John 12, Praise and Pray, Chat

Devotional Reading For 10/27/2020

Devotional Reading For Yesterday From Whispers Of Encouragement for Moms

 Watch my YouTube Live stream from today

Things I've Learned About Marriage Over The Last 22 Years

Yes, I've been married 22 years, not all of the years have been happy, but not all have been hard and bad either.  I just want to pass along some things that I've learned over the 22 years that I have been married, because I thought that others would benefilt from it.  Ive not really ever shared these before, but here goes.

Well, one thing that I learned, is you can't build your marriage on a feeling.  Love isn't just a feeling, but it's an action word, and both partners need to show love toward one another.  It's not always easy, especially when the feeling isn't there, but in a marriage, the feeling isn't always going to be there.  Don't ever go on feelings, because feelings change.  If you build your marriage on this "feeling" of love then it definitely wont last.  To love, you need to be unselfish, and think about the other persons wants and needs over your own.

Another thing I learned is that communication plays a vital role in any relationship, but most importantly in a marriage.  When communication breaks down, for what ever reason, then there are problems.  I can attest to that. Communicate in a loving manner what is bothering you, and also communicate what is good.  No one wants to hear negative things all the time.  They need to be built up also.  

Constant criticism will break the other persons spirit.  It will bring them down.  It will kill them emotionally.  When all someone hears from the other person is negative, then they begin to believe it.  When a person starts to believe the negative, they stop functioning as they normally would, and start acting the way they have begun to believe. Encourage your spouse, and speak positively, and lovingly.  Support them, and they will blossom.

Having a budget that both of you agree to, and sticking to the budget is important.  Financial problems are hard to deal with.  No one wants to be financially unstable.  Borrow as little as possible, and save what you can.

Spending time with each other doing something you both enjoy doing is a must.  Each of you need to carve out some time to spend together, and don't let anything, or anyone mess with that time.  It's for you two to discover each other, and learn more about each other.  Both parties must be committed to this.  

The one I consider most important, putting God at the center of your marriage.  Pray together, and read the Bible together.  Pray for each other.  Encourage each other.

One thing that I realize that I didn't when I was just starting out is, that marriage isn't easy.  It takes work from both partners.  It's not something a person can be lazy at, and expect it all to work out good.  One can't expect the other person to do all the changing, and all of the work.

Forgiveness is one of the main ingredients in any relationship, but more so in a marriage.  Yes, the other person is going to do things that hurt you, but if you can't forgive, then what you have is anger, and bitterness instead of love.  You not only hurt the other person by carrying those feelings around, but you hurt yourself.  Learn to forgive, and move forward in your marriage.  The more you forgive the closer you are, and the better, and happier you are.

These are just some of the things I've learned from my own journey, and I would like to share them with all of you.  May God bless you all.  My love to everyone

One Bible scripture I would like to share with you all would be. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Change

This is a year of change in our family.  I am so excited about all of the things that are happening.  My son Michael turned 18 in April, and in a few short days he will be graduating from High School.  This in and of it self is such an accomplishment.  School was not his best subject.  If you get my drift here.  I always had troubles getting him to do his school work.  If it was homework, he would do it at home, no problem, be he wouldn't bring school work home and finish it if he didn't finish it at school.  I'm still trying to teach him to be a self starter at tasks, and things that need to be done, other than playing video games on the computer.

I'm looking forward to Michael finding a job, and getting started on his adult life.  I want him to have a good start, and to be respected by others.  He just took his last and only final today, and he has the rest of his life ahead of him to be the man of God that I know that God is making him to be.  I'm looking forward to seeing where he is in 5 years, maybe even 10.

My oldest son is moved out, and is starting out on a life independent of mom and dad.  He will be moving into his first apartment with his fiance in a few short weeks.  I about a year from now he will be walking down the isle to get married.  It's hard to believe that the son I used to hold in my arms, and rock to sleep every night will be getting married.

I am so proud of him, and what he has accomplished.  He has a wonderful job working at Alaska USA Credit Union.  He is learning the ins and outs of banking, and how to do what a teller at this credit union does.  He still has a lot to learn but has come a long way.  I am so looking forward to seeing what he and his soon to be wife's life will look like in 5 years, maybe even 10.

God has been so good to me and my family.  I am so proud of my boys, and what the Lord has done in their lives, and I am so looking forward to seeing what he will do in the future.  I pray that he will continue to work in each of their lives, and that they will both be open to His leading.  I pray that God will bless both of my sons, and that he would make them men of God, and men after God's own heart, like David was.

Thank you Lord!!!

World Peace?!

When we pray for World Peace, do we know what we are praying for really?  There may be those who disagree with me, but the way I understand the Bible, we will not see World Peace, as long as Satan is able to peruse the earth seeking whom he may devour. He is pure evil, and the author of all that can bring about discord, and strife, and where you have these there is no peace. 

There will be a Fake, and orchestrated peace for 7 years during the reign of the Anti-Christ, but True Peace comes from God, and that can be seen in every Christian who hasn't let Satan rob them of it.  True Peace is the calm tranquil feeling inside when all around you is a raging storm.  The way I see it, We will never see True World Peace on this Earth until Satan is thrown into the Lake of Fire in the end.

The Hardest Part of Motherhood: Letting Go, And Letting Them Fly

Being a mother has been one of the brightest spots of my life.  There have been many hard parts to mothering two boys, one with ADHD, and the other on the autism spectrum, but over the years, those hard spots have brought about joy, because both they and I have learned so much.  

My boys are now 19 and 17.  My 17 year old will be 18 in just a few short months.  My 19 year old will be 20 on August.  Where has all of the time gone.  It seems like just yesterday I was holding them in my arms.  I think that the hardest thing for me as a mother has been letting go... My oldest is grown now, and I hardly ever see him.  My youngest is still quite dependent on me, and I wonder if he will ever be ready to fly on his own.  When the time comes, I know it will be even harder to let go of him.

I miss having my oldest son around, but I knew this time would come.  Why does it have to be so hard?  God knows my heart, and he will hold me tight, and help me through this transition.  It's time to let him fly... I know that God will help me let both of my son's fly when it's the right time.  They grow up so fast.  Did I do this mothering thing right...?  I hope so.

I Learned: God Showed Me

First, I learned that I don't need lots of "friends" to feel accepted in life.  My acceptance comes from God.  My identity is in God, and He is all I need to feel like I'm accepted, and that I matter, and that I'm loved.  From there, I'm able to Love others the way God intended me to love them.  If I let God's love get poured into me, and I let it flow through me to those around me then I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.  Second, I learned where my loyalties should lie.  First they start with the Lord, and my relationship with Him, then it goes out to my family and my real friends, who have become like family to me.  If I am doing it any other way, then I'm not living in accordance with the word.

I never realized how much God loved me until recently, and let me tell you, the feeling of actually accepting the fact that I am so dearly loved by my heavenly Father is so Freeing.  God has been so good to me, and has done so much for me, and I didn't even realize how much He loved me, and how much more He wanted for me.  Now that I do, I will start doing things a little differently.  That, and the fact that there was someone I need to make a clean break from that was not a good influence on me, is why I've deleted my facebook page with an excess of 400 people on it.  

I'm going to start by putting God first in my life, and I'm going to let Him pour His love into me, so that I can start loving those around me in the proper way.  I Praise God for teaching me this, and for showing me who my true friends are, and for showing me that I need to learn to love my family and friends with His unconditional Love, and not just my human love.  

Thank you Lord, and I Praise Your Name Above any other name.  Amen!!!

Did You Know?!

Did you know that God Loves You?!  Yes, that's what I said.  God Loves You!!!  It doesn't matter what you've done, or who you've been, or what's happened to you in your life or where you've been, God Loves You.  He loved you so much that he sent his One and Only Son Jesus Christ to pay the price for all of those things in your life that you look at and say, "Look at what I've done, God wouldn't want me".  

The truth of the matter is that he Loves you and he wants you to put your hands up to Him and say, "I am Yours.  Take me and make me into the person you want me to be".  He's waiting for you to quit trying to work your way into heaven. There is no way that any of us, from the best, to the worst, can work our way to heaven.  We just can't do it.  God knew that we couldn't do it, but He had a plan, and that plan played itself out in the life of His son Jesus Christ.

The truth is, we in our own strength could never make ourselves good enough, but right now he is holding out his hand, and waiting for you to accept His free gift of eternal life.  What was that free gift?  The gift of the Cross.  Jesus went to the Cross and became the atonement for our sin, and wrong doings.  He paid the penalty.  What do we have to do to recieve this free gift?  Open our hearts up, and accept what he did for us, and let Him come into our lives and let Him change you from the inside out.  He will fill you so full of love that it will spill over and affect those around you.

It doesn't matter who you are, what you've done, or where you've been in life, God wants you to accept this free gift that He is offering.  He's waiting for you to say Yes to Him... He Loves You, and wants you to have this gift.  You don't have to make yourself perfect, or good enough first.  It can't be done.  Accept the Grace of God, and He will give it freely, because He Loves You! 

John 3:16-18

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.