Contentment - The Theme For 43

So, tomorrow is my birthday. Yup 43. What am I doing with this life? What will people see in it when they look back? What are my children getting from it?

Anyway, typically, for about a week leading up to my birthday, I spend some time in reflection over the previous year, just simply counting my blessings and looking  at where I've come as a person. I also start looking forward to where I want to go in the next year. For the last several years I have chosen a song to be my theme song for the year and to kind of represent who I want to be or to become during that time. But this year I have forgotten to do all of that. I have been distracted and stressed. I have missed out on the joy that I get from this time of reflection.

 

And then today, it came to me! I am in the middle of doing a Bible study called Fight Back With Joy by Margaret Feinburg and I am also reading the book that goes along with it. I was reading today in Philippians 4 where Paul says that he has learned to be content in EVERY situation, no matter what his circumstances are because he can do ALL things through the power of Christ living in him. Wow! What if I applied that way of thinking to my life, to my circumstances? What if I could look at raising teenagers and say that I am content with my life and my struggles? What about my finances? My marriage? The hormonal changes going on in my own body? Would I be able to stand and say TODAY that I am content no matter what? No. No, I could not say that today and I certainly have not been living with contentment. But perhaps it is something worth pursuing, worth chasing after, worth trying to attain to.

 

Yes. Philippians 4:11 will be my verse for the year: "I have learned to be content no matter what my circumstances". Content will be my word for the year. I will be content, or at least strive toward it, in the power of Christ. I will have to do it in His power. If I were able to do it on my own, I would have done it already.

 

And what about a song? I think this one will do:

 

Christ Is Enough

 

 

For the first time in months, I have a feeling of HOPE!

I am looking forward to a new chapter!

 

May God Bless you ALL as you seek to know Him more ~ Shannon

Miracle on the Battlefield

Jehoshapat -- an Old Testament King of Judah. He was a good king with a heart for God. He wasn't perfect but you can see that he tries. One of the last events of his kingdom that we hear about is a battle, or rather, a non-battle. Jehoshapat was told that three other kings had joined forces and were plotting for war against him. Immediately, even though he is afraid, he calls for prayer and fasting. He immediately goes to God for a solution. He doesn't sit around and fret. He doesn't run away. He doesn't try to solve it on his own. He goes to God.

And his prayer is not just "Get me out of this mess!" Although I think that would be appropriate. No, his prayer is a prayer of praise for who God is and a prayer of rembrance for the promises that God has given His people. His prayer is a plea for help but more importantly it is a prayer of worship. In his fear, he worships.

 

And God answers his prayer with this:



 

You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'

2 Chronicles 20:17

 

And God did fight the battle. The armies that were plotting together against Jehoshapat had turned on each other and by the time he arrived, there was no one left to fight. God had performed a miracle for them in answer to their prayers!

 

God told Jehoshapat that he would not need to fight but He also told him to GO.

We might not need to fight the battle but in order to see the deliverance of the Lord, in order to see the victory, we do have to show up to the battlefield!

 

We cannot watch God perform miracles if we do not sit in front of the stage!

 

Our battlefield is God's platform to show off His power, His glory! God wants to give us miracles, He wants to answer our prayers, He wants to bless us but what is it all worth if we don't come to the auditorium where He is performing?

 

I know that many of you are going through a hard time and I know the desire to crawl back under the covers and hide. But God is calling us out of hiding. He is calling us to come and witness His miracles. And He encourages us, "Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. I AM with you."

 

What an Awesome God!

Run Your Race

Last week our Bible study group started the study Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. It's basically a study about how we give food a place of honor in our lives that is only meant for God. We run to food in times of stress, anxiety, joy, etc instead of running to God. This may not necessarily be true for you but I know that it is true for me! And let's face it, if you are a woman in America, it is probably true for you too, to some degree.

Well, this afternoon I was reading in Hebrews 12 and I really felt like part of what the writer of Hebrew was saying fits into my decision to make healthier food choices and put God first in my life. And as I was reading the notes for Hebrews 12, it lead me to a place in 1 Corinthians 9. These two passages really go together and they really spoke to me today.

 Hebrew 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Run with Endurance

Do Not Quit

Keep My Eyes Focused on Christ

 

Run to get the prize

What is the prize?

The prize is the JOY SET BEFORE ME - it is God's pleasure in me for doing His will.

I will only achieve this prize by keeping my eyes fixed on Christ.

 

I discipline my body to make it my slave -

My body does not discipline me -

I discipline my body.

An undisciplined body (or spirit) cannot run with endurance

 

I set aside the sin that entangles me and prevents me from running well.

I set aside the sin that trips me up so that I can run with Endurance.

 

What trips me up this year may not trip me next year - I need to keep evaluating my race.

 

What is preventing me from running well?

What is preventing me from worshiping God the way I should?

 

What is the race that God has set before you? What is preventing you from running well?

 

Endure, dear friends! We have a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on! And whatever we are facing, it is nothing compared to what Christ went through - Keep your eyes fixed on Him and you Can run your race Well!

 

May God bless you all as you seek to know Him better ~ Shannon

Musical Monday: Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) - Hillsong United

I LOVE this song!

 

I especially love the line that says 'Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders'. Wow!

 

Would we dare to invite the Spirit to lead us to a place where our trust is without borders?

 

How do I get to a place where my trust in God is so BIG that it literally has No borders?

 

I suppose it only happens by handing over my life to Him (surrender) and placing my trust in Him. Perhaps it is babysteps. I start by saying 'I will increase my financial giving' and then I do it and trust that He will provide for my needs. Perhaps I reach out to people who are different from me without fear, or despite fear. I give up my own life in order to live for His glory. I think it involves sacrifice and leaving my comfort zone. When I continue to only do what is comfortable, then I have no need of a Big trust or a Big God. By remaining in my comfort zone, I am essentially putting my trust in God inside a box and putting a lid on it.

 

I am done putting the lid on what God can do in my life.

 

Yes, today I am asking

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders!

I'm back!

Well, I haven't posted on the blog for a while (almost 2 years! Gasp!) but I'm back now! I spent some time last night reading through the blog and it really blessed me to see how strong my faith was back then. I'm not sure I would say it's that strong today. But God usually speaks to me as I journal or write in conjunction with my Scripture reading. So back to writing it is :)

God has really been doing a work in me lately and I'm excited to have a place to share it. (Like why I packed up my entire closet -ouch!)

If you're still here and reading, drop in and say Hi! I'd love to know your still with me <3 p="">May God bless you all as you seek to know Him better ~Shannon

Sufficiency

It's funny how God will lay a little thing on your heart, a whisper, perhaps and if you are careful to listen, you may just get to watch Him in action as, right before your eyes, He will take that little thing and expand it into something more. This could be an idea that He is growing or a ministry even but as it happened in my case, it was a personal command.

Last week, probably about 10 days ago now, I was sitting in a Tuesday evening Beth Moore Bible study. I don't even remember what it was that Beth was saying on the video, but something sparked me to write at the top of my page "Is God calling me to a season of aloneness with Him?" How could I have know how my life would change from seeking out the answer to that one question. And now that I feel that I have gotten my answer (I will expand on that in a minute), I am looking back, reflecting and wondering, what if I had not listenend? What if I had not been attentive to His whisper? How much time and imtimacy with Him would I have forfeited while He was seeking out other ways to get my attention??

Well, imagine my surprise when a large part of Beth's lesson that night was about our time alone with the Lord and our intimacy with Him out of that time! I really felt like that was confirmation that He was indeed calling me into a season of aloneness with Him. And ever since then, several things have come my way to continue to point me into this time with Him.

So what does a season of aloneness with God really look like? Does it really mean to be alone? Well, first off, He has called me to clean all of the commitments off my schedule, except for one. I feel like He has been saying that my focus is to be on Him and ONLY on Him. Our family has had several trying weeks this winter and honestly, I think that a part of the reason that I am so busy is for the distraction that it provides. But once He started to call me into this season of aloneness, the devil just jumped on it and has given me a desire to be totally alone. Yes, I desire isolation right now, but since God never calls us into isolation, I know that it is not from Him. That is one reason why I am keeping the one commitment - to prevent myself from being isolated.  He has also been laying on my heart the theme of idols. He is revealing to me that my friendships with my closest girlfriends are an idol in my life and that those relationships are coming between me and Him. I feel like yesterday He literally said to me, "When you need advice, you come to me. When you're lonely, you come to me. When you have something that you need to talk about, you come to me. When you're having a bad day and you feel like it's all falling apart, you come to me. Don't you go to your girlfriends. Yes, you call them and you absolutley ask them to pray for you, but don't you share your details with them and you are not to go to them seeking comfort, council or reassurance. You come to me to meet ALL of your needs AND I WILL BE YOUR SUFFICIENCY!!"

As if that wasn't powerful enough, this morning He spoke to me again. I happened to be looking up a verse in Mark. The page was full of paragraphs in black type except for one sentence that was in red and because of that, it caught my eye. It was Mark 6:31 which says "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." WOW! I even felt like He was saying it with my name in front of it, "Shannon, let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest for awhile." I felt like He was saying, "I know your needs Sweetheart, so come over here to be alone with me and I will meet ALL of your needs and you can rest awhile." In the midst of my trials, He is offering to draw me deeper into His arms, meet every need that I have AND give me rest!! How could I NOT go? How could anything else even seem attractive in comparison to that?

So, what season is God calling you into? What has He been whispering to you? Have you been listening? Are you willing to go?

I pray dear friends that He would bless you richly in your time with Him!!

What is your 'Egypt'?

I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:45

Over and over again in the Old Testament, God is pointing the Isrealites back to the Exodus out of Egypt. He is continually calling them to remember what He has done for them. As we approach Thanksgiving here in the United States, many people are pausing to reflect on what they are Thaknkful for in their lives. So, I am wondering --

What is it that God has done for you in your past?

What is your 'Egypt'?

What has He redeemed and rescued you from?

Addiction? Stress? Pride? Bitterness? Anger? Depression? Self-centeredness? Feelings of worthlessness? Shame? Guilt? Fear?

God has rescured you from those things to give you FREEDOM and a life of ABUNDANCE! Are you claiming that? Are you living fully in that? In Leviticus 11:45 God tells the Israelites that He brought them out of a life of bondage in order to be their God. He saves us because He desires a relationship with us!! Not because we deserve it but because He loves us! Are you Thankful for that this November? Thankful that you don't have to live in bondage but rather that we can live in His GRACE and His LOVE? YOU are someone of great worth and significance to God!! Please take a few minutes to pause today and reflect on what He has done for you. Please let go of your junk and embrace Him!

Journey Through Scripture - Day 4

The Journey Through Scripture  posts are written for the ladies in the small group that I am leading. We are spending the next year together reading through the entire Bible.

Day 4: Genesis 10-12, Matthew 4

I would encourage you to complete the reading before you read the blog posts :)

 

Genesis 12, Verse 1 -- God told Abram to leave and to go. God said that He would show Abram his destination but first Abram would have to begin on his journey. In verse 4 we see Abram's obedience. And I wonder, how many times has God called me to begin something, to set out on a journey with Him and I ignored Him? Are we listening for, are we heeding God's call to us?

 

Verse 2 -- God promises to bless Abram and that as a result, Abram would be a blessing to others. Do we recognize God's blessings on us? Am I only looking at or focused on the things that God has not given me?? Am I using the blessings that I have received to turn around and bless someone else?

Verse 13 -- Here we see Abram's humanity -- he tells his wife to lie for him. I am both saddened and relieved when I read this; saddened because he lied and so relieved to realized that God has never been about calling perfect people. He calls people who are willing (verse 4). Am I willing? Are you willing to be called?

Matthew 4 -- When Satan comes to tempt Jesus, Jesus does NOT argue with him. He doesn't even get into a discussion with him. Jesus simply quotes Scripture. Notice that Satan also quotes Scripture. Yes, he has studied it and knows it very well. That is why it is so important that we know it too!!

Verses 210 & 22 -- the disciples immediately left their lives behind and went to follow Jesus -- like Abram in Genesis 12.

Continue on in your reading ladies!! I am so proud of you all for coming on this adventure with me!

God Bless ~ Shannon

Journey Through Scripture - Day 2

The Journey Through Scripture posts are written for the ladies in the small group that I am leading. We are spending the next year together reading through the entire Bible.

Day 2: Genesis 4-6, Matthew 2

I would encourage you to complete the reading before you read the blog posts :)

Genesis 4:3 -- Cain brought some of his fruit as an offering. He didn't choose the first or the best.

Verse 4 -- Abel brought an offering from the firstborn of his flock.

God looked with favor on Abel and his offering. This made Cain upset, perhaps even jealous. Verse 7 says 'If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?' They were each given the same choice, the same opportunity to bring an offering that would be acceptable. They each knew what an acceptable offer was and Cain chose not to offer it. So what was really the difference in their offerings?? Does God just require robot-like obedience? I believe that their offerings reflect the condition of their hearts and show us the state of each of their relationships with God. Abel's heart was in a state of worship as he came before his creator with his offering. I am not sure where Cain's heart was when he came before the Lord, but he was not *Worship* focused.

I want to challenge you to think about this:

Do you more closely identify with Cain or with Abel?

Are we like Abel? Giving God the best of ourselves? The best of our talents and what we have to offer? 

Or are we like Cain? Do we hold back the best of ourselves from God and then get bitter and upset when He doesn't bless our 'efforts'?? 

I think if we are honest with ourselves, we are alot more like Cain than we care to admit. 

I pray ladies that you are keeping up with the reading and that God is blessing you through His Word!

Journey Through Scripture - Day 1

The Journey Through Scripture posts are written for the ladies in the small group that I am leading. We are spending the next year together reading through the entire Bible.

Day 1: Genesis 1-3, Matthew 1

I would encourage you to complete the reading before you read the blog posts :)

Genesis ch.3, verse 1 -- By asking Eve 'Did God really say ...?' Satan is trying to cause her to doubt God. He still does this to us today. Any area of our life where we doubt God, is an area where our faith is weakened. This doubt even caused Eve to mis-quote what God had said by adding that they were told not even to touch the tree (verse 3). She was shaken by this attack on her trust in God. In verse 6 we see Satan's bag of tricks: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. This is the very same technique that he used on Jesus when we tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4). Jesus combated this attack by quoting Scripture to Satan. It is so important that we KNOW what the Bible says so that we have it as a tool against these attacks on our faith. It is so important that we don't make the mistake that Eve made by not knowing EXACTLY what God has said. And by being aware of the tricks that Satan is trying to use against us, we can ready ourselves to stand against it!

Matthew 1 -- Men and women, Jews and Gentiles are listed in the genealogy of Christ. God's plan was always to include everyone! I always used to wish I was Jewish so that I could be one of God's chosen people. If only I would've read the Bible sooner, I would've realized that I have been one of His chosen since before my birth! And so are YOU! I am so thankful for that!!

*****************

On a life note: after I had written in my notebook this morning about Satan trying to cause us to doubt our faith, I was given the opportunity to put that into practice. Colin's father asked this morning if Colin could spend the night tonight. (He is supposed to come back home at 5). I said no but now I am wondering if he will bring him back at 5 or not. I know that this is just the devil trying to play a mind game on me. I also know, that he doesn't want anyone reading their Bible and that I will be under some Spiritual attack for leading you through reading it. But I still choose to lead the group. I still choose to trust that God loves Colin and has some wonderful and amazing plans for his life. I am choosing to hand my concerns over to God in prayer and to spend the day NOT WORRYING!

I pray that you all have a Blessed Day today!!

I love you ~ Shannon

Journey Through Scripture

We have small groups at our church, which we call Community Groups. This year I am very blessed and humbled to have the privilege of leading one of these groups! The focus of these groups is to build community - become Family with each other, and to study the Bible. It is about so much more than just Bible study -- it is about the relationships we have and how we glorify God through those and help each other in our Faith Walks.

My group - I call it my CG, short for Community Group -- has two verses as our sort-of purpose statements. The first one is 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. If we miss the mark on this one, we have totally missed the mark. Our study of Scripture will mean NOTHING if we cannot fulfill this verse. Our second verse is Job 34:4b Let us learn together what is good. The focus of the 'study' part of our group will be to read through the Bible together in a year. We have a reading plan that we will follow which consists of 365 daily readings from both the Old and New Testaments. Tonight will be our first get-together and tomorrow we will begin with Day 1. I am super excited!

So, what does all this  have to do with the blog?? Well, I am afraid that I will have far too many words on my heart for sharing in our time together. (Believe it or not, I am a talker! LOL) I want to hear what the other ladies are getting out of their reading. So, I am going to use the blog as a place for sharing my thoughts as I read through - a place where the ladies in the CG can come, read and be encouraged. Each time that the post is designed for our CG, the title of the post will say Journey Through Scripture. I will list what 'Day' reading we are on and I will also list the verses so that you can follow along with us.

May you each be blessed as you seek to know Him better! And let me encourage you in this: if you have not read your Bible yet today -- GO DO IT :)

God Bless ~ Shannon

I am almost ready to start writing on the blog again. I know this because this morning, I wrote a post in my mind :)

I feel like I've been gone for a  really long time but it's only been just over two weeks. I have had a lot of things change in life since I was last here so I am interested to update you all. Also, I think maybe my approach to the blog will change some too. That's still just an idea though.

I pray you are all doing well and I will leave you with this photo that I took recently:

God Bless ~ Shannon

Taking A Break

I really enjoy the blog and I really enjoy the process of writing. I have a notebook of blog post notes that I write in when something comes to mind. Sometimes, the ideas just flow and I will write, or partially write several posts at a time.

I have alot of things that I want to share with you all, such as -- some great pics from Hurricane Irene and a lesson in them too, school is starting this week and I wanted to share with you all that I found my Sabbath!! But I have to be honest with you ... I just do not have the desire to sit at the computer. Life is flowing along very happily for us in the real world but I am feeling like I am neglecting the blog, like I need to be here writing, because there are things on my heart to share, but lately, I just can't bring myself to sit here and write them.

So, I have decided to take a break for a while. I have no idea how long it will last. I was gong to leave you with a picture but I think instead I will share a short video of part of my Sabbath -- it is Zoe and Colin playing in the Atlantic Ocean. When I stand on the shore of the ocean, I am always in awe of how Big God is and how powerful. And He chose me and loves me. On purpose! There just aren't feelings to describe that ...

May the Lord bless you all as you seek to know Him better ~ Shannon

Musical Monday: Give Me Jesus

Today's song is Give Me Jesus as sung by Fernando Ortega.

The picture of this video is not so good but I couldn't find the one that I wanted. The picture doesn't matter anyway because the lyrics are so beautiful! Have a wonderful Monday everyone!

Thankful

it's about 8:30 AM here in Maine and we are awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Irene. It's raining right now but not alot and the wind is light and sporadic. I am not concerned about it really except for the one 100-foot tree next door. If it goes down, it will take the telephone pole with it and probably rip the power lines off of our house and our street will be without power -- without power and with power lines and a tree in the middle of our dead-end street! (It just started to downpour!)

Here is something that I am thankful for this morning: The God of the Universe, the God who controls the wind and the waves, is the same God who hold my fragile heart in His hands! How incredible is that??

And here is something else that I am thankful for this morning: I am thankful for our Military and also that I am not this man guarding the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier today. Say a prayer today for all who are in Irene's path and also for all those who are serving our country -- Matt's brother is in Afghanistan right now.
God Bless and Be Safe ~ Shannon

According to the 3rd U.S. INF Regiment The Old Guard Facebook page, "A lone Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), walks his tour in humble reverence during Hurricane Irene in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Aug 27. Members of The Old Guard have guarded the Tomb every second, of every day regardless of weather or holidays since April 6, 1948."