Encouragment

There have been so many times in my life where I have depended on my own self to get through certain situations, whether it be worrying about the future, going through a valley, a big project, an exam that is half my grade, etc. All that worry and carrying burdens on my own back caused more pain and suffering, more pimples and stress when all along I should've turn everything over to Him. The One who knows my future and what is going to happen next.

What are things in your life right now that you are trying to handle on your own?

Pause and pray to the Lord: Can't wait to see how YOU do this, Lord.

He will answer. He is in control. He loves you.

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." ~1 Peter 5:7

A Second Quiet Time Plan

Don't you just love this quote?!? What a great slogan by Nike. Even though I am sure the purpose of this quote is for those who are trying to reach a certain sport or exercise goal, but this also can apply to our quiet time lives. There are so many times I say this, "Oh, I will start this tomorrow" and then tomorrow comes and we are still making excuses!

How are you doing with the "Digging Deep" challenge so far in 2014? I put up one type of quiet time plan from Marian Jordan a couple of weeks ago. Today, I am putting up a plan by Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in CA. The title of his blog and his plan is: Quiet Time with God: It's Simple, Really. This plan is very simple and easy to follow. If that is what you like, this plan is for you!

If you’ve never had a quiet time before, you may not have a good, simple plan for doing one. Simplicity is important with any plan you develop. If you make it complicated, you’re more likely to get off track. All you really need for an effective quiet time is a Bible, notebook, and maybe a hymn or songbook.

So what does a daily quiet time look like?

First, be quiet before the Lord. The Bible calls it waiting on God. You start by simply sitting down and shutting up. As you do this, you’ll find yourself revving your engine down and calming yourself. 

Second, pray briefly. Start off with a short opening prayer. Ask God to open your mind and guide you. Ask him to cleanse your mind.

Read a portion of Scripture slowly. This is where your conversation with God begins. He starts speaking to you through his Word, and then you speak back to him through prayer. Read the Bible slowly. Don’t try to read too quickly or too much. The more slowly you read Scripture, the more you’re forced to think about what you’re reading.

Meditate on the Word. Spend some time chewing on what God is saying. Chew on the Word like cows chew on cud. Ponder and wrestle with it in your mind. There are lots of great methods for meditating on the Word. You can find specific ideas on how to meditate on the Bible in my book “Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods.”

Write down what you discover. When God speaks to you through his Word, care enough about what he is saying to write it down. Writing enables us to remember what God has said to us and record our discoveries.

Pray again. Be quiet. Ask God to show you his Word. Talk to God about what he has said to you. Tell him what you’re thinking about what he is saying. Talk to him about anything else that’s on your mind.

There’s not just one way to have a quiet time, but following a plan similar to this can get you started on a rewarding devotional journey.

It's all about having a plan! Praying this plan helps you as you sit quietly before the Lord!

Loving Jesus together,

Morgan

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty." ~Proverbs 21:5

Quiet Time Tips

Happy Thursday, girls! Today I want to share a quiet time plan you can use to help you dig deep this year. In order for me to have a good quiet time, I have to have some kind of plan or agenda (must be the teacher in me). I don't do really well just opening my bible and reading. If you are like me, this plan may really work well for you. This is actually the plan that Marian Jordan uses on her website: redeemedgirl.org. It is called R.E.A.P. (Read, Examine, Apply, Pray).*

All you need is your Bible, a journal, a quiet place, and an open heart. This method is best used with a Bible reading plan. You can find these everywhere online, but some good ones are at biblegateway.com or if you have the Bible App on your phone, they have many different plans to reading the Bible in a Year. You can also find Yearly Bibles that have the reading plans mapped out for you.

Here is how the R.E.A.P. method works:

Read
*At the top of a sheet of paper (or in a journal), write the day's date and leave a space to write the title of your entry later.
*Pick a scripture to study either by using a Bible reading plan or by coming up with one on your own.
*Prayerfully read the text. Ask God to speak to you from His Word.
*Next, spend some time reflecting and writing about what you've read in your journal pages.

Examine
*Write down the key Scripture (or two) that stuck out to you.
*Write down what this scripture says and why it matters.
*Write down thoughts on what you've read from the entire section.
*Ask the Important Examination Questions as you Read the Text:
      *Who? (Audience, Speaker, Subject)
      *What? (Context, Purpose, Problem)
      *When? (Time, Duration, Season)
      *Where? (Setting, Situation, Location)
      *Why? (Motivation, Purpose, Intent, Lesson, Truth)
      *How? (Call to Action, Example to Follow)

Apply
*How does this text apply to your life, circumstances, and relationship with God? Write out how you will be different today because of what you have just read.
*Respond in your journal to the following questions and anything else that comes to mind.
     *What do I learn about God from this scripture?
     *What do I learn about myself from this scripture?
     *What commands/instructions/should I obey?
     *What truth can I apply to my life?
     *What sin do I need to confess?
     *What error can I avoid?
     *What promises can I claim?

Prayer
*Write out a personal prayer based on your time in God's Word.

This is just an outline that you can use. There may be times that you can't answer all of these questions. This is a flexible plan! The most important thing is that you are spending one on one time with God. Let Him guide and lead you.

Continue to look for more ways to dig deep this year on the blog.

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

"The secret to true beauty is spending time each day with the Beautiful One (Jesus)." ~Marian Jordan, from The List.

*You can print this quiet time plan out at redeemedgirls.org under Podcast and Quiet Time Tips

**The R.E.A.P. method is from a sermon by Pastor Matt Carter fromt he Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX.

Trust Issues

Funny, right? Can you ever really trust another person 100 percent? Think about some reasons it might be hard to trust someone..
1. They change
2. They break promises
3. They let you down
4. They talk about you behind your back
5. __________________

One of the definitions of trust is commit (someone or something) to the safekeeping of. It is really hard to trust someone because of so many reasons. But there is hope!

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:3-5:

"But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."

Other translations of verse 3 say:
"But the Lord is faithful." (HCSB)
"But the Master never let us down." (The Message)
"But the Lord can be trusted." (Contemporary English Bible)

Did you catch that? God isn't like us. He doesn't just act faithful; He IS faithful. It is His character to keep His promises to a thousand generations and nothing will ever change that. Being trustworthy is not just what He does; it's who He is. He is faithful, even when...

*People let you down
*Life is hard
*You can't seem to trust anybody
*You are unfaithful

God is and always will be faithful! Have faith and trust in Him!

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understand." ~Proverbs 3:5

Oh the Wondrous Cross

Hello girls! Easter is just a few short days away. I hope that you have had a chance to start thinking about why we celebrate Easter in the first place! It really has nothing to do with our Easter dresses (even though it is fun to get a new one), or the baskets filled with candy and other surprises, or even the fun Easter egg hunts, but it is all about the ONE who came to this Earth for one purpose only: to die a brutal death on a wooden cross to take away our sins so we can have a relationship with our Heavenly Father and one day spend eternity with Him. WOW!

Think about this quote:
"When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but lost. And pour contempt on all my pride." ~Isaac Watts

There is no power in the cross, but rather the One who died on it. There is no power in the empty tomb, but rather the one who got up and walked out of it. There is no real power in a person's life except the power of Christ within.

Take time to read John 20:1-18 about the Empty Tomb and Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene. Allow time to let it sink in...

Praise God the tomb is empty! Christ has risen from the dead! He is alive!

Here is a challenge for you this week:
Find three different crosses in three different places sometime before Easter Sunday. Snap a picture of them with your phone. Let the three crosses remind you that after three days in the grave, Jesus arose and defeated death. Once you find all three, share your photos on social media and tell the world that Jesus' is alive! You can also send the pictures to me and I will share them on the blog!

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

"Finally the other disciple also went inside. He saw and believed." ~John 20:8

God's Word

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

A Message from God's Word...

This is my prayer for YOU today.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen YOU with power through his Spirit in YOUR inner being, so that Christ may dwell in YOUR hearts through faith. And I pray that YOU, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that YOU may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within US, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

~Ephesians 3:14-21

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

A Message from God's Word...

You're blessed when you stay on course,

walking steadily on the road revealed by God.

You're blessed when you follow his directions,

doing your best to find him.

That's right-you don't go off on your own;

you walk straight along the road he set

~Psalm 119:1-3