praying: for wisdom and clarity on some decisions. for boldness, courage, and confidence in Christ in me, and more opportunities to exercise those with. for increased faith and wisdom.
thankful for: some sweet downtime/ family time last weekend... after a busy week, where Jeremy was working late and not home for dinner 2 nights, it was nice to relax and spend a lot of time together.
cooking: pasta with peas and prosciutto, chicken tortilla casserole, pizza, sausage potato casserole, guacamole chicken salad, potato salad
reading: Matthew, Psalms, Daniel, Your Power in the Holy Spirit by John G Lake
creating: after a several month long crafting hiatus I am finally feeling the urge to create again... making Mother's Day gifts for our mom's and some wedding presents for a sweet couple
doing: gym and coffee date with my love. lunch with a friend. play date. brunch on the Northshore with some powerful men and women of God. dinner with J's folks. coffee date with a friend.
pondering: 1) spiritual warfare... especially the multitude of verses in the Psalms like the two below;
Psalm 61:3 for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
Psalm 62:7 My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
If God is my rock or refuge where no enemy can reach me, then why do I feel so attacked at times? Am I not hiding myself fully in Him? Is hiding in Him purely rest? Or is there an active engaging in the battle? Most of the armor in Ephesians is defensive... but we are given the offensive sword of the Spirit, and told to pray in the Spirit persistently... is this our offense? Am I constantly covered in the armor listed in the Ephesians passage, or do I leave holes open for the enemy to reach me, if so, what are they?
2) As I've been reading through Matthew I see an overall theme of faith...
Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
Matthew 21:21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.
Matthew 21:22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
In many cases miracles were performed or promised because the subject believed, or according to their faith. Also, I see many situations where people were criticized for looking and responding in the natural realm, according to their circumstances, power, or strength...
Matthew 8 Jesus calms the storm
Matthew 14 & 15 the multiplication of food to feed thousands.
Matthew 14 Peter walking on water until he got distracted by the waves
Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
I want to constantly walk in supernatural faith that believes the impossible, that doesn't look at my circumstances or things in the natural, but that knows that God is all powerful and sees the supernatural possibilities of all situations. I don't want to look at the storms, 5 loaves, or crashing waves and allow them to take my focus off of Jesus, allowing them to limit my expectations and experiences of Him. I want to constantly believe things that sounds crazy, expect things that sound crazy, and constantly experience God through the miraculous. If I'm only operating in what makes sense then I am selling the world short of the fullness of experiencing the Kingdom.
meditating on: Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
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