Contentment

Week 2 of Melissa Taylor's online-bible study of An Untroubled Heart


Chapter 4 : The Pressure's On
(an excerpt from Micca Campbell's An Untroubled Heart)


Finding Balance in Contentment
...Balance comes when I lay my to-do list before God and allow Him to prioritize my life. My life does not belong to me as a Christian. I shouldn't be the one ordering my days. When I do, my life becomes unstable. When this happens I've learned to do a quick review of my life by using this acrostic on priorities given to me by a friend:
P - Pray. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him to show you his priorities for this season of your life.
R - Review God's priorities for your life. Study God's word to determine His priorities for you as His child and as a woman.
I - Take Inventory. Examine the activities that consume your time. (what are my true priorities? Are they the right ones?)
O - Order your schedule. Ask, "what is important?" Make the hard choices based on God's priorities for your life.
R - Resist the "tyranny of the urgent". Don't let the urgent keep you from focusing on the truly important.
I - Input from others. Seek input, counsel, and accountability from authorities, your husband, godly friends, and mentors.
T - Take advantage of the time God gives you. Don't waste time. Do all to the glory of God.
I - Identify time robbers. What saps your energy and robs your time? Activities, attitudes, distractions, interruptions?
E - Experience this season fully. Be all there in this season of life. Weep, rejoice, work hard, and celebrate with all your hear. Don't waste time living in the past or future.
S - Sabbaths. Take regular time-outs to refresh, regain perspective, reflect and evaluate, and reprioritize. Make adjustments accordingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I read through this chapter again, I regain perspective on what God wants me to be. God wants me to accomplish things according to His will. God wants me to accomplish it and not lose my eye on Him. God wants me to take advantage of the time He has given me. God doesn't want me to procrastinate and waste my time being..."useless". God wants me to PRIORITIZE.

It hits me every time. I know I've been always organized with my life and all, but ever since things happened with my life in the past 2 years, I've been...well...disorganized. Life is cruel at times, but we can always count on God. God is awesome. :)

Lord God,
Thank you for opening my heart and mind again to your word. Thank you for giving me resources to constantly remind me from time to time that YOU will never leave my side. Thank you for reminding me to prioritize and be content with life. Teach me to balance life. Teach me to lay my to-do list before You. Thank you for another promise that you have unfolded. Amen.

STAY TUNED.

Let Go and Let God.

So 2 weeks ago, I have joined Melissa Taylor's online bible study for Micca Campbell's book An Untroubled Heart and I must say I am very happy. I have been reading An Untroubled Heart and I've been longing to do a study with some close friends, but unfortunately, everyone's "too busy". But I am not here to rant again about that. I am here to share my thoughts and what-not's as I go through this study.

Tulips blooming in the spring symbolizes HOPE
and by that I find it very beautiful.

Chapter 3: Fashioned for Faith -- Not Fear
(an excerpt from An Untroubled Heart by Micca Campbell)
Live Like You Believe.
Hope provides me with this confidence: that God will forgive all my sins. He will renew me. He will give me peace in times of turmoil. He will heal my sickness and comfort my sorrows. He will fight for me. He will guide me. He will protect me. He will strengthen me and He will care for me until all my fears are swallowed up by an undying faith in a God who is more than able to supply all my needs. Faith believes that God is real, and Hope is the confidence that He'll do what He said He will do. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have highlighted that part of the chapter, three months ago, and as I was reading that again, it struck me....AGAIN. Every time I get discouraged I tell myself that it will be ok in the end, but that bit of HOPE gets me going til the end. Life is hard...as cliche as it may sound...it really is. As I am slowly going back to where I was with my walk with Christ, I face countless struggles more often. It's almost like the devil is bombarding me with every single attack that he can do to me to stray me away from God. I admit, there are days when I'm just so...blah (emotionless I must say). There are days when I feel angry the moment I wake up and I would feel nothing but hate. The devil works in crazy ways, but I know that my God is greater and that he works in mysterious ways. Since I started working my way back to God, I feel the enemy's presence constantly pulling me away, but in that same moment, I can feel God's stronger presence pulling me towards Him. Amazing isn't He? And as much as I give in to fear at times, I am learning to give in fully to FAITH.

Point is: LET GO and LET GOD.

STAY TUNED.

Saved by a Boat

Last night as I was reading my newly purchased book by Micca Campbell, this part of the chapter that I was reading really put me a whole new perspective regarding Noah's ark. It's quite fascinating actually that I HAVE to just share it with you all! Below is an excerpt from the book.
(it's such a good read, I suggest everyone to go and purchase!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(an excerpt from Micca Campbell's An Untroubled Heart)

This world is full of pessimism. As Christians who live carefree in the care of God, we have no biblical right to wring our hands and wonder what we're going to do in the face of present-day troubles. Instead, Christ commanded that in the midst of persecution, confusion, wars, and rumors of wars, we are to encourage one another of his triumphant return. On the other hand, millions of people in our world today have every reason to fear because their lives are so entangled with sin and selfishness. This describes not only our society, but the people of Noah's day, too. Yet  in the midst of conflict, God has promised genuine peace, a sense of security that only he can provide. This kind of peace is not found in our world, nor is it found in trying too pacify our selfish desires. In Noah's day, the way of peace came by a boat.

When Noah finished the ark, God extended an invitation to him and his family to come aboard. The ark is a picture of salvation. In fact, we can see many similarities between Noah's ark and our salvation provided by Christ's death on the cross. The covering (roof) of the ark illustrates the atonement. Atonement means to cover one's sin. It is the process of establishing a right relationship with God. Christ is our atonement.

• The size of the ark illustrates the sufficiency and greatness of Christ and His salvation. 
• The ark had only one window at the top, and Noah had to look up to see out. This illustrates the place of prayer in the Christian's life.
• Noah entered the ark through a single door. This points to Christ as the only way to God. 
• The ark illustrates the salvation experience of the the believer. God's judgement was about to be unleashed on the world, but God provided a way of escape in the ark. All who fear God and his judgment are wise in receiving His salvation through Christ Jesus. 
• After Noah and his family entered the ark, the flood came. This illustrates baptism, which follows salvation. The flood didn't save Noah, his family, and the animals. The ark saved them. The flood washed away evil, cleansing the earth and making all things new. Likewise, baptism doesn't save the believer. Placing our trust in Christ's death and resurrection is our salvation. As a result, we are made new and clean, having been washed from our sin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STAY TUNED.