Lord Instruct me as I put my life in Right Order

 “Lord instructs me as I put my life in right order”. These are very strong words and so is the chapter. When reading the chapter so many taught run through my head and in one part of the chapter I taught she was talking about me. There are so many points about this chapter that I want to touch on but am going to start off by talking about being female disciples of God.

The story of Tabitha is a clear example as why we should dedicate ourselves into being disciples of the most high. Tabitha was a firm believer who followed the teachings of Jesus, did so many charitable deeds and served God with all her heart. Due to all the hard work and dedication she did for God, even on her death bed, God came to her rescue and raised her from the dead. This is a great manifestation not only on how wonderful God is but also how he is loyal to his people that serve him dearly. Just like Stormie said it is essential for us to do all we can serve God  because he wants to give us second chances just like he did for 

Tabitha and that’s he wants to do for us if we will put him first.

How do we put God first? We can do this by  setting priorities , not just any priorities but correct priorities and like the book said we are not able to  figure out what correct priorities are but  with the holy Ghost and clear Knowledge of God we can figure it out and set top and correct priorities. Also we have to be submitting to God and that should be our first priority .To do this we must be humble like Tabitha and Jesus himself. The bible said he was humble himself and became obedient to the point of his death even the death on the cross ‘(Philippians 2:5-8). Last but not the least we need to learn how to trust. This is the part of the chapter which got me. Anyone that know my story know I have been lied to, violated and it is so hard for me to just open up or be close to anyone. Stormie said many women have a problem with submission because their trust had been violated or there were hurt in the past when they submitted to someone. I am not proud but I will admit to be one of those women. There are nights I cried to sleep or woke in the morning with tears just because of my trust issues. Until I decided to open up to Vanessa who has been with me through the whole process or getting my trust issues fixed. One thing I learn from this chapter is that God is not asking me to be stupid and sacrifice my sanity for a principle of suffering at the hand of people who have hurt me in the past or keep hurting me now rather I should let go and believe In him and make wise decisions and yes ladies experience is nothing but the best teacher.

I will like to conclude just like the chapter concluded by saying that ask God to show you the clearly what your priorities should be and he will. God is great ladies serve him with your entire hearth and be female disciples of him.

 
Love you all and a prosperous and blessed NEW YEAR ahead

Chapter 8: Lord, Take Me Deeper In Your Word

This was yet another amazing chapter, guiding me into becoming a powerful praying woman God has intended me to be! (AMEN!)

So a little background on my relationship with the Word:

During the 2009 Reveillon (NY's eve celebration at church), there was a game where very specific questions about the Bible were asked; I was soooo ashamed/embarrassed not to be able to answer any of those questions that, as a NY resolution, I decided to start reading the Word. Although the decision was made in Jan 2010, it was not until Summer 2011 that I really started reading the Bible (maybe not daily), and it was not until this past Spring that I bought my very first (English) Bible :-). So my first motivation to dwell in the Word was not necessarily to find answers to unanswered questions, to find hope, encouragement, etc .. but to be knowledgeable/familiar about/with the Bible.  As a result, when I started reading the Bible, I would only choose to read the New Testament, neglecting the Old Testament, because I felt like the Old Testament did not quite apply to today's society, as in it did not match some of the Church's belief - for example: hate your enemy, divorce, polygamy, an eye for an eye (yet Jesus says to return your other cheek if anyone slaps (Matthew 5:39)), etc ... This morning, however, as I was reading this chapter and going over the study guide, Romans 15:4 spoke to me clearly: "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that, through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope."  Now that there is absolutely no doubt that I need to read the OT, I pray that I find answers, encouragement when all hope is gone,faith strengthener, that God whispers to me while I am reading, that I bond with God, that it feeds my soul, to guide my life, for I know it is THE best way to live !

Ok now back to the book:

One thing I really liked about this chapter is the fact that it continuously encouraged us to be doers of the Word, not just hearers.  According to James 1:23-24, I have been "forgetting my face after walking away from looking at myself in a mirror" (lol) because I have not been a faithful doer of the Word.  For example, there are certain points in this book that I told myself that I would start doing, that I would start including in my daily prayer, and none of that has happened.  The Word also tells me not to repay evil with evil (Romans 12:17), yet when I am faced with situations where I need not to return evil with evil, I still do it.  So please pray for me, as I am deciding to become, not just a hearer, but a doer of the Word in every aspect of my life (whoosh big decision ) !  Let's pray for strength to overcome what is keeping us stuck in the hearer phase, blocking us from becoming doers of the Word. If you have any idea/suggestion on how to implement this decision, how to remember the Word, how to be a doer, not just a hearer, how to practice it daily, how to NOT forget about it - whether through visual: posters, sticky notes; reminder: calendar, phone - please share !

Love you ALL ladies

& as always,

BeBlessed <3

Chapter 7: Lord, Rule Me in Every Area of My Life

I REALLY enjoyed this chapter.  Short and sweet and very to the point. 

My mindset before reading the chapter was literally that I'm good, as I've already surrendered my life to God.... that was until she mentioned "I will fast when I feel like eating".  Yikes! Pray for me guys cuz that's an area that is still very hard for your girl!  Then she goes on to say "I will read your Word when I would rather watch TV" and that was enough to make me realize that (1) we may think we have surrendered everything when really we may have surrendered only some things, and (2) surrendering all to God is not a one-time event, but an act that should occur daily!  It applies to each and every single one of us and it's a must for us to get closer to God and to get all that He has for us. 

She mentioned a great point, which is that oftentimes it is hard for us to surrender because we're afraid of what God might ask of us.  I remembered a few years ago straight up telling God that we would be friends but not grow to the dimension of lovers because I didn't want Him to start opening parts of me that needed to be worked on (i.e. working through unforgiveness, pride, low self-esteem), as I knew that it would be painful.  However the pain is truly worth it for the freedom and breakthrough that comes consequently. 

I encourage everyone to pray the prayer on page 82, meditate on it, and to follow God's leading in surrendering completely to Him and In doing what the Holy Spirit tells us to do (that little voice that we hear within us).

XOXOX

Lety