Hi!
My name is Jennifer and I am a recovering shopaholic....
Yes, you heard right. Several year's ago I was drowning in credit card debt and was in bondage to a small piece of plastic known as the credit card. Thankfully through God's mercy and grace, He lifted me out of the pit of debt and freed me from the bondage that almost destroyed my life. Although God has brought me a long ways, I still struggle with the desire to have material things. The desire to go shopping, to spend money! It honestly makes me pretty sick! I don't want to desire material things and I certainly don't want to ever find myself back in that slimy pit, but I would be lying if I told you that I never struggled with my old habits and destructive ways.
The other day I was listening to KLOVE and they said something really profound. They were talking about how every dollar we have, every minute we are given can be used to plant seeds into the world or into eternity. Then they asked listeners to think about where they were planting seeds.
For so many years, I was planting all my seeds into the world. I had to have that dress or that trendy pair of shoes. I was buying material things to help fill a void in my heart that only God could fill. Today, I still struggle with the temptations of the world, which say we need to have all of that "stuff" in order to be happy and fulfilled. My prayer and plea is that I would be planting seeds for God's eternal kingdom. I pray that God will continually shape and mold me to be more like Him, that I won't care about the things of this world. I pray that I won't try to fill the places of my heart with things that will only perish, but with things eternal!
The Bible says "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy. For where your treasure is, your heart will also be. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can not serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:19,21 and 24)
I want to be content with what I have. I don't want to be in constant need of more. I just want God! He is more than enough....
"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." (1st Timothy 6:6-8)
Lord -
I pray for your strength each day to face the temptations of this world. Help me to desire You and not material possessions that have no eternal value. Lord, I am weak without you.
Amen!

The Power of Praying Scripture....

I'm not sure I have ever experienced anything as powerful as praying Scripture! It's not something that I have done for very long, and I have to admit I don't do it often enough. But when I do...Whoa! Hold On Tight! God usually moves in my spirit and I tend to have one intense prayer session.
I have always recorded scriptures that speak to me in my journal or on index cards but it wasn't until I participated in Beth Moore's Bible Study "Believing God" that I got to experience the power of praying scriptures.

God makes this promise in Isaiah 55:10-11

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

We need to believe that God's Word is alive and active in our lives! What a privilege it is to pray God's Word, not only for ourselves, but for others. We have nothing to loose when praying God's powerful Word!
Beth Moore points out a few things in her study "Believing God"

• God ordains that words of faith have more power than thoughts of faith alone: "Say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there.'" (2 Cor. 4:13)
• Scripture tells us that if Christ's words dwell in us, we can use our mouths to speak or pray over situations, and the Holy Spirit will often bring powerful results.
• Soon the scriptures you write have moved from ink on an index card to a truth abiding in your heart, and you can pray them from memory while driving or taking a walk.

Sometimes in our prayer lives, we face challenging and difficult situations that often leave us unsure of what to pray. Thankfully, we have God's Word to help us in those times.

Here is an example of a scripture I turned into a prayer regarding my future children, whether biological, adopted or both:

"Lord, it's so comforting knowing that you already know all the details of my future children. "For you will create their inmost being; you will knit them together in my (or their birth mother's) womb. I praise you because my children will be fearfully and wonderfully made. Your eyes see their unformed bodies. All the days ordained for them are written in your book before one of them comes to be. Praise You Lord!"

I find so much hope and encouragement praying God's Word!

I Never Leave God's Hands.....

Lord -
Consume me like a fire! Help me to lay my plans in Your hands knowing that Your plans are far better than mine!
Amen!

For the past several months, I have had baby fever! I never knew how real baby fever was until it hit me! My heart's desire is to be a mom but because of some health stuff that I am currently going through, I am having to really trust God and the plan He has for our future family. About a week ago, after a lot of doctor appointments and tears, I finally just said "God, I am giving this to you! Take it from me!" I instantly had a lot of peace, and to be honest, haven't been as consumed by all things baby. You see, in the depths of my heart I know, without a doubt, that God has the perfect plan for me. It's just that the hormones and the baby fever emotions sometimes tend to make my mind doubt, what my heart knows!
This morning as I was driving to work I was praying about my future kiddos - whether biological, adopted (this is another cool God thing for another post!) or both. I was asking God to help me to be obedient to wherever He calls me and to step out in faith to follow Him. As I was praying, out of nowhere, I said something along the lines of "God, help me to leave this having kids thing in Your hands. Help me to keep giving it back to you, if I try to take control again. Help me to rest in You and your perfect plan for my future family. Through this season of my life, help me to become more like You. Teach me what you want me to learn."
I have decided that I can let this baby thing consume this season of my life and be anxious about what the future holds, or I can use this season of my life to grow closer to God. To seek His perfect plan for my life. To become a little more like Him. I pray that I won't let the desire I have to be a mom, keep me from missing out on all the other amazing blessings God has for me right now.
I feel like God's saying..."Enjoy the journey. Let me fill the empty parts of your heart as you wait for a child."
I realize I can't go through this season of my life in my own strength. I need God...to guide me, to equip me, to reveal His plan to me and sometimes to carry me, when the emotions seem to consume me.

"When the future seems uncertain, like the coming of a storm, your loving father carries His children when they can't walk anymore." ~JJ Heller

What do you need to place in God's hands? Remember, His plans are far better than we could ever imagine, guess or request! (Eph.3:20)

On My Knees Before God....

Do you regularly hit your knees during your prayer time? Something about being on your knees before the Lord is so humbling, so intimate. I've been a Christian for 12 years and until recently, I could only count a handful of times that I've been on my knees before the Lord. Man, I have been missing out on an amazing opportunity to humble myself before my Lord and Savior! To pour out my heart to Him, to bow at His throne. Don't get me wrong, I talk to God a lot, especially when I'm driving ( don't worry...I keep my eyes open!). But praying has never been more intimate for me, than when I surrender and fall to my knees before the Lord.
A few weeks ago, I was up late spending time with God. I was on my knees in prayer and it was so quiet that I could only hear the tick tock of the clock. I was just praying for God to consume me! Lately my prayer has been that my love for God would be obvious to everyone I come in contact with on a daily basis - that God would help me to be transparent in my love for Him. That night I was moved to tears during my Bible Study time. Beth Moore wrote:
"Beloved, if you have ever paid attention to anything I have ever written about the key to a passionate relationship with Christ, pay attention now! Your heart means far more to Christ than any amount of service you could render or rules you could keep. If Christ has your heart, He will have your obedience (John 14:21). God wants to completely captivate your heart and cause it to burn with passion for Him."
WOW!!! Oh how I want my heart to burn for God!
Beth Moore went on to say (by the way, I just love Beth Moore! I love that she is SO in love with Jesus!!!)
"There are two keys to igniting Godly passion: prayer and Bible study! We may do many other things to fan the flame of our spiritual passion for Christ, but all other efforts are in vain without the two sticks of prayer and Bible study rubbed together to ignite a fire."
She goes on to say that it's about more than "popcorn prayers and drive through lessons!"
"I'm talking about entering into a love affair of prayer with Jesus Christ, where you talk to Him throughout the day, as if He the Unseen One, is a far greater reality that those within your vision. I'm talking about opening the Word, throwing back your head, face toward heaven and saying 'Thrill me with your word!'(Psalm 119:18)God is more than anxious to give you a heart full of fire for his Son."
Praise God! Because that's exactly what I desire to have! For God to consume my heart like a fire, to know and experience Him in ways I never have before.
My prayer are these song lyrics...I hope they will be your prayer too as we Faithfully Follow where God's Calling...

"Hey now, this is my desire, consume me like a fire, cause I just want some thing beautiful to touch me, I know that I'm in reach, I am down on my knees, waiting for something beautiful."

Psalm 27:14 "One thing I ask of the Lord this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."