Plans and Purposes

Did you know that God has a plan and purpose for your life? Something He has been preparing you for from the day of your birth. Your parents, Your school life, your upbringing were put in place by Him to give you the experiences you need to fulfill His calling on your life.
While reading God's Word, I came across the familiar story of Joseph. Remember, He was the boy who received the special coat of many colors from his father, and his brothers resented him for it. They hated him because he was a dreamer whose dreams told of his greatness over his brothers. Joseph's brothers hated him enough that they came up with an evil plan to kill him but seized the opportunity to sell him into slavery instead. His dreams as a young boy led him away from his mother and father into a foreign land. Joseph arrived in Egypt and God exalted his faithfulness to Him. Even at the low points in Joseph's life, God's divine plan was at work. Eventually, it was the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams of famine that exalted Joseph over the land of Egypt. Joseph's dreams he had as a boy came true, when his brothers came to Egypt searching for food. Joseph had the power to give it to them; therefore, they found themselves bowing before Joseph with their request.
If God can use the childhood that Joseph had to fulfill His plan, He can use yours no matter how horrific it may be. He has been giving you the tools you need to minister to others and fulfill your calling.
Who knew that a teenage girl who wrote words on paper as an outlet during a rough patch in her life, but who generally did not enjoy writing at all, would be led of God to write this blog every week. A girl, who would rather do anything than stand and speak in front of her peers, would grow up to want to do just that.
Can you look back and see how God has brought you to this moment in His perfect plan? What has He been preparing you for? If you do not know, seek Him today. Tell Him you want to live out His plans for your life. He will give you a purpose beyond your dreams. Only He knows how He can use it all for your good and His glory.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." NKJV
Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." NKJV
Joseph's story - Genesis 37, 39-45

A New Perspective

God gave me a word picture this week, I wanted to share with you. I had decided to do some weeding in a pretty big flower bed. After a while of bending and kneeling, my back and legs began to ache. I would look back at the seemingly little progress that I had made and felt overwhelmed at the large task set before me. I began saying to myself, "One weed at a time...just think of this little section. Don't concentrate on the flowerbed as a whole, but only one section, one weed at a time." My gaze then fell on the trash bag by my side. That is where I saw progress. The bag of newly pulled weeds was getting full enough to stand on its own. I was again hopeful that the time I had spent and the sore muscles endured had not been in vain.
Sometimes in our Christian walk, we become overwhelmed when we focus on the troubles or temptations we are currently facing. We begin to question, how can I ever get through this? Today, take a moment and reflect on the progress you have made on your spiritual journey by looking for the trash bag of stuff God has helped you remove. God wants us to pursue spiritual maturity. We do that by developing a relationship with Him through Bible study and prayer. He is our Father. He longs to see steps, no matter how small, of progress.
As I look back on my life, I can see areas in my life where I respond differently today when put in the same situation. I still have a ways to go, of course, but progress has been made. Praise God, there has been progress and there will be progress again. Even if the process is painful and overwhelming, God will use it, if we let him, to remove another trash bag of weeds from our lives. Make the effort and get in the flowerbed. Spend the time and pull the weeds. His Word will not return void. There will be a bag of trash taken away!

Isaiah 55:10-11 - "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." NKJV
Philippians 1:6 - "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." NKJV

A Trip to the Chocolate Factory

Last Saturday, I took my kids out to do a couple of errands. I promised them if they would behave themselves we would go someplace special afterwards. I had heard about a chocolate factory here in our area and thought it would be a wonderful treat for them to go in and pick any piece of chocolate they wanted from the freshly prepared treats in the glass case. This sounded like fun to me. After several hours of getting things here and there, we finally made our walk down the street lined with shops to the factory. As we entered the store, I could hear one of them say this is not someplace fun. I replied, "Sure it is, you can pick any piece of chocolate you want. You can have peanut-butter filled chocolate, cherries or peanuts covered in chocolate, or maybe just plain white or dark chocolate." My kids looked around a minute but were not drawn to the glass case of delicious treats but to the freezer style container in the corner with frozen treats like they carry on the local ice cream truck. We left the store with a bag of peanut M & M's for the three year old, a packet of gum for the six year old, and an ice cream cone with chocolate and nuts on it for the oldest. WHAT? Yes, items they could have picked out at the local grocery store. So much for doing something special! They were not willing to step out of their comfort zone and get something different. They wanted something they knew to be good, not willing to try something that might not be good at all. After eating my two chocolate pieces, I assure you they missed a good thing. How we are like that, we love routine. We find security in sameness. Sometimes God challenges our thinking and asks us to move to a deeper place with Him. A place that we would enjoy so much more if we would just give it a try. I challenge you this week, step up to the plate, fear in hand, and do something different in your walk with the Lord. Try getting out a worship CD and sing along. Pray in a different position or at a quiet garden spot. Purchase a new Bible Study by an author you don't know. Serve at a mission or at your local Church. Jesus led His disciples on an adventure. They never quite grew comfortable with what God, in human form, could or would do. Don't grow comfortable or stagnate in your walk with Him either. Something new and different, go ahead pick something from the glass case, I promise, you will enjoy it more than you thought you would.

Psalm 73:28 -"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works."
Jeremiah 33:3 -"Call unto me, and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

Twas a day like any other....

As I was reflecting on this old Christmas poem today, God gave me this version instead. I hope it touches your heart as it has mine.

Twas a day like any other, when all through the house,
Not a child was sleeping, not even her spouse.
The clothes were all folded, sitting in the way,
In hopes that someone else would put them away.
The dishes were clean and put up with care,
She was standing there wishing to be elsewhere.
There was a never ending list of chores to dread,
While dreams of purpose danced in her head.
She would give anything to do something that mattered,
and with that her thoughts would start to scatter,
When what to her wondering eyes should appear,
But verses from the Word that made her doubt disappear,
Strength, confidence, love, and joy were all written there,
Forgiveness, peace, dreams, and passion she would wear.
Purpose! Yes, Purpose, it all became clear,
God wants to use her in those she holds dear.
She made a decision at that point in time,
God's word is what she needed her heart to bind.
If Jesus she petitioned to help her through,
Her heart, He could do nothing but woo.
Listen closely, she can hear Him say,
Hold tight to me, and I will lead the way.
Renewed passion and life is what I give,
Something you will rejoice in and be proud to live.

I am so grateful that God uses me, a sinner in the trenches with you, to pour His words out on you. May He get all the glory.
Katrina

"Chalkboard Hearts"

I love having devotions with my oldest daughter. We will read a devotional story with scripture and pray usually before we go to bed. This time with her gives me insight into what she is thinking. It was during this precious time about two years ago, when she was just six, that she prayed that Jesus would use her heart like a chalkboard and erase all the bad things she had done and make it new again. What a word picture of confession and forgiveness! When we realize that our chalkboard of life is filled, all we need to do is ask his forgiveness and He will wipe the slate clean. Praise the Lord! Have you ever noticed how many things in our daily life give us this spiritual truth. We take a shower to renew and refresh. We wash clothes, dishes and cars to make them clean...to make them useful once again for their designed purpose. We are the same way, we must have clean hearts before God, so we can be useful to his purposes. As we begin a brand new year, let us make sure our chalkboard hearts are clean. Let go of the mistakes of last year and start out fresh and new. Pray with me. "Lord Jesus, I want to be used of you this year. Please help me to continually be seeking a clean heart by asking your forgiveness. Renew my heart for your purpose. Thank you, that your mercies are new every morning, that your forgiveness is sure, and that we can start over every day, hour, minute, if necessary. You have promised to be faithful to forgive, and cleanse! Amen."

I John 1:9- "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Psalm 51:7,10- "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."