Posted on July 17, 2017
Seek First Project: Hear the Joyful Call (Day 47)
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.
Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
They rejoice all day long in your wonderful reputation.
They exult in your righteousness. – Psalm 89:14-16
I always intend to spend time with God each day. Quality time, quiet time… don’t you? But my good intentions are so often overshadowed by the busyness of my day. Stress crowds out my prayer time. Anxiety shouts down my hymn-singing. Fear pushes aside my time in the scripture.
It’s time for that to end.
I want to be purposeful about my worship. Daily worship.
Today I want us to create a schedule, sprinkling worship throughout our day. Carving little niches of sacred time that will refocus our minds and hearts on what really matters.
I’m scheduling time for Bible reading, prayer, and singing of hymns. You can schedule whatever activities connect you with God. Whatever activities you want to offer to Him, in reverence.
I’m setting alarms on my phone and laptop, so that no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I will not forget to ground myself in praise and connection with my King.
How else can I possibly hope to chip away at these anxieties and worries, except by seeking first things first?
Father God, I long for time with You. I want the focus of my every day to be Your words, Your will. Thank You for meeting me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Posted on July 16, 2017
Seek First Project: Maintaining Our Faith (Day 46)
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”
– Revelation 14:12-13
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Shelly
Updated on July 15, 2017
Seek First Project: Laughter Through Fears (Day 45)
He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. – Job 8:21
He will, Dear One. Do you believe it?
Sometimes I like to remind myself by just forcing myself to spend some time laughing. Just the motion of your face making that smile, opening your mouth for joyful sounds to come out… just that can bring hope.
Will you try it today? Look up funny memes online, and maybe print some out to stick around your home where you can giggle when you see them. Watch a funny movie or tv show and let yourself relax and enjoy it. Read a funny book, or the comics from the paper. Take a goofy selfie or apply a crazy filter. Tell knock-knock jokes or riddles with friends. Share a funny on social media and let your friends laugh with you!
I know it’s serious right now. I know it’s hard. But just try this for 2 minutes, okay? I’ll be doing it, too.
He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. – Job 8:21
Father, fill our hearts as well as our mouths, with joyful noise. We love You. We trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Posted on July 14, 2017
Seek First Project: You Can Be Sure of This (Day 44)
Answer me when I call to you,
O God who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. – Psalm 4:1
We call to Him. I know I do. And sometimes, the answer seems to be an expectant silence. It mocks me sometimes.
I long for that answer when my thoughts are racing and the pain is overtaking and the threats are looming.
I absolutely loved this reassurance today. I hope you will, too.
You can be sure of this:
The Lord set apart the godly for himself.
The Lord will answer when I call to him. – Psalm 4:3
Today I made an “Answer Jar”. I used an empty jar because it’s what I had on hand. Feel free to use any container you like or that is special to you! Keep a supply of paper and pens next to it, and each time you know a prayer of yours has been answered, write about it. It can be a single word or a journal entry. This is YOUR box, so make it the way you want it to be. Slip each writing, once folded, into the container.
This is a great pick-me-up for the times when I wonder if God is listening, or if He will ever answer.
Thank You, God, for being a Father who hears our cries. Who answers our cries. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Posted on July 13, 2017
Seek First Project: The Way He Strengthens (Day 43)
“Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”
As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” – Daniel 10:19
God can cause us to suddenly feel stronger. He gives peace freely. He encourages enormously. He strengthens daily.
In the passage above, the prophet Daniel is receiving long-awaited word from a messenger of the Lord. This messenger had been fighting his way to Daniel’s side for 21 days! God had dispatched him on the first day that Daniel prayed.
If you haven’t felt the rescue, please know that you have not been overlooked.
Photo by feryswheel 
God still speaks to us today! Through the life of His Son, through the comfort of the Holy Spirit, through the inspired and wondrous bible, His love letter to us.
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
For to which of the angels did He ever say:
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You”?
And again:
“I will be to Him a Father,
And He shall be to Me a Son”? – Hebrews 1:1-5
Today, let’s dissect the scripture that started this post, in our journals.
* Copy a scripture that reminds you, “Do not be afraid!”
* Find a verse that tells you how precious you are to God.
* Choose your favorite passage about peace.
* Write the scripture that encourages you most.
* Finish with a passage that strengthens you.
Have you heard the Lord speak to you? Are you listening?
Speak, O Lord, Your servant is listening. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
Photo by -Delphine –
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Posted on July 12, 2017
Seek First Project: Keep Right On Going (Day 42)
It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. – Hebrews 11:27
I’ve written before about the amazing things that happen when we just keep going. And here God is, reminding me again.
Moses, despite the possible repercussions, obeyed God’s will for him. He kept right on going.
Because he kept his eyes on the One who is invisible.
It may seem like you’re spinning your wheels, like none of this is making any sense or headway. It probably feels like you just don’t know how to go on this way.
But keep right on going. Keep your eyes on the One who is invisible. And one day, you’ll step right into His arms.
Today, I chose one mundane task that I’ve been putting off. I’ve been so overwhelmed lately, that I let the day-to-day tasks just go undone. It all feels like too much. I chose a normal task today and I did it. The whole time, I was praying and humming hymns, dedicating my teeny bit of work to God.
I think of it as an ebeneezer to Him. This marks the place where I get back up and take that next step.
Where I keep right on going.
Invisible One, we want nothing more than Your will in our lives. Give us the courage and the strength to get back on our feet and take that small step forward. Lead us. In Your Name We Pray, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Posted on July 11, 2017
Seek First Project: The Good Part (Day 41)
But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:40-42
I’ve been so distracted. There are always so many preparations and “once-and-for-alls” and tasks and lists… it goes on and on… and on.
So often I approach the Lord in this way, asking why He doesn’t send help for me to get all of these things done in time.
What I need to recognize is that these distractions, as soon as they’re accomplished, are replaced with new worries. It’s a vicious cycle.
But Jesus says only one thing is necessary. Only one single thing.
The good part.
I’m sitting at His feet tonight. I’m laying everything else down. I’m embracing the quiet. I just want to be with Him. Just to be and to listen and to love.
How about you?
Dear God, I’m coming. I miss You. I love you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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Shelly
Posted on July 10, 2017
Seek First Project: When Fear Steals Your Sleep (Day 40)
“I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear. – Ezekiel 34:25
Oh to sleep without fear! In even the wildest places, no matter what dangers surround. I long for that.
Instead, my sleep is difficult to attain because I am constantly worrying the same problems in my mind, over and over again. My rest is disturbed when I do fall asleep, and I wake feeling battered by the fears I harbor in my heart. Anxiety makes slumber an escape I both long for and resist.
I have not understood fully, the covenant of peace that God has made with us, His people.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. – John 14:16-19
He can drive away the dangers and make a safe encampment for me. He can calm my fear. Still my mind. Quiet my heart. Embolden my spirit.
Because sometimes we need to be emboldened to rest, don’t we?
I think a big part of my problem is that even in my sleep, completely unconscious, I am still trying to be responsible for whatever is going on in the light of day. There comes a point where I’ve done all I can, but I still stubbornly cling to that sense of responsibility and control. That needs to stop!
This evening, I am doing a few things to prepare myself to get some good, solid sleep.
First, I will declutter my sleeping area. I want my mind to feel calm, and this helps with that. Next, I will do a “brain dump”, which is just writing down every single thing in my head that keeps me up at night. I like to write as if it’s a letter to the Holy Spirit. Then, as I lay down, I will listen to scripture lullabies and lay with my eyelids gently closed and my hands open instead of fisted. I will fall asleep praying, surrendering to God.
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. – Romans 8:6
God in Heaven, we are never without Your covenant or Your peace. I know You alone are mighty and compassionate enough to set a safe camp around me while I rest. Help me to trust You more and more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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Shelly
Posted on July 9, 2017
Seek First Project: Peace From Himself (Day 39)
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
– 2 Thessalonians 3:16
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Shelly
Posted on July 8, 2017
Seek First Project: Tender Shoot, Fear Not (Day 38)
That is why their people have so little power and are so frightened and confused. They are as weak as grass, as easily trampled as tender green shoots. They are like grass sprouting on a housetop, scorched before it can grow lush and tall. – 2 Kings 19:26
This describes us so perfectly, doesn’t it?
We have so little power. We’re so frightened and confused. We are weak as grass, and as easily trampled as tender shoots. We try to sprout, but the scorching overtakes us.
Is it any wonder that we struggle so with fear and anxiety? Is it any shock that we worry so easily? That discouragement seems a constant companion?
There’s someone else who knows how this feels.
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. – Isaiah 53:2
Jesus knows. He knows what it feels like to have so little power. To be frightened and confused. To be weak as grass and easily trampled. Our Lord knows how the scorching feels.
Because though He is God, He was also a man.
He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. – Isaiah 42:3
We are not alone, Dear Ones. Sometimes a great and wonderful change can happen in our hearts when we hear someone say, “Me, too.”
And that’s why God said it.
Today I am journaling about a situation that makes me feel like that tender shoot, so easily trampled and scorching in the sun. I’m writing it all out in a letter to Jesus, who can understand and cares so much. He knows what this feels like.
Then, I am finding passages in the gospel that show me a time when Jesus probably felt like I do right now. I’m writing those in my journal, too.
It feels so good to hear, “Me, too.”
God, You are amazing. That You would allow Your Son to leave heaven and come down to take on all this frailty, all this pain… it just astounds me. I could never thank You enough. In Your Son’s Name We Pray, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
