2017- Bring It On!

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As I look back on my blog I can see I have been lax in writing. This I want to correct in the New Year. I must say that overall 2016 was a very good year because I serve an awesome God. I look around my office and see on my prayer walls the many prayer requests I had posted this past year for healings, deliverances, for God to move in a special way in individual lives. I post them on a white index card on  my bulletin board or on the front of the doors of my standing cupboards. When a prayer has been answered I take a bright yellow index card and write over it: healed, delivered, answered, etc. I notice that there are a lot of yellow cards over there!  Some are still white.  But we don't give up when we don't see the answer. We lost a few good people this year in our family and friends. They went on to be with the Lord. We saw a few miracles happen also. I do thank and praise the Lord for this! And we are still standing in the gap for those who are sick, going through various trials, for our nation and families. We will continue to pray until all our prayer boards are covered in bright yellow!

I myself came through thyroid surgery and cataract surgery in 2016. My husband is pain free after being diagnosed a couple years ago with four herniated discs. God healed two of them instantly and the other two have been managed through medical treatment, weight loss and exercise. We don't question how God heals only that He does. My in-laws were protected from serious injury or death during a traffic accident. God is so good and faithful. There have been other instances too numerous to mention where God intervened, protected, healed and brought about change.

I do thank Him for the changes He has made in my life. Recently I went on a personal quest of my own. I had been feeling like something was missing in my relationship with the Lord. So I wanted to find out what it was. My prayers and intercessions were anointed and brought blessings. But my personal times with the Lord seemed dry. As I kind of sequestered myself for a couple weeks, just focusing on Him alone, He showed me what was wrong. I was allowing the burdens, stresses and yes, even the good prayers and intercessions to supersede just time alone with Him in worship and praise and communion with Him in that secret place. He wanted me just to embrace His Presence on a continual basis. He kept giving me the verse: Proverbs 3:5-6: "..in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."  The word "acknowledge" means to "take notice of", "recognize". In the Hebrew it is the word "yada" which means "to know by experience". I was not acknowledging Him throughout the day. I had allowed all the burdens of the church, the nation- and all the other things I had been praying for- to take place of just spending time with Him. He is a jealous God and He wants first place in our lives. It wasn't that those other things were not good, but as Jesus told Martha in Luke 10:41,42-"...Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Mary, at that time was sitting at Jesus' feet.

This is what He is requiring of us today: to sit at His feet. When we do this, the other things fall into place. We learn of Him, we grow in Him. It isn't that the other things are not good. We just have to make sure that our first place is at His feet. Our highest high calling is spending alone time with Christ. It is vital for a lasting and satisfying walk with Christ.

As 2017 is already upon me- I have thrown out my lists and I have just embraced Christ and all that He is to me and all that He is going to do. He is the one in charge- not me. So  I say- 2017- BRING IT ON! There is nothing that I can not do as long as I have Christ dwelling inside of me. I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:37). What ever you are facing in this New Year- remember than in Christ you can do all things (Philippians 4:13).

                                                   
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withsoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

2017-- Bring it on!!

~ ~ Donna
                                                  

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