Shame UP!

(Photo Via Canva.)

I started seminary this week, and we are reading through a book called “Misreading Scripture Through Individualist Eyes” by Randolph Richards and Richard James.

One of the topics this book covers is the Eastern versus Western view of “shame.” In the West we put all shame in a negative box. But let me pose a question. If someone murdered a neighbor and wasn’t ashamed of themselves, wouldn’t that be a bad thing?

There is a positive version of shame, and Eastern cultures are very aware of it. In fact, they have 18 different words and nuances to describe shame. Wow! In their cultural context, shame can be used positively or negatively. The positive use of shame actually restores and prevents bad behavior. A person does not do something they know is bad because it will reflect poorly on their collective group or family. They know it will shame their family, name, and reputation, and so they do not go through with it. That is a good kind of shame!

Interesting.

I’m still learning much about this concept. But I want to challenge you to think about shame in a new way.

• Romans 1:16 NASB 1995 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

• Boldness is associated with not being ashamed for the gospel! The Good News is honorable.

• Ezra 9:6  “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.”

• Shame leads to repentance and humility before God.

• Psalm 35:26 says, “Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress; Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.”

• Shame is actually to be celebrated when it is in the right context! Wow. This take a minute to wrap my head around.

• Hosea 4:7 “The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.”

• God is intentionally shaming here, and it is an honorable action on His part.

• 1 Cor. 1:27 “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,”

Dig into the Word this week and consider the concept of shame. Let’s use this tool for good. We can shame people up, or we can shame them down. Let’s be people who call people higher, toward intimacy with Jesus and a lifestyle of righteousness!

Blessings on your family this week,

Joyfully,
Rachel B.

Because Your Wounds Need a Healer

(Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash)

Some wounds go deep, and time doesn't heal them. Some create such an infection that you have to dig deep to uproot the entire wound.

I just found out I have a tooth abscess. The problem is, the tooth already had a root canal. That means I didn't have any nerves in there to feel any pain. I was numb to the infection. And because I wasn't in pain, I didn't know I had an infection…or for how long. It's likely this infection had been brewing for almost two years.

I was reminded how good God is to give us pain. I don't mean He wishes pain on me. I mean, He set our brains up to send pain signals to the body so that we would know something is wrong. I didn't know anything was going wrong in my mouth because I had my pain-o-meters removed with the root canal. So on and on the infection festered.

Time doesn't always heal wounds; sometimes it promotes infection.

I wonder how long my body has been fighting an infection? I wonder if the majority of the fatigue and achiness I've been living with might be correlated to this? Regardless, this week I had my tooth extracted, the base scraped, and a bone graft to fill the space. Ouch.

Sometimes, we carry emotional or spiritual wounds so deep that the only way to get healed is to have spiritual surgery. We have to be willing to go through the pain, extra heartache, or tackle the fear, in order to get well. But God is the Great Physician. And He has a lot of experience.

Do you know that God refuses to leave your heart unhealed? Every place in your spirit or heart where you have a wound, God is interested in healing it. Every. Single. Place. He loves you too much to just let things fester. But just like in the physical world, you have to give your consent. A surgeon can't just knock you out with a punch and drag you into the OR or dentist chair. You have to be willing to have the work done. You have to sign off. The same is true with God. He is willing to heal any wound you are willing to bring to Him. It doesn't matter how small or big, and it doesn't matter how long it's been there.

God is really good with old wounds.

How do you know when you have a wound? Look for overreactions or sensitivities. Those usually indicate a raw spot. Are there raw spots in your personality? Marriage relationship? Your church? With your kids? Do you have any triggers? If so, let these guide you to the places that likely need healing. These things can be great indicator lights to help you navigate your wounds.

If you'll let the Lord have His way in you, His healing will flow into you and through you. In the process you will experience some pain, but the pain and work will be worth it. You are worth it! On the other side of the surgery is healing, new skin, new life, and fresh mercies. Just imagine the people you will be able to encourage as they work through their wounds. They say hurt people hurt people. But the truth is, healed people heal people too.

Let God have access to your wounds. Don't let them become infections. Open the door to your heart. Let Him dig around. He knows how to take care of you better than you do. You can rest in that.

Say yes and let Him begin to heal your wounds this week.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

Are You Praying Up or Down?

(Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash)

I’ve often wondered the point of prayer. If God knows everything, then why do I need to pray?

I’ve been taught that prayer isn't about changing God but about changing me. That's true, but there is so much more. If you don't believe that prayer really changes outcomes, it's hard to pray with any kind of power or real faith.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray He told us to say “Kingdom of God - Come! Will of God - be done!” (Matt. 6) This passage in original Greek is in a command form. Jesus didn’t teach us to say, “Well, if it’s your will God, maybe you could do this or that.” He actually taught His followers to pray with authority and to pull heaven down to earth.

Have you noticed that our world is really crying out? There is much strife, suffering, violence, and injustice going on in our world. Papa God is not sitting back on His laurels not caring about human beings. However, sometimes we pray like He is.

I want to suggest that when we flip the direction of our prayers, everything begins to shift. We can pray up our requests and complaints, or we can pray with the Holy Spirit and call heaven down. (Heb. 7:25, Rom. 8:26-27) Holy Spirit is always making intercession on our behalf. What if our prayers matched His?

Here are some examples of prayers that bring heaven down:

• Papa, You say in Your Word that You were wounded for our sin and crushed for our iniquities. That by Your stripes we are healed. (Is. 53) So Father, I know Your heart for our world is healing, wholeness, and Shalom. You desire for all people to come to know You (2 Peter 3:9). So Lord, release Your healing, wholeness, and Shalom into the earth. Send Your angel armies to fight, defend, and protect human life.

• Break the chains of injustice and the calluses of indifference in our hearts. Open the floodgates of real love, that men and women would find their true identity and worth in Your perfect love. I break off the spirit of confusion around identity, and pray that your sons and daughters would know who they are by how You see them.

• Send Your Spirit of Wisdom and divine strategy over our government, the CDC, and all leaders and organizations working in our world. Surround the decision-makers with divine wisdom and people full of Your heart.

• Father, in the name of Jesus, I bind the enemy and his cohorts - that every lie would be exposed, that every enemy strategy and tactic would be stopped. I declare that for every inch taken by the enemy, a mile would be returned and redeemed back to You.

• Rain down mailbox money for those in financial distress. Pour out new businesses and strategy to earn a living for those without jobs. Ignite the fires of new ideas, innovation, and vision. Give people all over the world an ability to be nimble and shift quickly.

• Show up in dreams, thoughts, and in the midst of obedience. Reveal and release the complete cure for Covid and not just that - but for many viruses. Accelerate the coming of the cure. If it is already here, expose and highlight it. Bring the cure for cancer while we seek out answers for Covid. Surprise us with infinitely more than we could ask or imagine.

• Holy Spirit, comfort the lonely. Remind them of their significance, and shut off the voices of suicide and depression. Don't let the guns go off. Reroute the trains. Thwart every plan of suicide. May it simply not work. And restore purpose, beauty, and peace to every tormented mind and soul.

• Jesus help the kids. Provide new avenues for kids to have interaction, learn, and be loved.

When praying for heaven to come down…some of my favorite words to use are:

•  Release

• Restore

• Revive

• Awaken

• Defeat

• Crush

• Break through

• Send

• Launch

• Open

These are all action words that release faith as you pray. There are a million more, but I wanted to give you some concrete examples.

Prayer is powerful when we get into the Word of God and start using the words of God.

When we get clarity about what God desires, there is no limit to the power of our prayers in Christ. The fire, faith, and fervor of our words skyrocket into the ears of God.

I believe prayer actually changes things. I believe it changes outcomes. It's not that God changes His mind, it's that our prayers pull down what God wants to see happen. Our prayers activate angels and break demonic strongholds.

We are in a spiritual battle, but we are not fighting alone. We are fighting with all of heaven for the hearts and souls of people.

We need all Christ-followers on deck. It's time to understand our authority as children of God. When we pray with God's thoughts and heart, we are echoing the prayers and words of the Holy Spirit. And that kind of prayer is POWERFUL!

Let’s pull down heaven, and may all heaven break loose!

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

Push and Praise

(Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash)

Sometimes we need to push and praise simultaneously. This is one way we ACTIVATE our faith. Faith means we push with our prayers all the way for the breakthrough. We praise in the middle of the pressing in, and then no matter what the outcome is…we keep praising.

Push and Praise. Start doing this is your everyday life, and you'll start to see your prayers and intimacy with the Lord come to life. Why? Because faith always pleases God. He actually likes it when you push, when you press in. He tells us to come boldly before the throne of grace. (Hebrews 4:16)

No more weak-willed prayers asking only once. Be persistent, believing that what you are pressing-in for matters to Him, and it honors Him. If it's in His Word, and it's how He teaches us to pray, and we know it's His will…there's nothing holding you back. Nothing. Press in for that request. Press in for that healing. Press in for that financial breakthrough. Press in for that acceptance letter. Press in for that new job or career.

I think we often miss out because of two reasons.

• We don't get certainty about God’s will. We’re afraid to pray the wrong thing. But God’s will is not a mystery anymore. It’s revealed through Jesus in His Word. The Scriptures are full of descriptions of His will and ways. You can learn the ways of God, and know how He moves. His will is revealed through the actual life of Jesus and the pages of Scripture. Go find the clues. Go find the heart and principle behind it. It will make your prayers have exponential impact because you'll begin to pray in partnership with God.

• We don't pray through. We quit before the finish line. I wonder how many outcomes we might exchange if we just had a faith that went all the way to the finish line. Pray through for the breakthrough.

Friend, I encourage you today to push. Push and praise all the way. Press in to God with your prayers. Press in to agreement with His will and Kingdom. Press in for the things that have not yet come to pass.

Did you know that the Holy Spirit is praying for you? This means your prayer life is actually a partnership-life. You are co-operating with the Holy Spirit when you pray. Press in.

You're not only pressing in TO the heart of God, you're pressing in WITH the heart of God.

 

And always: praise, praise praise. When you praise, you raise your expectation and perspective in Christ.

Praise gives you a raise.

So…get your worship on. Celebrate, thank, and sing of God's worth in your home, car, and spheres of influence.

Push and Praise. This is God's heart and way for you. And it will empower you to “live above the line.”

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

PS - when you pray, you’re not up against a wall. You’re partnering with a God who can collapse walls with the sound of an obedient shout. (Remember Jericho?) #boom.

Let Go and Make Room! (And LIVE Worship Tonight!)

PRE-BLOG NOTE: Hey, I’m going to be leading worship and doing some original songs on the Choose Conference Facebook page WEDNESDAY NIGHT, June 3rd, at 7:30pm Central Time. Join me if you’d like!

•••

My parents took the plunge a couple weeks ago. They moved out of California where they had been living for over 35 years and moved to Nashville. (In the middle of a global pandemic, and now, mass riots. Wow.) Needless to say, it's been exciting and an interesting roller coaster with ups and downs. If you've ever done a big move like this you understand the perils of all the things that are out of your control. It's quite an undertaking, and frankly, it takes courage to let go.

Something struck me though as my mom began to shoot texts with pictures of the old house emptying out. It brought waves of emotion I wasn't expecting. I haven't lived in that house for over 15 years, but there's still a lot of memories there. As the texts and pictures came through, this truth hit me:

You have to let go of something old in order to take hold of something new.

 You can't take all the old furniture with you and have room for the new stuff. There's not enough room. Imagine your hands are full and you are desperately trying to grab onto something valuable that someone is trying to give to you. Every time you open your hands to receive, stuff falls out and you drop the very thing you're reaching for. For many of us, our hands are full. We long for something new, but we just can't part with the old.

Perhaps you're holding on to an old pattern, mindset, or broken way of doing things. Maybe you’re holding on to something you were taught that was not right or even righteous. (Sometimes we don’t realize those kinds of hand-me-downs.) God wants to do a new thing.

It's not that we don't honor what our pasts have provided for us. Certainly we don't have to toss everything and pretend like none of it matters. Much of our past, both failures and successes have shaped us. Our pasts tell the story of what we've done, where we've been, and how we've grown.

I wonder how many times we miss what God wants to do ahead of us because we're so attached to what's behind us.

 

If you want newness in your spirit and your relationship with God, you've got to create space; to dis-possess something in order to possess something new. Will you make room? Will you relinquish what's good for something better and new? Perhaps there's an even greater blessing if you'll prepare your heart by letting Him clear out what isn't good for you.

Imagine spiritual breathing room. New furniture. New smells. New paths to walk. New power tools. New ingredients in your kitchen or recipes. What is true in the physical often has a spiritual parallel.

I bet the Lord wants to do something new in and through you today too. I wonder if Covid and chaos might even be the tipping point to launch you into a new direction.

You can cling to what you know and understand, or you can take the plunge, trust, and clear out what doesn't empower you anymore. The choice is up to you.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to inventory what God might be challenging you to let go of. Hop in the van. God has places He wants to take you that you've never experienced before.

The adventure awaits.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

Arise!

(Cliffs of Moher, Ireland, 2019)

I Arise Today...

With the wind of Holy Spirit at my back,

With the power & portion of My Father,

Placed in me through Jesus Christ.

I Arise Today...

With better days ahead,

& lesser days behind,

With future provision seated right next to every potential problem and pain.

I Arise Today...

With the call of hope in my ear,

With the strength of God in my heart,

And with the Prince of Peace
anchored to my soul.

I Arise Today...

On the wings of eagles,

In the shadow of the Almighty,

Safe in the feathers of the Father.

I Arise Today...

In the faithfulness of my Father

In the salvation of the Son,

And in the happiness of the Holy Spirit.

I Arise.

To Defend or Repent...

(Photo by Icons8 team on Unsplash)

Repentance tends to get a bad rap. I think it is one of life's greatest gifts. This week I bit my husband's head off. His brain is mostly still attached, but I was mean. I was angry, short-tempered, and totally exhausted. It wasn't cool. It wasn't ok. It was sin. So I won't try to defend or justify it. Why do I still act like this? It makes no sense to me how I can be writing blogs and songs telling about my great love for Jesus and then…BOOM: Ugly Rachel shows up to poop on the party. #boo.

Rather than defend myself or my poor actions, I apologized to my husband. The next morning I repented before God and agreed with Him about my sinful behavior (not identity), and we were back online together. He made it all good. The "ugly" stuff is not really who I am. Not anymore. It was my old nature, the dead nature, trying to resurrect itself and be a nuisance! It was time to put that dead guy back into the coffin; and quick repentance does just that.

How often do we choose defense though instead of repentance? Eek.

God would rather we just repent

than defend our actions.

Defense puts up walls. Repentance tears them down.

Defense is self-protection. Repentance is self-disclosing.

Defense says "I have to be perfect." Repentance says, "I made a mistake."

Defense says, "You're hurting me. It's not safe." Repentance says, "I need surgery, and this will bring healing."

What if the real you was actually patient, kind, generous, and open to feedback? What if feedback was your greatest resource for growth? What if you could take a breath and respond, rather than overreact and blow up?

Life would get better.

Sometimes it's good to do a check in with yourself. If you're willing, here's a couple of brave questions to ask yourself:

1. What kind of fruit am I bearing? (Would my family, friends, coworkers, or people I encounter, agree with me?)

2. Is my fruit good? Does it reflect the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness…etc.?

If the fruit you are primarily characterized by is not the above, you're either in denial, deceived, disconnected from the Holy Spirit, or under the influence of a different spirit.

(Photo by Karly Gomez on Unsplash)

Head knowledge about the Word of God is not enough to bear fruit in your life. It must get into the deeper places of your heart and spirit-man. It's not about how much you know in your head, it's about the actual connection and relationship with God Himself; Heart to heart, Spirit to spirit. And the proof is in the fruit pudding. And the fruit pudding should taste good.

If you're feeling a specific conviction in your spirit as you read this -- GOOD! That means the Holy Spirit is talking to you and you are sensitive enough to hear His voice. Throw a party and listen!

If you're feeling condemned, ashamed, and like a loser…then you need to tell those voices to be quiet, because they are lying to you, and they are not from God. Any voice that shames, condemns, and belittles you is not from God. Period.

God always has specific areas of correction. His voice is always full of hope. He always has solutions to our problem areas. He always responds to repentance. God convicts and corrects, but never condemns the believer. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Those are His words, so we can bank on them.

I'm still on a journey friend. I make mistakes and sin. But I hope you'll join me in becoming a quick repenter, a first responder. Sometimes everything in us wants to defend our remark, attitude, or action…but we both know it's just better to repent.

Joyfully, (and back to my true self)

Rachel B.

PS - Be like Denver the dog…a perfect picture of repentance. <wink> Enjoy this funny video.

What to do when your news feed is full of prayer requests...

(Photo by Victoria Heath on Unsplash)

Have you ever asked this question?  Have you noticed how many prayer requests, needs, and issues land in your news feed? It seems as though every second or third status update is a HUGE prayer request. Not the little “I have a hangnail, can you pray” kinda stuff. We’re talking , cancer, car accidents, catastrophes. What do you do with all of it? How are we supposed to handle this many problems? This much need? This much stress?

We aren't. That's right.

You and I are not meant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. The weight is too heavy, and our shoulders are not big enough. But it's not too much for Jesus.

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The need is still there, and the need is great. Which is why we need to trust God’s huge shoulders and faithful hands!

I want to share what I do. Maybe you’ll find it helpful, but ultimately you’ll have to decide how you want to handle what’s coming at you.

Realize that most people on Facebook or other social media sights have at least a few close friends. Some of them are in small groups. Those close friends are the ones who should carry more responsibility for those requests. That's what true friends are for. Nobody is really close friends with 1300 people. It’s not possible. Even Jesus chose twelve.

We weren't created to handle 200 prayer requests a day. But God can. Furthermore, here are a couple of “issues” to consider as you encounter your news feed.

1. We don't know if that individual has actually gone directly to God for their help. Maybe they have, maybe they haven't. But when we step in, if they haven't gone to God directly, we actually short-circuit their opportunity for intimacy with Jesus. I believe that hurts their relationship with God. I'm not saying that everyone who shares a prayer request on Facebook hasn't gone to Jesus first. It's just a possibility to note.

2. Facebook isn't a good exchange for a small group. Close friends and small groups that really care about you need to be your source for prayer. If your only prayer people are on the webisphere, you might need to create and cultivate community right where you are. There's just something special about putting your arms around someone, crying with them, and bringing over a meal in a time of need. You can't get that on Facebook.

3. Let’s be honest, sometimes the prayer request is actually just complaining. I could say more about this, but I’ll just let that sit there for a minute.

Here's what I do when I encounter a prayer request on social media:

When I see the request, I either feel immediately compelled to pray, or I move on. It's that simple.

 

If I feel the Lord prompting me to pray, I pray right then and there. I don't say, "I'll be praying for you…" That indicates that I'll continue to pray for an unknown amount of time. Frankly, I forget, and that list can pile up quickly. Instead, I simply say, "Hey, I just prayed for you. Hope you start feeling better soon!"

That response is honest, and it helps me take care of my responsibility to pray right then and there. It also frees me to keep going without getting overwhelmed.

This might seem like I'm not a caring person, but I don't think that's the case. Not one human being was made to carry all of these requests that come through. It's just too much. One hundred years ago, we did not have access to this type of information in the lives of this many people. Our capacity for stress as human beings has not increased at the same rate as the information coming at us.

Therefore…I want to give you permission to kindly “pass over” some requests, especially if it's a casual acquaintance, or someone you don’t know all that well. If you feel prompted to pray, by all means - pray right then and there!

What are your thoughts? How do you handle all of the need and requests you encounter on social media? I’d really love to know some of your ideas.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

An Affirmation for Your Mouth

(Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash)

AFFIRMATION

My mouth is pure, redeemed, and growing into the purposes of God. I choose words that are excellent and praiseworthy, full of faith and favor. I release blessing over others and myself. I refuse to partner or participate with negativity, pessimism, gossip, slander, self-slander, rage, belittling, comparison, cursing, cussing, or taking God's name in vain. When I feel these words enticing me to react, I will stop, and respond to the Holy Spirit by pausing, taking a breath, and choosing the language of honor.

Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

May the words of my mouth
    and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

The mouth is a journey. Old habits die hard. But they are not invincible. I still struggle with ugly things coming out of my mouth when I experience pressure or anger related to my computer, traffic, or my hubs.

This does not excuse my words though. If we are in Christ, we carry the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Certainly, that means we carry enough power within us through the Holy Spirit to guard our tongues.

• If you struggle with self-deprecation…

• If you just can't "not share" that conversation you overheard…

• If you scream ugly things at your technology… (hello, I’m Rachel, and I'm guilty)

• If you are a self-proclaimed pessimist…

• If your temper sends you sputtering and muttering…

• If you don't have a filter because it broke years ago…

• If you've talked like a sailor for 40 years and think that's just "who you are"…

THERE IS HOPE!

Write out this affirmation and verse on a 3x5 card today and take it with you. Speak life and blessing over every person you encounter. Notice the clerk at Target. Compliment the Starbucks barista. Pray favor and blessing over that person that bugs the junk out of you. Release encouragement instead of cynicism. Besides, critics and cynics are miserable.

God is really happy, joyful and peaceful. He's not fretting about what's on the news. He is stronger than ALL negativity.

(Photo by Simon Maage on Unsplash)

Use prayer to develop intimacy with God and to declare His Kingdom over your circumstances. Don't waste your words on complaining. He is very aware of your situation, so your words are better spent on thanksgiving and alignment with His Kingdom. Faith pleases God, not whining.

• If you want to speak revenge…thank God for His vindication that sets you be free to forgive and be joyful.

• If you are upset with your spouse…release God's kindness and ask God to stir up hunger and thirst for His Word and values. If there is a particular thing they do that is bugging you, ask God to help them "notice" and awaken to the Holy Spirit's promptings. (All of the sudden they might  "notice" the dishwasher needs to be emptied…it can be that practical.) Release selflessness over your marriage - that means you too.

• If you are lonely…thank God for being your friend, and for always listening to you. Then spend time just hanging out with God.

• If you are angry at your computer, or the IRS, or your bank statement…take a breath, and ask God for help. Declare that you're resting in Him to take care of the issue.

Kingdom Principle: Whatever you're experiencing that's negative, release the opposite force with your mouth. Example: If you're experiencing fear, release the faith of Jesus over yourself.

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Instead of going on and on about the negative issue, declare the good thing and God-thing you expect to see come to pass.

Speak as if God actually has the power to change things. 

It's a better way to pray.

It's a better way to live.

It's a better way to speak.

Have a week full of beautiful words!

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

PS - My online store is temporarily closed until Wednesday, September 25, 2019. I’m on a bit of an expedition in Ireland. #amazing

Patience, Patience, Patience. Ain't Nobody Got Time Fa Dat!

(Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash)

I started ruminating on patience recently. After time with the Trinity this morning, it became obvious that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have a lot of thoughts around patience. It is one of their favorite virtues.

• Patience is faith that's grown comfortable with God's timetable.

• Patience is faith that is active even in the waiting room.

• Patience drives out irritation.

• Patience is no where to be found in the kingdom of darkness...it is a Heavenly Kingdom attribute. The enemy is running out of time. God is not.

• Patience is homegrown fruit cultivated in the soil of Holy Spirit. It's sweet and delightful when you offer it to others.

• Patience is okay when the future is not quite in focus because it knows God has perfect vision.

• Patience is the front door to peace, gentleness, and kindness. Patience allows you to cross the threshold and welcome those behind you. It's a door for you to walk though, and a door that opens in you. 
  
  

Do any of these pearls resonate with you? Which one?

AFFIRMATION

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are full of patience and never rushed or late. As I trust You, I am learning the flow and timing of your ways. I experience Your gentle, unhurried presence when I choose to value patience. The next time I encounter irritation, I will remember that this is my custom-made opportunity to practice patience.

SCRIPTURES

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Gal. 6:9 NASB

Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Ecc. 7:9 NIV

So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. Gen. 29:20 NLT

***

May our love for our Lord be so strong that our hearts are content to wait on Him with faithful expectation. And may we all stop driving our cars like hurried maniacs.  =) Amen.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

***

TWEETABLES

Patience is faith that's grown comfortable with God's timetable.

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Patience is faith that is active even in the waiting room.

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Patience is the front door to peace, gentleness, and kindness. Patience allows you to cross the threshold and welcome those behind you. It's a door for you to walk though, and a door that opens in you. 

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