Praise the Lord

The sun is coming up. 

It's a beautiful day. 

Don't forget to praise the Lord. 

David knew how to praise the Lord. 

He praised the Lord in the evening in the morning and through out the day. 

That's what we need to do. 

If I spent the whole day praising the Lord, well.....that doesn't leave much room for sin.

Praise the Lord!

Eva

"Eva Abdullah, 17, welcomed Christ into her life three years ago, though she grew up Muslim. After her conversion, her parents disowned her. A group of radicals in her hometown of Bagamoyo on Tanzania’s coast sought to convince her to give up her new Christian faith. When she refused, they falsely accused her of urinating on a Quran, Islam’s holy book. Eva was arrested and put in prison and many Christian leaders were too afraid to get involved in her case because of Muslim dominance in the district. At her trial on July 23, the judge, who was allegedly bribed by the Islamic militants who accused her, sentenced Eva to two years imprisonment." -taken from prisoneralert.com


Although God has shown me that my mission field is here, I still believe that God is calling each and everyone of us to pray for our brothers and sisters over seas. This young lady is facing imprisonment for her faith in Christ. Her story leads me to ask myself, "If I were in her shoes, would I be as bold as she was?"
Please keep her in your prayers!
If you would like to read more and find out ways that you can encourage her, click here.

These brothers and sisters need our help. We need to keep them in our prayers.

His Strength

There are days when I feel tired. Not just physically tired, but mentally and emotionally tired. This morning was one of those mornings. I would rather have slept than spend my time in the Word. Shameful though it may be to admit, it's the truth. Sometimes we go through what I call a "spiritual high." That's when I'm on top of the world. There are no worries or cares, Christ is my all-in-all and that is all that matters. And then the emotional part fades away, and I learn that my faith still has a great deal of strengthening to do. So many people become discouraged when they go through a spiritual high that begins to wear off. The problem is, so often, we rely on our emotional state rather than relying on Almighty God. How I feel does not change who God is or what He is doing. When I am tired, I learn to live in His strength. When I am weary, I learn that He is enough. When I am frustrated, I remember that His ways are far better than my ways. Then I learn how to have faith. Because it is not when I am living in my own strength that I learn how to trust Him more. It's when I'm tired that He teaches me the most about His wonderful self.

A Passage For The Day

Deuteronomy 10:20-21

"Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; 

him shalt thou serve,

and to him shalt thou cleave,

and swear by his name.

He is thy praise,

and he is thy God,

that hath done for these these great and terrible things,

which thine eyes have seen."

All In My Head

"What is the point of this? I'm tired of trying to be content with all of this."

"The point is that God has called you to do this. "

"But, I don't get it. I feel like I'm not accomplishing anything at all!"

"You are. You are accomplishing exactly what God has called you to do at this moment."

"What if I don't like what God's calling me to do at this moment."

"Then you aren't living a life fully devoted to God. You're still holding back what belongs to Him. You're still trying to control your life."

Sometimes I feel like I have two people living in my head, like the cartoons with the angel and devil on either shoulder. I have the one person who loves God with all her heart, has a passion for serving Him, and wants to fully devote her life to Him. Then I have this little annoying person that is always trying to discourage me and get me to believe that this life, this beautiful life God has given me, is really not what I was meant to do.  (I know that sounds bipolar, but it really isn't. You must believe me.*grin*)

A friend and I were discussing the uncomfortable conversations that come about when people find out that we aren't going off to college after graduation. It's difficult to stand and watch a persons good opinion of you drop several hundred feet. But for me, the one person I battle the most is myself. The culture all around me is screaming at me to follow them. I'm supposed to ditch this keeper-at-home thing and go off to the world, get a degree, find an amazing job, land an apartment, and live life selfishly seeking all the things that this world calls success. I see it, I hear it, and I know that this is what people expect. The silly thing is for some odd reason I don't even need anyone to tell me that, because I tell myself that every day. And everyday God asks me the same questions. "Am I enough to satisfy your heart? Do you trust My perfect plan for you?" Then, somehow, everything becomes clear again and I know the truth.

The truth is, being a stay at home daughter, serving her family, helping her father, and contentedly following the path that her Savior has chosen for her, is way more successful than what the world calls success. Why is it that we trick ourselves into thinking that the hand that rocks the cradle is somehow less than the hand that attaches a PhD to her signature?  It's not. Doing what God has called us to do, and doing it joyfully is success. Nowhere in Scripture am I called to go to college and get a degree. However, I am told to love the Lord with all my heart soul and mind (Matthew 22:37). Sometimes, loving God that much means being willing to step outside of the box, and I mean really step out of the box. Here's a quote my friend sent me that I think is so incredibly powerful!

 "The heroes of the Bible did not emerge from a cookie cutter factory. They were all unique and distinctively different. The world is full of mimics. Fearing the opinions of others, we fall into the rut of conformity. We need mavericks.  When I read the Scriptures, I see pages full of mavericks. They would not let the culture or the times define them. They refused to fit into a religious box, even if it was an acceptable box for most folks. What made them mavericks? Faith. They weren't afraid to leave a country, walk on water, confront false prophets, rebuke kings, or pray for miracles." Michael Catt

College isn't inherently wrong. But, the idea that you have to do it just because that's what everyone else does, is wrong. We have to do what God has called us to do. Sometimes God calls people to go to college and sometimes He doesn't. I believe God has called me to serve in my home, under the protection of my parents until He brings the husband that He has planned for me. I am NOT sitting on the couch eating bonbons! In fact, there are so many ways to serve, things that need to be done, and people that need my help, that it would be absolutely ridiculous for me to leave it all behind to go off to college! This is where God has called me to be. And I am not sorry if this upsets people. I am getting a huge college education here at home. Trust me, if you love to read and you are the daughter of a book seller....there you go; college education. That's only one teeny aspect of my life. God has filled my life with so many opportunities to learn and develop new skills that I honestly think I would find any other life boring. My mission field is here. All these doubts and all these fears; they're just in my head.  God did not give me a spirit of fear. (2Timothy 1:7) I'm tired of being afraid. God's doing something big in the heart of families across America. God's doing something big in the hearts of daughters! We're getting a vision. But we have got to stop fearing man and start fearing God. We need to ignore these doubts and lies in our heads.

Psalm 18:2-3

 "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies."

I'm Scared of Mistakes

"Do not fear." I read it over and over. Each verse a different example of a moment where someone was told not to fear. Every verse a message to me for the same. "Kaila, do not fear." I'm not a fearful person....most of the time. But, as I read a bit from Grace Mally's book, "Will Our Generation Speak," (about our generation being bold for Christ and witnessing) a wee bit of fear creeps up. I read about how our inadequacies should not stop us from sharing the gospel, and how when we make mistakes that helps us learn. I don't like being inadequate, and I don't particularly enjoy making mistakes, especially when I am witnessing. Suddenly, I feel afraid.....which doesn't make much sense being that I was lounging in bed reading it. Nonetheless, reading about inadequacies and mistakes brought more fear than the thought of witnessing to someone. But God tells me "Do not fear," the moment I pick up the Bible. And as I read His word, I am reminded of how He used people's inadequacies and mistakes to bring about His glory, over and over and over again. Believe me, I'm all for the "always be ready to give an answer," verse in the Bible, but you don't always know what a situation may present. You could be the best theologian around and someone with the right question could stump you. But, we can't afford to let fear of mistakes stop us. (I just keep telling myself that.)
Really, if I get down to the root of the problem, the only reason I'm afraid of making a mistake is because of pride. And that my friend, is a very humbling thought.

Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.

Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.

View Him prostrate in the garden;
On the ground your Maker lies.
On the bloody tree behold Him;
Sinner, will this not suffice?

Lo! th’incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood:
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.

Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.