Song Sunday: Let it be Jesus

There are 3 weeks of school left for the kids, 4 weeks for the teachers. I should be excited and rejoicing! Instead I just feel weary, worn-out and wondering what happens next (both personally and professionally). But that is what I have to stop doing-wondering. What does wondering do? It leaves me weary and worn-out (...and cranky and depressed and...)

When my mind starts to wonder, I must hit the pause button and remember this: My life is in God's hands-His wonderful, capable, strong, all-knowing hands. His sovereignty is my security. I must choose to trust, to hope and to wait for what is next in my life. This season of waiting has been hard, but it has been during these most difficult moments in my life that God has truly revealed Himself to me as I have pursued Him each day. He has invaded my heart, my mind and my soul and He has changed me from the inside out. I have been transformed and now have the desire to view everything from God's perspective, to view this temporary life from an eternal perspective. 

It is not through my own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit living within me. He renews my mind. He is my strength. It is through God and God alone. Through His grace, He has completely changed me over the last 6 months. Without Him, I have nothing, I am nothing, BUT with Him, I have everything! He is my everything! He is all I need! 

 Let it be Jesus 

sung by Christy Nockels

Let it be Jesus

The first name that I call

Let it be Jesus

My song inside the storm

I'll never need another

For me to live is Christ

For me to live is Christ

God, I breathe Your name above everything

Let it be, let it be Jesus

Let it be Jesus 

From the rising of the sun

And let it be Jesus 

When all is said and done

I'll never need another

Jesus, there's no other

Should I ever be abandoned 

Should I ever be acclaimed

Should I ever be surrounded 

By the fire and the flame

There's a name I will remember

There's a name I will proclaim

Let it be, Let it be Jesus

Let it be, Let it be Jesus

Linking with Inspire Me Monday, Monday's Musings  and Titus 2 Tuesday

Song Sunday: Same Power

It's not easy living the way Christ commands us to. In fact, in goes against everything that our culture promotes. It's counter-cultural and it can be hard, especially if we try to do it in our own power. When we become children of God, we receive the Holy Spirit that comes and lives inside of us.The Holy Spirit is powerful and we too have this power available to us. What a gift from God! 

I've mentioned before that I am doing the study- True Woman 201: Divine Design by Mary Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This week's element of true womanhood is self-discipline. I struggle with self-discipline-in more than one area. Bottom line-no excuses. But I can overcome and you can too. Mary and Nancy say it better than I do so I took a picture of what God has been teaching me this week: 

Wow, right? We serve a Mighty God! But where does Song Sunday come into all this? Well, God has been giving me His strength and grace to be able to walk on the weekends around my neighborhood. If you know of my struggles with Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto's and chronic Lyme, then you know this is huge. It has been wonderful for so many reasons. At the top of the list is that I get to listen to worship music. Jeremy Camp's album, I Will Follow, has a song called "Same Power." Hmmmm, coincidence? Not with God in control. 

I can see waters raging at my feet

I can feel the breath of those surrounding me

I can hear the sound of nations rising up

We will not be overtaken

We will not be overcome

I can walk down this dark and painful road

I can face every fear of the unknown

I can hear all God's children singing out

We will not be overtaken

We will not be overcome  

The same power that rose Jesus from the grave

The same power that commands the dead to wake

Lives in us, Lives in us

The same power that moves mountains when He speaks

The same power that can calm a raging sea

Lives in us, Lives in us

He lives in us, Lives in us

We have hope that His promises are true

In His strength there is nothing we can't do

Yes, we know there are greater things in store

We will not be overtaken 

We will not be overcome

Greater is He that is living in me

He's conquered our enemy

No power of darkness, No weapon prevails

We stand here in victory 

Linking with Inspire Me Monday, Mondays Musings and Titus 2 Tuesday

Victory! Pt 2!

I don't know about you, but the month of May and especially this last week has just been physically and emotionally draining. It's called for a whole lot of God's grace and peace, a whole lot of trusting Him and believing that His thoughts are higher than mine, his plans are always good and that I want nothing less than what He wants. 

Eyes up-fixed on Him. Faith required and weakness abundant for His strength and power to fill me back up. Communicating with God throughout the day is a MUST. Spending time in God's Word daily is a MUST. These last 7 months I have learned there is no other way to live. It's all in-no matter what-because that is what God commands! I'm all in and He revives me with His extraordinary power! The promises of God never fail! 

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, 

so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. 

We are pressured in every way but not crushed; 

we are perplexed but not in despair;

we are persecuted but not abandoned;

we are struck down but not destroyed. 

We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who live are always  given over to death because of Jesus, so that Jesus' life may also be revealed in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak.

 We know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and present us with you. Indeed, everything is for your benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to increase God's glory. 

Therefore, we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

2 Corinthians 4: 7-18 HCSB 

Linking with Inspire Me Monday, Mondays Musings and Titus 2 Tuesday

Song Sunday: O'Lord

I cannot believe it is already Sunday again! We are halfway through May and I feel like it just started. It really brings to mind Psalm 144:4-

Man is like a breath: his days are like a passing shadow. 

and James 4:14-

You don't even know what tomorrow will bring-what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while then vanishes. 

Life might seem long at times, but the older I get the faster the years go by. Life is precious-I don't want to miss any plans the Lord has for me because I am pursuing what I want. God put me on this Earth for a reason and I want to seek Him each and everyday. 

Back to Sunday-Song Sunday-Week Two. I hope last week's song "First" was an encouragement to you. This week I am sharing another song from Lauren Daigle's album How Can It Be. As a child of God, living the Christian life, really living for Christ, will become less and less popular. The cost of following Christ will be high, but it will be absolutely worth it. This song, "O' Lord", is refreshing. It inspires me to continue standing firm in the faith and confirms that God will, in His time, take all that is wrong and make it right. Have a blessed week in Him! 

Though at times it seems

Like I'm coming undone

This walk can often feel lonely

No matter what until this race is won

I will stand my ground where hope can be found

I will stand my ground where hope can be found 

Oh, O' Lord, O' Lord You hear my cry

Your love is lifting me above all the lies

No matter what I face, this I know in time

You'll take all that is wrong and make it right

You'll take all that is wrong and make it right 

Whoa....

Your strength is found 

At the end of my road

Your grace it reaches to the hurting

Still through the tears and the questioning why

I will stand my ground where hope can be found

I will stand my ground where hope can be found

Oh, O'Lord, O'Lord You hear my cry

Your love is lifting me above all the lies

No what what I face, this I know in time

You'll take all that is wrong and make it right 

So right, right, so right 

Linking with Inspire Me Monday , Mondays Musings and Titus 2 Tuesday 

Victory!

I have been reading in 1 Corinthians and came across one of my favorite passages of Scripture (the more I read God's Word, the more the list of favorites grows! :)) This is truly what I am waiting for-nothing, absolutely nothing else compares: 

Brothers I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit corruption. Listen! I am telling you a mystery:

We will not fall asleep,

but we will all be changed,

in a moment, in the blink of an eye,

at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, 

and the dead will be raised incorruptible, 

and we will be changed. 

For this corruptible must be clothed 

with incorruptibility,

and this mortal must be clothed

with immortality.

When this corruptible is clothed

with incorruptibility, 

and this mortal is clothed

with immortality, 

then the saying that is written will take place:

Death has been swallowed up in victory.

Death, where is your victory?

Death, where is your sting?

Now the sting of death is sin,

and the power of sin is the law. 

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord's work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

1 Corinthians 15: 50-58

Amen, right? I cannot wait! I hope these words encourage you in the week ahead as they have encouraged me and continue to encourage me each and every day. To God be the Glory, Great things He hath done! 

Linking with Inspire Me Monday, Monday Musings and Titus 2 Tuesday

Song Sunday

Music is so powerful. The lyrics and the elements they are set to can influence a person dramatically. I know music can lift me high or bring me low, encourage or discourage, bring me to tears or fill me with anger or other unlovely emotions. 

I am currently doing a ten-week study called True Woman 201: Interior Design by Mary A. Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Each week is focused on an element of Biblical womanhood based on Titus 2. Week One's element is discernment. Discernment is so important. Discernment is right thinking and the apostle Paul tells us in Titus 2 that right thinking leads to right living. 

As children of God, right thinking can be measured by the Word of God. Discernment is not just given to us-it is something we have to develop and train ourselves to have. The Bible is our sound doctrine where we can find the answers for everyday life. 

Back to music being so powerful-I need to have discernment when it comes to what I listen to. Is it drawing me closer to God? Is it encouraging me to become more like Christ? Is it worshipful? Is the fruit of the Spirit being increased in me because of it? 

I have found that I can only listen to music that is grounded in Biblical truth and worship-filled. Anything else just makes me focus on myself and the temporal things of this world. Since the weekends go by way too fast, especially in the summer, I thought that I would share a song each week that would encourage and uplift and point us to God as we start each week. 

This week's song is called "First" by Lauren Daigle off her album How Can It Be. 

Before I bring my need 

I will bring my heart

Before I lift my cares

I will lift my arms

I wanna know You

I wanna find You

In every season

In every moment

Before I bring my need 

I will bring my heart 

And seek You

First 

I wanna seek You

I wanna seek You

First 

I wanna keep You 

I wanna keep You

First

More than anything I want, I want You

First 

Before I speak a word

Let me hear Your voice

And in the midst of pain

Let me feel Your joy

You are my treasure and my reward

Let nothing ever come before

I seek You 

Linking with Titus2Tuesday and MondaysMusings 

when You don't

The wedding was beautiful!! The weather was gorgeous and so were the bride and groom who had everyone in tears by the end of the ceremony. The party went late into the night and I did not get to sleep until after 1. Waking up the next morning did not happen until almost noon. I felt like a truck had hit me even though I didn't have anything to drink the night before. I danced but not enough that my joints and muscles along with my head and neck would be hurting so much. Fatigue enveloped me like a thick fog. I was thankful it was an easy and relaxing Sunday, but a bit overwhelmed with the prospect of going back to work the next day. 

It finally hit me why I felt like this. Oh yes-the f-word that I try not to talk about or think about or let consume my thoughts. Fibromyalgia-oh how I hate you. I try not to focus on it. I know that God carries me through each day because there is no way I could teach kindergarten and make it on my own. He supplies my strength and provides the way. I know that His grace is sufficient in my weakness and that when I am weak I am actually the strongest I will ever be because of the power of Christ working through me. 

However, this f-word chronic syndrome has been with me for the last four years. Alongside of it I was treated for chronic Lyme disease and have spent countless of hours and money to find relief. I know God can choose to heal me and I know He might not. On this particular Sunday I was frustrated by the fact that I am 32 and cannot enjoy activities like everyone else. That I have to find a balance and limit myself and watch everything I do and eat (yup-I also have a big gluten-sensitivity so its gluten-free for me). It can become tiring. This school year has been rough without chronic illness pounding on my body.

But God is faithful. His grace is sufficient. He is my strength and I am strongest when I am weak-when I am utterly and completely dependent upon Him. That is when He shines. But I don't always feel this way and my emotions were hitting hard-my brother now married (finding myself in a season of singleness once again), my health spiraling downward (vacation week was such a treat) and finding out that standing up for God will result in snickers and sarcastic remarks (emotional overload).

Then a package arrived and it had a CD. I had never heard of this artist and I wondered what my college roomie knew about this CD that had made her send it to me for my birthday. Well, God knew and He knew that this was the time I would need to hear it. To listen to the words and to trust in Him even when He doesn't act the way I think He should. 

The song is "Trust in You" by Lauren Daigle and it made me see things with a new perspective. It is my prayer for the rest of this year and beyond. I hope it encourages you like it encouraged me. As always I will post the lyrics and the lyric video (this song should be played loudly over and over again :)) Even through chronic illness and singleness, His ways are always higher, His plans always good!!! 

Letting go of every single dream

I lay each one down at your feet

Every moment of my wandering

Never changes what You see

I've tried to win this war I confess

My hands are weary, I need Your rest

Mighty Warrior, King of the fight

No matter what I face, You're by my side

When You don't move the mountains I'm needing You to move

When You don't part the waters I wish I could walk through

When You don't give the answers as I cry out to You

I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings

There's not a day ahead You have not seen

So in all things be my life and breath

I want what You want Lord and nothing less

You are my strength and comfort

You are my steady hand

You are my firm foundation, the Rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher

Your plans are always good

There's not a place where I'll go, You've not already stood! 

Linking with InspireMeMonday,  Titus2Tuesday, Monday Musings and Faith-Filled Fridays