April 14

My shade garden is nearly finished! Some areas of the soil were easy to dig, but other areas were filled with roots and building materials that had been buried. On the surface everything looked fine, but once I stuck a shovel in it, I began to run into obstacles that prevented any further penetration. Sometimes I had to cut off the roots and remove the pieces of concrete just so my new plants could grow. When the Holy Spirit tries to plant new things in the garden of your heart, what are the obstacles that He is running into? Is there a root of bitterness stopping forgiveness? Are there old wounds that are festering? Maybe you have guilt over something you’ve done that makes you feel ashamed. Rejection is a hurt that most all of us have. All of these things can make it nearly impossible to have peace. When you sell something, you don’t get to keep it and the money too; Jesus paid a huge price for all of these things, why haven’t you handed them over to Him. 

Freedom from the past is something that I’m very passionate about because I’ve cleaned up my garden, removed the roots and debris and I feel good! Once you get a taste of freedom, you never want to go back to that way of life. The devil likes to keep you in bondage, stop making him laugh! Take back what is rightfully yours! Call out your obstacles and tell them to “leave in Jesus name!” Then ask the Holy Spirit to fill that empty space and plant a beautiful garden.

The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:35-36

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

April 13

There is a section of scripture in Romans that’s called “Marks of a true Christian,” chapter 12:9-21. It sheds light on how one should act. There’s one in particular that draws me in every time; probably because my fleshly nature is a little vindictive. Romans 12:20  To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." If someone has been completely nasty to me, you can bet that I’m going overboard to be kind to them, and maybe I’ll offer them a cold drink or a sandwich. I can just see those coals sizzling and burning a hole in their head. It’s a great visual, isn’t it? This verse is also found in Proverbs! When a verse is repeated from the Old Testament to the New Testament, you know God means business! The point of this is to show your strength as a believer to overpower evil with kindness. It takes more strength to withhold retribution than it does to cut loose with retaliation. So, the next time someone comes after you, repeat these words “hot burning coals, hot burning coals,” then do your best to be kind.

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22

April 12

I talk about gardening all the time, it’s something I love to do, even though it can sometimes be backbreaking labor, the results make me happy. My new yard is completely shade covered, which means that I have to get creative when choosing plants. I have found some amazing plants, with beautiful color. When I think about God walking in the Garden of Eden, I picture Him walking in a shaded garden, so of course there would be beauty there too! If God created plants for every type of environment, don’t you think He created different types of people for every type of situation and environment? We each have unique personalities that are suited for specific careers and assignments from the Almighty. Mark Twain said “The law of work seems unfair, but nothing can change it; the more enjoyment you get out of your work, the more money you will make.” I say take that a step further and find a way to serve Jesus through what you love to do; the reward is much greater and can be very satisfying. 

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Romans 12:11

April 11

Don’t you want to know what God’s plan is? I’m so impatient and feel like I need to know now! That’s not how this works. He starts grooming us for His service at a very young age. Little by little He guides us, giving us glimpses into the future, but never enough for us to think we are the ones in charge. He uses our personalities to distract us from seeing what is coming so we will stay on His course. If we know what is going to happen, we might become fearful and run the other way or try to do it in our own power instead of waiting for His power. I think that He gives us busy work and keeps us focused on handling the physical details while He handles the rest of it. Don’t get discouraged in the waiting; what He has for us is beyond what you could ever imagine. We are victorious when the pieces begin to fall into place and when we give credit to Him through our praise and worship!

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:24-25

April 10

So this idea was tossed out to have a beach day with the girls. I got this bright idea, and took it a little further and said “maybe we could stay overnight.” What was I thinking! I figured that nothing would pan out and the whole thing would fall apart anyway. I didn’t really want to do it because it would take too much planning, the obstacles were deep and wide. Then in January my Pastor tells me the we have too much on the schedule for the month of April. My first thought was “great, let's take off the beach weekend.” Then he said “I think we should keep that one!” Are you kidding me! I think he may have regretted saying that too! Then people began to hear about it, so there is no turning back now! I found a place to go, no obstacle there. Had a way to get there and had a vague plan for what we would do once we got there. Who’s in charge of this anyway? I don’t want to do it! Who’s steering this boat! It was God! It was beautifully orchestrated by the Holy Spirit and was awesome!

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8

April 9

He anoints my head with oil, my cup overflows! I had a friend tell me that she repeats Psalms 23 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now that’s feasting on the Word! She told me about others who had done the same thing and had their lives completely turn around, and they attributed it to this Psalm. So, I decided to try it. I haven’t gotten in the habit of doing it three times a day yet, but it’s part of my morning routine. So much of what we do as Christians is geared towards keeping people out of Hell, but Jesus taught us how to live here on earth. Psalms 23 gives us a guideline! Though we don’t like to admit it, the truth is that when evil was cast out of Heaven, they were sent here! We walk in the valley of the shadow of death, but He is with us with weapons in hand! We feast in front of the enemy, a meal prepared by God and it ticks him off! If you’re not feasting on the Word you need to sit down at the table! You may not be excused until you eat!

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalms 23:4-5

April 8

Is your unbelief making a way for fear to overtake you? There are many things that Satan uses to hold us captive, but the biggest thing is fear. I wish I was immune to fear, but every time the Lord changes things up, I must deal with it. What is my main fear? Being inconvenienced. I want to do what I want to do and I don’t want anyone else giving me things to do! I know there’s a lot in those words, but God is helping me to overcome it by completely inconveniencing me! I really just like to curl up in my happy place and watch the world go by, but He won’t allow me to do that. He knows what’s best for me and because I stepped out, I found JOY, unspeakable JOY! JOY that brought me to my knees. So much JOY that I couldn’t contain my tears. Was it easy? Heck no! Was it worth it? A resounding Yes! It didn’t happen overnight, but it was worth the wait. You can have this too. Put on your armor, step out in faith, and conquer your fear.

Speaking of Abraham: No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." Romans 4:20-22

April 7

Oh, what a day! When you are about to spend precious time with the Lord, the enemy comes after you with a vengeance! Our women’s group from church planned a getaway to a remote island to get some respite from our everyday challenges. We had sixteen women make it there and every woman has a story of how the forces of evil were trying to stop them. The island is an hour and a half away and being a driver, I decided to pull my car out of the garage to give room for someone to park in it. As I turned the key to crank the car all I heard was “click, click, click!” The battery was dead! I get a grin on my face realizing the trials had begun. The enemy forgot that I had a husband that can do just about anything! He changed out the battery and we were on our way without any delays. That’s just one instance! Just know that the enemy is so jealous of our relationship with God that he will do anything to try and stop us from cultivating it to bring our hearts into alignment with His. Fight for your time with Him, even if it stirs up madness all around you. It’s worth it!

My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. Song of Solomon 2:10-12

April 6

The voice of God is revealed through His Word, but if you pay close attention, He will begin to reveal Himself to you through other ways. I love nature! If you put me outside, I will dream all day. I like to play in the dirt, ramble through the woods, walk on the beach, and anything to do with the outdoors. Because of my love for nature, God began to speak to me through it. After I learned to pick up His cues there, He taught me to see the lesson in other things. There is a lesson in everything we do, we just have to open our minds to hear it. That’s why I can pull a story out of the simple and mundane things I do every day. It has become a way of life. Every morning I begin my day by honoring God through prayer and the reading of His Word. Then I ask Him “what do you want me to write about today?” I then begin to comb over the previous day to see if anything interesting stands out; when it does, God is made known.

But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

April 5

You never know what a day will bring. The shoe finally drops, it’s been teetering for a while. We all have issues in our families, but when you have the Lord, He makes a way when there seems to be no options. It makes me proud when I see a child, I helped raise, jump into action to save the day and give love and compassion to a child who is oblivious to everything happening around him. God knows what each of us need, and provides the right help at the right time. If you’re not trusting the Lord to take care of your family, you need to pray about that! He loves your family more than you do and has the power to help them. Stop trying to fix them and give them to God, being they are not yours anyway! If and when you finally decide to give them up, your stress and anxiety will diminish and your peace will return. That overused saying “give up and let God,” it applies to your family too.

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

April 4

Driving by an old church I notice a parking sign right up front near the door labeled “Pastor Parking.” There are reasons that a pastor would need to establish up close parking, like a disability or illness. However, if it’s ego, I could see the devil laughing as they posted the sign. Jesus gave us an example of how we should serve Him and His flock; the key word is “serve!” We are to humble ourselves as a servant, we are last! Unlike the phrase made popular by the movie Talladaga Nights, spoken by Ricky Bobby, “if you’re not first you’re last,” in the kingdom of God, if you’re last, your first! If we’re not careful, an entitled attitude can sneak up on you, and you’ll find your head in the clouds with your nose in the air. Watch out that this doesn’t happen to you. We should be breaking our necks trying to serve one another. If you don’t have a servant attitude, get one! Begin now, serve others!

But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:43-45

April 3

When we go to the island we have to take everything we might need for the day, or however long we’re staying. There are no grocery stores or bridges, transportation is by boat only. There are carts positioned on the mainland for you to use to get your things to your boat. Yesterday, I loaded the cart while my husband parked the truck, he’s told me this before, but I forgot where to place the heavy things. Needless to say, I put them all in the wrong position which caused the cart to be hard to push. Rather than repacking the cart, I struggled for the short distance to the boat. When we got to the island, I remember to put the heavy things on the front over the wheels and the push was so much easier. Our lives are like that cart, Jesus is like the position over the wheels. If we don’t place our heaviest burdens on Him, over the wheels, the push is hard, even for a short distance.

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

April 2

I saw a T-shirt that said “Free Barabbas.” It made me pause to think about it. Though it’s repulsive, it had to be that way. The three criminals that were involved in the crucifixion story are very indicative of the truth of today. First, you have Barabbas, who was chosen over Jesus to be released rather than be crucified. We are like him because we have been released from our punishment and Jesus took our place! Then you have the one who never repented and through more insults upon Jesus as they were hanging there together, he found himself in eternal hell! Then there was the one who lived his whole life as a sinner and just before death, repented and Jesus accepted him into paradise with Him. I don’t know what happened to Barabbas after he was released, but, like us, I hope he realized how fortunate he was and made a decision to follow Him. Value your salvation!

But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." Luke 23:40-41

March 31

We were ransomed by His blood. From what? From death, the stronghold of Satan. Satan dangles death over our heads every day. If you’ve ever been in the truck with my husband, you’ll understand what that means. Every now and then I’ll forget that I’m the daughter of the King and will let fear grip me when it looks as though we are going to plow into the back of a slow motorist. I’m not sure why I concern myself being he’s been involved in fewer accidents than I have, and the fact that if I’m taken out by death, I’ll have uninterrupted peace and will no longer be in the clutch of Satan’s kingdom. The only reason to fear death is if you haven’t been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and accepted Him as your Savior from your sin. However, for those who have been redeemed, when Jesus comes to rule the earth, we will have the highest positions in the Kingdom and will all be priests and kings! I can only imagine.

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." Revelation 5:9-10

March 30

This is a Good Friday! As you read through the Gospels and follow the steps of Jesus, you wonder, as loving and perfect as He was, why did the people of that day choose to let Him be killed. I’m not shocked. Look at what we do today; 4383 babies are aborted daily here in the United States, that’s equivalent to 183 per minute! Innocent beings, never once sinned. Why? They’re inconvenient and they point out the sin of the parties involved. Jesus was inconvenient and made sinners aware of their own condition. Jesus no longer walks on the earth in the flesh and yet He gets crucified every single day by those who deny His deity. There was a time not so long ago that Jesus was revered, but now His followers are blasted and heckled for believing in Him. Jesus told us to hold on to what we have until He returns, so that’s what I’m repeating today; hold on to what you have until His return!

I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. Revelation 3:11

March 29

I finally got HOA approval to redesign the landscaping in my yard, which only means that I have to get started with the backbreaking labor of trying to remove the old plants that I didn’t want, and take out the weeds and grass where the new plants are going. I ended up staying out until 7:00 pm! How’s the garden of your heart? Do you need to do a little re-landscaping by clearing out the old, useless, unproductive branches, and plant some new things? We all have issues that weigh us down and crowd out the good because we haven’t taken control and held captive every thought. It’s the perfect time to do a little digging around in your mind to see what you need to get under control. Start by asking the Holy Spirit to help you pinpoint areas in your life that need to be redeemed; then take control of it in the power of Jesus name. Freedom is just a prayer away!

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5

March 28

Every two years I have to complete continuing education to keep up my licensing. This year I waited until the last minute and with only three days left I finally got it done! I don’t like to admit this, but even though it’s an open book test, I can never seem to make 100%. The questions are hard, but the answers are harder! They may change one word to make the answer just slightly off and though it resembles the book, it’s not exactly right. This is such a good comparison to what we have to deal with when it comes to the people bringing the Word of God. Their words seem good and right, but could be slightly off, causing you to be led astray. Jesus warned us that this might happen and will happen! He said that we would recognize them by their fruit. How do you know what fruit is good? We have to be diligent in our efforts to stay in tune with the Holy Spirit and know our Bible.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:15-16

March 27

We are in a season of great joy. As we approach Passover and Resurrection Sunday, we should reflect upon all that the Lord has done for us. From the simple answered prayer to the payment for all of our sins, offer praise and thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior. His sacrifice was great, and in anticipation of what was to come, He cried out to the Father to take His cup from Him if it was His will. We recognize His pain, as we sometimes ask for Him to do the same for us. Reflect on His sorrow, but accept the gift, because now we will not have to make payment for and get what we deserve for our own sin. Continue to pray for those who’ve yet to accept His gift. We can see the Son beginning to rise in the east, that beautiful glimmer of hope just on the horizon. Stay awake, be ready!

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Mark 14:35-36

March 26

Have we, as parents done something wrong? A large part of the responsibility is laid upon us, but we need to stand back and take a look at the big picture. When the enemy attacks you, where are you most vulnerable? Issues of your family! If he can tear the family apart, he will accomplish everything he wants. It looks as though the enemy is having his way in our society today. He’s made us feel as if some children are a mistake, therefore we abort them. He’s made drugs easy to access so the minds of parents become toasted, bad decisions are made, and grandparents end up raising their children. Parents no longer control their children, the children control them. Where we fail, the government swoops in and picks up the slack, teaching them a way that no longer resembles the way God intended. Have we fallen so far that we can’t recover? Cry out to God, He needs to hear from us.

And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Mark 13:12-13

March 25

When Jesus told us that the greatest command is to love God and the second is to love others, He didn’t list any exceptions. Can you love someone who sins differently than you? What if they have a different political view? I’m here to tell you that you can! Jesus loved all people regardless of the way they sinned. However, He did encourage them to turn away from it and sin no more, but that’s because He knows what will happen in the end. You can’t help someone turn from their sin if you butt heads with them. The conversation needs to be open, at least on your part. You’ll get nowhere if you can’t talk. All people wanted to be around Jesus, even the Pharisees, though some were trying to find ways to trip Him up. Regardless of what you might think, you’ll never reach anyone for Jesus if you only go after people who are already saved. Be kind to those who are different, Jesus was!

Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31