The closer I walk with the Lord, the more He reveals His truth to me...
Just pondering the cost of truly being a disciple of God, I am led to this scripture:

"When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to come. But they all began making excuses"....(haven't we all done that?)
God answers his servant by saying, "For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them." (Wow, you mean there's more to what God has for us in our walk with Him???"

The Lord goes on to say, "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, more that your own life." (your job, your money, your hobbies, your own family!) "Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple." (Why? Because you're not willing to sacrifice your own selfish desires, the things you love) "And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me." (In other words, be totally submitted to Him.)

And then for those of us who still don't get it....
He then says, "So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me."

(Luke 14:16-33)

I've often pondered this question and heard other's ask the same question...

"Well, does that mean we have to sell everything we own and change our whole way of life in order to really follow God???"

I think God's answer is quite clear here... If He asks you to, then, yes, you should

Sometimes God has to ask us to get rid of anything that might come in the way of us being totally submitted to Him.

Whether it might be a job that keeps your mind totally focused on it rather than on Him and what He wants for your life

or a hobby that takes up all your free time when you should be spending that time with the Lord,

or a friendship that doesn't have a firm foundation with Christ and hinders you from building a better relationship with Him,

or it could be the number one stumbling block for most so called Christians today...

Money and Status, although highly desirable by the world today,

it has to be the biggest pitfall for all Christians.

We think we have to have it all and it's going to satisfy all our needs.....

Biggest lie satan uses to trap us all.

God says we have to be willing to give up all those things in order to be His disciple.

I fight those same demons everyday in my own life.

The world can be so powerful against us and lure us in when we least expect it!

Our goal as a disciple of Christ is to follow Him.

Not the world, not all the beautiful and exciting things it has to offer.... but Him.

Are you willing to carry your own cross?

Are you tired of making excuses and living for yourself and your own selfish desires?

God says we have to be willing to sacrifice it all.....

I challenge you to really search your own heart.

Are you willing?

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

Shrinky Dinky Day

So, I'm supposed to be cleaning, filling orders, and quite a few other things.... but what am I doing??? Making shrinky dinks of course! These kids occupy every second of my day... and I wouldn't have it any other way! Well, maybe a break every now and then would be nice:)

Now, off to piano, gym, and ball!

times have been sooo hard for Britt and I lately, and I always seem to want to throw a fit, stomp, cry and give up! (By the way, I've always taught my children one important thing..."NEVER give up!:) Lol.. Tonight after I had a good cry and a good fit throwin, I then decided to pick up God's Word and see what He had to say about our situation....:) Little backwards, isn't it? He brought me right to this passage:
"Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commandments. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to your and your ancestors. He did this to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the Lord. For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell. So you should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you to help you."
"So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with springs that gush forth in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, olives, and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you."
Deut 8:1-10
Eventhough times are difficult for us right now, I am reminded that God will always keep His promise as long as we obey his commandments and walk in His ways. I have to cling to faith right now, that God will see us though!

Love ya'll! Walk Close to God, even in the hard times!

Put on the Whole Armor of God

Although I've read these verses time and time again, this morning they seem to bear so much more meaning and understanding to me.

"Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms."

"Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere."

To withstand the attacks on the church, Paul is saying the "whole" body, every believer needs to be armed and ready to fight against the evils of this world. Our battle isn't against people, it's against satan.

So, how are we to be prepared?

Standing Firm, together, against satan's attacks.

Using God's Word to guide us, faith to shield us, salvation to protect us, and prayer as our constant and daily strength!

I've found, in my own personal life, that I'm turning to God's Word more and more because I want to be ready for these attacks and I want to know what His Word says to be true. As Christians, if we don't know what His Word says, how can we be prepared? How can we really "know" what His truth is? How can we possible fight the battles without a shield?!

Its becoming increasingly more clear to me, in these last days,

that we can't fight these battles on our own.

We have to put on the Whole Armor of God.

I encourage you to dig deep in His word!

Really study and absorb it more than you ever have before.

Be ready and armed to stand firm when it's time for battle!

Lastly, I'll leave you with this...

Paul ends this letter with this...

"And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God's secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. I am in chains now for preaching this message as God's ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should."

Eph 6:19-20

Those last few words are amazing to me...

Paul is in prison for preaching the Word of God.

In chains, he asks for prayer...

Not that he would be released from the chains, or set free from prison,

but so that he can keep preaching, boldly,

the message of God, as he should.

So many times we ask to be "released" from our situations, or to be set free...

"Even as we pray for a change in our circumstances, we should also pray that God will accomplish his plan through us right where we are."

The Battle as already been won!!!

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

A Quick Fix....

get sick.... pop a pill

stressful day... drink a beer, smoke a cigarette, hit the gym

don't have time to cook.... order pizza

need information.... google it

need a friend... facebook one!:)

Our society today lives and thrives on a "quick fix" for everything we do!

We have gotten so spoiled with the luxury of having everything at our fingertips

that somehow we have forgotten that that's not the way God works!

I read this tonight and it just really hit home with me.

"Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed...

Our relationship with God must be our own."

Wow....Reality check!

The one thing we cannot buy or borrow

is a real relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

You just can't fake, borrow, or buy that...

I encourage you to read Matthew 25 about the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

and the Loaned Money. Really take inventory of the time and effort you put into having a "genuine, authentic" relationship with the Lord.

Allow His Word speak to you and to

convict you if your trying to make Him

a "quick fix" too

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!!

AMERICA

We've been having so much fun exploring America in homeschool... learning about the presidents, states, how our country was founded, etc.... Such a blessing to live in a FREE country where we are free to serve our Lord openly!

Here's a little craft that we did today...

The kids loved making this American Star Banner....God Bless the USA!!

Happy 8th Birthday to our

loving, tenderhearted, compassionate,

fun, silly, smart, momma loving little boy....

Nate!

Can you imagine having a sleepover with

these little guys all at the same time???

It was.... something......:)

But lots of F-U-N!!

Some of my most favorite little men:)