Changed Lives - Read This!

The 30 Days -Mind of Christ Experiment has reached the end. However, truly this is only the beginning. Christ continually works in our lives to show us how to live.

TO LIVE!

So many of you shared your struggles and triumphs along the way.Change can be painful but when Christ is the silversmith, we know we will be gleaming when the dross is melted away.

Today is a day to celebrate and worship Jesus for what He has done in the lives of those on the journey. If I didn't include your triumph, please, please write it in the comments and I will post them tomorrow for all those who read SUM through a subscription service.

If you struggled and you find it difficult to read these, I truly understand and realize God may be working slowly in your life. Feel free to add what you DID get from this journey.

I love you all. I was deeply inspired by your heart for Jesus. Okay, so here we go:

Lynn, This has been an amazing journey!! I cannot believe it has been 30 days! With this experiment, I have grown so much and have seen God move in miraculous ways in His Sovereignty. I am looking forward to what else God will reveal to me and has in store for me beyond this 3O Day Mind of Christ Experiment. Thank you for your encouragement along this journey and I look forward to sharing the other victories God will do in my life in the future!! Praise God!!

Posted by: Chrystlyn

If this is what God can do in us when we give him complete control for 30 days, imagine what our entire lives can be when we give him every day!   Lord Jesus, you are our BLISS! We get it now. We want to walk in that bliss everyday. Please make this 30-day sampling a craving in our hearts and minds that directs every day of our lives. Jesus, we belong to YOU! In your holy name, amen! 

Posted by: Dineen Miller

Jesus died for me, Bonnie. It's not shivers down my back, it's my whole body quivers. How much is wrapped up in that little statement. There is much humility in that statement - it's not about me but it's about what Jesus was willing to do and give up because we matter so much to Him. My brain wants to wrap around it but still can't quite do it. Thank God He's brought my heart to a place that can. I would be lost without Him. Thank you for inviting me in to walk with you all this last month. I'm like you - I can't believe it's almost over, either. Amazing. Incredible. Transforming.Posted by: Bonnie

This 30th day journey Yes like you Dineen i also i want to shed tears and indeed shout HALLELUJAH for all He brought to the surface and let me persevere.....
PAIN YES alot......let go of things...giving up control WANT TO acknowledge and be depended on HIM and Him alone in EVERY DETAIL of my life.....
The more i see i cling to something is the thing i must let go and i can only let go by bringing it at His feet and He will carry me and learn me to let it stay there......
WOW i really am a work in progress..but i can shout hallelujah...He saves and raise me up ..every dead place in my life...bit by bit...  Thxs Dineen and each of you who who was on this journey and each of your prayers..... Blessings  Posted by: Bernice

Angela, I agree with all the ladies. I think we are all learning the "truths of the word". In this life WE WILL SUFFER.... we will be tested and tried....... but it all ends up being which city have we placed our eyes upon. Are we looking to the city with only one throne (GOD) or our own city (HEART) that is in bondage to all of our self centered desires.... So very good! I enjoyed this post. The refiner's fire is so very painful at times.... but when we come out on the other side - pure..... Oh... I can't wait. I think the truth is that for the rest of our lives we will have to crawl out of bed and drop to our knees praying " I release control of my life to you oh Lord and place you on the throne of my life............. You ladies have helped many of us get on the narrow path and BEGIN THE JOURNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Holly

Dear Angela, The Lord has anointed your writing indeed! I loved all that you have shared, you have such wisdom. I am thankful the good Lord hasn't just thrown up His hands at me but continues to refine, sometimes in gentleness and sometimes in fire. Thank you for sharing-you are a blessing.
Hugs, Noreen

I am so Thankful that I came across this site and this experiment, I also feel that the 30 days has gone so fast. I found myself often checking to see if the next post and been made and what the ladies had to say. Tonight at church I felt confirmation of everything I have journeying through both on here and between my husband and I. The Pastor Preached from the text Malachi 3:3. "Has man or Women Robbed God." At first I felt I knew where he was going but soon he began to reveal his message. When Christ died He Paid the Price in Full, if we give him anything less of "FALLING TO OUR KNEES EVERY MORNING AND GIVING OUR ALL TO HIM" then we have sinned! Our Praise Worship included a rendition of the Revelation Song. Everything I have journeying through summed up in an hour in a half of preaching AMAZING! Confirming that i smack dab in the middle of God's will for my life!  Thanks so much to all the contributors of these 30 days, I will never be the same!

Posted by: Leanne Collins

Lynn you know this has been an absolutely spectacular thing for me. I have been in this place the last few days of facing where I really am right now, and just... wow... I love that God loves honesty from His people, because if not... i just don't know. As He and I have been spending time together, He's impressed me that this journey for me isn't done yet. Even after the 30th day, I will continue on pursuing His heart in an ever deeper way, until He says I am ready to move forward. I have been praying daily that He reign and not I. This is really good stuff! I do believe there is so much power in what we've been doing here. Can't wait to hear what others have received from it all.Love you girl!
Ro

This is so awesome, God is my bliss.

Posted by: Denise

 

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings(B) like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

this is on my bible cover. I never understood it like you wrote it Dineen ( or like Beth Moore wrote it ). thank you. this is a WOW moment. I have been discouraged and lonely when I pray and hope for our loved ones and they dont seem to want to change and I think...........this is getting so exhausting. The Lord promised me though:
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings(B) like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

So why am I so spiritually tired? and now....drum roll.....I understand. I kept looking the the events instead of the Lord. I will journal this and comment on FF in 1peter3. hugs and love, BB Tamara

Okay, again this post is already too long and there are many, may moor. When I read about your lived changed forever by Jesus I just get teary eyed and reach for the Kleenex. I can hardly stop adding more to the list.

What has Christ done for you? Leave your testimony and glorify Jesus. Hugs, Lynn

We Have The Power. Victory Is Ours!Mind of Christ Experiment... The Conclusion

Isaiah 43:19a For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I made a bold promise 30 days ago. I told you that if you were willing to place Jesus Christ on the throne of your life, you would discover the circumstances in your life lose their power over you.

Many of you joined in the journey, from all over the world. You were sick n’ tired of being sick n’ tired. You were seeking relief from unbearable burdens. You were in need of joy –bliss in your life.

Well the promise I made was not my promise. It was Jesus who offered you that promise. It is not just a promise but a guarantee. Strong statement I know, but it is trustworthy and true.

I want you to think about a few things. We learned we are utterly loved, we are chosen. Can you wrap your mind around this? WE ARE CHOSEN. We are daughters of the King. We are princes in the Kingdom. We are select among millions, living and dead. Whoa! Blows my mind.

The transformation into Christ likeness begins with grasping this truth. We are elevated and have power over this world because of Christ crucified. Oh how Satan is desperate to keep this knowledge from us. He knows what real power we have. He deceives us at every turn, making us believe we are weak.

Let me assure you, we are strong. We have everything we need to live victoriously. We have Jesus and we have the word of God. Period. The end.

Many of you experienced these moments; Christ on the throne, and you felt it. Bliss. Loving Jesus fills us with bliss. I spoke about this last Friday. I want to share with you an excerpt from a message my Pastor, Greg Sidders, shared one Sunday morning not long ago:

Hi Lynn, here's the excerpt from the sermon where I described Charles Finney's experience:

When we ask God to help us comprehend His love at a heart level, we are talking to a Father whose desire is to give us far more than we are asking for.

It happened to Charles Finney in 1821. This was before he became a famous evangelist.

On a Sunday evening in early October, he decided to seek God with focused intensity. Even though he was a committed church member, he didn’t think he was a Christian. And so he decided to pray until his salvation was no longer in doubt.

He prayed all that night, and the next day, and the next. Finally on Wednesday morning it dawned on him that salvation is a free gift, and he accepted it with all his heart. Then he wandered into the woods to continue praying, but there he couldn’t pray out loud because he was afraid someone would hear him and think he was a fanatic.

And then the Spirit of God reminded him of Jeremiah 29, where the Lord says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

That’s when he started to pray out loud. He returned home and continued to pray into the evening. And it was on that Wednesday night that he says he encountered the unmistakable presence of Jesus. He wept like a baby, and then, as this experience began to fade, he wrote in his journal, “the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love, for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God.”

And it continued until he begged God to stop. He cried out, “Lord, I cannot bear any more. I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.”

When a friend came to his home later that evening, he took one look at Charles Finney and thought he was sick. He said, “Are you in pain?”

And Finney said, “No, but I am so happy that I cannot live.”

____

This is where Jesus wants us to live. Waves and waves of happiness. We can’t earn it. We can’t “do” enough to deserve it. We can’t worship bigger, serve longer, give more money, pray harder.

We only need to love Jesus.

I have so much more to say about all of this and specifically praying aloud. I discovered how praying scriptures aloud immediately affects the spiritual realm. So, I think on Monday, I will share what the Lord has shared with me.

Although our journey is concluding, we never stop our transformation into the likeness of Jesus. If we are breathing, God is actively working to smooth our rough edges and teach us more about becoming Christ like.

How awesome is that?

Okay, this post is already too long. So over the weekend I am going to share some of the victories that came about through our Mind of Christ Experiment. Many of you wrote to me and shared about GIANT things God was doing. You can read those tomorrow and Sunday.

AND THEY ARE AWESOM. YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS WHAT GOD DOES IN AN ORDINARY LIFE!

Monday, we are going to talk more about the real power we have which can conquer darkness, change our lives, the lives of others and rescue a world in desperate need of salvation.

Girls and men, we have only begun…. Christ has promised us so much and has so much to give.

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

He really means every word. I can’t wait to celebrate the victories in your life tomorrow. See you then. 

Be blessed, Lynn 

Thankful Thursday - We Serve A God of Change

Welcome to Thankful Thursday. It is a privilege to give thanks to the Lord and to host this awesome event in October. Next month we will meet at Grace Alone. December we will return to Women Taking A Stand. I count it a rich blessing to host Thankful Thursday. Thank you for sharing your Thursday with me.

This month I just feel like the more I learn and know about Jesus the more I need to learn.

There is tremendous change swirling about in the Donovan house and in almost every part of my life. Change can be scary. It can be unsettling. It can be painful. It can be awe inspiring, miraculous, and powerful.

We serve a God of change. He loves us so much He never stops changing our hearts, character and life. I have so much to tell you. I can't even begin to try to understand it all. I can tell you the heavens were rocked by prayers this past weekend at the Blogger's Retreat. My husband and his blondie, wife (me), will never be the same.

How awesome it that?

Watch for some updates to the Chronicles of the Donovan Clan next month after we conclude our Series, Mind of Christ Experiment.

Finally, I leave praising God for the lives that were changed through this past 30 days and the Blogger's Retreat. BIG stuff!! I plan to share more on Friday. Stop back for a giant praise fest. We will experience the bliss God desires for us.

What is God changing in your life? Can you see Him working to draw you closer, your husband? Your kids? I can't wait to read how Jesus is working in your life.

Happy Thankful Thursday. I praise Jesus for ever and ever because He refused to leave me the same. Hallelujah! Amen... Praise you Jesus.

Be blessed, Lynn

You Were Prayed For

Can you believe we're in the final week of our journey? Part of me wants to shed a few tears, sad to see it end already. But a bigger part of me wants to shout HALLELUJAH right along side all of you from the tallest rooftop nearby. What a month, yes?

I don't know about you, but God has brought me to some pretty difficult places these last few weeks and asked me to grow and stretch in ways I didn't think possible. He's used this journey, you precious readers, and my ongoing situation with my daughter's recovery to teach to trust him and wait on him in ways that hurt beyond belief! But I know they are so necessary to my future, my daughter's future, and especially to my husband's future. Lots of preparation going on in the Miller household!

God has designed my circumstances in this moment is such a way that I can only persevere so long as I keep my eyes on him. The moment my gaze falters, caught by the seemingly impossible situation we seem to be in, my hope wanes, my strength lags, and my heart despairs.

What do I do? I yank myself back, eyes uplifted again, and affirm that God is there working. And every good work he starts, he will complete. And not only that. There's another treasure I want to share with you that I hope will comfort you as deeply as it does me.

Do you know how much Jesus loves you? Do you realize how intimately he knows you, loves you, and cherishes every bit of you? We can say yes in our minds. Yes, I know. Jesus died for me. But do you really know it in your heart?

Let me tell you a little story before I share that treasure. At the beginning of our journey, I went for a walk one day. Just me and the pooch out in the sunshine. Shasta was über happy to be out, her tail wagging and her tongue hanging out. Me? I was listening to that song I posted at the beginning of the Mind of Christ journey, the Revelation Song. (You can go back to that post here.)

As I walked, I worshiped God from a place of heartache and despair. My hopes and expectations for a certain situation had to be let go. And in that moment of release, I heard Jesus speak to my heart.

"I died for you, Dineen. I died for you."

As I walked and listened, tears streamed down my face. I can only recall one other time in my life that I heard Jesus speak to me so directly. That first time brought healing in a much needed area, but this time transformed my heart. You see, I'd had no problem speaking to God, the Father and to God, the Holy Spirit. But to God, the Son? Somehow I'd put this barrier between Jesus and I. I even avoided using his name, because it didn't fit. I envied those who spoke his name in such intimacy.

That day changed me in a subtlely huge way. Yes, I use that oxymoron intentionally, because a seemingly small thing had literally transformed my heart in a huge way. Now I call him "my Jesus" and smile intimately, knowing he really is my Jesus!

So, here's that treasure I promised. Those of you who already "get it," bear with us slow-pokes. The nugget's in John 17:20:

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message."

Did you know before Jesus even died for you, he prayed for you? He prayed for me. He prayed for you—Lynn, Holly, Angela, Denise, Noreen, Tracy, Angie, Bernadine, Holly, Melanie, Debbie, Caroline, Rosheeda, Amy, Kelly, Linmayu, Stacy, Tamara, Robin, Stacey, Pia, Bonnie, Bernice, Helen, YOU...

I took several of your precious names off the last few posts to make a point. I know there are so many more of you out there. So, please, write this in your journal and put your name in the blank:

Jesus died for me—_______. Then say it out loud. Hear it with your ears and feel it with your heart. Let him speak to you like he's never done before. Let him show you how truly amazing your life can be when he sits on the throne of your life, showering you with his deep affection.

Perhaps this may seem like old hat to you, but to this perfectionist who thought she had to earn her way into Jesus' presence has found a whole new way to relate to our Savior, Jesus. 

He's my Jesus. And he's yours, too.

Praying and believing,
Dineen

God’s Transformation Process – Part 4

Over the past three weeks I’ve shared with you the “stages” the Lord has taken me through as He has begun a major transformation process in my life.   I’ve walked you through how He revealed His great abiding love and began to help me to truly understand it.  How He began to dive deep into my heart and soul to uncover the deepest, darkest and ugliest parts of my life in order to bring healing.  And I’ve shared how He has begun to reveal to me the truth about standing with Him while loving others.  I pray my transparency regarding my journey will help you in yours.  I know that just writing these posts has blessed me tremendously.

I wish I could say the transformation process is over, that I’m a finished and perfected clay vessel.  But if these past three weeks have confirmed anything for me, it is that we are all continuous works in process.  There is always more to be revealed.  These “stages” I’ve shared with you are not a 3 step process that results in a fully transformed mind, heart and soul.  Instead they are a cycle which the Lord will take you through repeatedly for the rest of your life.  You’ll be able to look back and see how far you’ve come and rejoice in it.  And you can also look forward and know you have a lot still to learn.  But don’t let this be a discouragement, instead it should be exciting, a sense of expectation.  The Lord will continue to transform you as long as you allow Him.

As you continue to yield your life to Him each day and to step down off the throne of your lives, He will reveal His love for you anew, He will reveal the darkness in your heart and heal you, and He will give you His eyes and His heart to see and love the world as He does.

Randy Alcorn wrote a book I love called Edge of Eternity.  It reminds me quite a bit of Pilgrim’s Progress.  In the story the main character is traveling along a road.  As he does he sees two cities.  The closest is beautiful and full of wonderful things.  At the top of the many tall buildings, he can see that each citizen has their own throne upon which they sit surrounded by vast riches.  Far off he sees another city, but it is dark and depressing and only has one throne.  However, as he travels farther down this road, his goal being to reach the King’s City, his perspective begins to change.  The city in front of him, the one that was depressing and only had one throne begins to become stunningly beautiful, more so than he ever could have imagined.  Behind him the city he had thought so beautiful before has become dark.  He realizes the thrones that each person sat upon were really tangled webs that held them captive.  The people living in the city thought they were free and powerful, but in reality they were in bondage.  I read this book a few years back, but this image has stayed with me.  It is a powerful picture of our lives.

In your journal today, ask yourself - where are you on this road?  Which city do you have your sights set on?  Lynn has asked many times during this journey if you are still waking each morning and coming before the Lord on your knees, stepping off the throne of your life and handing it over to Him who truly rules.  This is so powerful!

As I sign off on my last post for this 30 day journey I first want to thank all of you.  I came into this praying the Lord would give me words to help others and bring Him glory.  He has done far more than I could have ever imagined.  In some ways I’ve grown as much in the past three weeks as I did over the two years which I’ve shared with you.  You have all been part of this transformation for me.  I love the way the Lord uses us and our weaknesses to bless others.  Isn’t He amazing?

I also want to leave you with a few tidbits the Lord has reminded me of and impressed upon me through this journey.

First, as I said above this is all a transformation process that will continue until we meet our Lord face to face.  Look over how far the Lord has brought you and rejoice.  Look forward to all that He still has to reveal to you with expectation and excitement.  He will continually take you through these stages in one form or another.  There are always more layers to peel back as He reveals Himself to us.  Always remember He loves you and only wants what is best for you.  He has a destiny for you, Beloved.  You just need to give Him control of your life and He will lead you there.

Second, God looks at our hearts.  I am doing a study of David with my house church right now.  Or more specifically we are studying David’s heart.  Have you ever wondered what the difference between Saul and David was?  Both were anointed by Samuel per the Lord’s instructions, both were filled with the Holy Spirit in a time when the Holy Spirit did not make a habit of indwelling in people, both sinned quite grievously.   However, in the end the Lord left Saul, never to return again, but He never left David.  Why?  It has to do with the heart.  God knows that we will mess up at times.  This is not an excuse for us to sin or to ignore the promptings of the Lord to confront the sin in our lives.  However, please remember beloved, God knows your heart and that is what He honors, that is what pleases Him.   Even when your flesh is not able to conform fully, He knows the desire in your heart to be fully transformed.  He honors and is pleased by your heart!

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  ~ 1 Samuel  16:7

The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.   If you seek him, he will be found by you.  ~ 1 Chronicles 28:9

If you are like me you may read that last part above and think, “Ew, I don’t want Him to judge me based on my heart.  I know my intentions are not always pure.”  If you’ve ever felt like that or maybe do right now, I have a little secret for you that the Lord revealed to me.  Are you ready for it?

Recognizing that your intentions are not always pure is part of what He is looking for.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve prayed – “Lord, I desire you and only you.   I want your will, not mine to be done. “ And then I pause and have to add  - “And if there are any intentions in my heart or desires that are not in agreement with this, please reveal it to me and transform them!” 

Even while knowing I desire the Lord, I know there are still parts of my heart that are selfish.   I might as well admit these things to God, because He already knows.  He knows my heart better than I do.  And He is well pleased with us when we are able to be truthful with Him about what we know is in our hearts.  That willingness to acknowledge the darkness in our hearts is what God desires of us.  That is what pleases Him.  David was called a man after God’s heart.   Take some time and read David’s story and the psalms he wrote .  He readily admits that his heart is not pure, that he had evil and selfish desires.   The difference between David and others such as Saul, is that he acknowledges these things and lays them at God’s feet and asks for God’s Mercy and Transformation.  That is a heart in which the Lord will be well pleased.

Today as you journal and pray acknowledge those intentions of your heart that are not pure.  Ask the Lord to reveal any areas that are not pure and then confess those things and ask the Lord to transform them.  Don’t be ashamed of your weaknesses, instead take them to the Lord and trade them in for His Strength.  If you do you will hear Him whisper to you “Well, done my Beloved.” and you like David will be considered a man/woman after God’s heart.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore most gladly I will boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

Blessings upon each of you and many thanks for allowing me to share in this journey with you.

Resting in Him, 
Angela

Blogger's Retreat

Blogger's Retreat 2009 Oh, What a day.... Glory...

So much has happened in the realm of Christ today, I don't even know where to begin. But, I tell you this.... 

Y'all are gonna be blessed when I can figure out how to get it all back out'a me and onto y'all. God took hold of the girls tonight and we had us a meeten'. A prayer meeten' like none I have ever been to in my life.

Glory, Hallelujah. AMEN. (I'm officially a southerner now)

Her are a few of my BFF's. Oh how I wish each of you were here with us. But know that I prayed up a storm over you tonight just because I love you and just because Jesus loves you. I will post more as the Lord directs. I can promise you this..... We will see results. In the name of Jesus. Amen

 Valeria (Angie's Mom), Donetta, Connie, Joanna, Angie, Lisa, Tiffany

 I would tell you where they blog but my brain is mush tonight.

Angie, Joy, Kathy, Connie, Joanne

Marsha

Tiffany, Barbara, Lisa, Teresa,

Okay, here was my turn. I couldn't begin to tell you why I was pointing to myself other than to tell everyone about how I am a mess with out Christ, which if you are a regular reader here, you know the truth of these words.

I have to tell you I wrote out six pages of notes. When I went to refer to them I couldn't read. (must need stronger glasses). However, God showed up in I gigantic way and I spoke for 45 minutes. (Okay, ya'll know I can talk.... but this was even loooong for me) Whew. 

I pray that every word I spoke pointed others to Jesus Christ. It is all about Him.

More random

 
  

God bless and I will see you again tomorrow. Hugs, Lynn

Where Did It Go?

I want to share a story with you. About four weeks ago my relationship with Christ was so on fire that I thought there were times when I was praying or singing worships song that I might explode from the sheer joy I felt.

I have heard of the joy of God flowing upon a person in such powerful waves they begged God to stop for fear they could bear no more. (I have much to share about this next Friday… You won’t want to miss it, stay tuned.)

Most days I feel the Lord is present, around me listening to my constant chatter. I never stop talking/praying with Him…. Sheesh! I bet He wishes I would take a break! *kiddin’*

But these few days were unique. The closeness the…., let’s see if I can describe what it was like, the intimacy and joy and contentment and happiness and the walking on pillows on clouds on air… doesn’t begin to describe this place but it was unique and I never want to live without what I would call……BLISS!

That’s it…… Absolute bliss.

This happened around the same time as my writer’s conference where the main speaker asked, What is your bliss. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

One afternoon as I was going about my normal routine, I made a quick decision and I sinned. Just a tiny, little sin. I didn’t feel bad or even think about my choice at the time. However, several hours later, as life slowed down and I sat on the couch, I noticed something. The vibrant and head spinning joy in which I was dwelling had significantly cooled.

Whoa! What happened. I wanted that joy back. As I sat there pondering, talking, praying, immediately this tiny decision I made earlier came back to me. Immediately, God impressed on me this, “I don’t ever want you to do that again.”

Does this sound harsh? Don’t we serve a forgiving God? He knows we are all sinners and imperfect.

Yes, but for me specifically this day, God had chosen to dwell deeply with me and then I grieved Him. I know there is a scripture verse for this. Who knows it?

I grieved the Holy Spirit because I had a sin in my life I continue keep around. This isn’t the first time the Lord brought this particular sin to my attention.

Why am I sharing this story? Because part of the transformation into Christ likeness is allowing Him to remove our sin. God desperately wants to live in deep intimacy with us. Every mundane moment and the fantastic times as well. Everything –

What is it that is keeping you from …. Bliss? Sometimes it is sin in our life. Sometimes it is something else like trust and faith. Sometimes it is just allowing the Lord to love us fully. Sometimes it’s because we threw God off the throne of our heart and sat down in His place.

Truly it is actually simple to live in the bliss of the presence of God. Christ on the throne, every day. Transforming our mind and heart by dwelling on what whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

I know that many of your were called early on in this journey to deal with exactly this subject of sin in your life. Many of you have written to say God did some amazing work in your character and heart. So, today as we approach the last week of our journey, take out your journal. Ask the Lord to reveal His bliss and reveal what He may be asking you to remove from your life. In my years walking with the Lord I have discovered, He wants to remove stuff (sin) to make room for better things. Good things. Amazing things. Life-altering things.

Are you still falling on your knees in the morning? If you have, share with me what this has done in you. If you haven’t, start today. It is an experience that will change you forever if you make it a regular practice to pray first everyday and invite God to be King of your life.

I love you. I have prayed for you. The Lord is absolutely delighted that you are seeking Him with all of your heart.

Be blessed, Lynn

Thankful Thursday - Things that make you go hmmmmm?

Welcome to Thankful Thursday. It is a privilege to give thanks to the Lord and to host this awesome event in October.

Next month we will meet at Grace Alone. December we will return to Women Taking A Stand.

If you have stopped in to participate in Thankful Thursday, I am so glad you are here. I am hosting this event even as I am on an airplane flying across America to Sneads, Florida for the:

BLOGGER'S RETREAT!

I know many of you wanted to attend but were unable. Well know this ~I have taken you with me. You hold a place in my heart. I hope to share some photos here at S.U.M. on Saturday and Sunday so stop back and get a glimpse of what some of your blogging friends actually look like. I never imagine anyone the way they actually look after knowing them on-line for years. I think that is a good thing... perhaps... I am filled with anticipation and can't wait to see what the Lord has planned. I pray He is honored by every moment of the weekend.

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Well this week I am thankful for things that make you go hmmmm.

Like Airplanes: I am not a rocket scientist so just thinking about a 20+ ton airplane floating through the air gives my blond brain a spin.

How about God's unfailing love and grace: Okay, need I say more. Blows my mind to even start to go there.

For a real brain fry: The universe. ~Period. The End. I can't even get started thinking about the vast expanse.

Another One: God has always existed. ~Bzzzzzz, did you just hear the cranium short circuit?

One more to ponder and put you in a twist: 

This is an algebra problem from my daughter's 8th grade class. Ahem, good thing Dad helps her with homework. Both of them are brainiacs. ~It's an Quadradic Equation.  Okie dokie... I knew that one.... NOT

And finally, the question of the ages.... Which came first, the chicken or the egg. *grin* (I bet you know)

What is it that makes you go hmmmm and what are you thankful for this week?

Be blessed, Lynn

PS. My friends who are traveling on our Mind of Christ Journey. I have one more piece of the puzzle that is crucial to understand. Stop in tomorrow and I will share a personal story and what I learned about the Lord, His Holy Spirit and what He taught me. Hugs~  

Waiting on God

God never ceases to amaze me in the intricate perfection of his work and plan. Have you found yourself in a place where you see how the details surrounding you are linked together and blooming like a flower? And as the petals open, the legitimacy of each event suddenly comes into view, perfectly planned and coordinated in an intricate pattern of destiny?

I love those moments. Though I’m sure I don’t see them all, I know I’d miss more if I didn’t constantly and intentionally draw closer to God. We need to stay in a place of yearning for more of God and less of this world.

Otherwise, we might miss what God’s doing in our lives.

I know I’ve said this before, but bear with me. Waiting is a big part of our Christian walk. Hard to do in a world so focused on how fast something can be done. We’re becoming a culture of impatient people. I see it in my own children. But I know from experience that waiting is critical in our walk with God.

Now I’m coming to understand a new dimension of waiting. For the last year, my constant question has been, “How do I rely on God’s strength instead of my own?” I run out of strength, then wonder what happened. What did I do wrong? How do I know when I’m operating in my own strength and not God’s?

I think I got part of the answer yesterday at Bible study. A very special group of ladies meets every week at my church. I love these women, because they are the most authentic and God-hungry women I know. Right now we’re studying Esther by Beth Moore.

Let me first confess that I’m a big Beth Moore fan. Her studies have impacted my life more than any others I’ve done, except for Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby and Claude King. But this Esther study by far exceeds them all. I think Beth crawled into my very situation and wrote it just for me. ☺

Yesterday we received a nugget that I believe is key to answering this question I’ve had about God’s strength. Take a look at Isaiah 40:31 (ESV):

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

Waiting and strength are linked here in a way I hadn’t thought of before until Beth said something like this:

“We will lose our strength when we wait on the event, thing, or person instead of waiting on God.”

Talk about a “whoa” moment. Suddenly the pieces fell into place. When do we feel like we can’t go any further because we have no more strength?

When we’ve prayed over and over again for our spouse to believe in Christ?

For a child to be healed?
For a job?
For a difficult situation to resolve and find a peaceful solution?
For a loved one to come back to us?

Add yours to the list. (Tell us about it in the comments.) Now ask yourself this. “What am I waiting on?” Did your answer look like one of these:

For my spouse to come to faith.
For my child to be healthy again.
For the right job.
For this situation to be fixed and go away.
For my loved one to come home.

Is your strength lagging? Are you tired and want to give up? Are you asking why God isn’t strengthening you? I know I have.

The key is right in the first line of Isaiah 40:31:

but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength.

Like Beth said, when we wait on our spouse to choose God, for our child to be okay, for a job, for peace, for restoration with a loved one, we’re waiting on that specific event, circumstance, or person. We’re waiting on it, and not God. And we lose our strength.

It always seems to come back to where we point our eyes, doesn’t it? Keeping our eyes on God and waiting on Him. Let’s put it to the test, shall we? See if it works? I’m ready to wait on God and let him renew my strength.

How about you?

Praying and believing,
Dineen