The Main Thing!

Hello All,

As mentioned in an earlier post, I have been reading a wonderful devotional book called Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer. So many of these daily devotionals have been a blessing to me, but this is another one I thought I 'd share with you all. It emphasizes the fact that God is the single most important entity in our lives:
                                   
                                                 Seek the One Thing


One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and(insistently) require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord[in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty[the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider,and inquire in His temple.
           Psalm 27:4

If you could ask for only one thing in life, what would it be? David said there was only one thing he sought after: to dwell in God's presence. Truly, to know God is the highest calling we have.
   We can get so distracted with life that we neglect the most important thing--spending time with God, knowing Him, appreciating Him, seeking his wisdom.
   How foolish we are to spend our lives seeking those things that can not satisfy while we ignore God, the "One Thing" Who can give us great joy, peace, satisfaction, and contentment. The world is filled with empty people who are trying to satisfy the voids in their lives with a new car, a promotion, a relationship or some other thing. Their efforts to find fulfillment in those things never work. They never know the joy of seeking the "One Thing" they really need. Each of us has a God-shaped hole inside, and nothing can fill it except God Himself. No matter what else we try to fill it with, we will remain empty and frustrated.
    If God is on your list of things to seek but not at the top, I encourage you to move everything around and put it all after Him. If you will put Him first in everything you do, you will be blessed beyond measure.

Love God Today: "Lord, I will seek You as my One Thing above everything else. You are my number one priority."


-Joyce Meyer

I hope this blesses someone as much as it did myself. I can never be reminded enough to put Christ first. Each day is a new day to refresh our relationship with the father, just as we would with anyone else whom we love. I've noticed that when my focus is God-centered, things fall into place and I'm able to think more clearly. God is truly all we need, and he takes care of all of our needs if we let him. Placing him first allows us to take a backseat while he does what he does best! There's no better place to be than in the presence of God. That doesn't just mean @ church or in prayer, although those are great ways to be near him and sense his presence. But, when you build a relationship with the father, you start to feel his presence EVERYWHERE you are: work, home,school,shopping,out to eat, at the movies, wherever you are, you can take the Lord with you!

Peace and Blessings,
Dany

Hello!

Hey Everyone!

Wow, I haven't made a post since my birthday. It's been about two weeks, and God has been good....as always. I was blessed to enjoy beautiful weather that day. It started out with scattered t-storms, but before our dinner @ 3pm, the weather was as beautiful as God wanted it to be! ha ha:-)

I mentioned that I might share some pictures from our special day, so here are some pictures:

This is me and some of my closest friends/sisters in Christ! From Left: Amber,Jessica,Yours Truly, and Jennifer :)

Us again, and @ the end is my lovely older sis Dawn.Love her soooo much:)

 Daniel decided to jump in the pic! Hey, it was his birthday too! Love my brother, grateful he was able to come to town :-)

This is one of my favorites! My sister wanted to take a picture with her younger twin siblings before she and her husband had to leave. We are the youngest three of nine children! All of them couldn't make it, some live out of town,my eldest sister was there too, and my two other brothers who live here saw us later that day :-)


I'm thanking God for allowing me to see another day, another year....I will continue to try to live a life pleasing to him! I'm a work in progress, as we all are, but the keyword is....PROGRESS. Each day I learn something new, allowing God to mold me into the woman he wants me to be. My prayer is that I continue to strive to be more Christlike each day. I'm grateful for God's lOVE,all my blessings: most importantly, family and friends.




Peace and Blessings,
Dany

Birthday!

Hello All!

Today is my birthday! The Lord has blessed me to see yet another day. I'm thankful for everything he has done for me. Birthday's are a great time to reflect over your life. Coincidentally, many of my posts lately have discussed purpose and such. I am ready to receive all that is in store, and I pray that the Lord's will reigns in my life.

My twin brother was able to come to town for our birthday, so I am happy about that! I haven't seen him in about 2 years. As we grow older, we see that life's responsibilities( school and work) can consume much of our time, but we never want to get too busy for one another. I love him very much.

We will be heading out for dinner with family and friends in about an hour. I may try and post some pics up. I hope everyone is having a blessed Sunday!

Peace and Blessings,

Dany

Seasons

Hey Everyone!

I haven't been able to post much lately. Partly because I have such a hectic schedule, and because I want my posts to have substance( although random posts are good too). I've mentioned more than once on this blog that I am seeking the Lord in many areas in my life. We've all heard the concept of "seasons" before right? Life is full of seasons. As I grow older, I see the relevance to this spiritual theory more and more in my life.

For example, as graduation, my birthday, and other occasions approach, I can sense that I am in a transition season. I can feel the Lord tugging on my heart, trying to get me to move into the place that he wants me to be. Again, Proverbs 3:5-6 is constantly a reminder for me to surrender my all to the Lord. I know that as long as I remain focused and prayerful, I cannot go wrong.

I'm going to enjoy each season I'm in because I know that each and every one of them are meant to mold me into the woman God has called me to be. My friends and I often have conversation about what the future holds....Things like marriage and career plans always come into the conversation. I always try to remember that everything happens in Gods timing....In the right season!

I'm using this time to grow spiritually,mentally, and physically so that I'll be prepared for each season from here on out. What are you going to do in this season of your life?

Peace and Blessings,

Dany

Happy Resurrection Day!

I hope everyone takes the time out, not only today, but EVERYDAY to remember the great sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross for EVERYONE. He gave up his life for our sins, and rose again. Truly an awesome testament of love.

Peace and Blessings,

Dany

Happy Good Friday!

Hey everyone!

Today marks the anniversary of one of the most SIGNIFICANT days in history. As a believer in Christ, this momentous day always helps me to put my life into perspective. As sinners, where would we be has Christ not gone and died for ALL of our sins? Regardless of if we believe in him or not, he died for YOU and Me. As a kid, I grew up in church celebrating Good Friday and Easter(Resurrection Sunday) without fully realizing the magnitude of the occasions. As an adult, with a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior, it's hard for me not to think of this day...EVERYDAY, and thank the LOrd for his sacrificial love. There is no "greater love for a man than to lay down his life for his friend" (John 15:13). Not only did Jesus Christ lay down his life for his friends, but for the very people that made it their life's missions to slander,hate,abuse, and eventually kill him. Some of his last words on the cross were utterances of forgiveness to the father on their behalf...."forgive them father, for they know not what they are doing"( Luke 23:34).

I can't imagine doing what Jesus did. Although I have been called the "nicest" person by many, I still could not imagine giving up my LIFE for those who despise me. That takes a special,one-of-a-kind type of love......a love like that is worth living my life for, worth laying down my desires and STRIVING to repay. I love Jesus so much, and I'm so thankful that he saw through the pain and deception, and carried out his father's will....JUST...BECAUSE.....HE LOVES US.Amen.

(Image is from the movie Passion of the Christ)

Trust

Today was kind of a rough day for me.....I mentioned in another post that I have been seeking God's divine purpose for my life. I know that the enemy does not want this to be fulfilled, so he will do whatever he can to cause confusion. Confusion can come in the form of distractions:death,sickness, sadness....Anything that the enemy can use to keep us from focusing on God.  The word of God warns us the enemy wants to destroy us.....COMPLETELY!

John 10:10
"The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,and have it to the full."

Knowing what I know about forces that aim to kill God-given purpose, I know that I must remain prayerful and obedient to the will of God. Today, many of the things that I have been uncertain about lately seemed to cause much discord between me and one of my loved ones. I felt sad and frustrated, but in my spirit I just wanted the Lord to give me peace about the situation.

A scripture that has always resonated in times like this is Proverbs 3:5-6 : "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make your paths straight." I Trust that God has my best interest at heart. I will continue to seek him in all that I do.....You should try it, hasn't failed me yet!

Peace and Blessings,

Dany