Shift your focus

 

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” Revelation 12:11

 

In previous blogs I have mentioned how I felt as though God was punishing me. I had a wrong view of the Father. I was so caught up in ME that I didn’t truly take time to get to know Him. When we focus on us we will never be able to truly see what God is doing.  I heard someone say something along the lines of “You might think everyone is looking at you….but, Honey, you’re not that important!” And while that may sound rude to most, its true! We worry so much about what others think, how “I” look, how “I” feel, what “I’m” going to do and the truth is, the people we worry about impressing aren’t even thinking about us! Even if they were, their opinions aren’t the ones that count. Our main focus should be on Jesus.

 

It says in the Bible “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your salvation happens in an instant but the rest takes some time. Day to day, it’s a process of choosing God. Allowing him to transform you, change your thinking and shift your focus from ME to HE! When we put our focus on Him we don’t get derailed by our circumstances because we know that our God is good and His promises will prevail! How do we know His promises? By getting in the WORD! Not reading your bible is like having a million dollars in the bank and never spending it. Adversity may come and we don’t always know WHY but we can have hope because we know WHO.

 

No one is perfect and that’s OK. God uses people from all different backgrounds, lifestyles and neighborhoods. Your past doesn’t define you but helps you tell your story. There's power in your “been through”.  You may have been knocked down but by the grace of God you got up! You’re alive, able see another day and that’s another chance to share your story and glorify our heavenly Father. Keep your eyes on HIM!

                              

 

 

                  Be Blessed,

                             Kennedy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

 

biblehub.com

 

Steven Furtick

 



The Potter and the Clay

A while ago my husband told me he had an idea for a blog and felt like the Lord wanted him to share it. This is my first time having a guest writer and I am so happy that it gets to be my sweet husband. To say I am proud of him is an understatement! I pray that the message that the Lord gave him speaks to and encourages you!

 

 

 

Sitting at church during our Wednesday night bible study a few weeks ago I was hit with this message that I believe I needed to share. I have had discussions about “giving it all to God” or “leave it all on the altar” with others of like-minded faith in the past. I took a step back and thought about those phrases we hear consistently in our walks. This particular night in bible study the Lord dropped this scripture reference on me and it really made me think. I’ve been putting off writing this out (delayed obedience is still disobedience), but I hope it makes you think also.

        We see in scripture the reference to our Father as the great potter. We are the clay, He is the potter (Isaiah 64:8). What the Lord dropped on me was if a literal potter is at the wheel, he already has a plan. When he goes to work at the wheel to make a pot, the potter needs the clay, and not just some clay, he needs enough clay to make a functional pot. 90% of the clay he needs isn’t enough. If he doesn’t have enough clay, 100% of the clay, as he comes close to completion of the pot, he will notice that this pot is not going to work properly. It won’t hold the water or substance that it is intended for. An incomplete pot doesn’t retain water. An incomplete pot spills or leaks and makes a mess that the potter has to clean up. He didn’t have enough clay on the wheel to finish this project and for the pot to function where he needs it and how he needs it to function. This pot does not get finished. This pot gets smashed back down to a pile of clay to be turned into something else. This pot didn’t fulfil its intended purpose.

        Now, think of this in the spiritual sense. He, our God, is the potter and we are the clay. He shapes us. He molds us to function in His kingdom, His purpose, His design. If we truly believe in our Lord and His abilities, why do we hold back? Why don’t we “give it all” to God. Why do we think we can handle things ourselves? Why do we hold on to worldly things? Has He not taken care of us up to this point? Does He not give us purpose and use us according to His purpose? We, as followers of Christ, have to stop holding back things of our past worldly, fleshly things. Stop partially giving. 90%, 50%, or even 5% isn’t going to meet the need. We have to start trusting in God and give 100% of ourselves. Take that 10%, 50%, or 95% you hold back and leave it on the altar for God to take care of. Give the potter 100% of the material He needs to make a functional vessel that is useful to His kingdom. Useful to His purpose. This pot could fulfil the intended purpose. This pot has a chance to change and give the Creator 100% of the clay needed to form a sturdy vessel that serves a greater purpose. Don’t live incomplete. Leave it at the altar. Give it all to God.

                                                      Blessings,

                                                             Dalton

 

 

 

Reference:

Isaiah 64:8

Jeremiah 18:1-4

My Hope Is In The Lord

"My hope is in the Lord, I belong to Him. He will never let me go. My hope is in the Lord. I can count on Him. My hope is in the Lord."

      Teaching preschool gives me constant access to awesome songs to help remember the things of God. The one I shared above is simple but when you dig deeper, is very profound. Let me explain....

      The beginning of February started out rough and I had to learn how to rest in the Lord and put my hope in Him. It's difficult to do that when you are used to doing everything for everyone and being strong in the midst of it all. I don't have time to be weary...or at least to let my weariness show.
 
       February 1st, our youngest son ended up in Children's Hospital with RSV and viral bronchiolitis. He was there for 2 days. That was one of the scariest and most traumatic times of my life. To see my sweet baby hooked to monitors and oxygen and not knowing what was going to happen, really took a toll on me. The second night in the hospital, while wondering what I did to cause all of this to happen to my sweet boy, my friend told me that I needed to just rest in the Lord and let Him work. I didn't know exactly how to do that but I knew it didn't include me blaming myself and going crazy trying to answer all of my own questions. I just tried to be still.



       Through the winter I have really learned how to tune in and hear God's voice. I have grown in so many different ways. And all these ways allowed me to be O.K. when God stopped talking directly to me. Our stay in the hospital started a 17 day season of my life where hard things happened but God was quiet. I am a social person. I meet a friend for coffee or have a long and spiritually profound phone call with someone almost once a week. I thrive on these things. Even just going to work 16 hours a week, fills me up! During this quiet time, not once did I spend time with a friend AND I was only able to work 3 of the 17 days! It was SO odd! I didn't realize what God was doing at the time but I do now!  He was wanting me to seek Him for fulfillment. Not putting so much stock in people or situations. He had to let me see that He is the one who is in control, not me. He wanted me to put my hope in Him.  Now, God didn't make my baby get sick but, like he says in His word: He made all things work together for good(Romans 8:28)

      What does it mean to "put your hope in God"? I didn't know so, like the rest of the world, I googled it! I searched the definition of "hope".

NOUN

1. a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen:

   "he looked through her belongings in the hope of coming across some information" ·

   [more]

   "I had high hopes of making the Olympic team"

   synonyms: aspiration · desire · wish · expectation · ambition · aim · goal · plan ·

   [more]

   design · dream · daydream · pipe dream

   • a person or thing that may help or save someone:
     "their only hope is surgery"
   • grounds for believing that something good may happen:
     "he does see some hope for the future"
     synonyms: hopefulness · optimism · expectation · expectancy · confidence ·

     [more]

     faith · trust · belief · conviction · assurance · promise · possibility
     antonyms: pessimism
2. archaic

   a feeling of trust

      What I gathered was that putting my hope in the Lord means to expect Him to do what He says He is going to do (according to His word) and trusting Him to do it! It's a very simple principle of getting in the Bible and learning all about God's promises. He loves when we pray His Word back to Him. Yes, he knows what it says, but it blesses Him to hear us asking for and activating His promises with our words. "Life and death lie in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21) That is pretty big stuff.


      Now, you might be wondering why I shared that my season was 17 days long. Many times, in spiritual lessons, numbers are very significant. At the end of this time God gave me a revelation. We recently entered the year of 2017 and in January, our pastor taught on what the number 17 meant. It symbolizes overcoming the enemy and complete victory. The Lord revealed to me that during my quiet time, He equipped me to overcome the enemy and have complete victory! Not only now, but in the coming seasons!

    I have to tell you, this quiet time was hard but as I mentioned before: God taught me how to get through it! Normally, if God weren't speaking I would worry that I did something wrong and that He was punishing me by being silent. I know it sounds silly but that is really how my brain used to work! The whole purpose of this blog is to encourage someone with my journey and share how I've grown and changed in my spiritual life. I share this to tell you....Won't God do it?! He has been so faithful! My prayer last year was that He renew my mind and though there have been many other instances, this one is significant! What normally would have derailed me, changed my life for the better! I would never have expected to pass the test and handle this the way I did but God equipped me! He changed me, molded me into His image and is continuing to do so! God did one of the greatest works in me, while He was being quiet! That goes to show, God has many ways of ministering to us. We just have to be open to receive.



In Christ,
       Kennedy

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=hope+definition&*

http://lamarboschman.com/the-biblical-meaning-of-2017/