Blessings in Disguise....

I've been posting on Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh Demoss on Wednesdays for a while now, but I have to admit......I finished the book a long time ago. =)  Posting once (sometimes twice) a week on it is making it go on forever!  I'm finding myself wondering, "Is anyone still interested?" and "Should I continue?".

Also, to be perfectly honest, I've hit a section in the book that is a difficult area for me, and I'm finding it quite difficult to write about something that hits so close to my current hurts and struggles.  I don't know if I should continue to post without revealing too much of myself, or just let it go.........feel free to give  your opinion. ; )

In the meantime, I still want to link up with Rebecca at Mom's Mustard Seeds.

I posted last week that I was undergoing an attitude adjustment.....and part of me still is. =)  I had to write a devotion for a group that I'm in and almost bowed out ~ but due tothe fact that I feel guilty if I don't follow through with my obligations, I did it anyway.  This is a slightly altered and less personal version of what I shared with them ~ and I'm sharing it with you, too.  Because......well, I'm still kind of there ~ and I think that a lot of people are right now.  It seems like everyone I know is struggling with something and maybe I'm not supposed to act like everything is perfect in my world ~ maybe being real is what I'm supposed to be.

My personality is an encourager and I feel anything but encouraging. I am the quiet, shy one ~ and when I'm going through difficult times, my natural inclination is to become even quieter and fade into the background until I get a better grip on things. =) I am also generally happy and cheerful, and it is rare that my faith and trust in the Lord wavers, and when I get really discouraged it usually only lasts for a moment or two and I am right back to normal {or my version of it, anyway ;)}.

The past few weeks....or months, I've been drowning in drama ~ and I don't do well with drama.  If you know me and want to get rid of me, just go "Drama Queen" (or King) on me and that'll do it! ; )  It seems like the relationships that God gives us that are supposed to be our sources of support are the ones that Satan is using to discourage me the most. Add to that the fact that I haven't had a full good nights sleep in probably 2 months and have had almost contant pain from headaches, and my propensity to have a positive outlook has dwindled.

The other day, I lay in bed waiting for Excedrin Migraine to work, looking up at the skylights......and thought, "Lord, the sun is shining so brightly today.....why can't I feel your warmth?" I eventually got up and reached into my tote for something, pulled out my music folder, and a piece that my ensemble has been working on, "Healing is in Your Hands",  fell out. (I actually posted the video a couple of weeks ago for "Then Sings My Soul Saturday"). I looked at the words and then pulled it up on YouTube. As tears filled my eyes, I was reminded that His warmth never left me....it was me in my hurt that backed away so that I couldn't feel it.

I also decided to check my email before I logged off, and a friend had sent me this song......having no idea of where I was emotionally.  But Someone else did and His timing is always perfect.

(mute the auto music player below to hear the video)


How thankful I am that He hears my every prayer, sees my every tear.........and that His mercies are always there, even if we have to lift the veil of our own lack of faith to find them. How thankful I am for ♥music♥, that He uses to reach my heart and wrap His warmth around me when I am unable to feel it, and to give me hope to get me back to "normal"........until the day that I am Home.

My Mustard Seed Planting verse for the week is simple and well-known to those of us in the Faith.  But simple Truths and His promises of what's to come is sometimes just what we need.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

 Rev. 21:4



Lies Women Believe.....About Priorities

is the focus of Chapter Five of Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

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Lie 18:  "I Don't Have Time To Do Everything I'm Supposed To Do"

How many times have I said this, thought this, whined this, cried this??  This is a lie that plagues me.  Doggedly.  Sigh.  How many of you can relate as well to the plaque above?  It's cute, it's funny.....but in the reality of my life, it's really NOT.

I know many other women who experience the same thing.  We often feel incapable of managing and balancing all of our responsibilities ~ overwhelmed by how much we have to do and how little time we have to do it all in.

We are frazzled, breathless, and discouraged.  How often do we go to bed wishing we had gotten to everything on our to-do lists?  Add to that everything that is on everyone else's to-do lists for us and it's quite literally impossible to ever see the end of it.

The Truth is that we don't have to do all those things.  We only have to do the work God assigns for us to do.  When we establish our own agenda or let others determine the priorities of our lives instead of taking time to discern what it is God wants us to do, we end up buried in mountains of work, exhausted, frustrated and feeling guilty that we can't get it all done.  God desires for us to have a peaceful, well-ordered life....not one of chaos.

There's a related lie out there that many of us who are often victim to this one have heard, and heard often:
"I can do it all."    Truthfully, no woman can do it all......and do it all well.  Eventually, someone or something is going to suffer.

"Frustration is the by-product of attempting to fulfill responsibilities God does not intend for us to carry.  Freedom, joy, and fruitfulness come from seeking to determine God's priorities for each season of life, and then setting out to fulfill those priorities, in the power of His Spirit, realizing that He has provided the necessary time and ability to do everything that He has called you to do."  ~Nancy Leigh Demoss

Lie 19:  " I Can Make It Without Consistant Time In God's Word and Prayer"

Another lie no Christian would want to admit to buying into to.  And yet, how much time do we really spend in God's Word and in talking....and listening....to Him?

Satan desires us to live our lives independently of God.  He's not as concerned with whether we "believe" in God.  If we fill our schedules with lots of "spiritual activities", if we are trying to "live the Christian life' without developing and nurturing an intimate relationship with the Lord, he knows we will be spiritually defeated and ineffective.  If we operate on our own thoughts and ideas instead of seeking the wisdom that comes from God, he knows we will eventually get sucked into the world's way of thinking and will become vulenrable to deception in every area of our lives.

Much too often, we find ourselves jumping into the tasks and details of the day without first taking time to meet with the Lord and give that day to Him, to seek His guidance and set out accordingly.  I know when I do things in my own strength, in my own will, the results are never what I had hoped for and I am often left frustrated, aggravated and with a mess to clean up.

It is impossible for me, or you, to be the woman God wants me to be apart from spending consistant time building a relationship with Him, "abiding" in Him, living in dependence on Him......and trusting Him.

My Mustard Seed Planting verse(s) for the week:

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;  and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

~ Matthew 6:25-34



It's All About Me and I Just Can't Help Myself!

Getting back on track after rearranging the order of a  couple of the lies from Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss brings us to Lies # 8 & 9.

Lie #8 :  I Need To Learn To Love Myself

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've heard this or read this in a culture that is obsessed with feeling better about themselves.  It's the world's most popular answer to  low self-esteem and one that Satan uses to trap us.....and we grasp it ~ hook, line and sinker.

One of the examples given by the author is a catalog that offers a "Magical Nightshirt" with this message printed backwards, so that the owner can read it to herself by looking in the mirror:

"I am a precious, wondrous, special, unique, giving, rare, valuable, whole, sacred, total, complete, entitled, worthy, and deserving person."

It is "meant to remind you just how precious and unique you are."

The Truth is that we are created in the image of God and He loves us ~ we ARE precious to Him.  As is the case with most lies, lie #8 isn't the polar opposite of the Truth, but a distortion of the Truth.

When I read that quote, it honestly gives me the heebie-jeebies.  Do you notice that most of those qualities listed are qualities of our Creator ~ and and self-worship is taking the Glory that belongs to Him and placing it on ourselves......the ones that He gave His life to save because of our sinfulness.  I'm not saying that we are not all precious in His sight, that we are not special or created uniquely ~ because we are.  I'm saying, "Praise be to GOD, not ourselves".

The problem is not that we don't love ourselves.  The problem is that we DO......and very much so.  Jesus tells us to "Love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31) and in Ephesians 5, Paul tells husbands to "love their wives as they love their own bodies".  We naturally and automatically put ourselves first.  The author gives this example:

"If I get a toothache, I immediately look for a way to identify the problem and get rid of it.  If I didn't 'love myself', I would ignore the pain.  But when someone else has a toothache, it is easy to be indifferent to his need - that's his problem.  We naturally love ourselves; we do not naturally love others."

The world's prescription of self-love doesn't lead to relief from the bondage of low self-esteem.  Focus and worship of self leads to even more bondage.  We are living life continually focused on ourselves, constantly conscious of how people, things and circumstances are affecting us, deeply sensitive to our feelings, we find ourselves easily hurt and completely trapped in the misery of "low self-esteem".

I hope I'm not coming across as holier-than-thou.........because I've been there.  Really, I have ~ and didn't realize what I was doing to myself.  My self-absorption could have caused me to be offended  and defensive of this Truth, but thankfully many lies that have been exposed to me were exposed when my heart was open and ready to see things for what they were. 

The cure for low self-esteem isn't  loving and adoring yourself.  It is in receiving God's incredible love for us and to accept His design and purpose for our lives.  It is in doing what Jesus has called us to do.....loving our neighbors as ourselves.  He says that in losing our lives e find our lives.  Give others the same attention and care we naturally give ourselves.  In learning to deny ourselves, we can then do what does not come naturally....to truly love God and others.  Once you have truly received and accepted His love, you will find you don't have to compare yourself to others.....instead of focusing on "self", you will become channels of His love to those who desperately need it. 

That's what we're here for.  We are His hands and feet.....we are to love and serve others as His vessels.  When we embrace that Truth, we discover that letting go of self and letting Him be the one to look out for us is a pretty good deal. (Disclaimer: this is not to be taken to mean that we should allow ourselves to be abused and mistreated....but that every little thing in life is not all about us and there is a much bigger picture if you take the time to look around and see it.)

Do I still sometimes find myself trudging through the consequences of listening to this lie? Yes.  But now I know the Truth ~  it really is more blessed to give than to receive......and more joyful life exists when my focus is not on me.  The good news about opening your heart to the Truth and accepting it, is that it allows the Holy Spirit to call you on it when you stumble and fall into it again.  He is good and faithful to pick you up, pull you out, dust you off, and get you on your way again. : )

Lie # 9:  I Can't Help The Way I Am.....

.....is yet another lie that can put us in lifelong bondage.  Often when we see things about ourselves that we don't like or wish were different, we use excuse after excuse to avoid accepting personal responsibility for our own behavior, attitudes and choices.

A good list of examples is given in the book.  Every single one excuse listed is one I've heard someone say at one time another, whether it be a family member, friend or acquaintance.  Just so you know that I'm not pointing fingers,  I'll italicize the ones I most often find myself thinking (or even saying)....

• "Our house is so tiny, everything gets on my nerves"
• "My job is so stressful, I can't help being irritable with my kids when I get home."  (totally applicable for those who also work from home)
• "It's that time of month."
• "My hormones are going crazy."
• "I'm so exhausted, I just can't function."
• "My family never dealt with problems; we just stuffed everything inside and pretended like nothing was wrong.  To this day, I can't really confront issues."
• "My parents never affirmed me, and I've  never been able to feel loved."
• "My mother and her mother were both manic-depressive.....I guess it just runs in my family."
• "My mother was never a real mother to me - I've never had a model to show me how to raise my kids."
• "I had an abusive childhood; I've never been able to trust people."
• My ex-husband constantly put me down; he destroyed my self- esteem."

I only italicized the ones that I most often still think, but that doesn't mean that there aren't others on the list that I have said in the past.....or some that are versions of circumstances I have found myself in.

I mentioned in my first post on this book that I had read some criticisms of it, a few of which were pertaining to lies #8 & 9.  Ladies were offended, thinking that the author was making light of some of these very serious situations and I just don't take it that way.  Throughout the book, she points out that Satan is clever in using a fair amount of truth and twisting it to make his lies so appealing.

Some of these situations (and many more not listed that could have been) would definitely impact and shape who we are.  However, we are not simply victims of our circumstances, and these statements are used by the Enemy to make us just that ~ enslaving us to the bondage of being helpless, only able to react to wounds inflicted on us by others with no power to overcome. 

My house is small and I am a bit claustrophobic - does that give me an excuse to let everything get on my nerves?  I've found that a small house is easier to clean, and when jobs are not guaranteed ~ a smaller house payment is a blessing.  We have a roof over our heads when many don't.  How dare I be so ungrateful.  I've found that learning to see the blessings every day nips a complaining, easily agitated demeanor in the bud.

I often find it stressful trying to juggle so many things and working from home can be very stressful at times.  That gives me no right to take my stress out on my children (or husband).

If I'm so exhausted that I just can't function, perhaps I need to rethink my priorities, or train my children better ~ or let them help out around the house more and not be so inclined to do everything myself.  Relinquishing perfectionism is very freeing. : )

For the more difficult, deeply rooted issues that we use as our excuses:  We are not destined to be controlled by whoever or whatever has impacted our lives.  Difficult circumstance, scars and wounds from the past obviously affect us and shape us.  I do think when seeking to overcome bondage it is helpful to look back and find the roots of  behaviors that we desire to destroy.  There can be healing in discovering why we do the things we do.  However, at some point, we all have to realize that we have a choice.  Dig up those roots, deal with them......and move on.

 "We can be changed by the power of God's Spirit.  Once we know and embrace the Truth, we can break free from the chains of our past, our circumstances, and even deeply ingrained habit patterns." ~ Nancy deMoss

I recently won a give-away and received a book entitled "Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs by Warren Baldwin at Family Fountain.  I haven't had time to read the entire book yet, but it flipping through it I found an excerpt that applies to this very lie.  I've written before that I believe there is nothing like the Word of God when combating Satan's lies, and the Bible tells us "Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."~ Proverbs 9:17

"We can't control what other people have dumped into our lives, but we can give up a victim mentality and cease blaming others.  We can 'guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life'.  We can take responsibility for our actions and seek the healing that Christ offers.  We can experience that healing, with God's presence in our hearts." ~ Warren Baldwin

It really is that simple.  It's all about a choice.  One choice leads to forgiveness, healing and victory while the other leads to a lifetime of bondage.

Which one do you choose?

My weekly verses for Mustard Seed Planting:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  ~ Phillipians 2:3-11



Our Father, Who Art in Heaven.....

*Editing this post to link up with Faith Barista on 6/16/11, as with Father's Day coming this weekend,  it fits her topic this week so well......

Continuing to make my way through Nancy DeMoss's book, Lies Women Believe....and the Truth That Sets Them Free brings me to Lie # 3.  (If you're just joining in and are interested ~ or if you've been following these posts on Wednesdays and missed Lie #2 on Saturday ~ you can find earlier posts on this book by clicking on the tag "Lies Women  Believe" at the bottom of this one.)

Lie # 3 :  God Is Just Like My Father

Lie #3 is based on the fact that as women, our view of God can be largely influenced by the men we have known in our lives ~ our fathers in particular.  Our sense, or feeling, of who God is can be shaped by those men, both positively and negatively.

If your father was harsh & abusive, overbearing, unable to express love, distant or even absent, you may have the tendency to view the Heavenly Father in the same way.  If this is the case for you, you might find trusting God difficult.  Ms. Demoss puts it well when she says,

"You must believe me when I tell  you that God is not like any man you have ever known.  The wisest, kindest earthly father is but a pale reflection of our heavenly Father.  The God of the Bible in infinitely more wonderful and pure and loving than even the most wonderful father.  That is why it is so important that we not allow our view of God to be determined by other men, for at their very best they are flawed representations of God."

I do believe that her take on this relationship is true for many, but this is a lie that has never held any influence over me......and it easily could have.  Coming from the perspective of the daughter whose father was absent for much of her growing-up years, I can wholeheartedly attest to the damage it does within.  If you happen to be a father who has stumbled upon this post, let me urge you to NEVER, EVER underestimate the way your daughter desperately needs your active involvement and steadfast love in her life.  The abundance, or lack of, your involvement will shape who she becomes and will stay with her for the rest of her life.  If you are a woman, as I suspect most of those who read my blog are, encourage the father of your children and impress upon them the value they have in their children's lives.  Without that relationship, they may be susceptible to this lie.....and the door will be open to many more.

I don't know why this lie has never influenced me.....all I know is that from the first moment I truly met my Heavenly Father, this is what I found, and have clung to that peace, assurance and love ever since.  Statistically, I should not be living the life that I do.  I have an abundance of living and breathing examples all around me of what my life could have been without my embracing the love of God.  I praise Him and am overwhelmed with thankfulness for my God, my Father, who loves to overcome statistics, hurt, and pain and let his goodness wash over the wounds and scars that we all have caused by an imperfect world.  Does He completely eliminate the hurt and pain?  Perhaps for some, but for me......a part of me will always be the eight year old Daddy's Girl changed forever by a decision made by others and forced upon her.  There will always be fragments of a little broken heart that was torn to pieces by the loss of a relationship that she adored.  My Father above is a soothing balm to that broken part of me.  He took an angry, hurt and confused teenage girl and gave her what she needed most.  He taught a young mother to see that parents aren't perfect and we do the best we can.......and brought forgiveness, understanding and a new beginning to a relationship wrongly severed.  He teaches me so many things, day by day, circumstance by circumstance, and hurt by hurt.......and I love and lean on Him ~ not because I am strong, but because I recognize how weak I am and how much I need Him.  He loves me.  Perfectly.  In Him, I am made whole.

"Discomfort and unrest are impossible to souls who come to know that God is their Father........What good earthly father would not do, God who is our Father would not do either; and what a good father ought to do, God who is our Father is absolutely sure to do.

Christ has declared to us the name of the Father in order that we may discover that the Father loves us as He loves His Son.  If we believed this, could we ever have an anxious or rebellious heart again?  Would we not believe in every conceivable circumstance that the devine Father would care for us in the best possible way and meet our every need?"

~Hannah Whitall Smith

If you are struggling with hurt and healing caused by the absence of your father, I also recommend this book:

My Mustard Seed Planting verse of the week:

 "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are; For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be, We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." ~ John 3:1-3



'God is not really good. If He were, He would.....'

"Lies Women Believe....about God"  from Lies Women Believe.....and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss ~ 

~ the first category of lies women are most susceptible to that the author sets out to expose, which she believes are at the root of much of the bondage that Christian women experience.

Before looking at each lie she exposes, she points out that there is a progression from deception to bondage.  Satan is the Master Deceiver, and a lot of the battle of overcoming deception is recognizing the strategy which leads to progression.....and ultimately, deception & bondage.  First, we will.....

• Listen to a lie; then, we will
• Dwell on the lie; which leads to
• Believing the lie; and, ultimately....
• Acting on the lie

She actually gives an entire chapter to this topic, but I didn't intend to rewrite the book....just post my own personal thoughts.....and I tend to have more personal thoughts on the topics I personally struggle with, so you might want to get the book yourself ~ because yours are bound to be different!  ; )

Lies Women Believe About God.......

1.  'God is not really good.  If He were, He would.....'

This  is a lie we have heard non Christians buying into often.  The Deceiver is very adept at casting God in a negative light...."How could a good God have let this (insert major catastrophic event - either known throughout the world, or only in your personal life) happen??

As I read through the book, I'm honestly searching myself to see if I have fallen victim to the lies exposed.  At first glance of this one, most Christians would immediately say, "Well, I don't believe that.....God is good all the time (and all the time God is good)!".  How many of us TRULY believe it?

When things don't go the way we hope, the way we plan, they way we pray they will, have you ever wondered, "Why is this happening?  Why is God keeping this good thing from me?  Is He really good?  If He is, then why ______?????".  Have you heard Satan whispering these questions ~ or different, but related ones ~ in your ear, causing you to question what you know theologically with what you feel in your heart?

My answer:  Yes and No.  Yes, I have heard some of these thoughts whispered to me ~ but in relation to this exact lie, my answer is No.  I have never, since my salvation, questioned the goodness of God.  I have questioned MANY things, but whether I understand or comprehend or not.....the Truth that I know overcomes this lie.......whether or not I understand His choices in what He allows in my life ~ and in the world ~ or not, God is good.  Whether or not I feel it, He is good.  No  matter what, I know that God is good.

How do I know?  Faith.  My faith runs deep.....it is my Solid Rock when nothing else seems solid.  I cling to it when there's nothing else to cling to.  It holds strong when there are doubts and things I don't understand.  I can't put it better than Hannah Whitall Smith:

"A great many things in God's devine providences do not look to the eye like goodness.  But faith sits down before mysteries such as these, and says, "The Lord is good, therefore all that He does must be good no matter how it looks.  I can wait for His explanations."

But before you think I'm all high-and-mighty, full-of-myself and proud of my recognition of this lie, hold your horses.  Because this is only lie #1.......and  #2 is just a page away.  We all have our weak areas, and the Deceiver will attack us in different places.  Just as he knows yours, he knows mine, too. 

Linking up with Mom's Mustard Seeds once again.  My verse for the week:

Isaiah 58:11; "The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail."

May the Lord guide You this week, may He counter Satan's lies in your life with His Truth, may He satisfy your needs......and may you discover the kind of faith that never fails.



"Lies Women Believe.....

.....and the Truth That Sets Them Free" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I can't count the number of times I have glanced at this book on shelves of Christian bookstores and libraries.  This past Sunday, I picked it up and flipped through it.  Hmmmmm......I checked it out.  I have read many reviews for this book ~ both for and against.  Some of the criticisms seem quite valid, and some...not so much. 

I've found that through the years, my love of learning, reading, and desiring to grow a closer relationship with God has lead  me to many great books and have discovered  that some of the most argued and disputed can be the best.  I am thankful that God is a personal God and am always amazed at how He meets us where we are and will use the many tools and resources available to us to do so......and am curious about what God will do in ME as I read this one.

As I stood in the library and paged through the introduction, I read this:

...."a large percentage of Christian women today could be described in the following words: frazzled, exhausted, burned-out, overwhelmed, confused, angry, frustrated, discouraged, defeated, depressed, ashamed, emotionally unstable, uptight, insecure, lonely, fearful...."

Unfortunately, several of those adjectives jumped out at me as if in bold print ~ some of them describe ME lately!  I'll keep to myself the ones that do. ; )  These words also describe many women I know.  They describe women I'm related to.  I think they describe women today in general........I desperately don't want to be like that.  Regardless of circumstances, regardless of others' influences, I deeply desire to live a Victorious Christian life & to be the kind of woman that is.......

"......free, joyous, contented, loving, radiant, confident, gracious, peaceful, stable......"

Jesus said in John 10:10:

 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." 

How many of us actually experience that abundant life?  I believe it is possible, but it's a journey.  And all journeys have ups and downs, and through our travels even those of us who KNOW the TRUTH and know better that to fall for the Deceiver's lies sometimes do.  That sin nature.......why won't it leave us alone?!

This blog was originally started for Sweet Diva as a business/creative blog......but has become much more {because there's so much more to me ~ and I have trouble sometimes focusing on just one thing ; ) }.  I didn't anticipate that......I am quite surprised at the number of comments I get when I post (mostly private and off-blogger) and the number of inquiries I get when I don't.  It seems quite a few people can identify with my more personal posts.  I'm going to post on my journey through this book as I seek to expose the lies that I have fallen for and hope to destroy any strongholds Satan has claimed in my life.  Being a very private person in the real world, I'm a bit uncomfortable with this......but have seen firsthand before how the Lord can change and shape us when we are stepping out of our comfort zone if we are willing.

So, here goes......this should be interesting....; )

Linking up with Mom's Mustard Seeds for Mustard Seed Planting.  My verse for the week:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30





Mustard Seed Planting: Isaiah 9:6-7

Rejoining the link-up with Mom's Mustard Seeds after being away too long:

  "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince Of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with Judgment and with Justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Linking up today with: