Memory Verses # 10 and #11

The past couple weeks have been crazy with end of school events and one mini crisis after another.  God is always faithful and with His strength and constant presence, I am doing A-ok despite the craziness.

Siesta Scripture Memory Team verse for May 15 is from Romans 12:14 (NIV)

Bless those who persecute you;

bless and do not curse.

 

Siesta Scripture Memory Team verse for June 1 continues with Romans 12:15-16 (GOD'S WORD Translation)
 

Be happy with those who are happy.

Be sad with those who are sad.

  

Live in harmony with each other.

Don't be arrogant,

but be friendly to humble people.

Don't think that you are

 smarter than you really are. 



Thank you Jesus that you are my example to follow.

SSMT Verse #9

I need this word!  This is my memory verse #9.  May 1-15, SSMT 2013

Be joyful in hope,

patient in affliction,

faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12 NIV

 

 PRAYER: 

Lord, help me in these areas...
in Jesus Name, AMEN.

Siesta Scripture Memory Team, Verse #8

"...In this world you will have trouble. 

But take heart!
I have overcome the world."

John 16:33 (NIV)   SSMT #8

This is Jesus speaking to his disciples- His closest followers- in the upper room during the Last Supper prior to His crucifixion.  He is also speaking to you and I- His current day disciples/followers, through this verse. 

I chose this verse to plant in my mind and heart because this world is indeed filled with trouble and I need the encouragement from Christ, that He gives me in this verse. 

As I read between the lines, I am reminded that "this world" is my temporary home... that my time in "this world" is only for a moment compared to the eternal home I have with Christ in paradise. 

In different Bible translations, the word "trouble" in this verse (John 16:33) also translates to, tribulation, oppression, difficulties, suffering, distress, and frustration.  That pretty much covers much of what we go through in our everyday lives here on earth, "in this world". 

When Christ states He has "overcome the world", I am again encouraged that His death "in this world" was only a death of His physical body.  He lived His life on earth sin free in a world filled with sin. He rose from the dead three days after a brutal crucifixion for the sacrifice of all sinners who believe in Him and is alive.  He gives this same gift of life with Him here in this world AND eternally in paradise to anyone who believes in Him.  Christ Jesus has indeed overcome the world. This reality, I surely take heart!

Today I begin to memorize John 16:33 with an attitude of gratitude to Jesus that He is my Savior.  Through Him I share in His victory and joy that He has overcome the world for you and me!

Soul Cancer~

Cancer is a serious health issue; it has touched my life through family members who have battled it- breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, and leukemia.  Cancer affects the health and drains energy from the body of those enduring with it; it can kill when left untreated.

Although I have personally not fought the battle of a physical cancer of the body, I do know what it’s like to battle a cancer of the soul.

My Story

On the outside, it appeared I was living the good life.  I was a stay home mom married to a pilot in the military.  We lived in a nice house in an upscale neighborhood, drove new vehicles, enjoyed many luxuries, and had what appeared to be a happy family.  But the reality was my marriage had been falling apart over time, and emotionally, I was at a point of complete brokenness.  Most days I put on a happy face so no one would suspect my reality of brokenness.  I was getting real good at the “fake it ‘til I make it” way of living.

My lowest point was when I experienced an emptiness that no amount of faking through it would help. I tried superficial stimulation like shopping and pampering myself, and that didn’t help.   I sought out inspiration through reading self help books and giving myself positive pep talks.  That didn’t help.  I began seeking new age spirituality, trying to find answers to the meaning of life just so I could feel better about myself and my circumstances.  I became intrigued with mediums and spirit guides and the supernatural, knowing I wanted to feel connection with a higher power.  But all these didn’t help and fell short of improving my condition.

Like a cancerous tumor in the body that grows and can multiply into something big and deadly, cancer of the soul does the same.  For me, it started out with disappointment of unmet expectations in certain areas of life.  Then add to that, self pity and hurt from being offended by people.  I worried over rejection, feeling unloved and unappreciated, and suffered from insecurity.  These all grew into anger, resentment, and bitterness.  I occasionally entertained thoughts of revenge toward my offenders.  Before I knew it, these emotions were like tumors that rapidly grew and multiplied invading every aspect of my life.  I had a full blown case of soul cancer.

Toward the end of 2001, I was in a place of complete emotional darkness.  It was then when I received a phone call from a lady from down the street in my neighborhood.  She called to invite me to a women’s small group “Bible Study” she was organizing in her home.  She was also a stay home mom and military wife; our children occasionally played together, but we had never got to know one another on a personal level.  When she phoned me with the invitation for Bible study, I almost said no, but something inside me blurted out “sure” and I accepted.  Up to this point in life (I was 37 years old), I had never read the Bible or even knew how to look up verses.

My husband, Kirk, and I both grew up in the Catholic religion as children and young adults.  After our school years we fell away from the religion and did not attend Sunday church services on a regular basis (only 2-4 times a year). Several times in my adult life, I looked inside the gold edged pages of the Bible we owned, but the words never made sense and there were too many ye, lest, thy and thou to keep my interest to keep exploring it’s message. 

I arrived at the first Bible study meeting with the only Bible I owned, a 2” thick oversized Catholic King James Bible my husband and I had received as a wedding gift; it was awkwardly large.  I noticed the other ladies with more compact sized Bibles that actually had wording that made sense when read out loud.  I immediately went to the local Christian book store and bought a new NIV (New International Version) Bible like the ones these other ladies had.  The NIV was a translation I could understand and relate to (no more ye, lest, thy and thou).

As I sat in this small group Bible study for the weeks to come, I learned how to lookup Scripture, I studied a Campus Crusade for Christ Curriculum on what it means to truly follow Jesus, and learned to pray from my heart rather than saying a bunch of words I’d learned as a child.  I could tell something was beginning to happen to my mental well being over this time; the emotions that had kept me in a dark prison of emptiness were slowly dissolving and I was experiencing life with new meaning.  

I remember on a rainy afternoon as Easter was approaching, I was sitting in the carpool lane of my kids’ school, and it was here that I accepted Jesus in my heart as my Lord and Savior. I was listening to a preacher give a sermon on the radio and at the end of the program he led a prayer of salvation that I said out loud with him with tears rolling down my face (tears of joy).  I learned what it meant to be “born again”.   For the first time in my life, I truly felt free and alive. I was a new creation in Christ, the old was gone the new was here.  Kirk and I began attending “Family Bible Church”, a non-denominational church, with my lady friend and her family and Kirk too began his journey with the Lord. 

As I reflect back over the years, I realize God had used a variety of people and circumstances to plant seeds of faith in my life.  In His perfect timing, when I finally got to the end of myself in complete brokenness, God used this Jesus loving lady down the street to invite me to her home for Bible study.  Because of her act of love and obedience to God, He was able to grab hold of my heart and show Himself in a mighty way.  Up to this point I had shunned anyone who wanted to talk to me about Jesus.  I used to secretly mock those people I called “Jesus freaks”.  When I’d stumble on a Christian radio station, the music/lyrics would make my skin crawl, and I’d quickly change the station to something Top 40 Pop.  But not now… things were different.  I couldn’t stop thinking about Jesus, learning more about Him, and was excited to listen to “Jesus music” on the radio. Through the most supernatural chain of events I’ve ever experienced, my empty darkness was turned to overflowing light through the power of Jesus.  I am honored to now be among those I called Jesus freaks.
  
Soul Cancer is Rooted in Unforgiveness

Easter season 2002, Jesus showed me that my many tumors- disappointment, self pity, anger, resentment, insecurity, bitterness, etc.- were emotions rooted in the sin of UNFORGIVENESS.  As I spent more time getting to know Jesus through Scripture, I felt His conviction to FORGIVE everyone who had offended and hurt me.

Complete forgiveness of everything and everyone that had hurt me was a hard thing to wrap my mind around.  I believed what people did was wrong and I thought if I forgave them I was sending the message to them that what they did to me was ok.  I thought if I held on to my feelings of anger toward them and their actions, I was punishing them in some way. Thinking this way is such a lie. The truth of the matter is forgiveness doesn’t mean I approved of the offenders’ actions and am letting them off the hook, forgiveness means I am eliminating the emotional poison from my life so that I could be free of the soul cancer and move on in a healthy way.  Unforgiveness does not punish the offender, it punishes the one holding onto the offence. Forgiveness is from the character of Christ and leads to health, peace and supernatural healing, while unforgiveness poisons the body and is cancer to the soul leading to death.

Here and Now

As we approach Easter this year, I celebrate the season when I met Jesus on a personal level, asked Him into my heart, was saved and He cured from soul cancer. I celebrate this week that over 2000 years ago, Christ Jesus died in my place for the forgiveness of my sins because He loves me so much.  And just as important as His death on the cross, He rose again three days later from the dead and lives!  During Easter season in 2002, Jesus saved me and healed me from a place of darkness and gave me a new life… through His resurrection, He raised me from the dead life I was living.  He restored and rebuilt my marriage to a place of strength and honor better than it’s ever been.  My children have been overflowed with blessing and favor as a result of Jesus entering my family’s life and curing my soul cancer.  As the Lord forgives me, I too shall forgive others… I never want soul cancer again!

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:12-13, NIV)   SSMT verse #7

Do you hold onto any unforgiveness?

 Do you want a cancer free soul?

Start today by leaving judgment, resentment, anger, and revenge in God’s hands.  

PRAYER~ 

Jesus, Please come into my life and heal me. I believe you died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and rose again three days later. I want to live in a way so that I can forgive others as you forgave me. Do what you need to do to to change my heart and cure me of unforgiveness toward ___________(name of person). I was hurt when he/she   ________________ (name of offense). It made me feel ______________ (unloved, unworthy, dirty, betrayed, misused, etc.). Through your mighty power Christ Jesus, I forgive ________ (name of person). I surrender my heart to you, Lord from this day forward.  Thank you for loving me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Motives SSMT Verse #6

I just heard a great sermon by Skip Heitzig on oneplace.com called, "The Right Thing, The Wrong Way".  He talked about our motives behind our actions.  The sermon really got me thinking about the many things I do in life thinking it's the right thing, to realize later I went about it the wrong way [with the wrong motives].

 

My newest SSMT verse will be Proverbs 16:2~

 

My prayer is that as I plant this truth in my heart, God will give me a fresh awareness to areas I need to surrender to Him.  I pray He guides my motives for His kingdom good.  The part of this verse that says, "motives are weighed by the Lord", I visualize a balancing scale where He places each motive I have on the scale to "weigh" it's intention.  Is my motive heavy in self promotion & meeting self needs to make life more comfortable?  Or is it heavy in Lord focus, meeting the will of God in my life to build good character, and meeting Kingdom needs? I want the side of the scale for the Lord to out weigh the side of the scale that is for me. May my motives be focused on Jesus and His glory alone.

Eyes on Jesus SSMT Verse #5

I've always been inspired by the story of Peter walking on water and then sinking when he got distracted (found in Matthew 14:22-33).  The many life application lessons from this example are a treasure to me.  In a nutshell, it teaches me to always believe, to pray- even short desperate prayers, and to keep my eyes on Jesus no matter the storm and distractions that surround me.  With Jesus, I can do the impossible and have my "walk on water" moments as I focus on Him, reach for Him as He assures me, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Matthew 14:27 NIV

 





 ^{For my Siesta Scripture Memory Team Verse # 5, I have chosen to continue in Hebrews  (SSMT #4 -Hebrews 12:1) and complete verse 2 for this next two weeks.  I've needed this Word pounded in my head and heart to keep me on the right track in my walk of faith.}

^{Let us keep looking to Jesus.}

^{Our faith comes from Him}

^{and He is the One Who makes it perfect.}

^{Hebrews 12:2 NLV SSMT Verse #5}

 



Admit, Commit, and Drop~ SSMT verse #4

I have recently been struggling with a couple specific areas in my life that have truly hindered my well being and left me feeling frustrated and defeated.  I tell myself "I'll be o.k... I can expose myself to these areas as long as I practice moderation and resist the temptation to fall into the trap of over indulgence".  Sadly, I have not done this. 

God word tells me to confess your [my] sins to each other and pray for each other so that you [I] may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)  I am confessing my areas and asking any prayer warriors reading this post to pray for me to break the pattern of over indulgence in these two specific areas and to repent from the sin that results~

First, I spend too much time reading FaceBook which initiates mixed feeling thoughts of a small group of people's actions/behavior; most of the people my "mixed feeling" thoughts are toward I don't even really know except through FaceBook. I spend about 60-90 minutes a day (accumulative) on this social network site, but then I fall into the trap of filling my mind through the day (many hours worth) of things people posted.  We live in a society of people who are narcissistic, self centered, and have a desperate need for attention and approval of others and this is the area that I am frustrated about; FaceBook is a breeding ground for this behavior. It causes me sadness to see constant posts from people who fit this catagory; I take it as an opportunity to pray for these people.  I wonder, am I also posting things that are narcisstic, self centered, or a need for attention and approval of others?  Yet, even though I know the time I spend on this website could be used for more productive things, I continue, thinking I see a lot of good things on FaceBook that encourages me.  Why does the bad stuff consume my thoughts and lead me astray in my thought life? I enjoy FaceBook for the purpose of keeping in touch with friends and family, many of who are long distance from where I live. I like seeing their family photos and keeping in touch with what's going on in their lives. For this reason, FaceBook is good and I will miss the connection I get in this way. 

Second, I struggle with over eating chocolate candy which results in unhealthy, high empty calorie consumption.  I've  always loved chocolate candy since my youth and have had many binges in this area!  I suppose a person like myself who comes from addictive behavior genetics, chocolate isn't a bad thing to be addicted to when you consider some of the alternatives.  But no matter the temporary comfort I receive from eating chocolate candy, it's false, not healthy and leaves me with the feeling of shame and remorse. I try to exercise portion control, but I fool myself and one piece results in a spiral of an all or noting attitude; 1 piece of candy ends up being 20+ pieces of candy; one candy bar ends up being 6 candy bars. This is not good for my physical body or a way to honor God spiritually. I recognize, to some extent, chocolate candy has turned into a false god.  May sound silly, but for me is true.

I have selected my memory verse for Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) Verse #4 from Hebrews.  This verse is God's loving encouragement to me to put these things out of my life... these things that keep me from what I should be doing (NLV) or like the Voice translation states, I am to drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to me and slackens my pace, the run that God has set before me. Thinking about it, why would I want these things in my way to slow me down... to weight me down in my long race called life?

As someone who has recently started running for exercise, this verse speaks to me on so many levels!

All these many people who have had faith in God are around us like a cloud. Let us put every thing out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us. 

Hebrews 12:1  New Life Version (NLV)  

SSMT Verse #4

...let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace,and let us run with endurance the long race set before us. (The Voice Translation)



PRAYER:
Lord, help me live out this verse! Going forward today, I want to let go of these things that hold me back, so that I can focus on doing what I should... focus on You!  I pray this in your holy name, Jesus, Amen.

Fear...

of the unknown!  The unknown effects everybody, but whether or not we let it cause any fear is a choice we make.

I have a number of fears (snakes, big spiders, hospitals, just to name a few), but the one that has gotten me lately in life is my fear of the unknown location we'll end up living.  My husband has recently started a new job, and over this year, 2013, we are in prayer about whether or not we should move to a different region in the country or stay put right where we are.  This decision is big for us, because we are determined that when and if we move, it will be our last move, and if we stay, we stay for good!  We desire so badly to settle in a location and put down deep roots, develop deep friendships we don't sever, and plant ourself into our chosen community in a deep way; something that has been hard to do over the course of Kirk's military career (moving over 7 regions in the US / 15 different addresses in 20 years).

The fear plays in through the different factors we must consider in making the right decision for our family... the well being of our children (education, safety and crime rate, etc.), living closer to extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins), climate changes to adjust to, financial affordability of the location, and overall quality of life.

Through this next year as we live with our unknown future living location, God is reminding me not to be anxious and do not fear the unknown. He reminds me of His constant faithfulness in our life and how He always provides for us. I have selected my SSMT Verse #3 to help me remember God has my back.  As I abide in Him, He will strengthen and help me; as we pray for direction, He will make our way clear... I have no reason to fear~

Do not fear,

for I am with you;

do not be dismayed,

for I am your God.

I will strengthen you

and help you;

I will uphold you with

my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

"To-Do" Lists Help Keep Me Focused!

I'm a person that tends to go in multiple directions by nature and have a tendency to be a scatter brain when I don't have a written plan of action to look over.  I've learned from an early age to write my goals, make "to-do" lists, etc..   When I don't have "to-do"  tasks written out, they often times don't get done in a timely manner or not even at all!

An intelligent person aims at wise action,

but a fool starts off in many directions.

Proverbs 17:24 (Good News Translation- GNT)

SSMT Verse #2 

The above verse is my memory verse for the next couple weeks.  I chose this verse because it shouts at me with encouragement! Yes, I have been a fool in the past "a fool in many directions", and hope this year, I will be an "intelligent person" who "aims at wise action".  I am back to faithful "to-do" lists this year (short term and long term) and written goals.  Each memory verse I choose is written in a spiral notebook that I keep close for quick reference.  I am excited to experience the victory of marking off tasks from my "to-do" lists as they get accomplished.

As far as memorizing Scripture~ I am so excited Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) is back for 2013!  Siesta Mama, Beth Moore, started SSMT through her blog community in 2009.  We have made a team every other year since the 2009 with this year our third.  [If you are interested in joining the memory verse team, HERE is the link for instructions]

As part of the team, all who commit to be involved for the year, memorizes a Scripture of their choice on the 1st and 15th of each month.  We are encouraged not to JUST memorize the written word, but to plant the word (scripture) so deep in our hearts that we live it out in our daily lives.  For me, memorizing Scripture keeps me grounded, balanced and spiritually healthy; my goal is to reflect the character of Christ as much as I can and give Him the honor and glory.

OK, enough blogging, it's time to go conquer my "TO-DO'S" for today!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT)... VERSE #1

May your new year be filled with
 much joy and prosperity!

I'm so excited to start the new year off in an uplifting direction!

I'm trusting 2013 will be a year of much personal growth and accomplishment as I make deliberate choices through many various goals for the year...

One of my new year's 2013 personal goals, will be to participate in the Living Proof Ministries (LPM) Scripture Memory Team led by Beth Moore.  Beth started the first memory team in 2009 through LPM blog.  The second team was in 2011, and this year will be the third year in 2013!  I am excited to have participated in all three teams and have been blessed in so many ways as I planted Scripture in my heart. More than "memorizing" God's Word for the knowledge, memorizing Scripture is about meditating on the message of what is being said in the word and living it out in my heart and life to make a difference day to day.

To start this new year, my SSMT VERSE #1 will be from Romans 15:5-6 (NIV).

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,

so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is the link (CLICK HERE) to LPM for the info on SSMT Verse Memorizing if you are interested. 

I'm believing God for blessings and victory as I seek Him in my everyday.

Happy New Year!!!