"He is made strong in our weakness."

I don't know if that's supposed to be a consolation when we going through things.

For me, it at least gives me a hope. That there's actually some sort of meaning other then just the continual changing from within. The extreme weaknesses that I think we all have and deal with in some way, shape, or form.

Some weaknesses that are...just to hard to bare !

During those weaknesses, He is made strong...

During those times, He's the one that usually ends up carrying us.

To know that my weaknesses benefit the Lord so that it's only Him that gets the glory is very satisfying !

Deborah

Open mouth, insert foot...

Don't you just hate those moments, I had one of them recently. I guess that's just part of being human.

The "buzz word" lately has been pettiness. The Lord's teaching me how to not focus on things that are petty.

Which ultimately takes my attention off the Lord.

Unfortunately, as it seems the only way to learn these things is by being put into these situations that show what the Lord wants us to see.

This is never a "fun place" to find ourselves.

There was a phrase on a show recently that stuck with me and I think applies here. It said " after everything has been laid out on the table (the good, the bad, and the ugly) to get past it we have to not let the glare of it blind us to the point of immobilizing us."

We have to choose to just say you know what, I'm moving beyond this.

A brother said in a meeting, "the Lord has bought us, our lives are not our own."

I trust the Lord in everything He does but you know what that doesn't necessarily make it any easier when we're going through it.

So, I find myself humbled AGAIN by the Lord but you know what, it's OK !

Deborah

Everybody has a choice or else nobody does.

The Bible is a source of misdirection or truth.

What I mean by this is, I think it's easy to hide behind the Bible.

I've read very little of the Bible. Yet the relationship I have with the Lord is SO alive and SO real. I don't feel the need to read about Him when I have Him living within me.

One time within the church, there was someone whose whole existence was what the Bible says. All this person wanted to do was debate Bible verses, pick and choose what verses fit into HIS OWN personal beliefs and try to push those beliefs onto others.

Don't get me wrong, I have NO problem with the Bible. What I have a problem with is when people use the Bible AS their walk with God, yet never really know Him.

Because there was a time when there was no Bible, what then ?

When Jesus was on the earth, the apostles didn't go to the Bible to study to know God. Of course not, that's why when He says I am the way, it's ONLY through Him within us. The apostles lived and hung out with Jesus, why would we think it any different with ourselves ?

If you took away your Bible (studies) what would you have ?

You don't need the Bible to have a personal relationship with the Lord.

The Bible is like a road map, it leads to Christ. Once we get to our destination we're not going to go and start at the beginning of the map again, are we...?

Deborah

A look outside my front door and to my mailbox.






Deborah

You know what I find to be the biggest freedom ?

That I don't have to feel obligated to do anything I don't want to !

I don't let people push me around.

I'm not afraid of being alone and I'm not desperate for friends (anymore.)

I don't sweat the small stuff, not even the big stuff.

I don't worry anymore either.

He has taken these things and filled me with Himself, peace and contentment.

The Lord has freed me of so, so much.

What's freedom to you, what has the Lord freed you of ?

Are you free ?

Deborah

I started another blog Just...Simply...Me... because I wanted people that read this blog to get a sense of my everyday life.

Plus, I wanted a blog that I could talk about just stuff that I wouldn't necessarily write here.

I'm also thinking about writing some books (maybe ebooks) that I've been thinking about now for quite a while. Not that anybody would probably read them, but I just love writing for me not to write would be like asking a painter to never paint again. So, that may be my after holidays project !

Deborah

It's the little things we do that effect peoples lives.

I think sometimes it's easy to think that we have to do something "big" to really touch someone.

I think the greater challenge is to find a way to touch someone in a way that is sincere and something that someone will remember.

So how do we effect someone that way ?

We let the Lord lead us...

We are each uniquely, personally, and wonderfully made !! I think it's impossible to try and apply what the Lord has taught to someone else, into our own lives. Sure we can learn things that may apply to our own walk with the Lord, but that's different then taking what someone is going through or learning and trying to make it our own.

I think that's one of the biggest mistakes we can do in our walk with the Lord.

It's a cop out really...

It easier to want to apply someone elses weaknesses (or strengths) into our lives then to look at our own.

Deborah

The truth isn't always what we think...

Where do we go from there ?

I think we (each) have to choose for ourselves what we will do.

Deborah

The more free our minds are the more open our thoughts will be.

The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing. Steven Covey

Hope is a knot in a rope that keeps us from falling down. Akiane

You are not alone...

I think so many times when we are struggling and it seems like we're just barely getting by, we must remember we're not alone.

When the wave of life comes crashing down on us and we're fighting for air, we're not alone.

The times when we're such failures and we can't stand to look at ourselves, we're not alone.

Or the times when this world seems to saturate our whole being, we're not alone.

When the road is to long, the rocks to sharp, the dust makes it hard to breath, the journey is just to hard, when we feel ourselves slipping into an almost welcome sleep...

Take a break, a rest and then get back up and continue on knowing that you are not alone !

Deborah