Grains of Sand

The Lord has not forgotten you. He has held you in His Heart since the beginning of Time. He knows Your Hopes and Fears, Your Dreams and Disappointments, Your Strengths and Vulnerabilities.

He is actively in the Loving Process
of making you more like Jesus.

So be encouraged. Every day.
And keep on being You.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,

    they would outnumber the grains of sand
    when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139: 13-18

He Knows More

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

We were on our way home from school one day when my son was 12, and he said,

“Mom, there are some things that I know that you don’t know.”

“Yes, that’s true,” I replied. “But there are more things that I know
that you don’t know than things you know that I don’t know.”

“You’re probably right.”

Conversations with The Lord

There’s no “probably” to this One. He always knows more than we do. But we rarely ask Him anything except, “Why?” And because He never answers that question, we think He doesn’t talk. How silly is that?

What does He want you to know?

Today, I asked The Lord, “What do you want me to know about The Cute Boy?”

His answer came quickly.
And what He said was beautifully surprising.

He loves to answer “What” questions. Just so you know.

  • What do you want me to know about ______?
  • What does this mean for our relationship?
  • What do you want me to do?

Now those are Great Questions!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13

Coercion or Choice

It’s simple. You want something to be different. Yet nothing changes, no matter how much effort you put into it. Each day is more discouraging than the day before.

Whatever you think about (whether negative or positive) will be magnified, not only in your mind, but in your heart and your actions as well.

No one wants bad stuff to happen.

So why is it so hard to focus on the positive in yourself and in others?

  • Coercion is a passive process. You don’t have to do anything different. It’ll just happen automatically … because you allow it.
  • Choice is an active process. You must get involved, be proactive. Choice requires energy, learning, and a willingness to try something better.

You are caught in a battle between Two Kingdoms.

The ruler of one kingdom wants you to be like him. And he constantly works on your mind and your emotions. His intent is to kill, steal, and destroy. He uses coercion: the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats. He wants you to become a slave to sin and is determined to get you to

  • default,
  • doubt,
  • derail.

The King of Kings created you to be like Him. And He offers gentle encouragement and Endless Love. His intent is to help you enjoy an abundant life in Him. He gives you the choice. To become a slave to righteousness. His deepest desire is to help you to …

  • reset,
  • refocus,
  • be restored.

Choose this day Whom you will serve. How?

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Click here to learn more about how to get a Quicker Turnaround in your life.