Be anxious for nothing

 Philippians 4:11 “ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:6 “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God.  7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Everything is as it’s supposed to be.  That is hard many times things are not the way we want them to be, but if we trust in our sovereign, God who loves us in a perfect love, then we have to trust things are as they are supposed to be, and he is working everything out for His glory and our good.  

Be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and Thanksgiving let your request be made known to God and let the peace of God transcend your understanding.  TRUST Him!!  

God is doing a new thing

 Proverbs 3:5 “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

In the past few years, I’ve lost my mom, my dad and my dog.  I have gained three beautiful daughter-in-law’s and five amazing grandchildren. Currently, I have lost my ability to walk without crutches, yet I have gained the ability to rest and be fully present in my conversations.   When, I quit drinking I started living.   When we loose  someone or something  it’s hard to understand.  In our losses, God is doing a new thing. Embrace His new thing!! Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not onto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

Who are you pleasing?

 John 5:30 “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.”  

John 5:44 “ How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?”

When I am reading John five this morning, I am thinking about how I try to please myself and how I try to please others.  I’m evaluating if, I'm actually am living to please God.   Most often, I see I am more of a self pleaser and a people pleaser than I am a God pleaser.  I hope this helps you take a deeper look whom you are trying to please today.  😇🙏❤️

Are bread crumbs your main course?

 Proverbs 27:7 “ He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even the bitter tastes sweet.”  Have you heard of the phrase “bread crumbing”?  It’s a term that blames the person being kind with stringing someone along.  But if we are full of the love of God in the first place we cant be strung along with bread crumbs!!  I have been guilty of misreading someone’s kindness as romantic interest.  I have dove into that because of being so staving inside that bread crumbs felt like a meal.   Matthew 6:33 “ Seek first the kingdom and God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”  In today’s society, people blame the person leaving breadcrumbs as being guilty of wrong doing.  We can never get well if we blame our own behaviors on someone else’s actions.   If you’ve been tempted to take breadcrumbs from someone as you’re a romantic fulfillment, take a deep look at your heart are you truly seeking God first?  Are you remembering that you are more than enough in Him? I have forgotten many times and put a human relationship above fully trusting God.   I hope this helps you today be full in our Lord Jesus Christ, and you will not easily fall for bread crumbs.

Family First!

 1Timothy 5:4 “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their own parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.  Put your religion into practice into practice, for this is pleasing to God!   Faith without works is dead.   We are not saved by our works,  we are saved by faith.  When we do good works it's pleasing to God and pleasing to us!  It’s not easy to look after people.  Everybody feels busy, busy, busy!! When we take the time to be still, have good visits and go a little further than is comfortable, we are being pleasing.  I often forget God is watching, He is with each of us always.    When I forget, my selfishness and not such pure motives, take hold.  When I  remember; He is right here, right now, holding me giving me strength to be His light.  It helps me to let go of my agenda and embrace putting my religion into practice by caring for my own family. This is pleasing to God.   😇 I’m so thankful for my family members that have taken their time and resources to show me the love of God.  

I have a saying, “you can’t go save the world when your own family is broke.”  Think of how wonderful this world could be if each and everyone of us just reached in to our own families.

Get priorities straight

 Proverbs 24:17 “Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that build your house.”

Get your priorities straight!  Many times I chase rainbows. Putting much effort into things that will not  help me achieve my long term goals. I can get side tracked with things that seem urgent that are not all that important.  ( Steven Covey’s habits of highly effective people)  Today as I read this verse it reminds me to reevaluate my efforts and priorities.  I hope it helps you too😇

Perfect love casts out fear

 1John 4:18-19. “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because He first loved us.”   Perfect love casts out fear.  The only perfect love comes from God.  He loves us so much that while we were yet sinners He sent His only begotten Son to die for us!! He knows us and still He loves us!!!  God is all powerful!   God is infinitely big and intimately small.  We can not understand His immense love for us or His immense  power. We can trust in it!   We not fear because the God in this universe loves each of us intimately and no matter how wrong things may seem he is working it out because he loves us trust in his love today

Let go of worthless idols

 Jonah 2:8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”    Guilty!!  I have clung to many a worthless idol!!  I have an addictive personality.  I can become obsessed with things that are not of God.   When I was in the midst of my alcoholic behaviors, I was obsessed with making sure I had a supply of alcohol.  Alcohol had become my God.  Relationships can also become my “God”.   My physical fitness too, has become my obsession.  In AA we say anything that you put above your sobriety you will loose.   It’s the same for what we put above God.  When we seek God first and strive to do life His way, letting His word be a lamp to our feet; we let go of our pride and embrace the gifts He has given us. We stop obsessing over what we don’t have and start embracing what we do.   We start living in thankfulness seeing what we have is what’s supposed to be.   God haves us where he wants us.  Even if it’s not where we want to be.  Jonah needed to be in the belly of the whale so he could realign his thinking. Sometimes we need to be in the belly of the whale too.   “Those who cling to worthless idols, forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”   Let go of the worthless idols and cling to the grace of Jesus!!

Dont be afraid

 Proverbs 22:13 “The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!” or “I will be murdered in the streets!”

A sluggard is fearful and uses that fear to not try.   Today, i am going back for an other round of treatment.  Yesterday the pain from the presure in my ears was incredibly painful.  They put tubes in my ears and that was painful. I am tempted to say, “ There is a lion outside!”   And not try again.   Many things in our lives can be the “lion outside “.  People can fear having close friends because they have been hurt in the past and therefore decide not to let anyone close again.   We can have tried buisness adventures, failed and became embarrassed so as to not try again.     My first track meet in college I took dead last at the 400 M indoor race.   I almost got lapped!!   Then my coach discovered I was a distance runner and the next race I participated in was the 1500M.  When I raced that I broke the school record and took first place.  Never never never give up. Don’t be afraid the lines outside maybe be a little cautious, but don’t let them hinder you.

He has plans for you

 Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   He has plans for us!! Everything will be used for His glory and our good.  Today I am starting a 5-8 weeks treatment schedule for my leg.   This verse is reminding me God has plans for me!   Plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future.   He has His plans for each of us.   Let’s be healthy and well today, by trusting in God’s plans.   😇🙏❤️

Wilson equals heart and heart

 Hebrews 3:6 “But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says; “Today, if you hear His voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in rebellion, during the times of testing in the desert,”.      Do not harden our hearts!!    When we  willfully embrace the sin in our lives His Holy Spirit is nudging us to give up. We are hardening our hearts our hearts.     I have embraced many sins that have lead me to a hardened heart, premarital sex, gluttony,  lust, greed, worry, complaining……the list goes on and on.    I have had thought,   “I cant get rid of this, so I just wont try any more.”  A hardened heart is  a poison that spreads.  If I compromise my convictions in one area of my life Pretty soon, I’m compromising in many areas.  When I continue in willful rebellion in one area of my life,  it infects all areas of my life.    Be encouraged to “nip the bud” of a hardening heart.   Many “sins” are acceptable behaviors in our society.  We are His society, we are the house of God.   Is His Holy Spirit convicting you to clean house?   Be courageous and hopeful when you follow His way as difficult as it may be, you will enter into His rest!!  Avoid 40 years in the desert!   Do the hard correction today so you don’t suffer with a hardened heart tomorrow!

Dont wallow in the whats wrong marvel in the magnificent

 Ephesians 5:20 “

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Don’t wallow in what’s wrong, wondering why….. marvel in the magnificent and the many moments of miraculous!!   

Don’t wallow in what’s wrong, marvel in the magnificent!!

We are His right not our wrong!!

 Colossians 2:13 “And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.”   He makes us alive, forgiving all our trespasses!!!  ALL!!! He died once and for ALL!!    I remember when I first felt the forgiveness of Christ. I felt as beautiful as a virgin again and it was a 42-year-old drunk.   I didn’t think I would ever sin again.  I felt I had been set free!!!   I fell into sin again.  It’s this human condition.  With my sin, I was ready to take the guilt and shame back, then I realized He died for my ALL my sins,  yesterday‘s today’s  and tomorrow’s!!   There is  not a day He hasn’t seen!! He chooses to love us and forgive us through it all!!!  In order for me to be healthy and well I have to live in His continuous love and forgiveness.  When I am tempted to feel the guilt and shame, I have to shake it off and remember He died to free each of us from that. We will always be tempted to sin on this earth.  Many times we will give into those temptations.  Our sins do not  define us!! The righteousness of Jesus Christ defines us!!  Keep turning from the temptation and keep trusting God.      Don’t wallow in what’s wrong, marvel in the magnificent!!!

We are the righteousness of Jesus Christ no matter how many times we fall down!! 

This doesn’t give us a pass to keep on sinning.   It gives us a renewed heart to keep turning from our sin  and try, try, try again!!

Why do you look for the living among the dead?

 Luke 24:5 “In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”    2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!”  Isaiah 1:18 “ Come now and let us reason together”,  says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  

Why do you look for the living among the dead? When I quit drinking? I had to intentionally find friends that didn’t drink. One of my dearest friends says, “you can have friends that are not in the program,  but your best friends should be in the program.” The people in our sphere of influence, need to be the people that can lift us up.   Need to be the people that are willing to show us where we are messing up.   If you have been washed white as snow why do you go play in the middle of the and expect to stay clean?    Why do you look for the living among the dead?   Be a good friend, keep good friends in your inner circle.   

A happy heart is good medicine

 Proverbs 15:13 “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”  Proverbs 17:23 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” 

Don’t worry, be happy! There is always, always something to be thankful for!!   Proverbs 23:7 “As a man thinks in his soul, so shall he be.”   We have a choice every moment are we going to wallow in a pit or are we going to walk in joy.   Just like love is a choice not a feeling.   Happiness and joy is a choice too. I need the peace of the Joy of Jesus first to “be” happy.       I have that joy remembering; I am loved by the most high God, and the most high God is in me!!  Therefore there is always, always something to be thankful for.   Trust, thankfulness and targeted thinking on what is right.  Helps us live in happiness and joy.      

Follow the peace

 Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!!  Peace!! God’s peace!! Be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and thanksgiving make your requests be knows to God and the peace of God will rule in your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.   Peace!! Follow the peace!    I can feel it when I’m making a bad decision when I’m doing something outside the will of God; the anxiety in my heart builds. When have I prayed about something, and I’ve read the Bible, thought about what it says as it pertains to whatever I’m dealing with, then act accordingly I have the peace of God.  When I follow the peace in my actions and firmly trust Jesus in all of my circumstances I have much more peace.  Today, pay attention;  are you following the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ in humble Thanksgiving? Or are you living in anxiety, worry or fear?   Follow His peace!!

Turn over thinkingbinto praying

 Colossians 2:6 “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

My mind is constantly working overtime. I’m rehashing conversations. I’m thinking about things that I could do or should do; thinking, thinking, thinking.  Sometimes, my thinking is far away from the Lord, if I have a conversation that I’m replaying in my head, I’m talking to no one except myself today I’m hoping to take those conversations and make them conversations with God.  When I start thinking, thinking, thinking; instead I’ll start praying praying praying and be thankful. I see the emptiness in my life if I’m thinking about Kimberly thoughts, but when I look at what I have to be thankful for and realize, all I have is from God.   I feel a peace.  Today, may you be inspired to be thankful above all else and turn your over thinking into praying.

Be anxious for nothing

 Philippians 4:4 “ Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!  5 Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  6 Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will gaurd your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts.  Be anxious for nothing! When I have expectations and they go unmet, I can allow myself to become anxious.  Yesterday, I was speaking with a young mom,  she’s having issues with her husband.  When I was married, I had all kinds of expectations I put upon my husband.  Many time I expected him to read my mind and meet those expectations.  My expectations would go unmet and often not even acknowledged, due to my lack of communication.  I would become anxious.   My joy and peace was contingent on an other persons behavior, not upon God.   Today, so I can “not be anxious about anything”, I will rejoice always, be gentle and take my requests to God with prayer and thanksgiving.    I will let go of expectations on people and trust in God alone.

Treat you body like a temple not a trsh can

 Ephesians 2:22 “And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” 

1 Corinthians 6:19. “ Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.”   Our Bodies are His temples.   He fills us with His Holy Spirit that we may know Him and honor Him in all of our minds, hearts, souls and  physical bodies.   Sexual purity honors God.   Taking care of our physical health honors God.  I can get caught in  “doing good” and put my own health on the back burner.   I can also go the other way and get over fixated on my physical conditioning.    In this life we only get one body.   When our bodies are sick we don’t produce the fruit we are capable of.    When I stop and make time to get time in my Bible, time in prayer, time to eat  nutritious food, time for plenty of good quality sleep and time for exercise daily, I am empowered in my physical body.   When I don’t take care of my physical body, my emotional and spiritual health suffer.   When my spiritual health suffers, hopelessness runs rapid.   Today be inspired to treat your body like a temple not a trash can!!  Sleep well, think well, eat well , move well.    Be Holy because He is Holy!!

Take His yoke

 Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  

His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  When two Oxen are yoked to a load they share the load and their job is managed.  I often try to tackle my life on my own         I don’t want to burden other people to pray for me.   I don’t want to burden God with things I think I should be able to handle.    When I take life’s issues on, by myself it takes a lot out of me.   I stand strong like a warrior and but inside I am crumbling.   When I remember,  I am not to take these burdens on alone; I am to TRUST Jesus is with me every step of the way working all things out for His glory and my good.   I can’t change people, places or things.   I can’t  control a staph infection or bone growth.    I can take His yoke upon me and rest in whatever my day brings.    I hope this helps you too remember what ever battle you are fighting right now; you do not need to stand alone, like a proud warrior.   You can choose to stand strong, yoked to Our Omnipotent  Savior!!  He makes our burdens light. He gives us rest for our souls in what ever battle we are in!!  Take His yoke upon you today!!

God’s got this

 Ephesians 1:11. “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.”  

I am recovering from my surgery in the hospital.   They will keep me here for at least 48 hours while they give me heavy duty IV antibiotics.   Then they’ll dial the antibiotics in when they get the cultures back and hope to send me home on oral medicine.  This is not my choice for the last day of 80degrees, but it is Gods’ plan for me.   He will work this all out for His glory and my good.   I can see He is working my injury and subsequent infection out for a greater purpose.     To be healthy and well I have to TRUST what is, is what’s supposed to be. Personally, I would rather be training for Chatta Jacks, water skiing, bicycling  and hanging out with my grandbabbies.  I have found I often don’t get what I want.    I know God gives me what I need.  I know He is at work in all things.  I TRUST He loves each of us intimately and will work all things out for our good and His glory.   Be inspired to TRUST Him in His plan for you today.  Wait for it to unfold patiently and calmly.   “God’s got this “. Is a great mantra!!😇🙏❤️

He has us where He wants us.

 This morning I am headed to surgery to clean out an infection in my wound associated with the hardware in my leg because of my broken leg.  It’s been almost ten weeks since my last surgery and I have had this infection for the past 7 weeks.  My new team of doctors feel it necessary to open it back up  and  clean it out and culture it.    I am tempted to be discouraged.  But my hope is not in the doctors my hope is in the Lord.  “ The Lord is good to those whose hope in Him; to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”   Waiting quietly means waiting in complete TRUST.   God knows what I need and He is meeting those needs.  He has me where He wants me, even when it’s not where I want you to be.    He has you too!!  Please pray for my surgery, pray for my Orthopedic team and complete recovery.   God is great at being attentive to our prayers.   Thanks so much.   Be fit and be blessed,   Kimberly😇🙏❤️

Be loved, then love

 1John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us.”

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”  

John 13:34 “ A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so must you love one another other.”  

Matthew 22:37 “Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Loving God and being loved by God can be really difficult for me. Human affection is something I’ve been taught to understand. God‘s love is something I have to meditate on to understand. I have to be still in my soul to recognize His love for me.   Loving Him back is also hard for me.   How do we do it? Jesus said, if we love Him we will obey His commands.  The two greatest commands are to love God and love others.    When I live my life, knowing I am deeply loved, created by Him, for Him, and He is with me always, it helps me love Him back.   When I love a person, I want to spend time with that person and give my best to them.  I believe that’s how we are to love God too.   When I love a person, I am constantly thankful for that person.  Sometimes,  I forget to be thankful that I have an intimate God who loves me dearly.  Sometimes I forget that out of my love for Him, I love one another other.  Today, I hope to remember😇.  We love Him, because He first loved us.

God rejoices over each of us

 Psalm 51:10 “Crate in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.   Isaiah 62:5 “As a young man marries a maiden, so your sons will marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoices over you.”  

I was reading this chapter in Isaiah when I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that God rejoices over me!  God rejoices over you!! I see the depravity of my heart, and I know my lack of belief, my lack of faith and I know how unlovable I am. Jesus makes us loved!!! He takes away our unworthiness and in exchange gives us His worth, because of what he did on the cross, for each of us.   We are not the sum of our past mistakes. We are righteousness of Jesus Christ!!! We are loved, just the way we are!!  He loves each of us intimately. It is so hard for me to accept this love. I can't understand why or how He could love me, let alone rejoice over me, but He does!!! Today, know He rejoices over you too!!   Because of what Jesus did for each of us, we are washed clean!! Our sins are forgiven and  forgotten.  We get a fresh start over and over.  We love God because He first loved us!! Let  Him restore to us the joy of our salvation and renew a right spirit within each of us to sustain us.  Be inspired to live loved today!!!