Today we head to Oklahoma City. I’ve never flown with such a large family group before. There will be 8 of us on the same flight. The other 3 coming from here will be about 1.5 hours behind us. We are all staying in a large home our daughter has rented through airbnb.

God never ceases to amaze me. The one appointment I had yesterday is a couple seeking help with their communication. As it turns out, this is a secondary problem with the primary one being the wife’s need for her own help. She was severely abused as a young child. Her husband is aware of this but he was clueless to abuse’s effect on the victim. They will be gone on vacation for a couple of weeks so their assignment is just to practice the skills for communication to understand rather than to “win”. When we return the wife will start coming for her own help.

Over and over I see people who are trying their hardest to hide what they are so ashamed of. I know this so well! God provides opportunity for us to take a risk in stepping into a sharing moment that opens a flood gate. That took place yesterday. It is so humbling and confirming to get to be part of God’s work in one’s life. He so wonderfully placed these people in my own life and now I get to return the favor. He never ceases to use all things if we only “let Him have His way with thee”. (Old hymn– His Way with Thee)

Today we are preparing to be gone for the next four days for our granddaughter’s wedding in Oklahoma City. Just because it is the dead of summer and gardening is at its peak, I have lots on my mind to remember to do this last day. So, when I got up and headed out to start the sprinklers on a portion of the garden I suddenly remembered I needed to check in for our seats on the airline. I quickly called up the app on my phone and completed this. I then had a flood of things I need to do today coming to mind. As I sat down to have my devotional time I was reminded that today is just a day and the same God who organized the universe will oversee any details for this day. I can relax. So, I simply made a list of what’s on my mind and all is good.

As I was going through my time with God I again surrendered myself to The Holy Spirit. It was then that I realized just how much He had already done making today so doable. Wednesday’s are a full counseling day. Last week when I was alerting the evening ones that I’d need to take this evening off for prep, there was no problem. In fact the last group finished last week leaving the 7-8:00 pm block free. The two before this couldn’t make their appointments tonight anyway. During the day yesterday, the other appointments needed to cancel today so I only have one appointment early afternoon and I’m then done. I just had to thank God for His kind thoroughness!

Living for Jesus has its moments. But, I’m finding that my greatest hindrance is me. When I am fully surrendered and remembering to stay this way, I am free–free of the bondage I put in my own way, not realizing until later, to stop–Let God take the lead. Today I want to keep this in front of me all day long.

As I began my devotional time this morning the devotion was titled, “It’s in the Attachment”. As I was reading it I thought it is a perfect follow-up to our pastor’s sermon last Sunday. The attachment is us being attached to the vine–Jesus. We are the branches. There is a line in the writing which I want to include today. It is: “You don’t have to work it up or strive to perform good works on God’s behalf. Instead, you trust the Lord to bring to you the people He wants you to minister to and to poor His power and wisdom through you into their lives.” The closing line of the writing is: “Jesus, help me to be so attached to You that when people look at me they see only You.”

God is reaching out to you and me to complete His Kingdom work that He created us to do. For years I tried to do this on my own strength only to fall short time and again. My biggest failure was not understanding how to let go of the old beliefs that I NEED to do this so that I could surrender and let The Holy Spirit be my strength. Surrendering to The Holy Spirit has become a daily commitment for me.

May our light so shine in this day that the people we are with do see Jesus–only JESUS!

There are days when one just needs to get up and take care of things on your mind so the mind can relax. That was this morning as 4:00 am came about. I was asked to write a blessing for my granddaughter who is getting married this Saturday in Oklahoma City. Kathy and I will be flying back there this Thursday. Yesterday I wrote the blessing but I wanted to add a picture to it and I just couldn’t find one of this particular grandchild. As I got up I asked Jesus to help me find where one might be. Well, He did just that. The blessing is now complete with pictures added to it. God is so thorough if I finally let Him.

This current focus of believing was given a new element yesterday in our pastor’s sermon. He was talking about God’s Love as Paul described LOVE in I Corinthians 13. The point that hit me is emulating God’s Love because His Holy Spirit lives in me already. It is not something I do, but instead, it is what God’s Holy Spirit does through me as I surrender to Him. It completely takes away “our assignment idea” and replaces it with “our surrender”. I don’t know why I have to be so old in order to learn these fundamental truths. I’m sure glad our God is so patient with us!

Today is my youngest daughter’s birthday. She is our adopted one and the one God gave to Kathy and me very intentionally. She has broadened my perspective on living in ways I needed so I could see the world through lenses which only different genes would allow. I’ve thanked God for this many times! Four additional grandkids is also a huge part of this blessing!

Today I am continuing to focus on believing. There is something extra special about believing God’s Holy Spirit lives within me (you and me). Talking to the Holy Spirit has a big element of mystery in it for me. I know it is this strength for which we can do anything God asks of us. I also know from first hand experience how well one can screw things up when we think–“oh I can do this without any problem”. I feel compelled to stay focused on The Holy Spirit within me so I can better learn to lean on Him and find His Strength as I face any and all of life’s challenges and temptations as well as all of God’s nudges.

I told my sponsor last night that I’m working to believe all that I know is true so I put it into action each and every day. His response was that he is going to be doing the same. God is never done growing his children.

This morning my devotional title was OBSTACLES. Just from the title I knew it was going to give me a message I needed to read and apply. The meaning of the writing was all about whatever is in our life that wants to block our walk with God, hinder our beliefs/trust/faith. I instantly thought about my own obstacles which have hugely centered around my own beliefs and my struggle that wants to always rear its ugly head–porn. The devotional gave some added insights in that it challenges the reader to thank God for the obstacle/s. The author wants us to ask God to show you what He wants us to learn from it/them and how we can better understand God’s Wisdom because of the battle it creates in us? This helps us understand why God allowed it in our life.

I am well aware of reasons God allowed my past to be what it was and how He uses it today. I give Him thanks for this quite often. I don’t always (in fact I rarely if ever) give thanks to Him for the addictive struggle. Yet, I know the struggle keeps me humbly before Him and keenly focused on finding the Strength within me through The Holy Spirit.

I swear, no matter how long I live, I will never live a moment of any day when I do not need God’s Mercy and Grace through Jesus Christ and the gift of His Holy Spirit. How fortunate we are to have such a marvelous God to serve!

I am reading Ecclesiastes presently. It is filled with wisdom and good thinking, but it is presented in a rather depressing manner. That saddens me. In fact, the reason it saddens me is that as I read it I can’t help but think about the ones who come for counseling help and discredit what is given to them. They come back each week but I’m not sure why? As I look at this a step away from the session I can see that they seem to apply their own judgment to a step they ought to take thinking ahead to an outcome they aren’t sure about so they discredit the step rather than take a step in simple faith.

I can look back at my own life and see where I did this. When I married the first time right out of college I thought I needed to get married so I wouldn’t look like I might be like my brother. So, even though there had been red flags for me regarding this marriage, I pursued it thinking it was God protecting me from my fears. Those 7 years were very tough, but learning years. The learning however, didn’t take place until afterwards.

Wisdom does prevail. It is just too bad how long it takes for wisdom to be applied. I can look back at my life and wonder why it took me so long to learn valuable lessons? As I do this, I can see why those who question today, do so. It is important that I let them take the time for God’s Spirit to teach them just as He has done for me. Trusting God and His timing is always a lesson to keep learning.

LET FREEDOM RING! Today we celebrate our country’s freedom, yet bigger than any of this celebration is the celebration of one’s freedom from the bondage of sin when we accept Jesus Christ into our heart and lives. It’s wonderful to celebrate our country’s freedom and to thank God for this freedom. We just cannot ever lose sight of the greater freedom we have no matter what external bondage we may live with.

It has always been amazing to me that the greater the bondage the more we seek and accept Jesus. He truly is the great bondage breaker! It takes us a lifetime here on earth to grow into a greater understanding of this reality, but it is so worth it!

Lets let FREEDOM RING today, but lets never stop letting GOD’s FREEDOM RING in our daily living for Him. How blest we are!

Yesterday I wrote about the message I was given from my prayer warrior Lois. I wrote also the strength of the message was found in Believing it is true. This belief continued into the counseling sessions during the day. As I was having the next to last one in the afternoon, the man sitting across from me was struggling with his own belief. As I listened to him I knew it was the right time to share my earlier message from Jesus. So, I told him about the card I’d received and Christ’s message to me that morning. I also told him that God’s Holy Spirit had nudged me to share this with him which was true. Last night this man text me a long message telling me how important all of this was to him and he was going to spend a good deal more time working on his belief.

This morning as I was continuing this belief topic with Jesus, I asked why I still struggle with the old temptations with porn at the top of the list? He simply asked, “Do you BELIEVE the power within you–God’s Holy Spirit, is greater than this temptation’s power? I suddenly realized my flaw–no, I didn’t believe this or had even thought this through. I had been told by all 3 counselors of my past that this struggle will likely stay with me since the abuse of youth lasted so long and its roots ran so deep. Today I realize this message of man was believed more than Christ’s message of God’s Power within me. So, today my BELIEF has grown from believing I’m fearfully and wonderfully made to include that my BELIEF in God’s Spirit within me is STRONGER than any temptation that wants to overcome me.

I LOVE how God is just never done growing Himself with me–(YOU and me).

Last night I went out to get our mail to find several birthday cards. Most of them are the goofy kind which I most often give to others also. In fact I get a big kick out of card shopping for them. Back on track now–one card was from my prayer warrior/mentor–Lois. This card she handmade and the message in it was so tender and touching. As I read it I smiled and thought–wow, I’m so lucky to have Lois in my life.

This morning as I was completing my journaling, I asked my daily question of Jesus–“What do You want me to know from you for today?” His response was amazing. He asked if I recalled what Lois had written to me? He said that this message was from Lois and Him. He had inspired Lois to write this to me. There was more to this message, but what struck me was that I always take a message like this and quickly diminish its meaning to fit my thinking of me. I know what scripture says about loving self, but even after living 74 years and spending so much time in counseling as well as now giving counsel, I receive compliments with a “grain of salt”.

I am not sure how to end this message today. What I know for sure is that God makes each one of us “fearfully and wonderfully”. Satan wants to destroy the truth of this for each one of us and he almost did for me. But, Christ’s redemption restored God’s first intent and today all I have to do is BELIEVE it is true for me just as it is for you! So today–I BELIEVE!