Hebrews 8 - Old Habits Are Hard To Break On My Own

I am very thankful that the old is now obsolete. Not just old covenant but the old me...

In reading the app today I kept repeating in my mind "that was me".

Reading books about the Bible instead on the Bible - That was me.

Listening to others talk about God but never being quiet myself to hear God - That was me.

Attending church but only going through the motions - That was me.

Asking others to pray for me but not praying for myself - This is still me.

I was and still am at times so guilty of having a religion instead of a relationship with God. I have a percentage in my head of what the religion/relationship percentage is for me right now in this moment. Think about what it is for you. Is it 80/20, 50/50. 99/1, 30/70?

For me this answer has been a spiritual check up. I am going to be in prayer for the old habits I see creeping back into my life. It will probably be a good idea for me to journal some of these thoughts that I am having so I can be purposeful in dealing with the head on instead of being distracted by the construction crew that just pulled up...

Hebrews 7 and Leviticus 16

Reading Leviticus paired with Hebrews has been pretty cool. It is so neat to make those parallels between the old and the new.

I know that I am so much more thankful on a daily basis in regards to my direct connection to my savior. No ceremony or sacrifice can atone for my sins, only my asking for forgiveness from him and asking him to guide my life in a way that is pleasing unto him.

I really do think that reading Leviticus has been a game changer for me. My deeps sighs about this study at the beginning have turned into beautiful revelations of God's grace and mercy.

Father, thank you for this study of Hebrews and Leviticus. Thank you for the team of women at Proverbs 31 ministries and for your guidance in their writings. I am so thankful for you taking my ho-hum attitude and turning it into a deep desire to learn more about you and for revealing things that I need to see in my life. Forgive me for dragging my feet when it comes to diving into your word. Use these next few weeks in these books to transform me in ways I could never imagine, in ways that are clearly from you and you alone. In your holy and most precious name I pray, Amen.

Hebrews 6 - Keep On Movin' Don't Stop

Well it is spring break and my posts will come at very random times this week. Just wanted to give you a heads up...

I have to start by saying that I felt so much closer to God this Easter since I have been in his word pretty much every day since August. I feel so much more knowledgeable about the word thanks to these studies we have been doing.

Hebrews 6 was a nice reminder not to slip back into old habits. It it very hard to read about falling away being like crucifying him all over again. I try really hard to have crops that are useful and not just useless thorns and thistles.

It has been so remarkable to draw closer to him each day. It has been hard to step out on faith over these 8 or so months but it has made my faith multiple. I have taught a bible study for the first time, shared my faith with non-believers and now I have the chance to talk about all of the good things that God has done in my life through an event in our women's ministry.

We have to keep moving forward in our faith and grow. We can't keep living in childlike ways.

I love this closeness to him. I crave it. I want to grow smarter, stronger, bolder in faith so that in the difficult seasons my first response will be "Thank you Lord for whatever may come from this trial".

Teachers, enjoy this time off. Refresh. Renew. Reconnect with him.

Everyone else, have fun at work?  =o/

Leviticus 15 - The Sound of Silence

Cue the crickets chirping here...

This was a difficult one to write about, hence the procrastination.

What I do take away here is that Adam and Eve had it good. Few rules. Lots of goodness.

Then there was the disobedience.  Sin.

Then the rules. Lots of them.

Clean this, clean that, eat this, don't eat that, give this but not that...

Lots of rules for the people to make sure they were clean and pure to be able to access God.

Then there is the cross.

God gave us his son so that he would be the perfect sacrifice. No more laws or rituals and complete access to him any time no matter how dirty our lives are.

I am so thankful today that I can come to Jesus looking like Pigpen from the Peanuts and he loves me just as much as he does Frieda, the girl with naturally curly hair.

Enjoy the beauty that Easter is. I pray that you have a wonderful day surrounded by the ones you love. Remember that we are so blessed to freely worship. Be in prayer for those elsewhere who are not.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Leviticus 14 - Exposed Sin

Right this very moment my house is being torn apart. The roof is only half shingled, boards are ripped away to be replaced, and my deck is a skeleton awaiting the new composite wood to be placed down. Every bit of rotten wood is exposed.

When I read Leviticus this morning I see that the rotten wood is just like sin in so many ways. We have had to put off some major repairs for a while and of course things get worse the longer they sit without the needed repairs being done. I kept telling myself that we should just put off the repairs since there were so many and I didn't want to deal with only fixing part of the problems.

Isn't sin the same way? When we sin and don't confess and turn away it spirals into something really messy and rotten. We put off changing according to the conviction because we tell ourselves we are so broken that it can never be fixed.

Trying to hid the sin may only be a temporary patch. God always sees our hearts but we can by a little time with our family and friends.

Continuing to sin when we feel the spirit speaking to us is simply us ignoring God's conviction in our hearts.

Even when our house is done, people driving by only see the outside but I know what the inside looks like. Is it in need of major repairs? Does it need just a little sprucing up? Or is it pristine?

What is God tugging at your heart about this morning? What can you do to change that something that he is convicting you about?

I know for me personally it is in regards to a relationship that I don't nurture enough. I hope that you will take time today to listen to him speaking to you. He loves you. He wants good stuff for you, not all of the rotten stuff that we try to carry around.

Lord thank you for these wonderful women here today. Father I pray that you convict me on the rottenness in my heart and mind. I pray that you replace that with thoughts, actions, and feelings that only glorify you. I pray that you will continue to work on me. I know that until I reach my heavenly home, I will never be fully complete. As we continue to reflect on the crucifixion, I pray that those represented here today do not waste another precious day and that they fully confess the messes in their lives. Thank you for your love, your grace and your forgiveness. Amen


Thank you for your prayers for my grandfather. They repaired a 90% blockage yesterday. I am certain that he will be feeling so much better once he recovers.

Leviticus 13 - Outside the Gate

From the outside looking in, many of us seem to be living comfortably inside the camp. My reality prior to last summer was not the same.

Yes I went to church every Sunday and Wed night.
Yes I volunteered whenever I saw a need at church.
Yes I was active in my Sunday School class.
Yes I was going through the motions without a meaningful relationship with him.

I should have been kicked out of the camp.
I should have been outside of the gates.

It is so very hard to deal with the spread of sin. It starts so small, like a bump or a rash on our skin. The truth is that it can spread so very quickly when untreated through prayer, admission and turning away from the sin and focusing on what God calls me to do and be.

Since I have fully committed to changing who I wanted to be and let God have full control over me, sin has had a much more difficult time spreading. There is this neat little thing called conviction that stops me in my tracks and helps me to see that trouble is ahead if I don't pause, listen to God and pray for his guidance.

We all sin and fall short of his glory. I am so thankful today for the cross.

Lord thank you for the cross and all that it means in my life. Thank you for Leviticus and for the reminder that sin left unchecked, unforgiven, and unnoticed leads to a much bigger disease. Thank you for the relationship I have with you. Thank you for keeping me in check with conviction. Forgive me for the ways I will stumble and fall short of your glory today. Thank you for the opportunities to serve you both inside and outside of the camp today Father. Be with me. Lead me. Use me today to do your will and not mine. Check my heart this morning and forgive me for any sin that is there.

Lord I also ask that you be with my Paw as he has a heart procedure today. Please ease his nervousness so that he will feel complete peace and know your presence at this time. Be with each person that he is in contact with today. May they see the wonderful person he is and see your love shining through. If anyone does not know you I pray that your love shines through him today. I praise you in advance for the outcome. No matter what it is I know that it is your will. Lord thank you. I love you so much and praise your Holy name today and every day. -Amen

Leviticus 12 - Lambs, pigeons, periods. Oh My!

Uh, well. I really don't know what I am going to do with this one.

It seems pretty clear from reading this passage that boys were held in higher esteem than girls. Periods were unclean and required a sin offering and a burnt offering.

I am no Biblical scholar but how can something God created my body to do on it's own be a sin? Maybe someone has a good answer for this. Please share if you do. I am learning as I go with this one and I am a little scared to do a google search. I am guessing it is all about the blood.

I don't have this problem anymore but I can't imagine having to go out and by pads and tampons and then pick up a lamb and pigeon as well. And there are 3 girls in this house. Yikes!

My take away here tonight is that I can't skip over readings in the Old Testament because they clearly help me understand the New Testament. I never imagined I would learn so much from this study of Leviticus. Stepping out and embracing this book has drawn me even closer to God and really boosted my knowledge. Lots of A-Ha moments happening this month.

So try to remember during your monthly visit that at least you don't have to buy a lamb and pigeon. Praise you Lord for that!