Boojoyful

October 21/22 For the past two days I have been rushed and in a writing rut. Strangely enough the word that keeps coming to me over and over again is calligraphy. Googling the definition, which triggered zilch, led me to penmanship. That led me to go to my concordance and type in "written word," which has taken me deeper than I ever intended to go. Josiah was 8 years old when he became King following his father's death. At age 18 he began a project to repair the temple of the Lord. Hilkiah, found the Book of the Law there and saw to it that this discovery was made known to Josiah. This is what the king asked: "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us." 2 Kings 22:13 2 Kings 23 tells how in...

October 20 Triumphant ...we can TRI with all our own UMPH , but is ANT going to be eternally successful (tested by fire) if it doesn't have the blessing of the Lord. Today's lesson from When God Speaks is one that leaves me exuberant, because I have seen it played out so truthfully in my life. The reality of closed doors in our lives is justified in two powerful statements. 1) God never gives a large assignment to someone who is unprepared. 2) What appeared to be a closed door was God's way of guiding me into a ministry which far surpassed what I could ever have dreamed of doing for God. Blackaby poses these questions: "What are some of the doors that have closed for you?" "How did you respond?" I listed five biggies from my life and answered number two with: "Disappointed at first, but now I see the blessing." Let's Pray :Father, You are the CEO of our lives and we need to trust you with the final decision making. Forgive us when we at...

October 18-19 PAIN...People Actively In Need Webster defines pain in several ways: physical discomfort; acute mental or emotional distress or suffering; one that irks or annoys or is otherwise troublesome. No matter the category, the remedy is the same... we can take it to the Father who is excellent at restraining our pain and bringing comfort... physical, emotional or just plain troublesome! In the next lesson of When God Speaks, Blackaby outlines a process to go through when our circumstances are confusing (painful) and we don't have a clear word from God on what to do. 1) Settle in your mind that God demonstrated His love for you on the cross and that never changes. 2)Do not try to understand what God is like based on your circumstances. Ask Him to help you see His perspective on your situation. 3) Wait on the Holy Spirit. Learn patience! God's timing is always best. 4) Adjust your life to God and what you see Him doing through your circumstances. 5) If...

October 17 Our bulldog nudged up to the side of our bed around 5:30, looking for love and some good scratches. I began a drowsy prayer time. Now finally awake I am trying to remember what the Lord had on my mind to write. Immediately the song Love the One You're With comes to mind. Since Jesus is always with us, that would make sense. Song lyrics beginning with "That" seem to be lurking in the back of my mind...could it be "That's the way, uh huh, I like it." Good to remember, God does long our fellowship and is always there loving us! In Blackaby's study today he mentions the importance of remembering "spiritual markers" in our lives. "Key moments in your walk with God become spiritual markers and give a sense of direction to your life." These are great teaching tools for us and great reminders of the love the One with us has for us. Blackaby states: "When I face a major decision, I review the spiritual markers of my life.......

October 16 Week 5 Day 1 When God Speaks Think! Circumstances are events that occur in your life which God uses to speak clearly about Himself, His purposes, and His ways. Jesus explained that He did not come to earth to do what makes sense to Him. Rather, Jesus watched to see where His Father was working and adjusted His life to become involved in that work. The Spirit of God will impress upon your heart when He wants you to join Him. Blackaby Hmm, both peace and pressure can be used to prod us towards God's purposes for us. And we know that all things work together for good to those how love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Rom. 8:28 Let's Pray: Circle around us Father, create those boundaries we spoke of yesterday and open our eyes to see that You are the God guiding the circumstances of our lives. Circumstances which reflect You, Your ways and Your purposes. The joy will come Lord, I am confident, when we realize life is not about us, life is abo...

October 15 Boundaries Driving into the city today I passed a stretch of road construction. Orange boundary cones lined the center of the two lanes. The traffic was in the "right" lane while the asphalt in the left lane was being chewed up for resurfacing. I had been asking the Lord to show up and tell me what to write today since I didn't have an opportunity to write this morning. "Boundaries" came screaming into my mind. Hmm, I was thankful those cones were there keeping me from slipping over the edge into that mess. The repetitiveness of the cones was comforting, realizing that when they disappeared the coast would be clear... in the meantime the orange reminders were for my good. God's Word is like a boundary cone...a subtle reminder of what to avoid and where the safety zone lies! God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. Psalm 145:3 (The Message) Let's Pray: Be our Boundary Keeper God! Rop...

Oct. 14 Week 4 Day 5 When God Speaks. Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7 "When God determines to do something, He tells His people. When God wants to do something in your family, at your workplace, with your neighbor, or in your child's school, He will alert you so that you can become involved in His work." Blackaby This is such a powerful lesson on page 62 of this book; wish I had time to type all of it for you. Blackaby states, "Your spiritual concentration is essential if you are to recognize all that God is doing around you. If you are not careful you can leave your place of prayer and never make the connection between your prayers and the events of your day." We cry out with financial need, yet bypass the offer when overtime hours are offered. We tell the Lord we want to share his love with others, but neglect the neighbor standing in her yard, the mom in carpool line or the fan sitting in ...