Less Hustle More Coffee

I have really enjoyed having on line access to my daughter’s church. They don’t always do on line service but have been since COVID-19. The message today was really good. “Faith over Fear”. Some take ways from this morning:

• The enemy wants to make you have fear and break you down so that you lose your faith in God.
• We are called to conquer fear thru our faith
• Your faith, or lack thereof, can either move mountains or create them, which is it for you?
• We can trust our God
• We made it thru Y2k, stock market crashes, 9-11 and still have our faith, and we can trust God to get us through COVID-19
• Our God has kept his covenants through the ages – Moses, David, etc.
• God’s kingdom is EVERLASTING
• If you are not firm in your faith – you are not firm at all “If you will not believe, you will not be established” Isaiah 7:9
• We can have CONFIDENCE in Christ
• Faith is like a muscle and you have to work it.
• Consider Christ who endured….Heb 12:3
• Have faith, hope, and love. Love is the greatest of those things.
• Love more…on family, on neighbors, on coworkers, on our church, on our communities, etc. (On doggies too – that was my input, lol).
• There is NO Fear in Love
• Faith doesn’t panic.

So….yesterday I mainly just did what I wanted to do. I needed down time – time to process, time to think, time to just be, time away, time out, just letting time be.

I went for a walk in the neighborhood. It was a warm day – not very pretty as it was cloudy, for much of the day, but it is nice to get in daily walks. Much thinking is done during the daily walks. And planning. Only my plans were mainly what to do today. The dogs greeted me at the end of my walk.

Most of our herbs survived the winter. That was good to notice as spring is sprouting!

We had an excellent dinner. I had found a recipe for pork chops in our cook book. George loves to cook more than I do. It seems lately through all this, he seems to like my direction of what we eat. Whether it’s just to pick the meal and he finds the recipe, or I find a recipe, or make suggestions.

I found a citrus, but simple, pork chop recipe and we had that last night. I had my 2nd chop for breakfast/brunch this morning. And based on our scores for fresh veggies Friday, we had a nice salad. I’ve missed salads. I bought two kits also to take or have for lunches next week.

I also notice today that as I have sent some things up to the Lord to handle – every morning when I wake up, I do a little analysis of the “state of what is going on”. You should notice and take note of what is going on in your brain when you wake up. Is God telling you something? Is your creativeness flowing (or not), what are your thoughts? Maybe God wants us to deal with whatever it is that we are thinking, as our minds renew every morning.

My first thoughts yesterday and today tended to go back to things I gave to God already and it reminded me of several things. Forgiveness is continual. It’s a continual telling to ones self that you handed it over. It’s a continual telling to ones self that you don’t have to worry about it anymore. So I think we have these thoughts and then quickly need to override them with the way it is supposed to be. A perhaps a prayer for the help to be able to do that. I think to renew our thoughts we have to ask God repeatedly to take it.

So I think I have woken up, had certain thoughts, those thoughts make me angry and so mad I can’t see straight (I’ve heard my Momma use that phrase many times). Then I remember ‘oh yeah, God’s got this one’ and it’s very freeing of the mind to not let anger build, and to let it go as if it’s just a bug that you flick off into space. Then you can go on about your day, be productive and not be ridden with negative attributes the enemy would have us be ridden with – such as fear, anxiety, uncertainty. Ridden is just my term, sorry if it doesn’t fit for you linguists out there, lol. And we can replace those thoughts with goodness, purity, love, faith, patience, and all those things.

More than once today, I’ve dealt with anger. Just —let’s call it “the enemy” just trying their best to own your day. As mentioned, I again sent it to God – once last night and again this morning. And just like that, a bug flicked into the space – the problem (the person) – gone. Kinda sad really, but the enemy doesn’t like it when faced with the truth. I’m not always willing to just sit, look pretty (as if that is possible, lol) and keep my mouth shut. When there is a time to speak, I do, and with my whole belief system. I can take things and take things and take things, but in the 14th time when I’m done being quiet, and the words come out and I take up for myself, along with my Spiritual Maker, how often does the enemy run and tuck tail b/w the legs and run away? Nearly every time. lol Oh well and just like that *poof* the enemy flees – gone, hitting the trail, not a word, can’t face truthfulness. Making one think they should have spoken a long time ago. I really think it’s a Godly righteous anger that I’m experiencing now that I think of it. God is angry as He sees some things and I think I’m feeling that from Him in a big way and He is reminding me He is on my side.

We can’t control other people and their actions, but we can draw boundaries as to what we are willing to accept off of a person or situation. We can give God the issue, pray for wisdom and speak when words need to be spoken. I’ve said things in the last couple of days that I didn’t even know where the words were coming from. I think they come from a righteous anger b/c usually when spoken is when I’m chastising a wrong, after I’ve been silent for many times over. But now that I’ve pondered it – I see exactly where it is coming from. I do think the Wrath of God is coming out through me as we enter these “end times”. I think sometimes we think God is just peaceful and loving only, but oh he is an angry God as well. You can certainly see it in scriptures. Anger is not always bad when it is in response to evil doings.

I am not one that likes to argue. I will walk away or shut down – until you make me mad – or I get tired of putting up with it. lol. So I’m dealing with anger these days at some situations until of course I hand it over. It’s truly a battle of faith but I’m ready for the fight with the enemy. I have my Master by my side. He slays even the tallest of Giants for me. And He sees I’ve had enough these days. He’s flicking ’em off one by one out of my path because I’ve asked Him to. And He is giving me the strength to say what needs to be said. I’m not a speaker, I’m not a theologian, I’m not a scientist, I’m not a perfectionist, I’m just me.

“Don’t mess with my God”. He is definitely working through some issues with some folks. He is angry and He is present. He provides peace when it’s time and words to protect when it’s time. I can see Him working. And He is not happy.

I was thinking today that I should develop a model for the perfect prayer – you see this is how my thoughts go – I like being creative and creating routines and such. Immediately the Spirit corrected me and reminded me “excuse me Sonya but this has already been done” – the Lord’s Prayer. Oh geez, How could I have even though about coming up with a model prayer? I guess I’m always thinking I have to recreate the wheel for myself. It’s already been done and there for the taking!

How perfect is the Lord’s Prayer? Praise, protection from enemies, forgiving our enemies, forgiveness of self, prayer for our needs for the day of food, and so forth. There is no prayer any more perfect than the one our Lord provided for us. Read it today and pray it! WE need it. We all need it.

And a funny for ya, as we all need that to. Ain’t all that funny really as George and I been eating our Little Debbie oatmeal cookie after dinner. Or lunch. Or both. :-O