Springing forward
Posted by LaJoyce on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 6:26am
Love these warmer temperatures in the foothills! Hopefully the 'Farmer's Alumnac' is incorrect about another big snow this month. Records have been broken here for snow. Leaving the cold northeast was not my desire to bring the cold here!! Another Day light savings time is upon us. Springing ahead one hour leaves us with light longer in the evenings. More time to get out and enjoy the fresh air and work in the ground. Speaking of springing forward, are you springing forward in your walk with God? Or are you hanging onto the past hoping it will change? Looking back is exactly what it says; going backward will limit your changes to make changes that God has already intended for you to fulfill. Hanging unto the past leaves you frustrated in your walk, thinking you can change, and implement those changes for your past. In actuality learning from past mistakes makes for a better future. Sometimes we leave quite a mess in our past but God is in the restoration business and looking to Him for the answers can help you wipe out those past experiences and also help the people in your past to see a new you which can soften the heart of the betrayer. Letting go can hurt because it is a change and we don't like changes, but it can be a time of maturity. So spring forward, casting those hurts, frustrations on the Lord and let Him shoulder the responsibility of helping you. I Peter 5:7 Thank you faithful readers of this blog. I pray for each one of you, even though I don't know all of you but I know God knows! Blessings, LaJoyce
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Does God really hear?
Posted by LaJoyce on Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 5:11am
Spring is on the way...sometime soon! We have had more rain and snow in the southeast than I can remember in the fourteen years we have lived here. We have used two cords of wood and 200 gallons of propane already and we are still in February! Chopping wood keeps us older folk in shape I suppose! The past two years of drought have dried up many trees that my hubby has cut up and now are keeping us warm. We are thank ful for the provision. Isn't it funny how we pray for the drought to end and then complain about all the rain when our prayer is answered. That takes me to my topic today: pray once and then be thankful that God has heard. Many times we think we have to bombard heaven with many prayers about the same thing when the Word of God is so clear about that in Philippians 4:6.7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication WITH thanksgiving let your request be made known to God." Then it goes on in I Thessalonians 5: 17,18.."pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Praying without ceasing is a continuous prayer about many things, not repeatably about a single thing. God wants us to be in constant communication with Him, so your mind is on Him all the time. This can be hard to do when we have so many adjustments in our lives, but He promises to help at all times. I believe praying over and over again about the same situation leads to unbelief that God has heard us. I feel it is a slap in His face and a feather in our hats, so to speak. So when our prayers are not answered we wonder why. Are we praying believing or are we praying about the same thing thinking He has not heard us. He is not hard of hearing. He hears every breath we take. So it can't be that. I always talk from my own experiences and I feel I was brought up to think He doesn't hear our prayers unless we pray repeatedly about the same thing again and again. After much study I have come to the conclusion; pray once and thank Him for the answer, no matter how he deems fit to answer. Praying about the same thing repeatedly gets tiresome and is frustrated because we feel He has not heard when in fact He has heard. There is not enough time in our lives to pray over and over about the same thing when there are so many other circumstances and prayer requests that God wants us to tend to. If He does not answer in the time you required Him to answer, just keep thanking Him for the answer. He is sovereign and will not be mocked. Trust, trust trust. Blessing to you readers, LaJoyce
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Life can be cured!
Posted by LaJoyce on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 8:49am
When it is 20 degrees in the sunny south , it is cold! We are entering our second week of frigid temperatures and want the warmth to come back! Our bodies seem to move slower and our minds are made up to staying in pj's a while longer during the day. However the Word of God(Jesus), lives in us, "to live and move and have our being and have life and have it abundantly." Each morning I give thanks for renewed breath to fulfill His will for me and to give Him the glory. When we face unpleasant situations in our lives and get a few days to kick back and pray, those situations suddenly can become a learning experience, even though we would rather not go through them again. I sometimes ask God, 'why' and His answer is always the same. "I will not let you endure more than you can handle."(paraphrased) He is always there to help us when life kicks us in the teeth. He is sovereign. Life is unfair at times and happens to us to strengthen us when we do not fall beneath the situation. Looking to Him at all times is the only answer. We cannot live beneath but must live above our situations. He is above and as we reach to His level our lives become richer from the experience. Oh, it would be so much easier to have everthing thought out for us and handled. The news is, it is! We just have to learn how to interact with His grip. The Bible says to "not be weary in well doing," however our strength is sapped and we have to kick back and rest in prayer to replenish. As we get older life gets more complicated because people make it more complicated, but He is still there helping to unravel those tangles. As our pastor has said, "life happens and is not uncommon to man." because someone else has gone through it before us and they have survived. It is just not knowing IF someone has gone through it and trying to handle it ourselves. We are so taught as younger folk to 'make your bed and lay in it,' and 'don't come running home' when things go bad. I see more of a change in that area and am happier for it. A child should be able to come home and be guided in a Godly manner when trouble arises. We are blessed to have Godly people in our lives to run to and help us to overcome. Seek out a friend in time of need and share. You will feel better for it! Be blessed, LaJoyce
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Christmas love!
Posted by LaJoyce on Monday, December 21, 2009 at 3:46pm
Christmas time is once again showing all it's beauty throughout the world. Shimmering lights, presents, smells of delicious food cooking and much more. I believe the real reason to celebrate this glorious holiday is the birth of Jesus the Christ. Oh yes, many folk say that it could not possibly have been December 25th because of the shepherds being out in the field. Shepherds tended their flocks in the warmth of the nights, but who cares! It is a day for everyone to remember why we celebrate this holiday. The world came up with Santa Claus, but when you research the reason for Santa, he is the gift of giving which our Lord and Saviour is the resemblance of giving. He gave His life for us, so we may never taste death but go from here to there without the sting of death. Did you ever notice all things the secular world does are run offs of the spiritual. It all started 2000 years ago and today we still celebrate. So with this I want to bless all of you that read my blog with a wondrous Christmas filled time of the year. May God richly bless you abundantly. Blessings, LaJoyce
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Learning to listen!
Posted by LaJoyce on Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 2:55am
The list of unkind things seems to go on and on! Thanksgiving eve coming home from church I hit a deer....fortunately there was no damage, but blood on my bumper. I really dislike hurting an animal since I am an advocate of animals, having three dogs and two cats living with us. During the night we had a prowler that vandalized our driveway lights and opened the gate to the back yard to come into our home...however, thank God for our ever alert dogs, he got chased away. Two days later we are still finding situations on our property that have been vandalized. Before we were to have our ten guests in for dinner, I broke a punch bowl that I had gotten for an anniversary gift thirty -three years ago. Enough is enough! I could have let unpleasant situations turn into a heart rendering disaster, but greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world. No weapon formed against me can prosper. I take authority by the power (Holy Spirit) invested in me to tell situations of unpleasant nature to cease and desist in Jesus name. These times of unpleasantness can go back to where they came. I look to the author and finisher of my faith to cover me while I live and move and have my being. In these uncertain times in our lives, we as Christians have to take a stand and do whatever we can to take charge in the spiritual as well as the natural. Protect yourselves with the word of God and also with a weapon of destruction. Times in the natural are not getting any better. God gives us wisdom and knowledge in knowing how to protect ourselves. I know some of you that read my blog are not conformed to protection in the natural as you think your heavenly father does it all. He does...by giving us wisdom! In Biblical times the fist was used for protection, but today the fist is no longer viable. I remember a professor (Cooper Beatty) at my Bible college telling my hubby and myself that," the only way to not be a victim of crime today is to walk closely with God." Yes, He is our protector even when our backs are turned, but how often do we listen to that still small voice in our ever busy lives. In our ignorance He protects but in our arrogance He lets us learn the hard way. Lots of times we get into situations that are not a ploy of the enemy but of our own reasoning. We try to justify our views when we step outside our limits. That is a a pride call in our lives that leads to destruction. The leading of the Holy Spirit is always our guide to everyday life and He is so happy to be the "one called alongside" to help us. Until next time, have a beautiful time Christmas shopping for those loved ones. Blessings, LaJoyce
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