"Speak to Me"- God Loves You!

Have you ever needed to refocus on God, and there's a certain song, verse, or memory that just puts you back where you belong: at the feet of Jesus!?!

God has used today's song in this way for me in particular.  Ever since I made a humiliating mistake in 2015, I have had a hard time hearing God's Voice... I can't seem to trust anything I "hear" because I've missed it so badly in the past.  I accidentally discovered this song while working a few months back, and I instantly made it a prayer of mine.  I even had a mini worship service right there in my office!

Since then, when I have a serious topic that I want to pray about, I will go into my bedroom to pray.  Oftentimes, I will play/sing/pray this song. It has been a huge blessing! A way to help me to refocus on God and worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

The bridge of this song says:

"I'm in awe that You would come to me!

In awe that I can hear You speak!

I hang on to every word You say.

I live to hear You say my name."

This is so true when you really stop and think about it! How Awesome is it that God cares about us so much-He loves us so much-that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that our horrible sins, our horrible mistakes would be paid for! (John 3:16) The sacrifice has been made for us!  All we have to do is accept the gift!

Tonight, as I was listening to this song and pouring out my heart to my Lord and Savior, I kept hearing the same words over and over and over again:

"I love you

I love you, Susan

I love you

No matter what mistakes you've made or will make, I love you no matter what!"

I don't know about you, but I needed to hear that tonight!

As a kid, when you grow up in a Christian home, you hear the phrase: "Jesus loves you" all the time, at Sunday school, vacation Bible school, and on those Christian kid shows every Saturday morning... It is a phrase that I often take for granted... But think about that phrase for a minute!  God loves YOU no matter what, and nothing can separate us from His love! (Romans 8:38-39)

I simply want to encourage and remind you today, that, God loves you! He cares about you! He is interested in every detail of your life, from the smallest things (like what you eat for breakfast, the color of your nail polish, and how many Christmas songs you'll listen to this year!) up to the biggest things (like where you should work, who you should marry, or how you raise your kids...) the lists are endless... God cares about all of it!

As we are just finishing up our Thanksgiving season, let us continue to be thankful for the many blessings God has bestowed on our lives, and remember the True reason for the CHRISTmas season.

God's Love!

Blessings!

~S*

YOU Are All I Need... "Healer"

So this song came on in the middle of my work day.  It struck me a little differently than usual.  My family and I used to sing this song when we led praise and worship a few years back, and I always linked this song to physical healing.  Kinda makes sense... After-all, the song is called "Healer", but this particular day the Holy Spirit took me in a totally different direction...


"You Hold my every moment, You calm my raging sea, you walk with me through fire..." All of a sudden, I wasn't thinking about healing at all, but I was thinking about my life... How it hasn't gone the way I planned... How I felt like I walked through hot coals when I messed up a couple years ago... But I knew the whole time He was with me throughout my struggles.  I always had peace.

"I trust in YOU" This phrase has been an off and on struggle my entire life, but especially these past few years... Can I sing these words with honesty?  Do I really trust God?

"I believe You're my portion, I believe You're more than enough for me, Jesus you're all I need..."  Some days these statements are easier than others... I want Jesus to be all that I need...  On Sunday, during the worship, I envisioned a little girl running with all her might and jumping into her Heavenly Father's lap as He sat on His throne.  She was completely enveloped in His arms and disappeared in His loving embrace.

The little girl... was ME!

My biggest struggle as a single woman?  The desire for physical affection... I've been asking God recently how in the world He could satisfy my desires for a hug or a peck on the cheek... And when I felt like I couldn't go another day "alone", He hugged me!  I snuggled up in His lap!  How Awesome is that?!

"Nothing is impossible for You... Nothing is impossible..." Nothing is impossible with God.

"For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1:37 (NASB)
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 (NASB)

"You hold my world in Your hands..." God has my life under control... I don't have to worry about it!  In fact, He tells me not to worry about it! (Matthew 6:25-34) "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Verse 34)

Don't worry! Trust God with your life now... That means past, present and future... He will do Awesome things for you, if you'll let Him. And remember: God may seem slow, but He is never late.

~S*

Singleness... "What Now?"

This morning I was writing a letter to my future husband, and I ended the letter with the question “What do I do?”…  Upon writing the closing of the letter, this song suddenly popped into my head…

“What does this song have to do with writing a letter to your husband?” you may ask…  Well, as I was sitting there I started to think about the words of the song.

“What now?  What will you do, now that you’ve found Me? What now? What will you do with this treasure you’ve found?  I know I may not look like what you expected, but if you remember, this is right where I said I would be… You found Me… What now?”

I started to think about my life, and how it does not at all look like what I expected it to look like.  I’m 27 years old, and I’ve never had a boyfriend… I’ve never been on a date… I’ve never had a prospect… My plan was to be married at twenty!  I was supposed to start having kids at the age of twenty-five…  What now?

“I know I may not look like what you expected, but if you remember, this is right where I said I would be… You found Me…”

Because of my singleness, I have had my ups and downs in my communication with the Lord over this past year. But in all of the stuff that I’ve been through, I still trust Him with my future.  Singleness is where I have found Him.  Singleness is where I have seen His Face!  Singleness is where I have drawn closer to Him in trust.  Singleness is not the end of the world.  Singleness is where I am supposed to be in this moment in my life.

Yes, I still desire to get married.  Yes, I hope that the man who will become my husband walks into my life tomorrow.  But I don’t want that to define me.  I want God to define me. 

What now?  I’m going to strive to be the best example of God’s love that I can be.  I want to shine the light of God’s love everywhere I go.  I want to desire Him over a husband.  I want God to be my joy.  He is my joy… Sometimes I just have to reevaluate and remember why He is my joy.  He is my Salvation.  He saved me by paying the ultimate price.  I don’t have to spend an eternity in hell because Jesus took all my lies, my disrespect, my selfish pride, my judgmental attitude, my anger, my fear, my eye rolls, etc… He took all of it away and put his name on every single one of my sins.  How can I not be joyful in that? 

Where have you seen the face of Jesus?  Where does he make Himself most evident to you?  What now?

~ S*

I'll Trust You Jesus... So...That just happened...

Here is a picture of my car as of yesterday afternoon...

Let me start by saying, no one was hurt.  Not even a sign of whiplash.  The truck I hit didn't even have a scratch on it.

I think a few people in my life would like to know what happened, so here it is.  Right or wrong, the light turned yellow in a 50mph intersection... I would have gone through the light, but the people in front of me decided not to. I tried to change lanes, but someone was in my blind spot leaving me not enough time to slam on my breaks and stop without hitting the people in-front of me.  It was my fault.  If I would have just begun to stop completely, without trying to change lanes, I would have been just fine.

What stinks: My car is damaged.  And I really like my car.  I don't want to have to get a new one any time soon... I am without my car for a few days... I was late to work...  I could have gone shopping with my mom and sister that morning instead... Why did I leave that house at just that moment...

What's AWESOME: I didn't get charged with anything.  I will still have a clear record after this is all said and done! No one was injured! No damage was done to the other person's vehicle. I still got all of my tasks done at work that day!  The air bags didn't deploy! It just so happened to be the day my dad could come and get me even though he was at work! Insurance will pay for the repairs.  And the damage, to my current knowledge, appears to be minimal.  Did I mention I didn't get a ticket and this doesn't go on my record?????? :)

While I was sitting in my car waiting for the cop to show up, I began to hyperventilate.  I've never experienced anything like that before, and I've never witnessed someone having a panic attach... It was freaky.  My entire face went numb.  As I was sitting there panicking in my car, I began to thank God for His protection, and I told Him I trusted Him.  No matter what went on with my car, the police, etc... I Trust You Jesus.  

This is where the song for today's entry comes from.  I really pulled this one out of the archives.  It was one of my favorite songs growing up, and I didn't even really get what the words meant at that point in my life.  But it is a great reminder today.  

I'll Trust You Jesus.  In the chorus of this song it says, "For every situation that has tried to make me doubt. You've anointed me, given faith to me, so my Lord I'll trust in You..."  These words really hit me this morning as I was thinking about the events of yesterday... I was totally thinking in my car yesterday... How did this happen? I thought You were supposed to protect me from things like this?  Where were You? What did I do wrong?  Doubt totally crept into my mind.  But as the day progressed and I realized (as listed above in the "What's AWESOME" section) the things that didn't happen to me, I saw God's hand all over my situation.  Once I told Him "I trust You" I immediately felt better.  I had peace that surpasses all understanding.  (Philippians 4:7)

Bottom line.  I'm okay!  I'm great!  Better than that, I'm fabulous!  Why? Because God took care of me, and will continue to take great care of me for the rest of eternity!  Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and don't depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and He will give you success. Don't depend on your own wisdom. Respect the Lord and refuse to do wrong." Proverbs 3:5-7 (NCV) I don't know why I had to experience that accident, but I know God will work it out for good. (Romans 8:28)

Today in my daily devotional these were the verses:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." James 1:2

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

"You will keep in perfect peace Him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3

The last paragraph of the devotional said "The way to walk through demanding days is to grip My hand tightly and stay in close communication with Me.  Let your thoughts and spoken words be richly flavored with trust and thankfulness.  Regardless of the day's problems, I can keep you in perfect Peace as you stay close to Me." -- Jesus Calling June 4 entry

What an encouragement for me! That is what I chose to do yesterday.   I chose to thank Him even when I couldn't see the bright side yet.  As I trusted Him, He began to show me just how blessed I am. 

What do you need to trust and thank God for?

Blessings!

"Thy Will Be Done" Not My Plan

Recently a new song has been playing on the radio.  "Thy Will Be Done" by Hillary Scott.  The first time I heard this song, it stopped me in my tracks!  I felt like I could have written the song myself, because of how well I could apply it to the events of the past 365 days.  Please take a listen before I continue.






Verse one talks about listening to God, and following His direction, only to end up in a place of confusion and hurt. And you're standing there asking God WHY!?! What did I do wrong!!!!

Verse two talks about living in that time of confusion and trying to figure out what happened. And how amazingly Awesome God is. One of my favorite lines in verse two: "just trying to make sense of all your promises... Sometimes I've got to stop. Remember that You're God, and I... am... not..."  I have definitely been in that place this past year.

Then there's the verse: "Thy Will Be Done..."  Those words have been something I have uttered a million times to God throughout my life. As many times as I have asked God for a husband, I have always ended my prayers with "Not my will, but Yours be done".  Thoughts have entered my mind that this prayer is why I don't have a husband right now... But these little seeds of thought are not of God.  God has the best plan for my life.  Nothing I do or come up with could match God's BEST PLAN for me.

The bridge says, "I know you see me, I know you hear me Lord, Your plans are for me, goodness You have in store..."  I have a hard time driving when I sing the bridge, for I just want to close my eyes and worship.   This is the truth.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and hope.'" The enemy tries to whisper in our ear that God isn't listening to our prayers, that He doesn't care about this "little thing" in our life, He has more important things to "worry" about.  All of these are lies.  The Bible warns us in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (NASB) The Bible also tells us in John 10:10 that, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (NASB)

Don't believe the devil's lies.  He has no authority anymore.  Jesus became our Redeemer when He died for us on the cross.  We don't have to believe the lie that satan is still in charge.  He's NOT.  Don't be afraid to listen to the Holy Spirit.  Don't be afraid to follow God's best plan for your life.  It will not look like the world. 1 John 2:15-17, "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."  Notice that promise at the end: But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever."  That is what I want.  I want to please God.  

"Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." -- Matthew 6:9-13

"Draw Me Close To You" Refocused

I know it's been a while.  I've had a few ideas run though my head the past couple months, but didn't know quite how to get them down on "paper". But this morning I was inspired by a song that popped into my head while I was reading the Bible.  This song is an oldie, but goodie.  :)  And you get to see a video of me singing it this time!






As I mentioned above, this song popped into my head this morning. I love it when God will use a song to be just what I need in a particular moment of time.  This song is my current prayer to God.

Recently I've been trying to refocus myself on God whenever I feel like I'm starting to get off track (by worrying, thinking about my future, getting stressed out, feeling unorganized, or concentrating on wanting my future husband.)  I've been saying, in those times, "Lord, I want you to be all I need.  Please be my focus, my motivation, my first thought."

A few weeks ago, while at a church event, I was really struggling with my desires for a husband.  If you know me really well, you will know that it tends to be this ongoing battle everyday... But in that particular moment, I was asking God how in the world I could be fulfilled physically with Him?  My love language is touch, so I feel the most fulfilled when I get a hug from my dad (would be my husband, if I had one...).  How can God meet my constant desire for a warm embrace?

As I was standing there, I had this... I don't know what to call it... vision seems a little strong of a word... thought seems like not strong enough... But this image was suddenly playing in my brain:

I walked into a place that was all white, for it shone with God's glory.  In front of me was a massive throne!  It was made of very strong material, like marble or something, but had something soft covering the hard surface.  There were steps leading up to this throne, and I approached it.  Suddenly, sitting on the throne, was Jesus!  I couldn't see his face.  I could see him from the neck down.  His face was too bright to see.  As I walked up to the throne, He motioned with open arms for me to come up and sit on His lap.  So I did.  I walked up the steps crawled onto His lap and laid my head on His shoulder.

How Awesome is that!?!  When my mind starts to go wandering to desires of a husband, I remind myself of this "vision".  He is holding me in His arms right now!  He cares for me beyond what I could ask or imagine.  And something that I never thought possible happened... I snuggled with Jesus!

 I guess what I'm getting at here... Jesus is really, truly, all you need.  You can go on without a husband, wife, family, brother, sister, friend...  You can live without any of those people in your life, for God is all you need.  He is all I want.  He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or imagine.  (Eph. 3:20)

Today I encourage you to read Psalm 91.  It is one I memorized as a child, and has been great to speak over my life at many different stages.

Have an amazing week!

"I Will Trust in YOU" One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days when you just want to scream at the top of your lungs!?!  Today is one of those days for me...

Last year, I thought that God told me I would meet my future husband before the month of September hit...  I thought I was going to get married to this mystery man over Labor Day weekend of last year.  I'm not sure where I went wrong...

Leading up to September, I talked to God just like I would talk to anyone.  It was an easy back and forth conversation between us.  I would talk to Him throughout the day every day.  But since September first... It hasn't been that easy.

I have been struggling with thoughts and doubt ever since.  What if most of the stuff I "heard" wasn't God speaking to me at all?  What if it was just my brain tricking me into predicting everything I was hoping and dreaming for?  I don't know the answers to these questions.  I don't know how to ask God these questions...  What do I do?

A song came on the radio one day after I'd had a huge counseling session with my mom about the events of last year.  It was exactly what I needed at the moment.  The lyrics to the song "I Will Trust in YOU" by Lauren Daigle were exactly what I have been thinking/praying/feeling these past few months.  And I would love for you to listen to this song.







The lyrics of this song are my prayer to God right now.  I am still having to do battle every day with my thoughts and emotions about what happened last year, but I am trusting God no matter what!

Yes, my relationship with my Lord and Savior is a bit different than it was last year.  I question things a lot more than ever before... I don't have those everyday one on one conversations... I believe those conversations are still a possibility, but honestly, I'm not sure how to go about it right now...  BUT, I still believe in Jesus! I still believe what the Word says!  I still pray everyday. I still read my Bible everyday.  I still trust God with my life.

I do NOT know what God's plan for my life is... I question it everyday.  But I will trust God with my life and His plan for it, no matter what!

~ S*