Before going to bed last night I reflected on my day. Did I do as God desired of me? Did I miss anything He desired me to do? Did I fulfill the desires of His Heart? Did I love with His LUV to everyone I came in contact with? These are questions that go through my mind frequently. They are questions that I ponder upon. I pray I live each day as He desires but I realize I am human so there are times I fall short of what He desires for me. I also realize the enemy is at work and will try to tear me to pieces. I am so grateful for God's love, mercy, and grace that is always there for me. I am grateful for the way He directs me and gives me the desire of my heart to not only hear His Voice but walk in obedience to Him. I am grateful I do not have to have all the answers to life but instead can bask in the knowledge He has everything under control even when it may seem like life is falling apart. I am grateful for His strength this morning to get out of bed and function. I do not want to just function today but I desire for Him to shine brightly through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts throughout the day ahead. I am so stinking tired. I feel like if I were to stay in bed today I would sleep all day. I am thankful for a good night's rest and for the privilege to pray for pastors before going to bed. My prayers were settled in on bi-vocational pastors who work a secular job. I prayed for them to make time to bask in God's presence as they seek what He desires of them to preach. I prayed they would experience His presence in a way that would empower them to get into the pulpit this morning and say what He desires of them. The rain fell throughout the night and continues this morning. It reminds me that the Holy Spirit desires to fall down upon us. He desires us to allow Him to permeate every aspect of our life. He desires to soak us with all of Him. The other day when It rained so hard and I was trying to get Miss Molly to go potty she was so scared of everything happening. She seemed to even be afraid of the umbrella I was using. I laid it down and tried walking with her out into the rain but it did not do any good. She still was afraid of everything happening. That is exactly how we react to the Holy Spirit. We can be afraid of Him. We can be afraid to allow Him into our life or know how to respond when He is in our life. We can be 'skittish' of the things He puts before us. But it is so important to remember no matter what, He is there to love on us and direct down the path God desires for us. We do not have to fear but instead need to adhere to the words found in Psalm 23. It reads in The Message:
God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.
You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.
Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.
God is all we need. He is the One we need to please. He is the One we need to seek every hour of every day. No matter what happens in this life on earth we must keep our focus on Him so He will have the opportunity to guide us to where He desires us to be. Woo hoo, God! He is so, so good. As I begin this new day, I cannot change yesterday. I cannot go back and redo the day. Instead I must look forward and be ready to please God however I can. I must stay focused on Him so I can please Him. I must allow Him to guide me to where He knows I need to be and do what He knows I need to do. The questions of yesterday are no longer. They do not mean a thing. All that matters is the day ahead and how I will fulfill the desires of His heart with all I do and say.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the opportunities to LUV with Your love You gave me yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me with more of You. May I be Your words, actions, attitude, and thoughts throughout his day in a new, different way. I pray for all pastors who will preach today to sense the presence and strength of the Holy Spirit. I pray for all of us to not just hear Your voice but to walk in obedience to the desires of Your heart. I prayed last night and again this morning for bi-vocational pastors to not be discouraged as they are torn in so many directions. I prayed for those filling the pulpit today for another pastor to share what is on their heart in a way that will glorify the church they are in. I thought of Raynard as he is filling the pulpit at Medina and prayed for him to be blessed in abundance. I prayed for some special pastors in my life like Pastor James who bless me in abundance. I prayed for myself to have an open spirit to what God desires of me. I asked Him to reveal things to me as I preach that may not be in the sermon He helped me prepare. I prayed for my brother-in-law Junior who is caring for my sister and continuing with life in the ministry in the process. I remember many times of being in a similar situation and how hard it is when we try to do things on our own. I prayed for all of us to remember we are not alone on this earth. We are not alone in ministry even though there are many times that is exactly how it feels. All we have to do is allow You to bless us with His love. Thank You for the word picture given in Psalm 23 that you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction no matter what is happening in life. Woo hoo, God! I pray You will be with Diana with the loss of her dear mother and continue to give Kaye what she needs as she recuperates from surgery. Thank You for the laughs last night with Rickey and the way You continue to provide exactly what I need, when I need it. Thank You for being My Shepherd! Amen.
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