promise | I Spy God

Tag Archive: promise

pinky promise

Filed under: Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration, Protection, Provision — 4 Comments

July 8, 2012

Has God given you a promise that you aren’t sure He can fulfill?

Have you seen Him work and verify the calling He has made on your life, only to find yourself question and doubt whether it will come to fruition?

In who have you placed your trust? Are you relying on God’s promises or your own ability?

There are so many stories in the Bible of God revealing His plan, and in response hearing an “are you out of your mind?!”

Sarah:
“The LORD said, ‘I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?’ Genesis 18:10,12

The Shunammite woman:
“’At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.’ And she said, ‘No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.’”   2 Kings 4:16

Moses:
“’Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.’   But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’”   Exodus 3:10-11

Gideon:
“And the LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?’ And he said to him, ‘Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’”   Judges 6:14-15

Sounds familiar.

I have felt God’s strong presence and calling in my life to write. He has provided many stories of amazing provision and proof of His existence that I long to share with those who don’t yet know Him, as well as to help encourage and realize His movement in the lives of those who do.

I have been filled with an unsettling beyond anything I’ve known. An awareness of the path He wants me to take and yet the road stands before me; a path filled with light as well as shadow, straight, sure ground and questioning, uncertain curves.

I find myself shoulder to shoulder with those who have come before me, echoing their mistrust, questioning the One whose promises we are to rely on. But no matter the make of the road or the curves that lie ahead, I will blindly follow while likely questioning the whole way, but in the wake of those who trod before me,

I will take one more step forward,

and trust that His plans are better than my own.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: desire of our heart, doubt, faith, God, guidance, path, promise, Proverbs 3:5-6, question, scripture

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Skinny jeans

Filed under: Christianity, Encouragement, Faith, Fitness, Uncategorized, Weight Loss — 10 Comments

May 23, 2012

As I put on my jeans today I noticed immediately that I grabbed the wrong pair. You know that snug feeling as you’re pulling up that unyielding denim, knowing that there is no way it will go over the saddlebags looming above.

Awesome.

Then, glancing down at what must be my skinny jeans, I notice my not-so-skinny-jeans stuck helplessly, hopelessly, on my somehow suddenly-much-more-swollen-than-last-time legs.

Aaaack! Talk about impending muffin top!!

It broke my heart. I sat down and cried out (quite literally) “COME ON!”

I ripped off the unforgiving denim, gave in to pulling on some sweats and stomped out to mow the grass.

I was so angry. I was mad that I haven’t been eating well and I was mad that I had stopped exercising. Sure, I worked full time and didn’t have a lot of time to spare, so I replaced exercise with extended prayer to seek God’s will and plan for my writing.

But now I’m not working. I have time.

Last night, I spied God leading me to a wonderful blog post by: runninggalinsights. It reminded me of what I miss from my early morning runs…

“I run. It’s where God and I hang out.
On each run, I spend it listening to Him (not an Ipod). It’s quiet out there on the road, me and my shoes and the open air.
Welcome to my wandering thoughts collected from miles on the road. This blog seeks to explore anything that relates to a healthier Spirit, Mind, and Body.”

As I mowed and spent some much needed time in God’s creation;
warm sun rays engulfing me,
smell of cut grass filling the air,
birds flittering in playful circles nearby…
I began to reflect upon runninggal’s blog…

What if one of the reasons I have been so unmotivated, so down, and so unsure, is because I have an adversary;

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

…an enemy who wants nothing more than for me to turn from things of God and focus on myself, my feelings, my sorrow.

“That’s ludicrous,” I thought and tried to wipe the thought from my head. I’m the one that stopped running. I’m the one that chose what I put in my mouth. But as I turned it over in my mind, I couldn’t help but realize the partial truth to it.

I found great joy in my early morning runs with God. Not necessarily the running part, but the God part. I experienced nature in ways I never imagined, and unlike runninggal, I do listen to music…but I tend to cry and praise God while I run. Which I actually don’t recommend, because it makes breathing much more difficult, can be quite hazardous while running with closed eyes and hands raised, and it is NOT pretty. Hence my early-morning-shadow-seeking-before-light-breaks runs.

A lovely new blogger friend God placed in my life: lovebugsworld was struggling a few days ago and she blogged about God giving her what she calls a “God wink” in her post: Day 14 #photoadayMay…

“And in that pic there is a tiny yellow flower that caught my eye. That put a knowing smile on my face!! Just as I was composing this, I was thinking about the silver lining of it all….it’s okay to began again. We are blessed to see another day. It’s another chance to be all that we can be and continue to do exactly what we were placed here to do!!”

and today I spied God winking at me.

While I continued to push the whirring mower in fairly straight lines, as the sun beat down and I was thankful to turn the final corner, something in the grass not too far from me caught my eye. A tiny yellow flower. It literally took my breath away, and I knew God was smiling, just waiting patiently for me to notice.

In that lovely, bright yellow blossom; a radiant bloom in barren terrain, a beckoning signal against a faded backdrop, a fragile and tiny gift that might have been overlooked had I focused on myself or my adversary much longer.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

But God reminds us to stay the course, do not get distracted or listen to lies the evil one whispers. Trust His timing, His plan, and keep your focus, because He’s everywhere trying to catch your attention!!

Tags: blogger, God's plan for my life, Lovebugsworld, muffin top, promise, running, runninggalinsights, sign, skinny, weight loss

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I Spy a promise

Filed under: Christianity — 8 Comments

April 16, 2012

As I drove to work on this overcast, dreary, drizzly day, there were brief flashes of light. The sun winked teasingly at me through the blustery clouds then scampered off to hide playfully.

You know those times; you finally succeed at pulling your sunglasses out and put them on, just as the clouds envelop the bright rays. You hear stifled sounds of laughter emanating from the brightness as you are caught sitting in the shadows sporting dark glasses and looking quite absurd.

You can imagine my relief as I turned the car onto a long stretch of road where the sun, if it dare show its beaming face again, would be forced to remain in my rear-view-mirror …and not place me in its blinding glare!

Many miles ahead I could see quite a storm transpiring. As I gazed at the bands of falling rain, the sky behind me opened, the bright rays cutting through the darkness and settling upon the falling rain, exposing a vast rainbow, and as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

I almost wondered if anyone else had seen it. It was not a magnificent rainbow; it appeared almost wisp-like, vaguely revealing color or arch, and unveiled itself at only a specific angle, direction, for a few fleeting moments…

But as I stared, I considered these words:

“…he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion….” Philippians 1:6

As I reflected upon that verse, I found it quite odd that it came to mind in the presence of this rainbow.

I have seen many rainbows in my lifetime, and have been in awe at the amazing beauty and creative genius of my Lord and Savior. And every time, have been reminded of the promise God made to Noah;

“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.” Genesis 9:13-15

…but not this time.

I didn’t think of Noah.

This time it was a promise to me; a promise that God has a plan for me, for my life, for my passions and desires. He has given me all the tools I need and as long as I seek Him and His will first, He promised He will finish what He has started in me.

Perhaps when a rainbow is seen, it’s not just a reminder of what God did for Noah, but maybe it’s a promise for someone special. Maybe He’s speaking directly to someone’s heart.

Maybe He’s speaking to yours.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Tags: clouds, future, Genesis 9:13-15, God, hope, Jeremiah 29:11, Noah, Philippians 1:6, plans, promise, rain, rainbow, storm, sun

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I am thrilled that you have visited my site, and my prayer for you is to see that God is alive, very real, and at work in every moment of your day!
There are no coincidences, ironies, or luck in life… every tiny detail is fashioned and planned by Him, and He wants you to see how tangible and involved in life He really is!
It's at these moments when “I Spy God,” and what my stories focus on…because God wants to get your attention!

Please, tell me what you think about any of my posts!! I would love to hear from and about you! Thanks for stopping!
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