Pity Party or Blessing Party

This blog may be one of those just for me ones, but putting it on just in case anyone else needs the reminders He gave me today. 

The day will not always go your way. There will always be someone who has something negative to say. There will be moments when you feel like giving up coupled with moments that make you want to cry. That's life. We cannot control what happens to us throughout the day sometimes, but we can control how we handle it. Don't give into the negativity. Do what you can and trust God to do what He can do(which means taking care of those that may not treat you right;-)). Watch your words and ask God to make His voice louder than the negative thoughts that your flesh is yelling at you. You can't change some things, but you can change what it does to you. The change will not happen over night, but in time you can push through the day with peace. Don't beat yourself up (or allow the enemy to) on your journey. Change is a process and God knows your heart. Praise Him that you are moving forward and know that tomorrow is a new day to take a few more steps. Going backwards isn't allowed :-)  

God and I had some serious talks last week and today was the first day of putting some of that into practice and applying what He spoke into me. Let's just say tomorrow is a new day. It takes a lot of thought and effort to keep your words focused on Him, to speak life when it is difficult, and to stay positive regardless. It's hard when someone speaks negative to take it with a smile.  You are where you are because He has a plan for you in this season. He has a purpose for everything that is happening and there are days when you just have to trust His heart. He knows why you do what you do. 

When the enemy says throw a pity party, throw a blessing party. Find someone to encourage. Write a card. Read His word. Pray for a friend. (Just ask Him how to reach out). I promise if you ask Him for seed to sow on days when your flesh would rather have a pity party, He will give it to you. The more you let Him say no when your flesh would rather scream me, me, me, me....the stronger you become.  

Feelings can be fickle things. Don't let them wash away seed that He has placed in your hand for this season to sow. It's Spring, trust God for the bloom! 

Focused on the Journey,

~Melissa 

Listening isn't always easy........

Spring Break is over and what a week it has been(and I'm not just talking about the weather). I'm talking about the time that I had just to listen and seek His face on a couple of things specifically. I didn't get the answer on one that I was looking for, but He did answer. How many times do we keep asking God for an answer or to do something, only He has answered we just didn't listen? We keep asking and looking for a specific answer, but God has another plan. He knows the answers we need, not just the ones we want.  Somewhere during the last couple of weeks God threw away the box lid that I kept trying to hide under. We had different opinions on the box, but that is a blog for another day. I'm listening now. He knows how to get you to the point where you have no choice, but to listen. Seeking answers means putting our focus on Him. Ask Him what has your focus, be prepared when He answers. God was pretty blunt about mine. I'm making changes, some are slower than others. He is persistent though and for that I will forever be grateful. I didn't set out for this to be a long blog, so I'll wrap it up now. God knows your heart. He knows how strong you are and what you really can handle. I will be the first to tell you God has more faith in me than I do in myself. God knows me better than I know myself and He knows how strong I am. He has spent the last two months showing me that. (Want to know how strong you are? Fast from something you feel as if you "crave" and can't live without. I'm telling you, your spiritual muscles will strengthen with each denial.). That's a blog for another day. I've been on a weight loss journey for years, but finally got serious about it two months ago. I'll blog about it soon, but not yet. God is still revealing and showing me things through it.

Ask God for what's on your heart. He says in His word you have not, because you ask not. Be listening and looking for His answer. Sometimes you may be able to see it(gotta love neon sign days), but other times it may come in a still small whisper.

Focused on the journey,
~Melissa

So where did the title and what's "the story" behind it? (If you have been reading for awhile you know that 99.9% of my blogs have a Melissa story somewhere. I may not always tell it, but God has used something in my day or in our time together that has started the writing. Well this one is not any different. I've learned over the last few years that I can ask God and believe God for things for me. This is a girl that has oil in multiple places and isn't afraid to use it when she needs to. I digress. So the weather last week had my sinuses acting up while at the Joyce Meyer conference. I was ready to go to the doctor again and call to get more medicine because I figured I had a sinus infection again(crazy weather here in AL). Well at a point during the conference, God said just ask me for it, so I did. (How many times do we complain and whine about something to God, but never ask Him to take care of it? Let that sink in...). Within in 24 hours the sinus pressure started to go away and that area was feeling better. Even as I type the pain is pretty much non-existent in that area. (Notice I said that area). Well last night during my time with Him, I asked Him to take care of a couple of other areas that were hurting(both tied to certain events in other words not due to infection etc.). His answer was 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10, which say My grace is sufficient and my power is made perfect in weakness. For when I am weak, then I am strong. So there is the story behind listening isn't always easy. God will always answer. He knows what we need, even though it may not line up with our wants. Something tells me this may be the start of a blog to come. #aPrincesslovingrace

Don't Miss the God moments

God's been writing this week. I tried to write in my journal some while out of town so I could just type the blog from there, but He wouldn't let me. Apparently these blogs are only meant for here.

Busyness has crept into my life and my schedule over the past couple of years. It's amazing how fast we can fill up time and think we are doing what we are supposed to be doing when in fact we are just spinning wheels. We are so focused on the end result that we can't see the journey we are traveling. We see the ladder we think we should climb, but don't realize the building it is leaning against. Details are important and can make the difference in being fruitful and just being busy. My focus has been off, my time has been mismanaged, and if I'm really being honest I've been filling my time with a lot of "good" things that I neglected some God things. Oh I've had a few God moments in the last couple of years, things I can look back and know that those doors were straight from God. I've also had some doors that I ran through thinking they were good doors only to realize they cost me time on where I was headed. We can get so caught up in what someone else wants us to do and asks us to do that we have no time left for what He wants us to do.  We get so caught up in being the us someone else thinks we should be that we neglect the us God has called us to be. We fill our schedule so full of good moments that we have no time left for God moments. Life is too short and time too precious to waste it on things that are not going to matter later. 

God redirected my heart and my focus a few months ago and started directing me back to a few things that I had forgotten. I hadn't really "forgotten" them, but I was too busy to listen. I was too busy for a lot of things. If I wasn't doing something or working on something, my mind was going non stop trying to plan the next thing. Even worse my mind spent a lot of time worrying and stressing about what others thought and said. I wish I could tell you I didn't fight the redirection at first, but I did. Fighting still leaves you stressed, frustrated, full of worry, and questioning if God really has you where He wants you. Please hear my heart sweet reader. The enemy wants nothing more than for you to doubt that God is working in your life. If he can get you frustrated with yourself and not seeing the purpose and plan God has laid out, then he has won the battle for now. If he can keep you feeling defeated, you will defeat yourself and become your own worst enemy. Then finally you get to the point where you go okay God what's it going to take to turn this around. If you ask Him, He will answer, just be prepared when He does. 

He has God moments planned for you every day. Too often times we may miss them or try to put them off until tomorrow and then miss His timing.  Look at your day through His eyes and slow down to follow when He leads. 

Closing thoughts: 

• When God brings someone to mind, do what He says. If He says pray, pray. If He says encourage, then stop and encourage them. If God says to do it, His grace is covering it. Too many times we reason it away and say I'll text later or when I have time(and the time never happens). You may be the word they need to keep moving forward during the day Your encouragement may be what keeps them from the pity party they enemy has planned for their day. You may be the one to remind them of God's love and that someone still cares.  God never let a person off my heart until I do what you have called me to do. 
• When God says meet a need, meet the need. Don't ask Him about the details or take your worries about it to Him. He knows your heart, He knows the details, and He knows how everything is going to fall into place. He knows what you can do and He isn't going to call you to do something that He hasn't equipped you to do. Word of caution: If you don't meet the need, He will find someone else to. You will be the one that misses out on the blessing.  God be louder than my flesh and help me to be Your hands and feet. 
• Spend some quality time with Him daily. He desires time with His children and at some point, He will get your attention and have you spend time with Him. Do it first and set the course for the day. Spend more time listening than you do talking. 
• Distractions will always be there. When the distractions get more of your time than God does, it's time to make some changes.

God don't let me miss any more moments that You have in my day. Soften my heart to Your whispers and work through me as only You can. My heart's desire is for a fruitful day, not a busy one. 

Focused on the journey,

~Melissa 

Thoughts for the day

Not sure what to call this one yet, maybe it will have a title by the end :-) If not it will be a sharing my heart post I guess. I don't typically post more than once in a week, but it is Spring Break. I'm just being me and this is me ;-) I'm a grace loving daughter of the Most High and happy with that. (If you ONLY realized the muck and mud it took to get to that point where I could truly say that...)

This is kind of a follow up to last night's post, You can only change you. Taking your focus off trying to change the situation, how others react, and what others do will keep you focused on what you can do. When you get your focus off of that, oh my what God can do. When we do what we can, He does everything that He can. If you have never had a moment where you have seen all that God can do...look out! He can turn any day into an Ephesians 3:20 day. He can take any moment where you aren't sure what you are going to say and turn it into Luke 12:12. God can do everything when we let Him. (That's the key if you haven't figured out). Put your focus on where it needs to be, where He desires for it to be, and watch the pieces start falling into place. (The pieces may not easily fall into place, but there is a sense of trust and peace when you know He's got it).

Duct tape and sealing the cracks: The heart to heart conversation with God on where those areas are is not an easy one. Every time I have asked Him though He has always shown and been faithful to seal it up. I'm the one that chooses to take the duct tape off, but that's a blog for another day. Your Spirit is strengthened every time the flesh is denied and you follow His leading in obedience. The stronger you become the more you can withstand the attacks without crumbling. Following His leading and His obedience will take you out of the wilderness and you will start to see the next leg of the journey. A couple of days with the wilderness behind you, and you will be determined that you have stayed on that mountain long enough. Yes there may be a wilderness again, but for now the one you are leaving is in the rear view mirror.

You know how you read a verse once and then read it again with new eyes later. Well I was in Acts last night and two things JUMPED off of the pages to me. I'm not going to go into detail just yet. That's a blog to come later this week. The first part was when Peter referred back to the verses in Joel where it said Your sons and daughters will prophesy....Please hear my heart on this one. This generation is under attack because they have a word to share. Let's do what we can to help them rise up. (Be it praying, encouraging, being His hands and feet to them, whatever He calls you to do). The second part was when Peter was referring to the power that came from the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we have that power living on the inside of us. We have that same Spirit that was sent down at Pentecost back in Acts. What would our day be like if we tapped into that power and let it dictate our day? What would happen if instead of letting fear speak, we let that power speak? As I said blogs to come later, He's still writing on those ;-)

I hope you all have wonderful blessed day! Live it for Him! Don't miss a God moment today :-)
Focused on the journey,
~Melissa

You can only change YOU

I first started with the title of Closing the Cracks, but then decided to change it to what it is now. The closing the cracks is part of the blog, but not all of it. My journal time over the last couple of weeks has been precious. I will be sharing more of that soon as God finishes writing the blogs He has started. I didn't start out to be a writer, actually in school I was more of "the talker" of the group. Just ask my elementary school teachers :-) I laugh every time I have to ask any student to be quiet, because I was that student. My comfort zone keeps me behind the computer. It is the place where I feel like I can say what's on my heart without having to actually "say it". He's working on the talking in front of adults, but I'm not there yet. I still get nervous, just ask my webinar participants.

So where am I headed with this blog....in short be YOU. I'm not talking about the YOU that someone else thinks you should be, the YOU someone else pressures you to be, but the YOU God made you to be. Too many times we try to be every YOU we can think of except the YOU God made us and called us to be. Happiness is found when you realize who that YOU is. Once you realize who that YOU is, realize that you can only change that you. You can't change how someone treats you. You can only change how you react to it and how you treat others(including that person). You can't change the words someone says about you or to you. You can only change the words you speak about others and to people. You can't change how the day goes, but you can change how you handle what happens during the day. You can't change how others see you, but you can change how you see yourself. See where I'm headed? Too many times we try to change others and forget to look in the mirror. We set out on a journey to lose weight so that someone else will look at us and see the weight loss. We set out on a journey to climb the ladder of success and work non stop so that someone will notice and give us a pat on the back. We set out on a journey to fix those around us and give them "advice" and we don't see what we need to change about ourselves.

Have a heart to heart conversation with God and ask Him what needs to change in your life. Be ready for the answers and don't expect them to be what you want to hear. So many times we go through our day handling the stress and frustration to the best of our abilities and we forget one thing...we don't have to rely on our strength. So many times God tells us what to do, where to keep our focus, and even how to keep it there, but we reason it or excuse it away. We set our day up and even crack the door for the enemy to come right on into our day. Ask God where the cracks are in your life. These are not necessarily sins, but areas of your life where your flesh takes over, areas where you are weak, and maybe even areas where you know you need to make a change, but you'll "do that tomorrow". It's time to make a change and take things to the next level. There is a new season on the other side. God will reward your time and it will not be in vain. Any time you ask Him one of those heart changing questions, He gently shows you the answers and gives you the strength you need to make the change. Ask Him and then listen for when He answers.

I got to the point last week where I finally said okay God show me. He was faithful and did exactly what I asked. His revelation is not the hard part, making the commitment to yourself and Him to seal up those cracks one at a time is where it gets difficult. He walks each step of the way with you and from what I have seen personally, the pieces start falling into place. There is a peace that words cannot express yet. The cracks are different for each person. I almost typed mine out here, but I don't want to give anyone examples just yet. Spend that time with Him asking Him where yours are. Then as He answers, take note, grab the duct tape and seal up the cracks. The enemy may have a plan for your day, but sweet reader my God has a purpose! Let Him show you what that is. Trust Him with the pieces of the day, after all He has the box lid and knows what the big picture looks like.

Don't let fear hold you back from being the you God has called you to be. There will be details of the day that don't make sense, but God has a purpose. Let Him line up your priorities. Stay focused on what He has called you to do and who He has called you to be. The enemy will distract you every chance he can. Ask God to see your day through His eyes so you can start to tell where the distractions, bumps, cracks are in the day. Then do your part to take care of them and God will do the rest. Oh the blog He will write when I am on the other side of these sealing process for this set of cracks. It is just that a process and God's on His timetable, not mine ;-) God's up to something new...can you feel it? Change is coming! He's doing a new thing trust Him! Just because it may feel like Winter again, it is still Spring!

Focused on the journey
~Melissa

Peeling back the Layers

So I've decided to do a few of these peeling back the layer posts every now and then(okay when God says to). I had someone make a comment about a month ago well you don't ever struggle with that do you...oh please understand I am so far from perfect. I'm not where I used to be, but I am so not where I need to be. I struggle with things daily, some minute by minute. Most of the blogs come after I've already pressed through the struggle and can look back from the other side. This blog however I thought I would take off the smile I've grown to love that I can put on. I'm not easily read and unless you are in my daily world a lot of the times I can hide most of these. I am just a daughter of the Most High who lives each day covered in His grace. I fail Him at least once a day, sometimes every hour. Some days I find myself covered in the muck and the mud just because and I have to drag myself to His lap at the end of the day. I have learned that if I can take a minute to refocus and regroup in the middle of the chaos of the day I can usually keep moving forward. On days when I don't have that minute, I find myself pretty much in tears by the end of it, questioning everything, and feeling defeated. That's me. I'm over apologizing for who He made me to be.

I analyze way too much even though I know He had all of the pieces in place before I was even born. I question more than I should and I find myself asking Him the same thing more than once. I let circumstances dictate feelings. I doubt myself and if you know me well you know I am my worst critic. I run to food sometimes when I'm upset, okay most of the time when I'm upset. My self control and discipline are not what they need to be. (The ice cream I had this afternoon was good though, but the feel good was temporary). That ugly old people pleasing thing comes back to taunt me at least once a day. It's a flesh thing. We all want to know we are doing a good job and are making a difference, but sometimes we have to just trust God that we are and know we are giving it our all(which is not easy in the moment). I've learned(the hard way), the greatest tool the enemy has is to keep you feeling defeated. If you don't feel like you can make a difference in a situation,  you won't. God can only work through you if you are willing to be you. Let that sink in for a moment. If you are trying to be someone you weren't made to be, who are you pleasing God or Man??? I give up pretty much daily, at least until God fills me back up again and says get back in the fight. I get frustrated when I can't fix something or do something right. (See that critic thing again). I know who I am in Him, but I let people and feelings keep a mask on more than I should. I never set out to be a blogger. In fact I never saw myself even as a writer, but one day God said type. I had a fire that was burning in my bones and I didn't know how else to share it but this way. I know I was made for more than this.  I'm ready for this season to be over, but I know I still have a few other things He wants to see finished first.

Wherever you are at on your journey with Him, take heart and know He knows exactly where you are. I hope you can be encouraged by this peeling back the layers blog and know that this is where I am tonight. I wanted to share a little bit of my heart with you, mask off, this is me. I know I still have a ways to go, in fact God gave me a list one night. He keeps me in check, but sometimes that is only after I've made a mess of the day. If you are in my daily world and even if you aren't please hear my heart. He is my everything. I don't always trust Him like I should, but that's my flesh talking. When I take a minute and quieten it, I do much better. I've grown closer to Him over the last few years and I wouldn't trade a minute of it, even on the diamond days. He knows me better than I know myself and yep He even trusts me more than I trust myself. I love that about Him.

God shine through in everything I say and do.

Focused on the journey,
~Melissa

Blog or bust kind of night

This is not on the list of blogs that I have in the works, but it is one of those blog or bust kind of nights. It's one of those nights when I have to blog or else, too much on my mind/heart. So this is a blog that is basically my heart on paper. It's a blog of me simply thinking out loud.

This has been an interesting week to say the least. The last couple of weeks have been full of diamond days. I'm going to be honest, I know God has a plan with the diamond days in my path, but they wear me out. I'm exhausted at the end of a diamond day. I'm exhausted because the enemy has thrown everything he could at me, some I've dodged, others have been a direct hit. Yet at the end of this diamond, sparkly day, despite the tired and worn out feeling, I am hopeful. Hopeful because I know my God has a plan that is for my good. Hopeful because I know that God is setting the stage and very soon is fixing to show up and show out in an amazing way. God has this and because He has this, He has me. The heat is still on in a situation(see a previous post), but I'm determined to go through this fire.

There comes a time when regardless of what anyone else thinks, the advice or support they offer or don't offer, you have to make a determination in your heart that trust matters more than the pieces falling into place at that moment. Trust in the One who Loves you the most to keep you safe. Trust that He will put the pieces in order in His time. Trust that you are where He wants you to be or else He would have moved you. The enemy doesn't fight us when we are out of God's will. If I wasn't where He wanted me to be, I wouldn't be feeling the discouragement that I do. I wouldn't be questioning things or wondering. See God sometimes puts us where He wants us/needs us, only He doesn't tell us more than right here child. It's our analyzing mind that messes things up by trying to make it all make sense.

God keep my heart and mind focused on you. Shut my mouth when I am looking for a pity party and let me run to You for the filling that I need. You alone can move mountains and fill the areas that the world drains during the day. You alone can light a fire that despite the mess of the day can make a difference one life at a time. I trust You and all that means.

I thought the layers had all been pulled back. I thought God and I had dealt with all that needed to be dealt with for now, but apparently I haven't. Apparently He has me on the accelerated track.  I hope He realizes He and alone is going to have to help me keep up the pace.

He has me where He needs me for this season. The questions tell me so. God help me to make a difference.

Focused on the journey,
~Melissa