Before my feet hit the floor

Each day when I wake up I pray a very simple prayer even before my feet hit the floor.
"God, I want to see You. God, I want to hear You. God, I want to know You. God, I want to follow hard after You. And even before I know what I will face today, I say yes to You.”
Might you try praying these words tomorrow morning before you start your day? This simple act of surrender each morning will prepare your eyes to see Him, your ears to hear Him, your mind to perceive Him, and your heart to receive Him.
~Lysa TerKeurst

Eyes Toward Him

"I have the type of personality that naturally desires approval from others. But God says, “the fear of man brings a snare” (Proverbs 29:25). So instead of worrying about what people are thinking of me or trying to build up my value in their eyes, I must deliberately choose to uplift, encourage, and exhort those around me - to demonstrate the nature of Christ through my words, example, expression and attitude. I don’t always succeed at doing this - there are still times when I allow insecurity or selfishness to hinder me from showcasing the Gospel to others. But I have found that when I purposefully ask the question, “How can I show Jesus to this person right now?” God gives me the wisdom and grace I need to point others’ eyes toward Him."
- Leslie Ludy

Worship....not Worry

"Yesterday the number of things I had to get done out-numbered the hours in my day. As soon as I woke up, I felt weighted down with worry, I knew I had a decision to make. I could worry about the hows and whens of my day. Or I could focus on one thing at a time, ask God for help and rely on Him to provide peace and purpose in the middle of it all.
I decide to let my worries re-direct my focus with thoughts about Jesus {WHO He is} rather than on who I felt like I needed to be, or what I had to get done.
I laid in bed thinking about what I needed physically and emotionally, and then I thanked God for being those very things: able, loving, patient, wise, compassionate. Gently HIS peace came over me as I positioned my heart and my thoughts to worship instead of worry.” — Renee Swope

Making Him Known

     Recently I have been feeling rather low. Stepped on. Not cared for. Taken advantaged of. Ignored. Forgotten. I have been the emotional/spiritual anchor for my friends for so long, that they have forgotten that I have feelings, emotions, pain, and sadness too. Some of my problems may not be as big or life impacting as theirs, but they are still a big deal and difficult to me.
     Even though I may have every right to feel forgotten and not cared for, I need to push those self-centered thoughts out of my mind. What good do they do anyways? They do nothing but make me angry and depressed. 
     Today's blog post by Leslie Ludy was exactly what I needed to hear today. I recommend you check it out HERE. In this post she talks about how when we try to be seen and the center of attention, Jesus fades in the background. Instead of trying to get some sympathy and attention, we need to jump out of the way and point others to Him. 

"Instead of striving to be noticed and appreciated, we are to take an entirely different posture into every area of our life - one of humility and self-denial.  Whether we are recognized and applauded, or disregarded and overlooked, it should make no difference to us.  A woman who has truly taken up her cross to follow Christ only cares about knowing Him, and making Him known."

A Morning Prayer

O Lord and Maker of all things, from whose creative power the first light came forth, who did look upon the world’s first morning and see that it was good, I praise You for this light that now streams through my windows to rouse me to the life of another day.

I praise You for the life that stirs within me:
I praise You for the bright and beautiful world into which I go:
I praise You for earth and sea and sky, for scudding cloud and singing bird:
I praise You for the work You have given me to do:
I praise You for all that You have given me to fill my leisure hours:
I praise You for my friends:
I praise You for music and books and good company and all pure pleasures.

O You who Yourself are everlasting Mercy, give me a tender heart today towards all those whom the morning light brings less joy than it brings to me:
Those in whom the pulse of life grows weak:
Those who must lie abed through all the sunny hours:
The blind, who are shut off from the light of day:
The overworked, who have no joy of leisure:
The unemployed, who have no joy of labor:
The bereaved, whose hearts and homes are desolate:
And grant Your mercy on them all.

O Light that never fades, as the light of day now streams through these windows and floods this room, so let me open to You the windows of my heart, that all my life may be filled by the radiance of Your presence. Let no corner of my being be unillumined by the light of Your countenance. Let there be nothing within me to darken the brightness of the day. Let the Spirit of Him whose life is the light of men rule within my heart till eventide. Amen.

~John Baillie

Come to Me

    
     Have you ever been in a situation where you're just getting ready for the day, minding your own business, listening to some music. Suddenly a song comes on that you've heard a million times, but something is different about it this time. You don't hear the singer....you hear God. You hear Him telling you exactly what you need to hear, each and every word piercing your heart, bringing you to tears. He isn't telling you anything you haven't heard before, He just brings new meaning to the words. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it.....and I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty awesome that He sometimes chooses to use music to do that.

Jesus in my Life

"I am not a woman who should be labeled unable. I am a woman on a journey of learning how to make sure my reactions don't deny Christ's presence in me.
I am a woman who says yes to God not because my emotions and reactions are always perfect. No, I say yes to God because He is perfectly able to forgive me, love me, remind me, challenge me, and show me how to weather trials in ways that prove His Spirit resides in me.
I remind myself often that people don't care to meet my Jesus until they meet the reality of Jesus in my life." 
- Lysa TerKeurst, "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God"