Better is One Day in His Courts

If you could relive ONE day continuously, which one would you choose?

To answer, think deeply as to the best moments in your life.  Exclude birth of children and your wedding day (I pray you consider both these days to trump all others - if not, you better pretend for the sake of your spouse and children).  What attributed to the joy felt on the specified date?  Was the weather phenomenal?  Were you on vacation? 

The question interests me, but I have a difficult time placing my finger on ONE day.  Until now.  One day I experienced brought so much joy.  As I mentioned above, the day I received my children and married my husband trump all others.  So, the one day I recall began pleasurably and ended in pure delight. 

The day - Sunday, February 5, 2012.  I woke up with my usual routine.  My family and I ventured to church.  Worship service, as always, brought overflowing peace in my heart.  The love of others, the smiling faces and great conversations lift me up each week.  This Sunday in particular presented even more happiness.  I saw the mighty power of prayer.  God answered some of my deepest prayers that day.  I observed His mighty hand touching the lives of others.  Praise Him!

After service, we settled in our small group, which my husband leads.  He did a fantastic job teaching, leading and guiding us in the material.  I just wanted to cry for joy as I saw firsthand more work of our mighty God.  God continues to amaze me every time I watch my husband's faith grow and learn from his leading.  My deepest prayers answered again.  Praise Him!

We traveled home after picking up a friend for my son to hang out with throughout the afternoon.  They had a fabulous time and were excellent.  It is so nice to see my son connect with a friend and enjoy the company of another.  The weather was fantastic, so everyone went outside.  My son, his friend and my daughter played out back.  My husband worked on a repair outside and I took a walk.  I love my family, but it was so nice to go peacefully on a walk and enjoy the sunshine and small breeze.  God and I talked and walked for a while.  I lifted up my concerns, praises and just enjoyed His presence.  What a friend I have in Him!  Again, prayers answered.  Praise Him!

That evening, family came over to hang out and enjoy food.  I grabbed a plate along with the others and plopped down for some good conversation.  The food was great, but not my focus this time.  I talked with my company and relaxed.  Later in the evening, I went for a second round of food and sat to savor the tastes.  As I focused on the important part of the evening, my family, I noticed that I could relax, enjoy food and live for Him in every moment.  His presence remained with me and He opened my heart to let others in deeper.  He crumbled the walls of insecurity, guilt, shame, worry, pride and anxiety.  Wow, He is amazing.  He heard my prayers.  His Truth and answers destroyed Satan's lies and tactics.  Satan cannot win as long as we continue to pray harder than he can work.  God already defeated Satan, but we must reach to Him who wins the battle for us.  We cannot do this alone.  Praise Him!

The theme of my day and why I would relive it numerous times; I invited God into every moment.  I knew some triggering situations lay before me that day and I knew God was the only source to see me through.  Not only did He see me through; He answered so many other prayers that lay on my heart for years.  God never lets us down.  His mighty hand reaches out to guide and protect our lives.  He is the answer.  He will open your eyes to see Him and open your ears to hear His answers.  Listen for Him.  See Him.  Thank Him always.  Thank you God for being with me that day and the joy brought into my day.

The coolest part; I CAN relive my day I experienced.  I CAN encounter the same feeling of joy from now through Eternity.  I CAN feel unexplainable peace in every situation as I did that day.  How?  Keep the One who is constant, never changing, by my side at all times.  He will make every day worthy of reliving!  Praise Him!  

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Psalm 84:10)

God, thank you for another day with You.  There is not one other place I'd rather be! 
I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig

A Forty Minute Walk

I took a walk yesterday.  The sun shone brightly and warmed my skin.  The breeze flew just enough to carry all my burdens away.  The air felt crisp as I breathed in deeply with each step. 

I took a walk yesterday.  But, I did not go alone.  God came along with me and held my hand.  We talked, laughed, reminisced and observed together.  God pointed out all the wonders He provides for my enjoyment: birds of the air, people for fellowship, houses to protect, churches for worship, health and vehicles to transport.  Sadly, God also opened my eyes to the disrespect He feels due to carelessness of His children.  Trash lay on the ground, vehicles beat up and houses rundown or abandoned.  I saw the bar filled with people at 2:30 in the afternoon. 

I took a walk yesterday.  I learned more in forty minutes than I have in the past forty days.  I learned neighbors still smile at one another, passersby know how to wave, children still play outside, laughter still exists and God is too good to us.  If we wake up in the morning, breathe in fresh air, walk out the door without fear and smile; we are better than we deserve.  God is so good to us even though we neglect His land, possessions and body.  We borrow everything we have from Him, yet treat it so poorly.  Why, then, does He continue to provide? 

I took a walk yesterday.  As I came upon the final stretch, I faintly heard, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. . ."  The voice singing was that of little children.  Their voices sounded beautiful and brought curiosity to find the source of such truthful words.  I came upon about five children playing on a trampoline.  Such innocence, no cares in the world and belting out powerful Truth.  The answer clearly came through God's most precious creations; God is so good to us because He loves us so much.  He provides because He cares so much.  He gave us His only Son to die on a cross and wash away ALL sin.  Pick up a Bible and see it for yourself.  It is written. . .

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17)

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." (1 Timothy 6:17) 

"For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything." (Hebrews 3:4)

To think, I had to force myself to go on this walk.  Something kept telling me to just stay home and exercise inside today.  Something?  Nah, someone - Satan!  The devil played with my thoughts to TRY and keep me from such a great bonding time with our God, our Creator and Father.  Well, good try Satan, but AGAIN Truth won over his devious lies.  Thanks God for the walk and cleaning the lies from my thoughts.

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for bringing such joy into my life.  Keep my eyes open to the goodness You offer and the patterns OF this world which not to conform.  Thank You for allowing me to borrow this land of Yours to live amongst Your children and spread Truth.  Keep my mind focused on the task at hand; to further Your Kingdom.  Thank You for walking and talking with me yesterday.  Thank You for the great messages and teachings.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig   

You Can do This!

It is about one month into a new year.  How is that list of resolutions coming along?  Is it hidden under a stack of papers needing to be recycled; collecting dust in your office; already in the recycle bin; or you forget?

I want to send out some encouragement to stay strong in the commitments made to better your physical, financial, spiritual and emotional living.  Persevere through the toughest times.  Be patient in changing old habits.  Do not let one moment or day turn you back.  Keep moving forward, one step at a time.  Some days may be one step forward, two steps back.  Other days you will move two steps forward, one step back.  Keep focused on the right choices and seek Him for strength.

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength!

"He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak." (Isaiah 40:29) 

Persevere in the path laid for you and God will bless you!

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10:35-36) 

Keep focused on Him.  Don't lose heart!

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:2-3) 

Praise Him for each day given and live with a thankful heart!

"As for me, I will always have hope;
   I will praise you more and more." (Psalm 71:14)

Whether it be losing weight, eliminating an addictive behavior, spend more time with family, feeding your spirit with Truth, praying more, etc.; do all things and say all things which please God.  The better we take care of our whole being, the more He may use us to further His Kingdom.  We are here because He cared and loved us enough to breathe life into our beings.  Give 100% back to Him and take care of yourself.  He will use you in mighty ways.  Any trial faced, weakness experienced, hope lost, backslide or tear shed; He will turn it into a ministry for you.  Let Him take it all and use each moment of your life for His great plan.  Surrender to Him every minute and enjoy the places He takes you.

You can do this.  I have faith in each of you to continue on the path of good health, right choices and spiritual healing.  I know that He does not give up on you.  So, when you feel defeated, simply look up, reach up and be filled with the strength from above.  He never grows weary or weak.  Lean on Him!  Seek God-confidence, not self-confidence. 

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for loving me so much to give Jesus, Your only Son, to die for my sins.  Continue to give me strength through each meal, snack, guilty or shameful thought and anxious times.  I reach up to You to fill me with peace and strength to make the right decisions.  Thank You for always being there for me and seeing me through every moment.  I pray for all who read this to persevere in difficult times and use You at ALL times.  I know You will see them through and bring them out much stronger than before.  Use their mess to be their ministry.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig

Faith not Financing

As I left my driveway one afternoon, I saw a truck pull up to the neighbor's house.  The truck advertised a furniture company.  The display on the side announced the business name and below the name, stated, "We finance in a minute."  Well, yeah, I'm sure they would love to finance your purchase, only to gain greater profit for late fees and interest.  No doubt delivery can be arranged as well for a small fee.  In the end, your $400 piece of furniture now cost $1000. 

Other companies lure you in by a fantastic asking price and then hit you with hidden fees.  A credit card can easily be purchased to help finance your purchase.  Children begin receiving these plastic demons on their 18th birthday.  Now, really?  Do you think an 18 year old needs a piece of plastic that will allow them to spend money without touching their bank account?  This would be like taking a 4 year old into a candy store and letting them run wild choosing any items they desired.  Credit cards only lead to destruction and feed our flesh desires immediately.  They act as cushions, handy at all times "just in case" something was to happen or we "needed" an item now.  Others may use them to better their credit score.  Well, if you spend only cash, save all you are able and do not spend more than received in a month; credit scores will not matter. 

The economy becomes worse each year; I do not deny this fact.  But, financing every little thing we purchase does not help.  It only creates a huge pile of debt and sucks the life out of any joy you could have from the item.  We become slaves to a piece of plastic or a loan.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

 "The rich rule over the poor,
   and the borrower is slave to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7)

How do you get out from under all the debt?  How can you breathe when all these bills, late fees, interest rates, etc. continue to suffocate you?  Become aggressive.  Avoid any borrowing.  Spend only what money is earned within the month.  My husband will say, "Give every dollar a name."  Get it on paper.  See with your eyes where every cent goes each month.  If you cannot hand the vendor cash - YOU DON'T NEED IT!  Avoid pleasing the flesh and have patience.  Our basic needs include: food, water, clothing and a roof over our head.  Anything beyond these items is pure pleasure.  Society loves to please oneself and "feel good".  We need satisfaction NOW.  Think about it. . .
Fast food
Credit til payday
Email
Purchase today, pay later
Credit, Credit, Credit

Refuse to allow this necessary evil to consume your joy.  Pleasures will satisfy, but soon fade away.  I read in a devotion yesterday, "Possessions can fill our houses but never our hearts."  Pleasing our flesh could deter us from God's Truth.  Our need for stuff supersedes our faith.  We keep searching for bigger and better to fill up a void.  Well, I am here to tell you, that void can only be filled with God and His Truth.  Nothing else will fit the part.  His love never fades, never leaves nor forsakes.  His peace lasts for eternity.  When we leave this world, our car, home, furniture, toys, etc. will not come with us.  But, God will always be with us.  He created our innermost being and desires to spend Eternity in Heaven with each of His children. 

He requires no monthly payments, no hidden fees exist, no tricky schemes appear and He wants nothing from you but faith.  Believe in Him, fill your whole being with faith and follow His Truth.  The way to freedom is spelled out neatly for you in one Book.  There is no fine print to read, no background check or score that will qualify you to receive His love.  It is FREE.  No strings attached.  Accept this gift and never again will you thirst or hunger.  You will be completely satisfied. 

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for blessing us with the needs and keep us from desiring flesh pleasing items.  You are here to fill us up daily with Truth, love, peace and comfort.  Thank You for directing our path and accepting us just as we come.  Continue to keep our eyes open as a family to avoid society's schemes for the need to "keep up with the Jone's".  I put my trust in You and give to You every dollar I earn here.  Place my money where it will further Your Kingdom.  Show me where to spend every cent.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig

House or Home?

A pile of bricks, acres of land, tresses, gutters, windows, shingles, siding, drywall and other material help create a house.  The roof keeps the family dry.  The windows seal up the house from outside temperatures.  Running water through all the pipes keeps life flowing inside the house.  Electrical wires bring light, heat and working appliances to our fingertips.  The walls separate rooms to allow each member of the house a space to call their own.  But, do all these factors make the pile of bricks or acres of land a HOME?

I have heard others express their family lives miserably because the size of the home or neighborhood they live.  Their happiness and family bonding relies on outside influences.  If only they could move into a bigger home, nicer neighborhood or better land; then the family could be happy and get along.  Does the size, outside influences or position of land deter a house from becoming a HOME?

In my opinion, NO!  The family creates the HOME.  A house specifically describes the structure or material used to create four walls.  A home goes deeper to include the family ties, coming together as a team to dwell in the house and sharing ideas and experiences with one another.  To create a HOME, we can examine four factors that may help, no matter the land or structure entered every evening.

Honor Obedience Manners Enjoyment

Honor one other with words, actions and thoughts.  Do not shout rudely, display selfish acts or hold resentment towards another.  All this ugliness destroys a home and allows Satan to place a wedge between family members.  The wedge breaks the bond which God intended the family to posses.  Disrespect conflicts with God's plan.

Obey the rules set forth by family members.  Submit to the plan God holds for your lives.  Place God in the center and follow His Word.  Disobedience leads to destruction.

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21)

"in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil." (Proverbs 3:6-7) 

Manners must be present for the environment to produce love, peace and comfort.  Use polite speech and think before acting.  Some questions before opening your mouth might include:  "Will this hurt the other"; "Are these words encouraging, necessary or beneficial to the relationship"; "Would I want to be talked to like this"?  Use the Golden Rule and behave in a way pleasing to God.

"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (1 Peter 3:9)

Enjoy the people God blessed you with.  Create an environment that excites other members to enter.  Smile at one another, hold conversations, engage in one another's lives, pray together, eat together and make memories.  Avoid silence, the TV blaring constantly, microwave meals eaten separately, spending time in a room alone with the door shut or greeting one another with complaints and/or frowns.  Unplug the TV, play some games, talk and laugh.  Greet one another with a hug and thank God for the safe return of your family.

  "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Live abundantly with your family.  Love them as God loves you.  Laugh daily and share each other's joy.

How?  Invite God into the structure built for your family.  Your house may be set upon acres of land to stabilize the foundation and keep storms from harming it.  Your home must be set upon a solid foundation, our Rock, to stand firm during the toughest of storms and enjoy every season of life.  Praise Him always and follow His plan.  Honor, obey, display manners and enjoy each other.  In this way, a home will form and lives will flourish.  Eliminate all footholds for Satan.  Open the doors and allow God to enter.  He will lead you step by step through the process to make a house a home.

God, thank you for this day.  Thank You for creating my family to form a home here.  Show us what honor looks like.  Humble our hearts to obey.  Teach us manners towards one another.  Lift our burdens and busy schedules so we may take time to enjoy each other and laugh.  Join us daily and stand in the center of our house so it may become a home.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig 

A Necessary Commitment

My husband and I grow closer to Christ every day.  He works within each of us to mature, clean out the garbage accumulated over the years and polish up our lives.  We place Him at the center of our marriage, finances and individual lives.  The blessings pour out each day and we thank God so much for each one.  We don't always get it right and daily fall short of the God's Glory; but, we strive to know more about Him and how to act according to His Word.

Well, a deeper challenge lay before us.  For eight years now, a small boy has lived under our roof alongside us.  Also, now for 4 years a precious girl has grown up under our noses.  The two remain innocent, naive and unsure of the next steps to take.  The past years, their parents slid through the cracks in the area of rearing.  The children never hurt physically for anything and received numerous hugs and kisses.  But, they remained standing on shifted sand alongside their parents.  Nothing stable appeared in their home.  Their mother lived on an emotional rollercoaster and the father worked hard to provide financially so she could stay home.  Stay home?  For what?  Well, mostly to clean the home, avoid full-time careers and take care of physical needs.  What is missing???

God was not invited into our home.  We forgot the most important piece to the puzzle and continued to wonder why everything kept crumbling around us.  Our lives did not align just right.  We felt unhappy and chaos appeared in the home often.  Why?  We did not stand firm on our Rock.  My husband and I had it all wrong.

Read Deuteronomy 6.

But, guess what?  We now have seen the Light.  We know what God expects of us as parents and the way He intends for our children to be taught.  These two children are true blessings straight from God.  These children yearn to hear Truth, consistent teaching, clear direction and to be loved.  God provides all of these needs within His Word.  Reading the Bible will enable us as parents to better rear our children and set them upon a Rock.  It took me 26 years to realize standing on sand never brings stability.  The beliefs, directions, words and love I found here, OF this world, continually shifted and pulled my feet right out from under me.  I had nothing to stand firmly on and kept reaching for solid ground.

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13)

I do not want my children to grow unstable, continually falling.  So, what can I do to better equip them for the plan ahead of them?  Teach them to turn to the One with all the answers and the exact direction they should travel.  He knows the plans held for each of their lives.  I do not know what tomorrow will bring for them; but, I know Who will be there for them through everything coming their way.  My husband and I want our children to have the unexplainable peace and love we now feel. 

On March 4, 2012 we will commit our lives to follow Christ in the area of parenting.  We will take a stand and stop doing our job half hearted.  Since we activate the Holy Spirit daily, accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we now see the correct steps to take and are led by our God.  We will profess commitment in front of witnesses and be held accountable for this task God presented to us eight years ago.  You could say we are slow learners, but God is just thankful that we finally got it!  Now, this does not mean we will be perfect parents.  There will still be those moments when we are pushed to our limits, busy schedules consume our days and we fail.  But, with God at the center, He will work all things out for His good.  He will clearly show us when we drift from the correct path, forgive us as we admit to our mistakes and lead us back to His path.  What an awesome God we serve!

"Train a child in the way he should go.
      When he is old, he will not turn away from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for blessing me with two children.  We need You to teach and guide our every move with rearing.  We do not know what we are doing, the words to say or how to lead.  Consume our hearts and lead us down the straight path.  Continue to reveal our wrongdoings so we may correct our own lives to set the example right for our children.  Equip us daily with the armor provided so we may display Your Glory and shine for our children.  Help us remain focused on their well-being completely and not allow outside influences or chaotic schedules to steal our energy and faith.  Help us.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig 

Our Great Editor

I sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office only to hear a man speak about an upsetting situation.  How did I know it upset him?  He used VERY colorful language to describe the details.  His wife sat with her magazine in hand and gave a few "A-Huhs".  He ranted and raved while she seemed to let his words just slide right off her.  To me, that meant he always speaks in such a manner.  She grew used to this foul language and no longer paid any attention to the nasty words.

This man obviously needed to edit his language.  His story required major clean up in speech.  I always tell my children to throw the word out of their vocabulary and never pick it back up again.  Well, this man's arm would be exhausted after throwing all the words out.  After editing, his story would involve much shorter sentences.  With all his colorful language, the point to the story gets lost anyway.  I believe he could accomplish more and gain more attention when editing the sentences and spewing out the main points without the fillers of foul language.

This scenario displays a pretty obvious need for editing one's language.  But, did you ever think you need to edit your words daily.  You may not cuss like a sailor, but your tongue spews out some hurtful words, gossip or unnecessary comments.  If you begin a sentence with, "I know I should not say this" or "Did you see" or "In my opinion", you may want to think about the words to follow before speaking.  You will probably find the sentence needs to be thrown out of your vocabulary all together.  Words are lasting.  Words kill friendships, break hearts, destroy marriages and may lead others away from Christ.  Our words set examples to those around.  If we say, "I am a Christian", then spread rumors, speak negatively, grumble and complain constantly or offer ugly opinions (without even being asked for an opinion); we display hypocrisy.

"The plans of the righteous are just,
   but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
   but the speech of the upright rescues them." (Proverbs 12:5-6) 

 

"A perverse person stirs up conflict,
   and a gossip separates close friends." (Proverbs 16:28) 

 
As a woman, I love to talk.  I find myself saying many unnecessary words.  I will catch myself telling a story that could have went unsaid.  My opinions fly out way too often.  I will even slip from time to time in the midst of frustration and use a foul word.  I have those days when everything seems wrong and all I hear from my mouth is complaining and grumbling.  No more of this!
 
Let us work together for the glory of God.  Let our words be His Words.  We must strive every day to please our God in speech.  Others retain speech and it shoots right to the heart.  Love one another with words and actions.  Speak Truth to each other.  Look to God in every situation and then nothing will be available to complain or grumble about.  Throw the foul language out of your vocabulary.  
 
There is enough trial and tribulation each day; we need not stir up our own with unnecessary speech.  I will pray for you, my friend, to edit each sentence today.  Pray for me to edit my sentences today.  Then, we will continue each day to do so and line our speech up with His Truth.  Seek Him for advice and what words to use daily.  Throw out the gossip, foul words, rumors, negative comments and complaining.  Begin living as a display of God's love.  Ask Him to shine through you; actions and WORDS.
 
God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for loving me enough to forgive me for my misuse of words.  Continue to edit my words and replace with Truth.  I am here to be used by You to add in number those entering the Kingdom.  Help me spread Your goodness and love others as You love me.  I love You.
 
Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig