I’m coming off a week of uncertainty, wavering, doubt, questioning, frustration, anxiety, being overwhelmed and on top of that having trouble sleeping. These things do NOT mix well. They take a toll on your body and mind and spirit. Have you ever felt like you have so much to do and no time to do it? Or maybe you have so much to do and you can’t seem to organize  the to do list to even begin to attack it. How do you prioritize things when everything is important? If you are seeking to follow HIM, how do you know which path He wants you to take? These are some things I have been wrestling with this week.

My question to myself over the past few months has been “where is my destiny?” Where is it that the Lord wants me to be? Where is His will for my life?  What path am I suppose to take and where should my focus be? As I become closer to Him, I have an overwhelming desire to stay on His path for my life. I don’t want to step off and make a wrong turn. I continue to meditate on the scripture ” I have plans for you, not to harm you but to prosper you”  and I continue to try and listen to his voice as I seek direction. My hearts desire is to follow Him and to fulfill the destiny He planned for me from the very beginning. I don’t want to mess it up.

I believe that His path is at the Rittman church. I am beginning to find my “place” in Rittman and have begun to actually wear many hats as I serve in His name. This is a good thing, as I have been asking the Lord to use me as a vessel for Him and am finally understanding where I fit in at our new church.I  know that the Lord is nudging me in certain areas of service and I can  see the Holy Spirit at work. But of course with new responsibilities sometimes there also comes frustration and concern and questioning of my ability to be able to give what is expected and needed. Insecurity creeps in and I doubt myself and my purpose.

I have prayed for a long time for the Lord to show me His path. Some days I think I hear His calling and other days I begin to question and then doubt and fear and anxiety set in. Do you ever question God? Have you ever put your hands up and asked the Lord to just give you a neon sign to follow?  Have  you ever yelled up to Him and just plain out said ” I don’t get it Lord! What do you want me to do?” Are you ever tempted to go in a different direction and wonder if God placed the new path in your way to follow or if it is a test to see which path you will choose? Is it an opportunity from God or a temptation to see where your heart is? As I follow His path in Rittman, society has also creeped in and has been nudging me into another direction where I am uncertain if it is His will or just a way to sidetrack the path I am on.

I went to the Beth Moore Simulcast this weekend and WOW did the Lord have something to say to me!! It must be the NEON sign I prayed for! The scripture for the event was Psalm 37 with verse 4 being the main focal point. “Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Throughout Psalm 37 there are many key truths to take home, but I thought I would share what spoke to me this week as I struggled with decisions, frustrations, and doubt.

Beth Moore spoke throughout the 2 day event on verse 4 and focused on 7 key points that supported delighting in the Lord and receiving the desires of our hearts. Here is just a brief overview of how the Lord touched me this weekend as I sought His word!

1. Put your desires before God…lay out your longings before Him! What are your true hearts desires??
2. Our true longings are not affected by our moods or circumstances….so know that your true hearts desires have a sustained longing. Sometimes these sustained longings necessitate a WAIT! Be patient!
3. Acknowledge the heart beneath your desires! God sees the heart of your desires!! If your heart is in the right place remember that He will honor that and that He has NOT abandoned you!
4. When our desires are centered on Him, He will make our steps firm…Psalm 37:23-24
5. Our desires turn into delights before Him!
6. Set your desires on things above! DELIGHT in HIM!
7. Christ IS your life! He is not just a priority!
8. To make room for Delight, we’ve got to commit! Stop doubting and BELIEVE that He will give you your desires!
9. Nothing is Passive about patiently waiting for desire to turn into delight!  We need to be still and listen…meditate and receive His word and allow Him to do the work in you! KNOW that by waiting He will answer and praise Him knowing that it will come! Trust Him!
10. Till Faith becomes sight, trust God and DO GOOD!

I continue to be amazed at how God speaks to people in different ways and how He knows exactly what you need when you are struggling.  He gave me 3 NEON signs this weekend and I praise Him for His faithfulness to me in my time of doubt and insecurity.

1. DELIGHT in HIM and then HE WILL give you the desires of your heart…..My passion for serving Him is from the bottom of my heart. It is a strong desire that has not changed and one that comes with great sincerity. If I continue to DELIGHT in Him, He will give me those desires and be faithful to my heart.  I need to trust in His promise!
2. The Lord delights in the steps of the godly and He delights in every detail of their lives….though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand (Psalm 37:23-24)…..This gives us confidence that if we truly are following Him that He will take care of all the details and will guide us and hold us by the hand so that we may not fall. I need to trust in Him and let my own doubts and insecurities be placed at His feet knowing that He will equip those that He calls. I need to commit to HIM and quit being a weeble wobble!
3. It is okay to have to wait for the fulfillment of our desires. ! It is okay to go through difficulties and trials and frustrations…that is what builds our characters so that we can serve Him better. He has me right where He wants me! I need to dwell in it and feed off His faithfulness and drink from the river of delights (psalm 36:8)!

Well, one week down as the new school year is on it’s way! The kiddos are beginning to be comfortable with the new routine of going to bed at 8:30 and waking up at 7:00. So far not much homework ,but we are anticipating the rush this week. Of course, our schedules are crazy with soccer, piano, cross country, praise team, and meetings each week! It’s amazing how we run full speed ahead once September hits us!

My girls go to the elementary school and each year they have a theme that they follow. Well, I was very excited when I heard that the theme this year was “Be a bucket filler”! It is based on a book and the bottom line is that everyone in the school is to fill each others buckets with praise and compliments. You want to be a bucket filler and not a bucket dipper! A bucket dipper is one that pulls out by being mean or negative to someone else. Each day when the kids come home I ask them whose bucket they filled today. I love the concept of lifting one another up and not tearing them down! This encourages the kiddos and helps them with their self esteem and also with treating one another as they would want to be treated!

Well, I must say I liked it until Brooke came home one day and she was misbehaving and so I punished her by telling her what she did wrong and sending her to her room for a time out. In her stern voice, she immediately scolded me and informed me that I was dipping into her bucket and not being nice. So of course I had to step back and evaluate my parenting technique and said I was sorry to dip from her bucket but that what she had done was wrong and she needed to be punished for it. I was not dipping from her bucket, but rather disciplining her for her wrong choices. I thought she had understood, but she proceeded the entire week to tell me that I was a bucket dipper every time I told her no or punished her for making a wrong choice! Of course, she never once thanked me for filling her bucket! 

So, what is the solution??? Think twice of how you speak to your child to make sure you are using the right tone of voice and not always having negative criticism towards them!  Praise your child more than being critical! Howerver, remember your place as a mom and stick to your guns and not let a little 8 year old ruin your day by telling you that you are a bucket dipper! Can you believe that??

“When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord.” Exodus 15:31

Have you ever thought of the mighty hand of God? How powerful is He? Can we even imagine?  We think of the battles we face each daywith illness, diseases, poverty, death, loss, pain, discouragement, etc. Those battles are huge especially when we face them day after day. They pull us down. They destroy our desire to fight and our hope for a brighter day. At times, our circumstances overwhelm us and pull us  into the depths of darkness. We become weary and lose sight of where our help comes from!

Do you ever think that we put our God in a box? Do we limit WHO he is and WHAT He can do? I believe that, at times, all of us minimize WHO our God is! He is more than we could ever imagine! We become so stuck on our circumstances and the life that we are living in, that we forget to see our God as He truly is and we forget to put our hope in  Him! He has more POWER than our circumstances and life battles! We need to trust in WHO He is and WHAT He can do!

I opened to Exodus 15 tonight and was reading “A song of Deliverance” which was Moses’ song of deliverance and praise after God  led Israel out of Egypt and saved them by parting the Red Sea.As I was reading, I was reminded of the Power of our Lord! Take a moment and reflect on Exodus 15:1-21!

This is a poem celebrating God’s victory! God’s people were delivered from great danger….they had the Red sea in front of them with no way to cross and they had Pharoah’s army behind them chasing them down. Could you imagine the terror and anguish the Israelites were in? It was like they were in between a rock and a hard place with no where to run! Have you ever been there? Where was your hope? How did you feel?

Take a look at Exodus 15:3 where it says “The Lord is my warrior”! He will fight for you! Believe in those words! He is YOUR warrior! He hurled Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the sea! The deep waters gushed over them! They sank to the bottom like a stone! I love verse 7 as it says “In the greatest of your majesty, you overthrow those who rise against you.”….this should help you to understand the Power that the Lord has over your enemies. The Lord does not want to see the enemy take over your life. Don’t let Satan take away your joy, your love, your hope, your strength! Don’t let the enemy lead you astray and down the wrong path. Don’t let the difficulties in this world consume you and pull you into times of despair and hopelessness. 

 Remember Exodus 15:11-12 and how the Lord can raise his right hand and destroy the enemy! Keep reading Exodus 15:13-18 and put your hope in His unfailing love and remember these words “You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, reserved for your own dwelling”! The Lord will rescue you! He will place you on His mountain top and you will dwell among Him!

The people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground! God is so powerful that he parted the sea and made a way of safety for them. He will always provide a way through the difficult times. God WILL make a way! Believe in His power!  Believe in His promises! Believe that He is faithful to those that follow Him!

“But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”

Deuteronomy 5:10

Take a moment and read this scripture over and over. Let it sink in. He lavishes unfailing love! Lavishes means in excess or abundance. Unfailing means everlasting, inexaustible, constant. He gives us an abundance and everlasting love!  If that doesn’ t comfort you, I don’t know what will!  It gives me chills as I think of how much the Lord loves me.

He IS Love!! He loves even when we ignore Him. He loves even when we make mistakes. He loves even when we disobey. He loves even when we turn our backs on Him. He loves even when we turn down the wrong path. He loves even when we can’t love. He loves at all times. You see the verse says that His love is unfailing. It is constant. His love is lavished upon us. It is hard to believe isn’t it!

It took me a long time to believe this truth. Every time I made a mistake, every time I didn’t follow Him, everytime I felt like I wasn’t doing enough for Him….I believed that His love was less for me. I was trying so hard to earn His love for me. I believed that He wanted more and that He was disappointed in me. I believed that if I could just serve more, if I could just be more obedient, if I could just trust more, if I could just try harder…that He would love me more. But over time, I learned that this was not truth and instead that it was Satan trying so hard to instill the wrong thoughts through my head. There is nothing we can do to earn His love. It is freely given to all of us!

God is LOVE. He loves at all times.Does that mean that God never gets disappointed? No, I don’t believe that….but I do believe that even when He is disappointed, that He still loves. I believe this because His love never changes. It is like our own children…..we may not agree with how they are acting or behaving, but our love never changes towards them. Of course, we occasionally hear from them ” you don’t love me” when we punish them but we all know that we always love them and discipline comes along with that. It is the same with the Lord. His love never changes. It is lavished upon us and it is everlasting.

I think about stories in the Bible where people were constantly disobeying the Lord and worshipping idols. Isn’t it the same today too?  We fall short. We sin. We walk away from Him. But He still loves us with lavished unfailing love. Look in through out the Bible and see the Lord’s Love lavished upon His children over and over again.  Think of Moses….he killed a man, but the Lord still wanted to use Him to save the Egyptians from Pharoah. He still loved Moses even though he was a sinner. Think of David…he committed adultery with Bathsheba, plotted the death of Uriah, and tried to cover everything up. But the Lord still loved David, the man after His own heart. Think about Peter, the leader of the 12 disciples, who denied Jesus 3 times. But the Lord still loved Peter.

Our Father is the Lord of  Love and mercy. He loves even when we are unlovable! Now, that is amazing! Only He can do that!

Take some time to seek Him today and to be lavished by His love for you! I pray that you will not only see, but believe!

Nothing can seperate us from God’s Love: Romans 8:31    : Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ , who loved us!! Never let this truth go. Believe that the Lord loves you and will not abandon you! Feel secure knowing that His love never fails!!

1 John 4: 9-10

God loves YOU!

The Lord says, ” I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

Psalm 33:8

This morning I prayed with my youngest daughter, Brooke, as she sat nervously on the couch not wanting to go to school. There is nothing like watching your child feeling anxious and afraid. It tears my heart apart to watch Brookie work through her fears. As a mother, I try my hardest  to comfort and calm her little heart, knowing that truly there is nothing that I can do except pray and encourage. You just want to take it all away, but you know that you can’t.

Can you imagine what the Lord sees when he watches all of us as we deal with our fears and anxieties? His heart is also breaking and His tears are  probably running down His face as He watches His children struggling and holding onto the burdens of life. Maybe He is thinking ” if only they would truly believe in me”. Maybe He is asking “why don’t they let go and let me help them?  Life would be so much easier for my children”. He wants us to trust in Him and ask Him for help and comfort.

Brooke struggled all last year with anxiousness , not only in school but with other activities as well. Through the difficulties, she learned that prayer was powerful and that she could turn to Him when she was in school and when she felt like she was all alone. It was a really tough year for all of us. We would pray every night and every morning that the Lord would give her strength and comfort and that He would calm her little heart. When I dropped her off  at school she would always tell me to pray for her during the day. She knew that the Lord loved her and that she could turn to Him. He would watch over her. He would guide her during the day.

Today, was a tough day as we entered a new school year. She was nervous. She was scared. But I sensed a new strength in her too! A strength  from the Lord! You see,  she remembered the importance of prayer. She knows that the Lord will comfort her and be right there with her today. She is 8 years old. To me it is amazing to see this at such a young age. We prayed at home this morning…just her and I. We drove to school and I walked her up to the door with tears in my eyes praying that she would stay in line with the other kids and be strong.  As I hugged her and walked away she said “mommy, pray for me today!”….

I hope that by sharing this,  you will remember the power of prayer. I hope you will lift your burdens to the Lord and know that He cares for you. Remember that He wants to lighten your load. He wants to be there for you in your times of need just like we want to be there for our own children. His heart breaks when He sees us struggling. He longs for us to come to Him!! Share your heart with Him!! He already knows your heart, your worries, your concerns…. but He want YOU to come to him and share them with him! Get to your knees!

Read and reflect on:

1Peter5:7 

 Philippians 4:6

Matthew 11:28-29 

” Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” Zechariah 4:10

I was running the other day in our neighborhood and as I turned onto the road that is behind the high school I could hear all the noise from the construction crews that have begun the building of the new high school. I couldn’t believe how loud they were and what a disturbance that must be to those homes that are near there. Each of those families have to deal with the noise and dirt for 3 years! I kept thinking what a long process that is and how frustrating it must be for those families.

It made me think of life and how sometimes we also see a long road ahead of us. We see alot of construction and work!  Sometimes we can see the big picture, the prize, or the accomplishment in front of us but know that it is going to be a long time before we get there.We might be like those families where we are frustrated and discouraged with the slow progress and impatient because we want to see the end result sooner than later. 

I recently finished my bible study on Esther. It was a wonderful study that taught me alot about trusting the Lord and being obedient to His calling. Esther was just a girl…one that had alot on her plate!  All of God’s people were counting on her. She needed to be obedient to His call and trust that the Lord would be faithful even though her life was at stake. When we have big opportunities placed in front of us, we need to take time to listen to Him and understand what God is asking us to do and know that whatever He is calling us to that He will equip us and empower us to do His will. Don’t let fear or insecurities cloud your vision. Psalm 139:10  states that His hand will guide me and His strength will support me. Call out to Him and ask Him to guide and empower you to do His will even if it seems like a long road ahead! Remember the scripture above from Zechariah 4:10 as it gives us encouragement that even the beginning steps are pleasing to the Lord as He sees His will moving forward!

” But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain.” Psalm 3:3-4

Do you ever feel like you are in a battle? There are so many battles in this world. Battles in the home, at work, within relationships, financially, within our churches, and even attacks within ourselves. Everywhere we look there are enemies surrounding us. There are enemies attacking us.Sometimes we feel like we can’t escape them. We become weary fighting against them! Where is the relief? Where is our help? We can’t fight them on our own! Where does our help come from?….our help comes from the Lord!

In Psalm 3: 1-8 , David was being pursued by enemy soldiers . He was running for his life from his own rebellious son, Absalom, and a host of traitors. Absolom was plotting against his father, David, to take away the throne. Can you believe his own son was attacking him?  Does it get any worse than that? How about you….are you being attacked right now? Is Satan around every corner? Do you feel overwhelmed by the enemy?

We can learn from David in the Psalms as he cries out to the Lord! In Psalm 3:7 David cries out “Arise , O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face!” I love it! He trusted wholeheartedly in His Lord! David was truly outnumbered! He knew he couldn’t fight alone, he needed the Lord! What really strikes me is that not only did he ask for the Lord’s help….he demanded that the Lord slap them in the face! I love boldness! David knew who his God was! He believed in His Lord! He knew that the Lord was his shield and protector! He knew WHO his victory would come from! He had no problem shouting out orders to His God! “Slap them in the face !”

How about you? When the enemy strikes, how do you react? Do you fight with all your might? Do you call on your friends? Or do you turn to your Lord, the shield that protects you at all times? Do you cry out to Him with the faith that David had? Are you bold in your requests? Do you truly believe that He will answer from His holy mountain and that your victory will come from Him?

Your turn:

Look up Matthew 7:7, Psalm 23:4; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 62:1-8

What encouragement do these scriptures give you about your God? I encourage you to pick one and meditate on it so when the enemy strikes you, your Lord can help you strike back…maybe even right in the face!!

 THE RIVER OF LIFE!

I love to be outdoors experiencing  the beauty that God has created!  Everything from the smells and sights to the sounds that I hear! I love to see His mighty hand as I gaze upon sunsets and sunrises, mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans! I just spent the last 2 1/2 weeks on vacation visiting my family in Tennessee and  in Florida. I spent 42 hours driving down and back! I know… it doesn’t sound like fun being in the car that long, but we actually handled it pretty well! The kids were great in the van and I was able to spend alot of time thinking! I must say, I am glad to be HOME though and am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight and getting up tomorrow and not having to go anywhere! There is NO place like HOME!

I wanted to share with you something that God has placed on my heart these last few weeks! These pictures that I posted here are of Abram Falls, in the Smokey Mountains! We went on a 5 mile hike that was beautiful! I loved every moment of it!  I could of done it everyday, but I don’t think my kids would have agreed to that one! We  began the hike all prepared with water bottles, snacks, a first aide kit, camera’s, and of course a backpack! We were prepared physically! Spiritually,  I was prepared for God to show me something I really needed!

I began this vacation, 3 weeks ago, needing some refreshment, encouragement, and direction. I have been seeking. I have been praying. I have been wondering what God has for me next. What is His plan for me? Am I following Him or am I following my own desires? I continued to go back to my Esther study where I continue to ask myself “What does He expect from me during such a time as this?” Am I at this new church for a reason? Am I sitting back too much or do I need to make some steps forward?  Am I being the mom that my kids need me to be?  What does God have planned for my family? The Lord  has a Destiny for each of us….what is mine? What does it entail? Why is it always so hard to figure out?

Then I began this hike…through the Smokey Mountains! Look at these two pictures and quiet your mind as you listen to the water flow down the stream and rush down the Fall! We walked  two and a half miles to the falls. Along the way, we took in all that God created! We even experienced the site of a bear sitting above us as we walked along the path below.  However, what I experienced, above all, was the sound of the water continually flowing along side us! I kept watching it and listening to it….I kept repeating to myself “He leads me beside still waters!” Psalm 23 was in my mind the entire way to the Falls! “He guides me along right paths!”……it was so cool to see God at work!

When we got to the Falls, people were sitting there eating their lunch, taking pictures, and even swimming in the pool below!  The sight was so refreshing! You watched the water rush over the Fall and you could hear the continual flow of water down the stream! All around us were brightly colored green trees and every now and then you would see beautiful flowers growing. We even saw tadpoles and the most beautiful blue butterfly we’ve ever seen just sitting on the rocks! New Life!

 As I listened and observed everything around me…it hit me, THE RIVER OF LIFE!  In Revelation 22 John talks about a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing crops of fruit! I looked at the life around this stream and began to think of how the river symbolizes life from God…the living water! We all thirst for it!  He wants us to take a drink! As long as we are drinking from the living water of God, He will nourish us and allow us to bear fruit! Look at all the life that was surrounding the stream!  That is like us….full of life when we drink from the river of life! Ezekial 47 also talks about the river and I am encouraged as I read verse 9 where it says “life will flourish wherever this water flows”. Ezekial 47:12 says “fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches.”

This trip through the Smokey Mountains has taught me that even when I am lost, God will lead me beside still waters and He will guide me along the right path. The River of Life will sustain me and will nourish me and help me to bear fruit! I must “be still and know that He is God” and hold onto the promise that I will “never turn brown and fall, but that there will always be fruit on the branches!! ” Sometimes we just need to sit by the river, drink, and take it all in!

Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield”

Psalm 23:1 ” The Lord is my shephard.”

Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Savior.”

Psalm 18:2″He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

Psalm 27: 1 “The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger.”

 Psalm 27: 14 ” Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous.Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

WHO is our God? It can be hard at times in our lives when we are going through disappointments, discouraging times, and even tragedy. We wonder WHERE he is, WHO he is, and sometimes if He is even watching? There are a few people in my life that are going through tough times right now. I watch and I hope that they can see their God. I watch and I hope that their faith does not wander. I watch and I hope that they can believe in Him and trust in His promises even though they wonder and question his plans right now. I watch and hope that they KNOW WHO HE IS!

The Bible is full of stories that teach us about trusting in the Lord.  I think of Peter and how He stepped out of the boat to walk on the water towards Jesus, but then began to sink because the waves began to rise and he panicked and took his eyes off of Jesus. He focused on the circumstances surrounding him instead of keeping his focus on the Lord. I think of David as He trusted in the Lord to protect him and be his strength as he fought Goliath. I think of David as he trusted in the Lord to keep him safe from Saul pursuits. I think of the woman who was bleeding and ill for 12 years and trusted that if she could just touch Jesus, she would be healed. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that if we turn to the Word we will grasp WHO God WAS, WHO God IS, and WHAT He has promised to those that BELIEVE!!

My focus now is on Esther and I am learning more and more about her as the weeks progress. She was just a girl! She was orphaned at a young age by the death of both her mother and father. She was raised by her cousin Mordecai. She was beautiful. Her Persian names means “star”. She was quiet. She was a young woman who believed in herself . She was confident.She was simple. She was humble.She was strong. She was wise. She was independent.She was obedient. She had a tough life. She had many trials. She had much expectation placed upon her! She needed to lean on the Lord for protection, for guidance, for hope!!

She was the one who God had chosen to save His people. This wasn’t in her plans! This wasn’t suppose to happen! Hadn’t she already been through enough turmoil and trials! But the Lord says “for I know the plans I have for you!” We don’t always agree with them do we? We don’t always understand why things happen! We question. We become angry. We have tears. We become scared. We lose faith. But we must remember that He sees the big picture! Through my study on Esther I am learning that He has a Destiny for each of us. He wants us to discover that Destiny. Even when there are times when we don’t see God, we need to know that He IS going to show up. He has a destiny for us and our destiny is not always clear from our perspective. Our history is a part of our destiny! Our history is a part of who we are. Our history shapes us! Remember this : “He chooses us not inspite of what we have been through, but because of it!” (Beth Moore) In other words our destiny is tied to our history. No matter what we have been through in our lives…God is using that and wants us to remember that He dragged us out of it! Just like in the story of Esther….He was there in the past as He delivered His people out of Egypt! He was with them as Esther was chosen to be Queen! He wanted them to remember their history and what He had done for them. He was going to be with them as Esther was chosen to be the one to save her people! He knew the plans he had for Esther. He knew that she would be the one that would save His people from the wicked Haman. He knew her Destiny from the very beginning. Does it make it any easier to know that God has a plan for our lives? Does it help us as we go through the trials? We still have sorrow, confusion, pain, and heartache! But hopefully knowing that He has a Destiny for each of us that is shaped by our history will help us as we go through our journey. Knowing that we don’t understand now but that in the future we will see…gives us hope. Trust in Him and surrender to his plans knowing that his plans are not to harm you but to bring you hope and a future!

Pride…..the Lord says to swallow it! He opposes the proud and favors the humble. In Proverbs 16:5 it states that the Lord detests the proud! It disgraces Him! In Proverbs 16:18 it says Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall! Did that catch your attention? I know it makes my eyes widen! Pride goes before destruction….what good can come from pride? It is doomed for destruction. Are you prideful? Do you know people who are proud? How does it affect their lives and the lives of others?

Proud people think that they are above others. Proud people don’t consider how their actions  impact others. They think only of themselves and seldom even realize that pride is their problem.They would never admit it! They are focused on self satisfaction.They are arrogant. They have an excessive high opinion of oneself, one’s thoughts, appearance, and achievements. Have you ever seen someone that is always focused on having things their way. They are always right. Even if they have conviction that they are wrong, they would never admit it. These are prideful people who have one person in mind at all times: themselves!

I am reading about Haman and King Xerxes in the study of Esther. I don’t think I have ever witnessed pride greater than what these two men are dishing out. King Xerxes wanting to show off his palace and leadership in order to win the hearts of his people. He even went as far as showing off his wife, who refused to stoop so low. Of course, she was banished forever for that decision…but maybe she was better off for it!! You go girl! Then you have Haman who feels rejected and humiliated by one man, Mordecai,because he refused to bow down to him. Haman is filled with rage and pride. He decides that He is above everyone and will take revenge by punishing not just Mordecai,but  all the Jews from the entire empire!  Oh, and by the way Haman is taking it one step further…they must all be KILLED, SLAUGHTERED, AND ANNIHILATED! All this because one man refused to bow down before him! What on earth makes a person think that they can take lives of others into their own hands? What amazes me even more is that  the King agreed to this nonsense and gave Haman the authority to do whatever he pleased. He agreed to Haman’s plan without questioning or stopping to think of the prideful plan of Haman and without quetioning his motives!Remember, God knew what was going to happen and He was in control, not Haman! God’s plans cannot be stopped! Haman was doomed to fall!

Haman experienced an overwhelming emotion: Rage! He was full of anger. He was bitter. He was prideful.Most importantly, his anger never subsided. Look what it turned into! It overtook him! Have you ever known someone that has become angry over their past, a confrontation, circumstances in their lives, or how they have been treated? Have you ever experienced it yourself? What happens when we don’t let go of that anger? It turns into destruction…not only for those around us, but also in us! When we hold onto anger….we change on the inside. We become bitter. We become proud. We become defensive, insecure, and destructive. It takes ahold of us and it shows in how we act and how we treat others. It changes our personality…who we are! We need to refuse to let anger and hatred enter our hearts! “When it comes knocking at your door….don’t let it in!”(Beth Moore)

Life isn’t perfect. We have struggles! We have difficult relationships! We run into difficult situations that cause pain and heartache. We need to recognize our emotions and not let them control us….don’t let your pain turn into anger and bitterness. They will destroy you and those around you! Instead, turn to our Lord. Allow Him to heal you and recognize the fact that He is the one who ultimately judges those who mistreat us. It is not up to us to take revenge and to dwell on the past and make things right…that is His job! Let go and Let God!

Haman was full of pride. How should we react to those who are prideful? Here arer some thoughts that Beth Moore has helped me to recognize this week during my study! Mordecai did not slander Haman. He knew he could not control where his words might end up. Instead, Mordecai stood strong in his own beliefs and kept his mind set on the things above. He did not let his emotions take control of him! Colossians 3:2 says to set your thoughts on heaven and not earth. In other words, let the Lord control your thoughts and not the ways of the world! Resist the bate…do not be hooked by those who bate you along with their vindictiveness and cunning schemes.In other words, do  not allow the hatred and meanness to enter your heart as you react to those who are prideful.! Don’t let Satan influence your thoughts! Remember that God always trumps Satan! In the end, God will win! Always remember WHO God is and WHAT  He has done. He is our Deliverer!

One last amazing thing that I’ve learned this week is that when the Jews received the news of their death sentence, they were in the midst of celebrating the Jewish passover…those that allowed their hope to be renewed remembered (as they celebrated) that the Lord is the one that saved them and brought them out of Egypt. They remembered WHO they were and WHAT God had done for them. How awesome is that? Even in the midst of their trial, as they were issued the decree of their death sentence, they were reminded of the sovereignty of our Lord! He delivered them before and He would do it again! He is OUR DELIVERER! Haman is going down!! Pride goes before destruction!