iShineInMinistry

This week's devotion is from one of my favorite little middle schoolers, Dasia. She is filled with the love of God and quite wise beyond her years! Hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I did!! Happy #TheCharmedLife Sunday!

"And whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not human masters."

Colossians 3:23 NIV

I'm in middle school, and I love to do everything. And by everything, I mean everything! I've always love being part of sports, clubs, and the many things that come with school. I love that feeling of pride and involvement that comes with it, and the awesome people I get to meet. But this summer, I went to a Christian sports camp with my sister and friends and it really changed my view of doing things in my life. I learned how to compete and involve every part of my life to God, no matter what I do. If you ask me the word I heard the most all summer, it's the word wholeheartedly.

Before camp, I never would've even known exactly what that word means. But now, I know exactly. Sure, there are definitions of the word on Google and things like that; but in my book, it means putting everything you have into something for God. I feel that if God didn't show me camp and this verse of the Bible, I never would've learned to give everything I possibly possess. I didn't realize that I was really doing things halfheartedly in a lot of parts of my life. I need to put my blood and tears into things like Jesus did on the cross. And I'm not just talking about sports, work, and activities. I'm talking about life and Christianity.

Put all of your energy and heart into whatever you do for Him. He's going to show you a different outlook on everything, and it's all part of His plan. I get distracted and sidetracked from God a lot, but I know focusing my heart on Him and praising Him for everything can lead you to so many new things. So be a light to your coworkers, or classmates, or team and show them what God can show you…and find what God wants you to find in yourself.

Psalm 37:3-6 (NKJV)

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

Today I went out with a friend for afternoon tea and we had such a fabulous time. The wait, however, was LONG! As we sat in the “lounge area” to be seated, we heard the hostess ask another group if their young daughter wanted to have “fairy dust”. Being the priss that I am, I asked about this option and then learned that we could have the dust (pink and blue glitter) sprinkled on us while we make a wish. I quickly opted for this service, even though I am well over seven years old!

Once I was standing in front the of hostess, she asked me to close my eyes and think hard about a wish I want. And of course since I am a FGG (Fabulous Girl of God) I began to say a short prayer about a current desire that has been on my heart lately (as she sprinkled glitter all over me in a circular motion above my head). Then my friend did the same and not long after we were seated for tea.

We literally had a delightful (people should use that word more often) time. We also noticed how much we sparkled when we turned a certain direction or when the light caught us at the just right time because of the glitter all over us. This made us smile and laugh a lot during our afternoon, which was nice. As we parted ways, I thought (half joking, mostly serious) that I should purchase some glitter and name it “Heaven Dust” to sprinkle on myself every night during my evening prayers before I go to sleep. The feeling of delight and the reminder of God covering me would flicker with each spec of glitter as it hits the light and the glimmer catches my eye…and remind me of God’s faithfulness and promises in my life. It would be a fanciful reminder of His love as I wait for Him to answer certain prayers and grow deeper in my love of Christ each day.

I’ve gone a long (and quite random) way to say that as we delight in the Lord He will fill us with joy as we wait…and give us moments of delight as we focus our hearts on Him, pray, seek and wait. The desires of our heart will be in alignment with His perfect will for our lives and we will encounter moments of joy throughout our day and our walk with Him.

My glittered afternoon gave me that nice reminder that I loved and needed. What reminds you to trust in the Lord and keep your heart fixed on His faithfulness?

Isaiah 62:4(NKJV)

…For the LORD delights in you…

Listen to this song sometime during your week to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness – enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3AzcuE3xTQ

We all have our moments of struggle, even we ladies that serve in full-time ministry. While we know that we are called to serve and minister to others, we must always make sure to let the Lord help us in areas where we may need to get on track.  As you read this week's devotion, while you pray through others you can help, please also ask the Lord to search your heart and see if there is something you need to get victory in as well.  We want to be completely ready to serve the Lord and shine in ministry...we can't do that if we don't check our own hearts too.  Happy reading!

1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

There are seasons of our walks with the Lord where we are so on top of life. We are following the Lord with all of our hearts and completely obedient to what He calls us to do. We are strong in the Lord with the whole armor of God, not allowing the enemy to get us entangled in sin that can distract us from living amazingly fabulous and blessed lives. Everything is awesome and we feel like that silly song from the Lego Movie (that song makes absolutely no sense by the way…but is great to listen to during a workout). We are absolutely beaming with the joy of the Lord, encouraging everyone that comes into our path…and then, it happens.

That one area of struggle that seems to sneak up from time to time has reared its ugly head again and before you know it, you’re repenting for “doing the most” in the worse way possible. It could be gluttony, gossip, wrath, lust or any other issue that you find keeps coming to take your life. Mine showed up in the form of a fall event at my favorite store…and coveting sent me into my purse searching for my debit card to buy items to place in my already full closet.

I have obviously received the forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, mercy and grace from the Lord as I asked for forgiveness for getting myself over to the “other side” again. However, I now have to make another trip to the same store to return shoes. Thank God for His faithfulness and the way He reminds us that certain things seem good at the time, but really aren’t necessary in the long run.

Is there something that you find yourself struggling with today? I would love to pray for you…and you can pray for me too! Please feel free to contact me via email and leave a prayer request or simply place it in the comments section. We will make sure to be more than conquerors together and live #TheCharmedLife as God continues to grow us in our faith!

Psalm 136:26 (NKJV)

Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 32:8

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

There have been so many life-altering transitions over the last two months. God is really shaking me up, making sure that my eyes stay on Him and I don’t get too comfortable anywhere. As I continue to get settled in my new job, new apartment and other changes around me, I realize that I am not quite sure this is it for me (again – oh my stars!). Do you ever get those unsettled feelings, like God is telling you, “This isn’t it either?” How does your heart respond in those moments?

Right now, I am mostly walking through each day, allowing Him to handle what’s right in front of me at the moment. I am surrounded by quite a few unsaved people, most of whom I can figure out with regard to motives. As I discern how to react, move forward and respond, all I can do is pray and trust. If you find yourself in this “interim” season as well, here is what we can all do as we walk with Jesus.

Pray that God leads us on the path He has and that we follow the directives He is giving. Trust that if things turn out differently than what we hoped or thought, He is still faithful. Remember that there are things that will happen that we do not understand, but He does and He is always going before us.

Now, with that said…how do we actually let this play out in our lives without teeth-grinding during sleep at night, stress eating or getting anxiety during the day when things seem uncertain? Well, the true answer is…sometimes we can’t. Some days will be great and we will be filled with trust, joy and expectancy. Other days, we will just want to throw in the towel, eat cake and hope for the best. We are allowed to have these feelings and process through the emotions and thoughts that crowd (and cloud) our minds. We all know that everyone has their moments of, “Why is this my season? Can it not be?”

David had his seasons as he was being chased by Saul and challenged by his own son, Absalom. Abraham had his seasons as he hoped for a son…and then had to take that promised son to the altar of sacrifice. Elizabeth and Hannah endured that season as they were literally barren and dismayed. Everyone has these seasons…no one is exempt.

This week, I encourage all of us to write down everything before bedtime. Every thought, hope, dream, desire, rant, annoyance…everything that is reeling. Then, surrender it to the Lord each night and keep giving it back to Him (no matter how many times it takes) and press forward so that we can keep living #thecharmedlife and giving all glory to God, no matter what comes our way! Have a wonderfully blessed week.

Hearts and Hugs,

Jacquelynn Marie

Psalm 121:7-8

"The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."

Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Luke 1:45 (NIV)

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Life throws a menagerie of events and occurrences our way. Sometimes we can have the best week ever, then one small change can detour the course of an entire life. Losing a job, a home or a fiancé, an unfortunate encounter with sin, losing a loved one or whatever you thought was your “it” to make your life complete can shake faith to the utmost. While we can still attend church, read our daily devotions and say our nighttime prayers, we may not feel as faith-filled as we once did in seasons prior. We get to make a decision each and every day what we choose to believe and stand firm on…will we continue to believe the Lord is faithful and live in such a way? Or will we auto-pilot through our Christianity, hoping that no one can see that we are off track?

We all have these moments, whether or not we want to believe it. But, staying in denial will only further harden our heart and give the enemy an opportunity to let that slow fade begin into full-fledged back sliding. Let’s do a little “check-in” to see if we are on the verge of unbelief.

1) How is your prayer life? Is it vibrant? Are you the “go-to” person when friends and family need someone to come along-side them in agreement? Did you use to be this person, but not anymore?

2) What’s your fellowship/church attendance like? Are you going just to make an appearance and not cause any questioning? Can you remember what you heard in the last service you attended? Do you avoid speaking with church-friends in fear that their gift of discernment doesn’t tip them off and they will know something is amiss? Are you spending more time with unbelievers so that you can avoid any form of accountability? Are you staying busy? Do you find any and every kind of time-filler just so you don’t have to be alone with God and your thoughts? Do you look for distractions or any kind of noise so that you do not have to come to terms with what you know is true…you are drifting away from the Lord? When is the last time you truly heard from the Lord?

3) Have you picked up any out of character behaviors/habits? Are you compulsively eating or shopping? Have you started smoking or drinking regularly? Are you finding yourself hanging out in places you would not have even considered 6-8 months ago? What about your life patterns has changed, but not for the better?

All of these little indicators are warning signs to get back on the track of belief. Maybe you and the Lord need a little “heart to heart” where you can pour out all of your thoughts, fears, anxieties and frustrations? Guess what? He already knows them…He is graciously and patiently waiting for you to come to Him. He’s waiting for you as I type this!

Why not come out of this dreary funk that you find yourself in and get back to the one that saves, heals, loves and restores? The process and the time it takes to get back on track will be well worth it. God has amazing gifts and promises for each of us…don’t falter in your faith now, who knows how close you are to the finish line? You may not know, but God does! It will be worth the wait in the end, so be a good and faithful servant who sparkles for Him!

Mark 9:24 (NLT)

… "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"