As I sit here this morning with my big cup of coffee, I am reminded that morning is not my best time of day. The coffee is a must! I am also realizing that the time of morning I am waking is not early enough. But oh how I abhor the early morning! But maybe I'll change due to the silence in my house! I love that! To be a morning person, I would be so thankful. If I don't spend time meditating on His Word early in the morning, it will not get done. When the kid's take their nap, I have to exercise, clean house, fold laundry, unload dishwasher, etc. Then if I wait until the evening, there is no possible way I will read my Bible. So for me, God and I have an early morning date. This gets my day going and allows me to start with a clear mind and a prayerful heart all day long. I have tried it so many ways but the only way for me to have a organized day is to get up early. How about you? How is your time with the Lord going? Does morning work best for you or does the evening? What about the middle of the day? It truly doesn't matter when you do it. You just have to find the time that works best for you and your family. For me it's best to get up while it's still dark.
Some of you are struggling with your thoughts while you read. So I am praying for a clear mind and no distractions. Just this morning while I was reading, my thoughts started to wander. Instantly I had to re-focus. Also since some of you are feeling like you have to write something explaining what you read, I have decided that today I'm not going to write a bunch of stuff. I don't want anyone feeling out of place or ignorant. You are all mighty women in the Lord and I just want to encourage you and help you renew your walk with the Lord daily. The only way we fight the enemy's attacks is to have to Word on our lips at all times. But first you have to KNOW the Word! So let's get "under the fig tree" today and minister to each other and those around us.
And just so you know, I read John 3 today and it is powerful!
My Prayer for YOU!
Father, I ask you to saturate these wonderful women today with your peace. God I pray that you will give them wisdom and supernatural knowledge as they read your Word. I pray that you will keep the enemy at bay as they study your word. I pray that their children will come into alignment with you Father. I ask you to reveal to them the things in their life that need to change. God show them their worth in You! It's not in our husbands, our children, our money, our homes, our churches, our friends, it's in YOU. I pray that anyone struggling with weight issues, that you will speak to them and show them the best way to loose weight. So many women are too focused on their bodies Lord. For any woman trying to conceive a child, I pray that you will breathe life in to that body and bless their womb with LIFE. I pray for protection over anyone that may be pregnant. I pray for a safe and healthy pregnancy! God I pray for marriages and for your divine healing over damaged relationships. Father, I pray for these women and their children. God, I pray that you will give these women power to take back their homes from the enemy and I pray that their children will come under their authority and your authority. Father, I ask you to help all of us as women to choose friends wisely. God help us to spend time with people that will only make us better, people that will challenge us!!! God please protect our hearts and keep us from giving our hearts to the wrong people. In our churches, I pray that we can serve you in whatever capacity you have called us to. God, I pray that you will give us the ability to live a powerful and intentional life! Father, we are daughters of a mighty King. Remind all of us that we don't have to live in defeat! I love you Lord Jesus, help me to love others. Thank you for your Word, it is changing my life. In Jesus Name! Amen!
Here's a new one to add to your prayer list! Praise the Lord! The study is growing rapidly!
Michelle
10 comments:
John 3...
To be born again.. to start new... to start over... Becoming a born-again believer is the best thing. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are gone and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17)
It's so cool to know that God has forgiven everything that you have ever done. Lying, disrespecting others, being rude, selfessness, cheating... everything. You have a new beginning. The slate has been wiped clean.
21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."[h]
Father, shine through me and on me. Remind me that I am accountable to you and others as well. Shine your light on my imperfections so that I can identify the areas of my life that need to change. Lord let me be a light for you. Let me radiate your love and goodness to the people around me.
JESUS said, “…born of water and the Spirit.” (v.5) Is this the same water that HE offered the woman at the well? I think so.
(v.22) Did it just say that JESUS baptized? I thought it said somewhere that HE didn’t do it with water so was HE giving them the HOLY SPIRIT? I’m confused.
(v.36) “…God’s wrath remains on him.” Whoa, big stuff.
I wrote a post on what I thought about John 3, and then I changed the whole thing. The Lord really worked with me on the last part of the chapter...verses 19-21.
Verses 19-21 remind me of people who are running away from things in their life. The verses talk about those who do evil liking the darkness better than light. Isn't that true. If you were some theif, or murderer and you were running away would you run away in broad daylight when everyone can see you? No, you would move quickly at night, in the darkness when no one would know who you are. When we live in a world of shame we do the same thing. We move in the "darkness" rather than the "light". When we live in the Word and spend time with God, He reveals to us our sins. SOmetimes we think we cannot handle that. Sometimes when we live in a world of shame and guilt we back off on our relationship from God.
A friend and I had this discussion awhile back. We were talking about times in our lives when we were living in sin, and we knew that we were.We talked about how many times when you are living in sin your first thought is to back off from God. You feel guilty, you have given Satan a foothold to pull at you with. He tells you that you are a hypocrite, that you are not worthy to be sitting in fellowship of other believers...and many times you back off in your relationship with the Lord.
I know so many people who fall into the wrong place in their life, and it starts with sin. A sin that they can't release themselves from the guilt, that they haven't forgiven themselves.
I know I pray for myself today, that if there is any sin in my life that could even begin to make me stray away from the Lord that he would reveal that to me so that I might ask for forgiveness and keep on strengthening my relationship with the Lord.
I believe John 3 speaks of getting baptized and following God's word. For if we follow his word we will be in the light, but if we ignore his word we will stay in darkness.
It also speaks of how much God cares and loves us, giving up his only begotten son in death for us. It speaks of ever lasting life. I believe that this could be an earthly hope.
I have read today. Again I read early this morning - I hope to continue to read in the morning b/c if I don't I know it will be hard for me to fit it in -"things" will happen - ya know. This morning I got up early b/c my 10 year old had gotten up to let his dog out - then he got in the shower and she was barking wanting in ;o))
When I was up I prayed that there would be something like that, that would pull me out of bed like EVERY morning...
Well, I read and I was kinda hoping I would feel like today the Word would really speak to me personally - I don't think it really did - but again I felt closer to God. I kinda feel like I am this journey or coming back to Him - if that makes sense....
I pray all the time - but I have not been really in the Word in a long time. Hope that made sense.
Also - last night before I went to bed I looked at the blog again and smiled b/c I think it is so cool how we are all coming together to do this. Ok I know I am rambling - you are all in my prayers! If anyone has energy to pray a specific prayer for me - pray that I hand my worries to God and quit holding on to them - I have been worrying allot lately and it is affecting areas of my life that are usually very good!
Thanks!
Nancy
All I Read Today: John 3
Best Thing I Marked: John 3:16-17,30
Thought: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." "He must become greater; I must become less."
How It Impressed Me: Reading this chapter again makes me more and more thankful for the salvation extended to me from God through Jesus. I honestly don't know where I would be without God had I not answered Him at age 16. I also liked verse 30: this stage I am in with God right now is awesome yet ever so painful. He is showing me what must decrease in my life so He can become greater. God - thank you for calling me to be your daughter. Thank you for sticking by me; for not giving up on me. I need your help to be more like you...to make the right choices. I can't do this without you!!
Thank you God for sending you one and only Son to die for us. Please keep my thoughts focused on You and my heart full of the desire to know You more.
Courtney
Awesome Blog! Wow...You are not the only one who struggles with climbing out of bed. I too hate, loathe and despise the mornings! (it seems as if I've just gotten to sleep!) But after my feet touch the floor I go straight to my closet and hit my knees. I have prayer time before I even try to think about anything else. I know what you mean about naptime too. It was always a struggle for me about how to spend those precious few moments. Now that my oldest is in school and my youngest is in pre-school, I go to the library some days to get away from the distractions of home. I don't think God cares so much about routine as He does about the quantity and quailty of the time we spend with Him. He wants to be our priority.
I enjoyed your post as well as all the wonderful comments. I'll check back often!
I love the early mornings before daylight. I have to leave for work before daybreak and I use to get up for breakfast early in the mornings. I even remember waking up and hearing my granparents talking on the porch(miss that sound). God wakes me up in the mornings and before I step foot out of bed I thank Him for yet another day. I then start my prayers then I pray in the car. I sometimes read with Him or whatever it is... its my time with God. I love how I have put him in charge in waking me up for Sunday school because He does. It really helps me out since I am a night owl.
I also posted on my blog.
Thanks Amanda for making this a comfortable bible study. I really appreciate it.
While I am normally a morning person rather than a night owl I realize that lately it is a struggle to get up in the morning. I took it to prayer and tomorrow is a new day. I know the Lord will wake me when I ask Him to, it is up to me to be obedient to that waking and not roll over.
The verse I loved the most today was (v30) He must become greater; I must become less.
I want more of Him and less of my flesh. More of His spirit, his wisdom, his guidance, his love, his peace, his Word...MORE OF HIM. And less of me, less complaceny, less sleeping in, less doubt, less fear....LESS OF ME. His will not my will. His ways over my own. That my thoughts be consumed on things eternal and not on things of this world.
So much good stuff in this chapter.
Post a Comment