Seek His Counsel

I Kings 22:5b "First seek the counsel of the Lord." 

 

How many situations in your life have required a well thought out plan and how many necessitated instant decision making?  As we grow physically & spiritually we travel through many stages, right?  Furthermore, depending  on what stage we are in now and which ones we've already been through, some maybe more than once, would affect each of our replies to my posed question.  Here's a better one though:  When you are faced with a choice/decision/situation that does require a more thought out plan who do you first turn to for advice?  In I Kings 22 two kings were faced with a possibility of war after several years of peace...Jehoshaphat tells the king of Israel, in so many words, he'll go with if there is to be a war but he adds the above quote from verse 5b.  Jehoshaphat knew, what I myself have been slowly learning, that if you want real results then seek God's advice.  Now I don't expect to hear some big booming voice or run into a burning bush...but then again I would never say never so anything is possible!  I believe that the most important thing is to remember is to seek God first, no matter what.  Seek Him always, in everything you do...when you are happy, seek to give Him glory & praises, when you are sad seek His comfort, when you worry seek His peace, just seek the Lord in all you do and He will grant you what you need according to His will!  It may not come as a first instinct right away but the more we push ourselves towards this then the more we can create a great habit in ourselves to first seek God in all that we are faced with.  I pray that we are all able to pray our way through any and all choices we are faced with this week.  I continually thank you for joining me in daily prayers for our troops, for those in need of healing & comfort and for Summer who continues her path of recovery.  I am personally grateful for your time and support each week as you read my messages and I pray for God's blessings to flow continually through each of your lives.  I hope & pray that you have ablessed weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,

Niki 

The Caterpillar To The Butterfly

I recently re-read an unknown author's quote, "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."  Most who know me know that I absolutely LOVE butterflies so of course when I stumbled upon this quote it held a special meaning.  But what you may not know is why I love butterflies, what they remind me of...I think I have referred to one of my favorite verses before: II Corinthians 5:17 tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  Butterflies remind me of this verse, the old caterpillar is gone and the new creature emerges with a completely new view on the world!  I think, as in the quote above, we are all like the caterpillar in regard to our spiritual lives and also in our daily battles with sin.  We have "all sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and some days it may feel that the evil around us is winning out and our whole world is ending.  But then, if & when we come to our Lord on our knees & truly repentant, we find that He washes us clean in the blood of the Lamb and grants us a new beginning, we become like the butterfly with a brand new view of the world and all that is in it when we draw close and listen for God's voice all around & in us.  For me this has been the roller coaster of my life!  I fall down, I get up, I stumble some more and hit rock bottom and come crawling to God begging Him to forgive me and to plant in my heart His desires for my life.  I still stumble some days, but the more I draw myself closer to God through prayer and through His precious Word, well the less time I spend with my face in the mud I guess!  God wants this for you my friends!  He wants to hear from you all the time, He is watching you and waiting for your voice, your precious voice to call on His name so He can grant you "the new" as well!  I am praying that you find your butterfly, your new view of this world that God is calling us to live in as His new creations.  Additionally, I pray that if ever you feel as if your world may be over then you feel God's peace within and you are drawn to Him & to His Word for your strength and new view.  Please pray for those in need of healing, strength & comfort.  I want to thank you each for your continued prayers for Summer!  Our Lord has helped her & her family in so many ways and we should praise His holy name continually.  She still has recovery needs and therefore I ask that we please continue to remember her in our prayers.  Again I also request that we please remember our service men & women as they daily put their lives on the line for us and for our country.  I am personally thanking God daily for each of you and for your continued interest in reading my thoughts.  I pray God may continue to use me to serve Him in whatever way He has planned for my life, including these weekly messages.  I hope & pray that you and your families have a safe, relaxing & blessed weekend and a blessed week ahead as well!

Love in Christ,

Niki

Where Is My Help?

Psalm 121 "1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?  2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.  3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  5 The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

 

I could spend the whole day reading from the book of Psalms...actually today I nearly did!  Again and again my loving Savior and Guide gently reminds me that I am not alone and not to look to myself for all my dilemmas because my help does indeed come from the LORD!  He is watching over me and I just need to let go of the wheel so to speak and allow Him to be my help in all things.  In this Psalm we are again cued in that God not only watches over us but He is not going to let us slip, our help comes from Him.  No matter what situation, no matter where we are, no matter what time it is God is watching and so He knows when we need His help.  So often I find myself falling into a control freak attitude where I want to do it myself and when I allow that line of thought to dwell I find I am faltering and that is when verses like this point out to me the error in my ways.  I take this as a hint to stop side-seat driving and to allow God to help me.  I'm not saying that by allowing God's plan in our lives we are going to have it easy or skip the valleys but God will help us through them in His planned perfect way.  When we let go of what we think is best and we ask God to show us what is to be learned from the challenge and ask for His help then we will feel His presence with us as we face the road of life.  He may not move every mountain but He will be our help to climb it or trek around or even through it.  He knows we need His help daily so it is our own selves that need to let Him help and guide us to and thru it all.  I pray that in all situations when we "lift our eyes to the hills" looking for help that we feel God's presence in our lives and we yield to His help that He is watching us in anticipation of and is waiting to give to us.  I thank God for His awesome blessing in my life of being invited to your computer screen each week and I ask that He may continue to inspire me with weekly thoughts to share.  I also ask you each to please continue to pray for Summer & her family, prayers of thanksgiving & praise for the amazing healing that God has already performed and additionally for additional healing in accordance with His plan for her life.  Lastly, but not in the least may we please continually pray for our soldiers here and away that God may bless them and their families and grant them His protection daily.  May God bless, protect and inspire each of you.  Have a blessed and awesome week ahead!!

Love through Christ,

Niki

Advertising For God?

I recently viewed a clip of a comedian playing radio songs as advertising for different products, like the song, "Call Me," for AT&T.  He said advertisers weren't using songs enough to promote their products.  It reminded me of the email that has circulated hundreds of times of the Sunday School project where they took advertising slogans and related them to God..."God is like Dial Soap, aren't you glad you've got Him?  Don't you wish everyone did?"  Or, "God is like Allstate, you're in good hands!"  That got me thinking of what songs we could use to "advertise" for God...there would be the obvious songs that I love to lose myself in on the local Christian radio stations like "Awesome God" and "Great is the Lord"...and I've always loved most of the lyrics to "Because You Loved Me," by Celine Dion thinking that they could be related to our relationship with our Heavenly Father who most certainly makes me feel that "I'm everything I am because You loved me."  Although try as we may I think we would find that just one song could never fully sum up all the glory, honor & praise due to His holy name.  All the while also trying to fully capture all He is to us, all He's done for us and all He has planned - it can never be contained in just one song.  Maybe that's why I can't pick a favorite?  I suppose I am glad that I do not have to pick a "theme song" to advertise for God.  I think the best way we can advertise for our Lord and Savior is by living as He showed us how, letting our light shine before men and truly treating all we come across as we would want to be treated.  I pray for each of you that in your own way you are able to advertise for God through your actions as each day passes.  I pray also that He may surround each of you with His peace, love, comfort, protection & deliverance.  May we please continue to keep Summer in our prayers...thanking the good Lord for the healing He has worked in her and asking that in His perfect timing that He continue to bless her & her loved one's with her recovery.  Please also remember all who are sick, in pain, weak or otherwise in need of God's loving & healing Spirit & presence in their lives.  And always for our military, that they may be protected by our Maker even as they risk their lives to keep us each safe.  Have a blessed week ahead!

Love in Christ,

Niki 

 

 

 

Lyrics: Because You Loved Me www.powerofthemusic.com

    

Someone Who's Been There

 

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I heard a song on the radio Thursday on my home from a job interview {it wasn't in God's plans for me to work there} and it still amazes me how God can send us exactly what we need when we need it if we are open to His will.  The song had several verses describing various trying situations and the chorus changed a little with each one but the overall gist of the message in the lyrics was this: no matter what situation we face & emotions we feel Jesus has been there.  He's felt sorrow, pain,  and all of the other emotions we've experienced both good and bad because He came down to this earth and became man!  Prayer is a powerful thing but when you stop and think about the simple truth that not only is He all knowing but He's also felt and does feel the emotions that we are experiencing it takes on all that much more meaning!  When you seek out a friend or confidant to talk through a problem do you not seek out the one who can best identify with what you are going through in hopes for the best advice?  Well, look no further that our one and only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!  He knows, He has felt it all, He has been there and even better...He is with you now as you face whatever this challenge is!!  I think this is exciting news!  It is one amazing thing to know He has saved us by His grace and He loves us and has a will to prosper us but when you add to that awesome news the fact that He has also been through whatever emotions you may be feeling it nearly knocks me over.  I pray we can all take great comfort in knowing that not only is our awesome Father by our side everyday but He has been through whatever we are feeling.  I continue to ask for our prayers for Summer, the Lord has worked miracles in her healing thus far but she still has a very long road ahead of her and our continued prayers are the best gift she can get!  Let's also please remember to pray for our soldiers & their families...you know there is a saying only two people ever offered to die to save your life the first is Jesus and the second is the American soldier.  I thank you sincerely for your prayers and I am personally praying that our loving Father continually surround you with His love, favor, protection and deliverance in every situation.  I hope and pray that you will each have a blessed weekend and week ahead!

Love through Christ,

Niki

 

*****UPDATE: Song Title is "I Have Been There" sung by Mark Schultz: Mark Schultz lyrics I Have Been There  *****