If.

Hi Friends,
Another update in the Order in the Bible series. Last time I did Psalm 37:4. Check it out if you didn't get to read it. Today I have another one for you:

Proverbs 1:23 If you turn at my reproof,behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
So whats the order here?
1. Repent
2. God will pour out His spirit and make His words known.

How often are we looking for God to speak, to show us the way or to give us a sign? If your me: often. I'm always asking Him to make my path clear, and to give me wisdom. (hint for the next post). But how often to I fail to repent first: often. In this version it starts with "IF" which I think is so perfect (note my opinion on whether or not I like what scripture says is not important). I think it is perfect though in that it demonstrated that there is a choice to be made. If we turn at His reproof. If we repent. If we humble ourself. IF. Meaning for the latter to happen, the former must happen first. A beautiful order.

Repentance. A turning from sin to God. How often do I fail to repent. How often does God with hold His spirit and His thoughts due to my lack of repentance. Friends what is God asking you to repent? What are you clinging to instead of Him? I find int he times where I walk away from God, I feel like He is distant though I know I'm the one that took those steps away whether quickly or slowly, I moved He didn't. And He knew He would need to tell me to come back if I want to hear Him. Come back if I want to feel His strength and comfort. He is continually calling us back.

Friends are you feeling distant from Him? He's calling you to come back in the most patient and gentle way and when we return His call He welcomes us with love. with warmth, with wisdom. What has God been asking you to turn from? What are you putting before Him?

Let me know how I can pray for you.
<3
Anita

Delight THEN Desire

As a type A personality, who is slightly OCD, there is something that I always pick up on: order.
Things without order, I tend to create one. But thankfully God knew that there would be people like me reading His word and He gave an order.

In Psalm 37:4 He says  "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." (ESV).

So whats the order :
1. Delight yourself in the Lord
2. He will give you the desires of your heart.

So often we ask God for things, we expect the second without doing the first. I'm so guilty of this. Despite my love of order, I want to go out of order with this.

Now people debate on this verse does it mean : He will give you what your heart desires? OR does it mean He will make your heart desire His will? I've read great commentaries claiming each side, and it comes down to this I believe: I think its kind of both. The more you delight in God the more your heart desires the right thing, but the more you honor God the more He honors you.

Friends, let's encourage each other to delight in the Lord. Lets hold each other accountable, share experiences and thoughts, lets come together and delight Him together. It's that delight that will change our hearts, and lead us down the path He is blessing.

A lesson in Faith from a Ford Fusion

So I take my car to the dealership to get an oil change and I mention that one of my tires has been saying it needs air even when I put it in but it hasn't gone flat. So we get there and the guy is like the whole side wall of your tire is cracked and there is a nail in it. The fact it didn't blow out is a miracle they tell me. So they tell me than can patch the nail, but that the wall of the tire could fail and I should know that. They tell me they can do 1 tire, 2, 3, or 4. Now I should tell you those tires have been on my car since I bought it (its at about 40,000 miles and I bought it with 37  agree to fix it but they say they don't have the tires and will send me home in a rental until tomorrow. Tires are expensive and that sucks but I decided to do all 4 because I needed them anyway in the next 5000 miles. So they call me today saying something happened and they can't get my tires until tuesday but they will give me better tires and charge me less if thats ok with me. can we talk about God working things out. also the guy who helped me yesterday used to work at Miami hospital as a scrub tech for like 20 years and knew exactly what I was doing as a PA student and was such a help. He kept saying "everything happens for a reason"

I gotta tell you friends. Just this morning I was thinking about when I got the car... and how God worked out me getting a really nice car at a crazy low price and worked out all the details. I have to tell you, I'm spoiled with the car He gave me and I realized that yesterday as I drove away in my rental 2013 ford focus. I realized the difference in the leather in the car, the difference in the size, how smoothly my 6 cylinder sports car drives.  I've offered to trade it in for a less expensive car countless times as I sometimes feel guilty for having such a nice car when people don't have food, or clothes or homes. But yesterday God showed me how that was a gift He gave me, and it's not wrong to accept a gift from my heavenly Father.  I was thinking as I was driving this morning that I missed my gift and couldn't wait to get it back from the dealership. I thought about how God knew me when He gave me that car- He knew me better than I knew myself because the car I affectionately call Grace was not one I thought I wanted at all and yet God was so clear that that was the car and this was the price and here's someone to buy your old honda civic. 

So this morning when my phone rings I'm worried because it's a number I don't recognize but I know its from where the car dealership is. It's a gentleman named Anthony who tells me my tires (which were going to cost me $745 for 4 (hello sports car tire price)... that they weren't available until Tuesday (let me tell you how much my schedule wouldn't allow me to make it to the dealership by 5 on Tuesday). I took a deep breath as Anthony continued. He goes on to say they are going to upgrade my tires for free, not going to charge me labor or to mount the tires, and they are going to let me pay $700 for 4 tires that are over $200 each. 

In what world does that happen? 

Let's recap:

1. My original tire should have blown out. Getting to the dealership was a miracle.

2. The tires I picked they were already giving me a deal on 

3. They are giving me better tires for a lower price. Seems backwards. 

And it was as if this whole time God has been saying to me : LOOK I show you time and time again I know what I'm doing. You seem to have forgotten. Let me just remind you that I can work miracles big and small. I have never forsaken you. 

And my heart just replied: Father, forgive me. 

If the God of the universe can work out my tire situation, which lets be honest in the grand scheme of the worlds problem is so minor, than how much more can I trust He is going to work out my job situation, our living situation, my husbands golfing, ect. If He has proven faithful in the small things, how much more can I trust He can do the bigger things. 

So today I'll have Grace the Ford Fusion back. 

But more importantly today I was reminded of Grace. I was taught thankfulness. I was reminded to have Faith. 

A very unexpected lesson of faith from my Ford Fusion