An internal struggle – work related.

Currently how do you evaluate your life? Do you evaluate life from the temporal or from the eternal perspective? 

I do evaluate my life from the ‘temporal’ the majority of the time. 

If I’m building my life with the eternal things in mind.. Whatever I do will be about God’s Glory wouldn’t? My choices, questions, motivations, decisions and thought processes will be along these lines:

– HOW and Will this action BRING others closer to Christ?

– How can I give towards the Kingdom? For others? 

It will be about OTHERS and less emphasis on me, myself and I. Ouch. 

The Bible says for us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your strength and all your mind. Equally important to love others as yourself” 

BUT here I am sulking about feeling “used” at work. Ok I may not be used entirely.. But I Hate being in the ‘background’. Exactly 2 weeks ago my boss asked me to assist not just my him but 2 other salespeople – I guess I can take this as a ‘compliment’…. but I really want to be the “main person”. I don’t mind assisting my boss.. But just him. NOT my colleagues..! 

I hate doing things knowing that I actually don’t get anything out of it. When I’m doing the majority of the work for a colleague (not my boss) and I know I don’t get anything out of it apart from learning, experience and practice – I really struggle to let go. Also especially if I know I can do it better or, because of what I’ve done – my colleague gets the business and yet, I’m not recognised as much as that person… I get really wind up about it. Pride. Pride. Pride.

So ok-  being conscious that I tend to think more of my self, I do try to think more about others but…. eventually it will lead back to: “what and how will this benefit me?”

Gasp. 

This is an internal struggle that I have. Then if I see others who gets rewarded even though their ways won’t please God or if they think about themselves yet they still succeed – I will complain to my Lord saying “IT IS NOT FAIR!” and “How come they can get away with doing all those things -being selfish and all.. yet still, they get the business/ are still rewarded?!?” Whereas here I am.. Doing the right things but I’m still serving and helping these people out constantly.. With no obvious rewards.. when is it going to be MY TURN?!? 

I hope you get the gist. Can you sense how I have been quite restless?

So – At church we have been going through “Cultivating the Inner Life” and we are big on being authentic disciples of Christ. I know that to serve and to see things from the Eternal perspective is worth far more than money/significance/accomplishment can ever achieve.. I know that serving and loving others is what God would want me to do… I know this in my head but translating this into reality- is So Damn Frustrating. Especially when these things really prick my heart and I’m so prone to comparing myself with others or.. maybe I have a bit of a hidden “competitive” nature inside.. A Repressed Desire to be Applauded and the #1. 

My pastor says: “Sometimes in life we learn that even if we get what we desire, it doesn’t satisfy” 
God is everything, which He is!
And if God is everything, then God is enough! 

So – I’m a part of an accountability group.. And one of the girls said in response to this particular struggle.. That whatever we do is for the Audience of One (God). 

So – I’m going to remove and replace my resentment in helping out others with their work. I’m going to replace this resentment with GRATEFULNESS. 

Grateful that through spending more time with them I can share about God’s love and His nature to them. Grateful that this is an amazing opportunity for me to be an influence and light. Grateful that this is my mission – to bring my colleagues closer to Christ and that this is looking at things from an eternal perspective!

All for what? For the Audience of One. And it’s worth it. 

I asked God to Kill me!

“What is the road to Real Happiness? The road of complete surrender to God”

Last weekend was one of the turning points in my life.

The thing is, I never thought that being a Christian, or someone who follows Jesus would ever have a ‘Hard’ life.. Yeah, pretty naive huh?

I tell my self, “yes, it’ll be ‘hard’ at times but most of the time is gonna be great! His ‘blessings’ will surpass the challenges I’ll ever encounter”..

BUT I had a very, very misguided view of what being “blessed” means! To me, it meant:
1) To make it in this world! Success at work, impressing of others and a very comfortable lifestyle
2) Financially SECURE (a very healthy bank balance)
3) NO MAJOR TROUBLES (conflicts with others, challenging circumstances)
4) NO MAJOR SUFFERINGS (including sickness, disasters, unforeseen life occurrences)

Which image of God Have I always envisioned or preferred? The One who demands my total allegiance to Him or the One who would not mind if I’m half-hearted towards Him?

Which God did I wanted to love? The One who gives me things all the time or the One who challenges me to step out of my comfort zone??

What does it mean to Love God??
Do I truly TREASURE HIM Above all things- even more than Jase, my parents, work, achievements, possessions…?!? Do I live to PLEASE God or do I strive to please and IMPRESS other people more??

I realized that I STILL loved other things MORE than God. Double loves, double hearted… That was why on Sunday during the service (and my pastor wasn’t even talking about this) – I realized that I have sinned greatly in my attitudes and the way I have been living my life. I asked God to forgive me and said- “God, I NEED You to Kill me“.

I thank God that He brought me to the end of myself. It is not a loss to give my life away, I know that this life is not my own!

*Yeah, nerve-wrecking, I know* but despite that, I KNOW with all my heart that His ways, thoughts and plans are greater than our own! We may be unintentionally holding on to things that leads to a world of pain and heartache – when instead, we could have let go and surrendered every detail of our lives to HIM!

To be His Disciple means…

1) TO LIVE FOR HIM.

TO LOVE HIM ‘THAT MUCH’ THAT compared to the supreme value I place of Him, everything else in this world is meaningless.

If I can use an example for this- it would be that the LOVE I have towards those closest and dearest to me such as Jase and my parents, would appear like ‘hate’ (sorry if this sounds harsh!) compared to the love I have for God.

The love I have for the experiences in this world, the security of a lofty amount of savings… The comfortable life here in Sydney… would I be willing to LET GO and Surrender it to God? If HE asks us to let go of these things would I do it?!?

“Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News,

will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property–along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30)

And again-

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29)

This means, absolutely putting Him AS THE ONLY ONE I STRIVE TO PLEASE, the only one in my priority- and to obey Him daily.

Why? Because He is Worth it. Because He is my Creator, King, Lover of my soul, Redeemer, Deliverer, Savior, Best Friend.. Because He is my LORD.

Because I would never be in existence if it wasn’t for Him.

EVEN if our family and friends don’t understand the choices Jase and I make, or we experience ‘persecution’.. We must still stand firm in following and obeying Him wholeheartedly.

2) To be His Disciple, means to FOLLOW HIM.

This means-

My life is not my own. It belongs to God. My wants, desires, ambitions and cravings has to be given back to Him.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Matthew 16:25)

This is what it means to “deny” ourselves. It is to ‘die’ to my wants and living life my way.. Instead to let God live in and through me.

This also doesn’t mean I just ‘die’ to self once and that’s it- I struggle with a lot of internal things and so I need to die to my self, daily:

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross DAILY and follow me”. (Luke 9:23)

Wow! Yeah, I know, hard to swallow right?

You know why I think it is SO DIFFICULT to let go? We live in this world! Our world esteems Status, Prestige, Wealth, Accomplishments… We live in it, our family and friends VALUE these things… That’s why it’s SO HARD!!

Jesus Himself said:

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way”. (Matthew 7:13)

Following the values of this world is going through ‘wide gate’.. But Jesus Asks Us to enter by the narrow gate.

Jesus was quite bold wasn’t He? No wonder many of the disciples did leave him.. His message was hard to hear and follow!!

Jesus also asks of His disciples to not only forsake their riches, the values they place on earthly riches but to Give to the poor- There is also another characteristic of His disciples- they care for the poor and injustice! I won’t go into this now…

However, I’d like to share a verse that has been speaking to me:

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6-17-19)

I think what God is saying here for me personally and for those who want to follow Him wholeheartedly – not to put our efforts striving to be rich… not to put trust and security in how much we have in the bank.. or the values of this world. It is all meaningless in the end- we came into this world with nothing and we leave with what? Our homes? Cars? Or branded clothes?

How many lives have we helped on earth? How many souls have we brought closer to Him?

What we do while living on earth determines how we spend eternity.

So on Sunday, was turning point #3 (I wrote about turning point #1&2 in previous post “What made me choose Jesus?”)

And I asked God to Kill me.. Not because of what anyone had asked me to do but it was something He had worked in my heart. I’ll never forget that moment!

I needed to die to my plans and ambitions. I was holding on to my life dearly.

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound. That saved a wretch like Me, I once was lost, but now I’m found… Was blind but now I see!

My chains are gone.. I’ve been set free
My God and Savior has RANSOMED me.. And like a Flood, His mercy rains.. Unending Love, Amazing Grace

On our fridge:

What’s your view about God?

Everyone has a view about God! Question is what is your view based on?

For some, their view of God is based on personal experiences – either their own or others!

Others, develop a high view of God, which is solely informed by scriptures, and is based upon how God reveals Himself in the scriptures.

God’s viewpoint about God vs Man’s viewpoint about God.

You too have a theology i.e a view about God. You must not lower God based on your personal experiences & man centred outlook but rather raise your eyes to see God from God’s viewpoint based on the divine revelation of the Scriptures.

Many live their life through a man centred worldview. we call it Anthropocentric worldview. It is a worldview that is earthly minded and secular in its roots.

We must develop a Theocentric worldview that is heavenly minded and spiritual in its orientation.

Just a simple example – If we ask people this question, “why do you go to work?” Some will say…because I have bills to pay…I have expensive taste and I need resources for it…I want security and want options in life…and so on!

Many times our assumptions / beliefs & view point of life and all it’s various aspects are very Anthropocentric.

What we must do is to take time to examine our assumptions, beliefs and our view about God and various aspects of our life.

An unexamined life is a careless, thoughtless living.

We must make time for theological contemplation, which means to think about life from God’s view point and develop a sound theology informed by the scriptures.

Theological contemplation is a spiritual discipline. To develop this one must have UNHURRIED COMMUNION with God and also learn to CAPTURE THE REFLECTIONS in a journal.

Think about these questions in regards to various aspects of your life and develop a Theocentric worldview.

1. What is God’s nature with regards to ______ ?
2. What is God’s purpose with regards to ______ ?
3. What are God’s unchanging principles with regards to ______ ?

(A Summary of Chapter 3 from the book “Growing Deep in God”)

When Facing a Problem…

Sometimes our paths are ‘crooked’.. And I believe that this is OK and at times, necessary- it is God’s way to gently remind us that He is bigger than all our circumstances, He allows the good and bad things to happen in our lives but no matter what, it is so that His Name will be glorified. That out of the things we encounter and experience, we will grow stronger in our faith and personal walk with Him.

He is Soverign, Good, Wise, Still in Control and He will bring IT to Pass.

I choose to Focus on the following, questions when faced with challenging problems in my life:

1) WHAT HAS GOD DONE IN THE PAST
2) WHAT GOD CAN DO
3) WHO GOD IS

A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE
These 3 questions really help me to shift the focus away from troubles to my God- How He is able to bring me through it! To Focus on How Big and Great my God is!!

As a Christ-follower, I do meditate. Not in the way that some of the religions of this world advocate meditation though. It is not about emptying the mind, rather, filling the mind with truth, mulling over it and thinking about this truth throughout the day.

Lets do a practical exercise on meditating the “Christ-follower” way:

There’s a Proverbs in the Bible which goes like this:
“Trust in The Lord
With all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways
Acknowledge Him
And He shall make your paths straight”
(proverbs 3:5)

1) I would write down on my journal (or blog)… What does the word “Trust” mean??

When I think of trust.. The first image / person that came to mind is my dad. This makes it easier to understand what trust ‘looks like’. I have full confidence in my earthly father so
To Trust is to have FULL CONFIDENCE in that person, that that person will do me no harm but only what is GOOD.

I will then think about this- the Bible says to Trust IN The Lord, with ALL my heart. This means I am to have full confidence not just in my dad, or my husband – rather, to have full confidence in my God wholly. Even though I cannot see him with my physical eyes, I will put my HOPE and CONFIDENCE IN My Great God.

2) “And lean not on your own understanding?”

What does this look like? Having full confidence in my God at times is ‘nerve wrecking’ and also a challenge, because He does speak- but when He speaks at times it really seems not logical, or not the idea we thought of initially –

Well, His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts… He can open a door, He can also close a door- no matter what, to RELY ON HIS WISDOM!

3) “In all your ways to acknowledge Him”..

What does this mean? What does this look like?

To acknowledge Him is the same as how we acknowledge others who have done great things.. how we thank others who have influenced us and helped us become who we are today.

Think about someone receiving an award (the Oscars, achievement at work) that person may give a speech and acknowledge the individuals who have helped and supported them.

The same with God- only He doesn’t just want us to acknowledge Him at the end, but even while we are going through difficult things, we must shift our focus on to Him and remember Him as a way to Acknowledge Him.

It is an Act of Faith.

Since, we are trusting, following, listening and acknowledging Him while the path is ‘crooked’… BUT He promises us that when we do this,

“AND He shall make your paths STRAIGHT”

Now I love my tea. So if someone makes tea and just dip in the teabag quickly then takes it out, I’ll be “whoa none of that please!” I like my tea strong and dark! Otherwise it is just like hot water with a bit of colour in it!

The same goes with meditating in the Word. You can’t just dip in here and there quickly.. We need to let ourselves SOAK in every word, really study the meaning, context of the verse we are reading and LET His Word TRANSFORM us!

“What If?!?”

The greatest courage of all is showing courage in the face of fear. Someone said, “Courage is just fear that has said its prayers”

Do you think this is true?

When you know you have heard clearly from God, you are filled with faith in that moment. It puts steel in your spine.

But then, as you move out in faith, you encounter the lions of fear. “What if this doesn’t work? What if I fail? What will people say?” Suddenly you are having an attack of ‘what ifs’.

Mark Twain said,

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear”.

You have to decide whether you are going to become a warrior or worrier. There is no middle ground.

When you are faced with a health crisis, a family crisis or a financial crisis, you either Choose to
– Stand on God’s Word and fight,
– Or give in to worry

This side is Heaven we will never fully understand why bad things happen to good people.

So when bad things happen, you will either give in to fear and allow it to destroy your peace and well-being, or you will rise up against it by being armed with God’s Word.

When fear threatens to engulf your mind, stand up with the Psalmist and say, “whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You”. (Psalm 56:3)

– Taken from The Word For Today, by Bob Gass.

Particularly the part about the “what ifs”. I am no stranger to this- I remember recently, just last week we had to make final decisions on things that were quite major and long term! We knew what God had asked us to.. It was not easy, we had to let Go of our and let God! It wasn’t logical either, but hey sometimes that’s How He Works- He looks at our hearts whether we would surrender and trust In Him wholly.

Just this morning (before reading this devotional) we were talking about the “what ifs”… So reading this devotional today really encouraged us to stand firm on God’s Promises.

“Be strong and of Good Courage. For I am with you wherever you go”

And one thing is for sure-
When God is in the Picture, He’ll Handle of all the details. We do our part, walk with Him and listen to His voice.. When events happen that seems to disadvantage you, remember that God’s Got your back.

Be blessed and stay strong,
Mel

Why did You make me this way God?

A couple of weeks ago, I was dealing with major insecurities and was pretty annoyed with myself for being easily swayed. I was reading the Bible and came across this passage:

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’ How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father, ‘Why was I born?’ or if it said to its mother, ‘Why did you make me this way?’” (Isaiah 45:9, 10)

Have you read this verse before?

It was really timely for me and I stopped complaining. There’s absolutely no point!!

If you are experiencing this- I just wanted to let you know that…

You are no mistake.

God created you the way you are – quirks and all because He Knows where and how you will fit in His picture. He has plans and purposes for you!

To Him you are his masterpiece, His handiwork. Don’t be deceived by words that have been said carelessly by others in the past. Don’t let careless words determine your future.

The Bible says that:

“Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4)

You are precious in His Sight. Don’t let anyone or anything tell you either wise.

You can Ask Him to show you His Love in a Personal way in prayer. Nothing fancy just a simple:

“Lord Jesus, help me to experience Your love in a personal and tangible way. I want to know You. In Jesus’s name, Amen”

A social experiment to live wIth Less

Our friends shared about a book they just read recently called “7 An Experimental Mutiny against Excess” by Jen Hatmaker and got one for us!

This book is about what one woman did as an experiment and in a way form of fasting. She eliminated excess in the following seven areas in her life: Food, Clothing, Spending, Media, Possessions, Waste & Stress.

She decided to only do the following for thirty days each:
– Eat seven foods
– Wear seven articles of clothing
– Spend money in seven places
– Eliminate seven media types
– Give away seven things each day for one month!!
– Adopt seven green habits and
– Observe seven “sacred pauses”

Why did she put herself through this?

Jen and her family never thought that they were ever lured by wealth and prosperity. After all, everyone else seemed to have more!

This is so common in our lives isn’t? Especially in Western societies. We tend to compare ourselves to others who are better off than us.. We forget that we are actually rich. In fact, there is still too many excess things in our lives!!

I was touched when Jen wrote:

“When God first sent us to serve the poor, every moment was awkward. Each confrontation was wrought with anxiety… I made this statement: “I thought I’d never be happy again”

“However, God changed me and grafted a genuine love for the least in my heart. I looked forward to every encounter… So what used to be comfortable (being a big fat consumer Christian) became uncomfortable; then what was uncomfortable (engaging the poor) became comfortable”.

An amazing book that got me hooked from the beginning. It is funny, well written, engaging, honest and a joy to read.

I am excited to read her journey and will be blogging about it! This is something extraordinary, I sense that readers will also discover the real and lasting things of God as they read her journey of less.

This is her website: http://www.jenhatmaker.com

~ Mel

Simple Tips to Live longer :)

“SECRETS TO LIVING BEYOND 90“

– Work hard (but not too hard)
You must love your job though! Make your passion, your vocation 😉

– Keep socially active
True Friendships are Heaven’s gifts!

– Live one day at a time.
It’s true, who by worrying can add anything to their life?

– Eat your fruits and vegetables 😉
The more colorful your meal is, the better!

– Enjoy Nature
Yay!! Thank You God!!

– Take naps
My husband is a pro at this… He can sleep anywhere…! Maybe he’ll live longer than 100..

– Read your Bible often
Yep. It’s the source of Everything. Totally Agree.

– Keep quiet and stay out of other people’s business
Amen to this!!!

– Tend a garden
Whoops… I just advertised our garden bed on Gumtree (an online classifieds for Australians, perhaps similar to Craig’s list) only today!!…

– Dance
YAYYYY!!! Rock n Roll!

– Don’t overeat
Especially when you’re stressed!

– Volunteer to help those in need
Gets us to stop focusing on ourselves and think more about others 😉 the world then seems larger..!

– Think Positively
Amen to this too!!
Philippians 4:8 just springs to mind!

– Have something to look forward to
I’m looking forward to meeting new friends on WordPress and your comments! 😉

– Play bingo
Hahahaha….

[Collected from individuals over 90 years old]

One of my residents at work and me.. She’s such a gem..!

Changing my Personal Values

I have been challenged the past year to live a life that is fully surrendered to God. This means letting go of my desires for what the world values and giving this up to Him.

What are some of the common things that this world values? A person’s Assets? Accomplishments?Achievements? Accolades? Associations? Abilities?

Truth be told I used to think that being fully surrendered to God and obeying Him equates to living a really depressive or boring life… A nagging thought/fear of “what if He asks me to leave everything behind and do something out of my comfort zone?” I have all these anxieties and fears over what He may ask me to do/to give up. Which is really quite pointless because if He is my Heavenly Father then of course He would take care even up to the smallest needs! His plans for us are always better than our own for He knows what lies ahead!

You know, it’s true. Being surrendered to God will mean that you would have to let go of your own personal dreams, agendas and desires.. But if you think about it.. What’s the point in gaining the whole world yet you lose your soul?

What’s the point in temporal satisfaction yet knowing that deep down you’ve missed the mark?

Sometimes His ways are not logical.. But He has the BEST plan and ways for each one of us. Again, only He knows our future!!

It also depends on your calling. What has God called you in this life? What is your assignment while living on earth? What is that passion that is burning in your heart?

I love this verse:

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your Book they all were written, the days fashioned for me. When as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:16)

It does not matter whether you are young or older, it never is too late. OUR LIFE IS A MIRACLE. We were made for a purpose – to Know Him and to be in a relationship with Him. Through this, we will naturally and spontaneously Live out Lives that shine so Brightly.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)

To be honest, there are still things that I do not know about what God has planned for my future.. I have so many passions and many things lay deep inside of me. However, I do sense that He will make it more clearer in His time. As for now, I shall continue to work alongside Him with what He has given me/ what is in my hand. To steward the gifts, resources, time and other things He has bestowed to us by letting Him have His way in and through us!

We just have to stay close to Him, obey Him and continuously check the condition of our hearts. Are our hearts fully surrendered to Him? Are we keeping anything? Are we loving His Word? Or are we loving and prioritizing other things above Him?

Do our actions follow our words?

The challenge for me is to stay faithful to Him and not let the desires of this world to tempt my heart! To not strive toward the things of temporal values and satisfaction but of the things that will remain forever. Ultimately these are the values and blessings in life!

Getting the engine started!

Why is it that sometimes doing the positive things, things that are good for you so hard to maintain? Eg) exercising, being organized around the home, producing outstanding results at work.. maintaining good habits… being consistent with our goals and resolutions…

For me personally, I need to be centered in my day. Otherwise I go crazy. I get anxious, worried, emotionally unstable, oh the works!!

One thing definitely that helps to keep me grounded is by having quiet times with God. Through reading the Bible, praying, meditating on the verses and being open to what it is that He is saying! Even my husband comments that whenever I read my Bible first thing, I am less agitated and more at peace.

Actually, I noticed something quite interesting… The more I spent time with my Lord via reading and meditating on His Word.. The more addictive His Word becomes in my life!

Once I start to read the Word, I can’t stop. And you know what, Reading it becomes exciting and invigorating. My heart beats faster, because it seems like I can’t get enough of what He is saying! Even if I have read the same verse before, still, it is the wonder of reading that particular verse/passage at that time which happens to be perfectly timely!

So why is it that a good thing such as this.. Something that helps me mentally and emotionally… is sometimes hard to maintain??? It’s the getting started that’s hard. To get an engine revved up, you have to start it. Sometimes it doesn’t start. Could be the cold temperatures or even after being neglected for so long it’s harder to start any engine! It’s like getting the ball rolling!

The same goes with our lives. For me, it is hard to prioritize and put God first thing in the morning. Why? All the distractions, thoughts, the ‘to do’s’ that needs to be done… When simply, to wiser and more effective thing to do is to put all those things aside and come to Him in prayer and the Word. This will give me the results I need. It’s when my inside (spirit and soul) is healthy and nourished, my actions, behaviors and emotions are in check!

Two questions I have been mulling over recently is:

“What and who preoccupies my mind most of the time?”

“What is it that almost always becomes a distraction for me?”

Most of the times, when I get up I think of all the “to-dos”. Then, I try to do them to get it out of the way.. But you know, most of the things on my “to do” can be prepared the night before… It is more about effective time planning and sleeping earlier. It is also I recently learnt, about letting go of control and following my ‘urges’!

I read this passage this morning. To me this passage is just too beautiful… I hope that it may speak to you as well. [In brackets are my words]:

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His Glory, to be strengthened with might THROUGH His Spirit in the inner man,

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

That you, being rooted and grounded in love [Amen Lord, I receive Your Love]

May be able to comprehend.. the width and length and depth and height – to Know the Love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with ALL fullness of God [ I Never realized this! I always thought that it is impossible to ever comprehend just how much God loves us.. but I can pray for this! To know His love and to be filled with more of Him!]

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power [His Spirit] that works in us [in my heart, mind, soul]

To Him be the Glory… For all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-20)

Aggghhh I love verses like this! They are such bold prayers of faith! My prayer is that we all will experience more of God in our lives this year, to Know His Love and to be Filled with the fullness of His Spirit in our lives!

May you have a God-filled and God-centered day.

Thank you for reading!

~ Mel.