Less Anxiety, More Peace!

Psalms 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou O Lord only makest me dwell in safety. 

Does anyone else lay your head down to sleep, exhausted, yet instead of falling peacefully to sleep, your mind is going crazy thinking of all the things to do tomorrow or even days into the future.

I can't just tell my brain to shut off, It's not like I need my brain to be anxiously thinking of what needs to be done, because guess what I can't do it til tomorrow! 

I struggle with this every night, sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it!

This verse may be a lot more about safety but I like that it begins with peace, and that's what I need! 

When you go to bed, start with saying this prayer, don't just repeat it or say it as habit, really pray to God in your own way! If after your prayer and talking with God you still can't stop thinking about tomorrow, count your blessings! Maybe we can fall asleep thinking about all the good things rather than our To Do list. 

Colossians 3:2 set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth! 

Philippians 4:8 Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE THINGS. 

Clothed in Strength & Honor

In Proverbs 31 we learn a lot about the "virtuous woman". All the characteristics she has are things we need to being doing as women of God! I've been wanting to watercolor these dresses for a while now and thought this verse was fitting for it. 

Strength and honor are her clothing, in an earlier verse we learn about her actual clothing but here we look at her inner clothes. She is strong and highly respected by others and completing Gods will for her she can rejoice in the future. 

Let your inner clothes be as beautiful as your real clothing! 

Bow of an Enemy

God loves us so much, he sent his son to die for our sins! But what about before Jesus walked the earth before he was even born? God handled sin a little differently back then. In Lamentations, chapter one Jerusalem is suffering from their sin, they have had a huge downfall, started worshiping false gods and idols and committing adultery, at the end of the chapter is a cry for sympathy, from Jeremiah, he feels Sorrowful for his people who have fallen to a dark lost place. In chapter 2 we read about Gods anger, " The Lord was an enemy he hath swallowed up Israel " 

God was so angry it was as if he were now Jerusalems enemy

He hath bent his bow as an enemy! 

Next was the cry for mercy, and God did have mercy on them as we last read in Lamentations chapter 3 ( my previous blog post ) 

Gods faithfulness is so great there are new mercies every morning! 

Because Jesus died for our sins, we are covered in his blood, have you ever heard/sang the hymn "washed in the blood by Jesus" we'll it's the truth! When we are saved and we still sin God sees we are washed in the blood and has mercy on us, he forgives us, but as we read in 3:19-21 we still remember the things we did to help not bring us back,and to have hope in The Lord! 

Just remember there are NEW MERCY EVERY MORNING. 

If you have trouble studying the bible and taking time to read it, you should definitely try out bible journaling, even if you can't paint or draw, you can use scrapbook stuff and clip art instead. From my experience, I used to have trouble really focusing on what I was reading until I started water coloring illustrations about what I was learning, it has completely changed my study method, and I have really learned so much! JUST TRY IT! 

New Mercies Every Morning

Have you ever done something so awful, that even though you know the people you hurt, including God have forgiven you, you just can't seem to let it go? I'm sure at some point in our lives we've all done something like that.

Lamentations 3:19-23 gives us comfort for those times, or just when you have had a terrible day you can read that and be at peace for the next day.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions  fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

I looked up consumed online and got these words:
》devour
》destroy
》overwhelm
》raging
》powerful

These are things we say we go through all the time, more specifically being overwhelmed by our day. This verse though tells us we are not consumed because of the Lord's love, and that we have tomorrow to look forward to because his mercies are new everyday!

Excited for Christ

Acts chapter 9 starting in verse 18, Saul becomes a new man. He treated Christians horribly and yet God wanted to use him to spread Gods word. Saul went from persecuting and imprisoning Christians, to being saved, baptized, and excited for Christ.
He didn't just go about normal everyday life after being saved, he was beyond happy.
He wanted to go out and share the truth about Jesus to everyone!
So why don't I do that? I was raised in church, have been saved since I was very young. Shouldn't I be excited about telling others the truth about Jesus?!?
It's our job to help spread the word of God, do it with joy!

My journaling page is done with water color, the gold lettering is a paint marker.

Refuge Under His Wings

>> Read Psalm 91

The more I read this chapter the more it became one of my favorites, I read it 3 times before I started this blog  entry, it wasn't till that third time that I truly realized the amazing-ness ( real word??) of Psalm 91! 

This entire chapter is all about GODS REFUGE. If you trust in God, he will be there with you protecting you. " He will cover you with his feathers, under his wings shalt thou trust " 

You have no reason to be afraid or anxious, God is always watching over. 

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee In all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in there hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

How incredible are those last to verses ( 11,12) God sets angels over us, even for something as silly as stubbing  your toe!! How precious we must be in God's eyes to have such protection. 

Don't however, misunderstand this chapter, yes God is always watching over you but that does not mean harm will never come to you. Sometimes, a lot of times, it's in Gods will for you to Go through trials and tribulations. Hard times. But what this chapter assures you is that even in those times God is with you to help you through it.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 

If you are ever afraid of stepping into something new God has for you, this is the perfect chapter to remember. 

Blameless, harmless Light of the World

These verses really spoke to me today, I tend to lose my patience and complain about things and argue with people.
My husband and I ordered soup from a restaurant,  to go, after church one night. We didn't ask any questions, who would expect a couple of cups of to go soup to take long, we went to Walmart and back in 15 minutes to pick up our order.
45 minutes later we leave with our soup. The waitress failed to mention that they had to cook a whole new pot of soup. Sometimes I'm more patient but that night I had a headache and wasn't feeling up to dealing with this. I complained the whole time, sent my husband in to complain and then when I finally pulled up to the drive through window I wasn't exactly nice to her. Sure I put on a fake smile and said thanks. But after reading this verse I'm sure that I looked like a sharp prickly cactus to her.
To be a light to the world you can't hide your flame under a cactus.
Be a bright shining light to the world, without murmuring and disputing!

Philippians 2:14-15