even having the t.v. or radio on in the back ground as you do your chores can allow negative thoughts to creep in. Make sure you are choosing whats playing in the background. You may not be playing close attention now but it is still going into your mind.


How do we defeat this war in our minds? War against fantasies, regret, past pain or suffering etc.? Feed your mind the Word of God. Fill the background with christian music. Sing songs of praise in you minds down time to keep the empty space filled with praise for the Lord so the devil has no moment to steal. Whatever goes into your mind becomes a part of you.

Romans 8:6
To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Lord, I pray that today I may keep you and your word the focus of my mind. Help me to choose what I allow into my mind to only be that which is pleasing to You. I want to feed my mind and heart only things that will bring me Your peace and life. Guard me Lord as I go into the World. Help me not to let the words and thoughts of the world to get into my mind and become a part of me. Thank you Lord, for the things you are doing in me. I praise you, Lord, you are good to me. I pray that you will guard my husbands mind and heart as he is out there in the world working. Protect him. Thank you, Lord.
Amen

Here's a little saying I heard somewhere, sometime ago.
Came across it again today and thought I would share.

Don't look now Lord!
I don't want you to see me,
standing here with my big foot
crammed in my mouth.

Don't worry child,
if I didn't love you
just as much with your
foot in your mouth,
I'd hardly ever get a
chance to love you!

-Rebecca

Notes on: Greater Health God's Way

Introduction to the 7 Steps for Inner and Outer Beauty.

Psalm 139:14
I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...

Romans 12:1
...That ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the Blood...

Each of the Seven Steps contribute to a clean and healthy blood stream.

1. Peaceful Living

2. Pure Food

3. Proper Exercise

4. Plenty of Water

5. Prayer and Fasting

6. Fresh Air and Sunshine

7. Perfect Rest

*The Key is balance-none to the extreme*

Ecclesiastes 7:18
...The man who fears the Lord will avoid all extremes.

Notes on "Lord, I want to be Whole."

Step 2: Live in Obedience

This chapter starts by saying that Stormie would ask the Lord questions like:

When will I stop feeling like a failure?
When will I not be devastated by what other people say to me?
When will I ever stop viewing a hint of misfortune as the end of the world?
When will I be able to go through normal occurrences of life without being traumatized by them?

Do you find yourself asking the Lord or wondering to yourself any of these questions? I do, with a few of my own added.

When will I stop hurting about things I don't want to have effect me anymore?
When will I learn to trust again?
When will the fears, worries, and irrational thoughts that steal my joy (and the joy of my husband at times) go away?
Will I ever "get" it, will I ever be different?

Any of these sound familiar?

Then the answer came so simply...

Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do the things which I say?
Luke 6:46

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
Luke 11:28

Obedience.


The next verses shows us that there is a link between obedience and the presence of God.

If anyone loves Me he will keep my word; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:23

If anyone obeys His Word, God's love is truly made complete in him.
1 John 2:5

Disobedience to the Lord can not bring restoration.

One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
Prov. 28:9

So if we are disobeying God in some way, how can we expect our prayers answered or for total restoration? We must fully die to ourselves and obey the word of God in its entirety. Not just the ares that are easy for us, or comfortable for us. We must fully obey. Like my husband says: "The bible is not like a build a bear, you don't get to pick and choose what you want." I like that!

If you are to obey there comes a deliverance and healing in you life. The bible says:

He who obeys instructions guards his life.
Prov. 19:16

There are many different ares of disobedience but in this chapter Stormie takes down a few that she believes is important to emotional health. That is what we will be looking at next.


Lord, I pray that I may be more obedient to your Word. I do not want to crumble every time I am shaken. I want to experience your Love and Presence but I know that in order to do that I must obey you so that there in nothing separating me from you. Please reveal in me anything that is unpleasing to you. Help me to obey. Thank you for all you've done and all you are doing in me. Amen.

Notes on "Lord, I Want to be Whole"

Step 1: Release the past (continued)


Forgiveness is a choice...we do it out of obedience not because we "feel" like it. Choose to forgive because God's word says to forgive. Stormie makes reference to Luke 6:37 where it says to forgive and you will be forgiven, but if you start in verse 27 and read all through to verse 36, the entire passage pior to this verse is about Loving our enemies. Here are some notes from verses 27-36.

Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who spitefully use you.
If someone strikes you on one cheek offer him the other.
As you want men to do to you, you do to them.
If you love those that love you, what good is that? Do not even sinners do that?
Same goes for doing good to those who do good to you.
Love your enemies, do good and lend hoping for nothing in return.
Do that and your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High.
For he is kind to even the unthankful and evil.

Wow, that's a lot to take in, huh!

Something Stormie wrote that I really liked is that...

"Forgiveness doesn't make the other person right, it makes you free! You may feel like the abuse from your past has kept you from becoming all you were supposed to be. But it's really the unforgiveness that keeps you from becoming all that God made you to be."

This is so true! I can not begin to tell you how just trying to forgive one step at a time has started to emotionally free me and help me to finally get going on this path to a Proverbs 31 Women that God calls me to be. He really couldn't do much with me before. Not with bitterness, resentment, and anger being locked up in my heart. When I finally released it to the Lord, then and only then could He start to work. Sometimes the things you are having a hard time dealing with and forgiving end up becoming something that you do. You have to let it all go to God and allow Him to meet you where you are to begin the transformation. Forgiving yourself. Stormie writes that emotionally wounded people often feel guilty about not being what they think they should be. Sounds like you? It sounds like me. As hard as it is to forgive other it is even harder to forgive myself. With unforgiveness we can not release the past.

Isaiah 43:18-19
Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Lord, hear my pray, to love and forgive as you command me to. Continue to reveal to me ares of unforgiveness that may be hindering Your will in my life. Help me to become emotionally whole and the women you call me to be so that I may be testimony for You. I love you and thank you for forgiving me and loving me. I pray that I may forgive and love others as you have shown me.
Amen.

I don't know if anyone even reads this but this is a way to put into writing how I feel, what I am learning, and my struggles. I way to just get it out and down. It helps to keep a journal of sorts whenever you are on a journey. This is my journal of my journey to trying to become a Proverbs Women.

Tonight is a hard night. I feel as though I'm knocked off my path and by someone I thought would encourage me in my journey. Just when you think you getting better in an area of yourself that you are working on someone you value, trust and love, lets you know, "hey your not doing so good!" Now I'm not saying they mean to and that is their exact words but your left feeling like you have made no progress when you thought you had. You feel as though nothing you do to change and become better is making any difference in the area you thought it would. You feel like giving up.

All I know is that my actions will never be perfect but my heart is in the right place. I can honestly say that. I sit here wondering does anyone know my heart? Is it worth it? Will I ever be enough? Should I even keep trying?



Then a gentle whisper..."I know your heart" says the Lord. "Your enough for me, I died for you. I will give you strength, keep trying, don't give up. I wll never leave you or forsake you. I will not turn away. I will not stop believing in you. I will always love you."




And I am at peace. Maybe not with that person right now but with myself and the Lord. After all this journey can not be about pleasing SOMEONE but about pleasing the ONLY one.

Thank you Lord for searching me and knowing my heart. Help me to become more like you. I'm sorry. I love you.

Rebecca

Did the Lord challenge me?

So just a few days after studying about unforgiveness and how Stormie found it difficult to forgive her mother as thing continued to happened I was faced with a similar situation. Not abuse in any way but there is someone that I am working on forgiving (they don''t know it) and something happened that caused me to feel hurt, disappointment, and resentment towards this person. I am glad I had my study just a couple days prior. Let me tell you it was not easy to release the feelings and try to act and feel what the Lord would have me feel. To be honest I think my prayer is still "Lord, help me to forgive" and not "Lord, I want a heart like your." At least towards this person. Funny how different situation affect our heart and prayers. So I am working on it. I am just so stubborn! Ask my husband, he'll tell ya! :)
So fellow Christian Ladies, please say a prayer for me to summit to the Lord fully so that I may have a heart like His. I want to even though part of me really doesn't want to for this person...but after all we love becuase He first loved us. Thank you for the prayers.

Rebecca

So I saw this last night as I was searching for verses and pictures that I liked. It was a good thing that I was reminded of this last night because when I woke this morning and took a look in the mirror my face was covered in bumps! I have no idea if it was an allergic reaction to something or a break out which I never usually get at least not this bad. I was getting frustrated trying to cover them all up so I could look decent for church, spending way too much time on it and then I remembered this verse. Well, I quit fussing so much and got right to church for I knew that in the Lords eyes I was beautiful. Bumps and all because He saw my heart and not my bumpy face! Amen!

I was reminded that I desire to become a Proverbs 31 Lady and in Proverbs 31:30 it states...

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting;
but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised.

So, that's, that!
Thank you Lord for that gentle reminder.

Notes on "Lord, I Want to be Whole

Step 1: Release the past (continued)

The foundation of ongoing forgiveness.

Stormie writes that in her counseling session she was explained that:

"You don't have to feel forgiveness in order to say you forgive someone. Forgiveness is something you do out of obedience to the Lord because He has forgiven you."

It reminded me of this verse:

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19

After all isn't forgiveness an act of love. So if He first loved us, first forgave us we must love and forgive others. Is there any sin He will not forgive? Are we worthy? No to both, but we still receive His forgiveness, unconditionally so how can we give anything less then that back to those you have sinned against us? It isn't easy but like Stormie's counselor stated it is an act of obedience to the Lord.

I personally have found it much easier to forgive, to love, to be more self-controlled when I learned that it isn't about the other person or myself, it is about obedience to the Lord. Funny how that simple truth that I knew all along but never really held onto frees me from so much. I still have a ways to go and I could talk about obedience to the Lord is every aspect of life from what you watch, how you spend your time, what you say, etc. but we will touch on all that in our journey to becoming a Prv31Lady. For now it is simply that when you grasp that truth and change your thinking to His thinking suddenly everything you say and do, you start to ask yourself if it is in obedience to the Lord. My answer is no too many times then I want to admit. How about you? But the first step is to be asking yourself. Next is to be obedient. Soon your saying yes more then you are saying no. That's a good feeling.


Stormie says that it was a continue struggle for her as her mother, the person she was forgiving, was continuing to abuse her. Every time that happened her feelings of anger and unforgiveness toward her mother would come flooding back. She would pray, "Lord, help me to forgive my mother." Then one day she was praying for the Lord to give her a forgiving heart and her prayer changed to "Lord, help me to have a heart like Yours towards my mother." She states that almost immediately she had a vision of her mother, she was beautiful, fun-loving, and a gifted women who bore no resemblance to the mother she knew. She was seeing her the way God had made her and not the way she had become. You see her mother was mentally ill causing her fits and abuse that Stormie had lived with. Stormie says that now she had compassion for her mother. Then she goes on to explain the tragedies that her mother had which led to her emotional and mental illness. She wasn't just compassionate but understanding as well. What a transformation.

Shouldn't we pray "Lord, let me have a heart like yours." I want that to be my prayer. When it is how can we still be angry, unforgiving and hateful? That is not the Lord's heart. But when we have a heart like His we can't help but have compassion, understanding, love and forgiveness.

So let that be our prayer today.


"Lord, let me have a heart like Yours." Amen