I’m a To-Do List, planner, scheduled-day kind of person. I didn’t realize how much until recently.
It was early in the morning, about 6:00, when I let my dog, Bella, out the back door. Sunny skies, a gentle breeze, and the sweet sound of birds singing greeted me. I sat down on my little black bench to enjoy it for a minute.
I already had coffee in hand, so I drank it outside instead of hurrying into my office. Suddenly, a hummingbird darted past and paused to drink from the bright pink Hibiscus bloom peaking out from my neighbor’s balcony.
A baby bunny hopped out of the cornfield and looked around. A striking red cardinal flew to my bird feeder and looked me right in the eye. “Are you going to put any seed in this feeder or what?” he seemed to say.
A bright yellow Monarch fluttered by. It was like God had orchestrated his creation to entertain me. I couldn’t leave my seat.
After a while, this Scripture came to me, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
I sat peacefully, obediently, enjoying the beauty right outside my door. My brain stopped buzzing around like it was on fire.
Then, God reminded me that His plan is never what a person thinks it will be. Abraham didn’t know that Sarah would give him a son in her old age. Jacob didn’t know he would have to work twenty years for Laban before he could leave with Rachel. And Joseph could never imagined that God’s plan would land him in prison. But all these things were part of God’s plan!
If these men of God were like me, they would have been thinking that it was all their fault that things were working out so badly. But God’s will was being accomplished through ordinary, imperfect men – in spite of their flaws.
I learned something important that day. Sometimes I just need to slow down, quiet my brain, and observe God’s creation. It reminds me that He is God. And I might hear that still, small voice.
“And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:11-12
With Love,
Cindy
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
(Re-posted from July, 2018)
Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?
When my son was 6 years old, we moved from the quaint rural town of Auburn (population 1,300) to the basketball capital of the world – Lexington, Kentucky!
As a young adult, I had driven in heavy traffic in St. Louis, but apparently you can get rusty and I’ve never had a great sense of direction anyway.
The city of Lexington, Ky has a highway design that can be confusing if you aren’t used to it (or don’t have a good sense of which way is up). It’s based on circles instead of perpendicular streets and looks like a wagon wheel (Whose idea was this?)
Whenever I drove around the main highway circle (They actually named it New Circle Road) and exited onto one of the “spokes” (other main highways), I had a tough time knowing weather to go left or right.
Considering the fact that there were at least 6 lanes to choose from on the exit, I didn’t want to mess up and head off in the wrong direction! I could be on that circle for a long time before I got back to where I wanted to go. (Are you confused yet?)
One day, clueless as to which lane I should get in, I desperately cried out to my “go-to” navigator, my very precocious 6 year old son Zack. (For reasons I don’t understand, he always knew which way to go.)
“Zack! Which way do I go?” I cried out in panic!
I will never forget the answer I got after about the millionth time I asked him this.
“I think it’s just about time you figured this out for yourself”, he calmly replied in his sweet little southern accent.
Panicking even more since I had only nano-seconds to claim my lane, I yelled, “Just tell me!”
“That way!” he quickly responded.
Saved again!
I’m thankful my little boy could help me with directions, but I’m even more thankful that when I don’t know which way to turn in life, there is One who will always help me. God never tires of showing us the way. He is always ready to guide us and direct our path. All we need to do is ask Him.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you … the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. (Psalm 32: 8 and 10)
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5
With Love,
Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus:Who Is Jesus?
Is your heart breaking? Are you in deep despair? Is depression crushing you? Even when you think you can’t hang on, God will hang on to you. No matter what life is throwing at you, no matter how weak your faith might be right now, God will hold you fast.
How do I know? I know because He has done this for me. It has been over 60 years since I asked Jesus to be my Savior. Through many trials, through many sorrows, through all my many failings, He never let me go.
He never said, “That’s it! I’m done with her. She’s gone too far now. Enough is enough!”
When I doubted, He held me fast. When I rebelled, He held me fast. When I went astray, He held me fast. When I was in deep despair, He held me fast. When my heart was broken, He held me fast. This is why I love Him and why I praise Him unashamedly.
It is when I acknowledged my own shortcomings, vulnerabilities, and weaknesses that I grasped the depth of His great love and forgiveness and understood just how much I really need Him.
If you are searching for love, forgiveness, and mercy, come to Jesus. His love surpasses all understanding. He loves you, yes you.
Scripture for Meditation
“If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there … Your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:10)
“Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)
“You are not your own;you were bought at a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)
With Love,
This Is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
“When the dream in our heart is one that God has planted there, a strange happiness flowers into us. At that moment all of the spiritual resources of the universe are released to help us. Our praying is then at one with the will of God and becomes a channel for the Creator’s always joyous, triumphant purposes for us and our world.” Catherine Marshall
Did you ever stop to think about this? That you are working and praying for something that God Himself put in your heart!
This is my desire, that my prayers would be at one with the will of God, and to know that I am praying according to His will.
“Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 TLB
What is your dream?
With Love,
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus:Who Is Jesus?
Today’s post isn’t for everyone. If you grew up in church and lived life on the straight and narrow, this post may not interest you. But if you made major detours from the right path like I did, this is for you. Or if you know someone who thinks their sin is too great for God to forgive, pass this on.
In your past, did you commit a sin that haunts you? You may have asked Jesus to forgive you, but you can’t forgive yourself. I’m not talking about some little thing. I’m talking about something big, something that you can’t believe you were capable of.
Let God’s Words speak to your heart today:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love… he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; Psalm 103:8-13
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
All of us are capable of doing things that we would like to forget (usually done to save ourselves from pain or trouble). We justify our behavior in our mind. “I had to do it. There was no other way. I needed this.”
King David committed adultery and murder. Yes, a man “after God’s own heart” did this! In Psalm 51:14-17 David wrote,
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, isa broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
A Prayer
Dear Lord, I stand in awe of your great love. You forgive my sins and remember them no more. Great is your love, O God. Who can understand your great mercy? Without it surely I would die in anguish, but your forgiveness and mercy washed over me and made me clean.
“He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” Ephesians 1:7 NLT
No matter how great your sin, God will forgive you. God isn’t waiting to judge you. He isn’t waiting to condemn you. He wants to receive you – with mercy, with love, with open arms.
With Love,
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus:Who Is Jesus?
One day, I was looking for a particular toy for my son. Stepping on my tippy toes, I blindly reached into a large box on a high shelf in my closet and scooped up a handful of small toys.
As I held it up to see if I had the desired toy, this is what I saw: Twined around the toys was a 3 foot-long snake skin! Startled and panic-stricken, I quickly threw it all into the air and screamed!
At this time in my life, I was terrified of snakes, mice, lizards, and all creepy creatures in general. I’m happy to report that 30 years later, not so much.
The problem was, I couldn’t sleep at night. What with (who knows how many) snakes loose in the house!
Now this happened during the days of heated waterbeds, and we slept in one. In my imagination, this would be the exact place a snake would slither into during the middle of the night.
What’s a waterbed, you ask? Well, you can google it. Now back to the story….
“Lucky” for me (tongue in cheek), I happened upon a Bible verse that set me free from this fear. “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8
Every night when I went to bed, this was my prayer. I passionately thanked God for His promise and repeated it over and over until I went to sleep. I was putting my faith and trust in God and in His Word; it carried me through a very scary time.
This is why it is so important to make Bible study a priority. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart when I read this verse. God did keep me safe. I was able to sleep peacefully, and eventually we were able to move to a better house.
Wherever I go, and whatever comes my way, I will trust in God’s Word.
The more I study God’s Word, the more I trust in Him.
“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. Psalm 119:92
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119: 105
“You are my refuge and my shield. I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114
This is My Journey Unscripted.
With Love,
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
Whether I feel defeated or victorious, strong or weak, praying God’s Word is always effective. I wrote the following prayer so that I could remember to acknowledge God’s promises when I pray, regardless of how I feel.
Lord, I pray that you will send your workers into ______’s life to plant the seed and water it, for You, O Lord, will make it grow.
I pray that You will open _____’s heart to pay attention to what is said. Take out his heart of stone and give him a tender heart toward You. Lord, make your light shine in his heart that he may know Christ.
I pray You will grant him repentance and lead him to a knowledge of the truth. I pray he will come to his senses and escape from the trap of the devil.
I pray You will rip away the bondage that holds him away from You.
I know You are not slow in keeping your promise, but you are patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Father, help _____ see his need for a Savior and to know he must confess his sins, repent, believe, and live a fruitful life. Help him choose Your mercy and Your gift of grace, to believe with his heart and confess with his mouth, Jesus is Lord.
Heal his heart and heal his mind, O God. for You heal the broken-hearted. You bring rest to the weary.
I pray you will guide me and use me to show the love of Jesus to _____. Give me opportunities to be Jesus to _____. Help me to be loving, kind, and forgiving, showing compassion and patience.
Help me to be persistent in prayer daily and to never give up or become discouraged. Help me to pray with faith and trust, knowing you hear my prayers.
I pray Your will be done in _____’s life, just as it is in heaven. I pray that You will be glorified through his salvation.
I pray with confidence, knowing that Your Word says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
Keep teaching me how to pray and make my ears attentive to your voice.
And I pray that _____may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that he may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Taken from Ephesians 3:20-21)
I ask these things in Jesus’ precious name. Amen
***************
Are you praying for someone who is openly rejecting Jesus as Savior?
With little observable evidence that my prayers have been effective, I will pray in faith.“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrew 11:1
Even though it has been almost 3 years, I know God is working. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7 (He doesn’t say when.)
I pray God’s Word because the Word of God “is living and active and full of power. “Hebrew 4:12 AMP
God’s says, “(My Word)will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
And so, I wrote this prayer based on my faith in God’s Word. While still seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I will pray it everyday for someone I love. You can pray it, too.
With Love, Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
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Scripture References
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:5-6
” … in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:25-26
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 11:19)
“The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14).
“… the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
My job (and ministry) is in a middle school. You know, where kids know how to push your buttons and are exercising their desire to rebel against authority.
Maybe God hasn’t put anyone “hard to love” in your life, but I bet He has. I only know that what God has asked me to to do isn’t easy and even though I am willing – I keep failing over and over.
What is our mission?
It is to love!
Sometimes I wonder why He has called me to love those “not easy to love”. I’m not good at it! I lose my temper. I get angry. I lecture. I utter those horrible teacher words, “I’m done!”
The kind of love God expects us to show to others is not a feeling. It is an action. It can be very hard to show agape love. Where is your mission field? Do you sometimes find it difficult to show love to people there?
Over 20 years ago, God showed me something that I will never forget. At the time, I was very involved in women’s ministry, but I became increasingly disturbed by some of the teaching in my church. I asked God to show me where my focus should be.
I asked Him to show me the main idea of the New Testament. I felt like my focus was on the wrong things. In desperation, I read the New Testament through three times in a row.
In a notebook, I kept track of how often various subjects were discussed, such as hope, faith, prosperity, love, spiritual warfare, etc.
I discovered that love was the most frequently taught subject by far! There was no doubt about it. God was showing me, through my crisis, that love, agape love, was very important to Him and my focus should be there.
I began an in depth study on agape love, looking for every Biblical reference. I studied Greek and Hebrew definitions. I wrote. I read. I studied.
I Corinthians 13:4-8
I can’t do it in my own strength. God must do it through me. Every day, I must pray for God’s power to dwell in me. Once we realize that we can’t do it ourselves, we have passed Lesson 1.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-11(NIV)
Lesson 2: Let our day begin with prayer. “Father, Show the Savior’s love through me today. Teach me to love.” And pray for them. Ask God to help you see the good things about them, not just what they do wrong.
Lesson 3: Study God’s Word about love and be changed. Start with I Corinthians 13. Meditate on it. Study it. How does it apply to my life?
“Love is patient.” I Corinthians 13:4a
(I don’t know about you, but I need to meditate on these 3 words for at least a week!)
The Greek word for patient is makrothumeo. It means “slow to anger”.
“Being slow to anger does not mean that one does not care, but rather that he has his emotions under control.” (Detzler)
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)
According to Vine’s Bible Dictionary, “Patience is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate.”
Webster defines patience as “enduring … trouble with composure and without complaining; refusing to be provoked …”
Note: I wrote this post about a year ago, but I find myself once again needing His strength and His grace to do the very thing He has asked me to do – love those God has put in my path – and show them God’s unconditional love.
With Love,
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus:Who Is Jesus?
The Bible says, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:31) What does it really mean? My Pastor’s sermon last Sunday made me think.
He told us that two hundred years ago, a church of about 26 people in Rockfield, Ky were led by God to start a new church in Bowling Green. That church, started by four members of the Providence Knob Baptist Church, is the same church I worship in today.
To put this in perspective, 1818 is the year the famous American Patriot, Paul Revere, died. In fact, Warren County was named after General Joseph Warren of the Revolutionary War, who dispatched Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride.
The population of Warren County was less than 12,000 then, as compared to over 125,000 at the present time.
As I worshiped, I understood that the glory and praise being lifted up to God this very day in 2018 was God’s plan all along. A magnificent choir sings praises to our Lord. A team of singers and musicians lead the congregation in worship, little children sing of Jesus’s love. An orchestra plays heavenly music in praise to the Lord. People are being saved. The Word of God is being proclaimed. God’s work is being done and God is being glorified.
I thought about those pioneers who, in 1818, prayed for God to build a church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Their obedience and prayers resulted in God being glorified. When God answered their prayers, He did “immeasurably more” than all they could ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20 NIV)
Did they see the fruit of their labor? Not unless they’re over 200 years old! But God was, and is, and will be, glorified in this place.
It made me think about my own life. Do I want to bring glory to God only? Or do I want glory for myself? Do I want to allow God to do “immeasurably more” than all I can ask or imagine? Do I want Him to use me according to His will, even if I never see the fruit of my labor? These are heart-searching questions. May we have the courage to ask them.
God’s plans are bigger than our ability to imagine. I understand now, that God’s plan for me must not be limited by my lack of vision or by selfish desires.
“Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” Psalm 115:1
Jesus prayed to His Father, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” John 17:4
God has the plan. Will we surrender our will to Him? Our part is to be willing. He will do the rest.
“…for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
“For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. Habakuk 2:14
“I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.” Psalm 86:12
This is God’s plan – To glorify His name.
With Love, Cindy
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.
“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.” ROMANS 10:9-11
Real Christian Women 