Do not disturb?

Hello and welcome back to A Good Bible Study! This is a short lesson, but powerful. Let's be sure and prepare our hearts to receive whatever the Holy Spirit has for us today.

Lord, thank you for able bodies, seeking minds, and willing spirits, today. We pray You will fill us with the insight we need to grow in love. We're ready to take the next step. In Jesus' name, amen.

Are you ready?

Do you have a DO NOT DISTURB sign around your neck when it comes to Jesus?
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Have you wanted to stay comfortable in your nice, religious (or non-religious) zone? Explain.
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If you met you today, what would be your impression of whether you are someone who reaches out to others, or not? Why, or why not?
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We have reached the point in our study of The Love Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, by Joyce Meyer, in which questions must be asked, and answers must be revealed.

How do you feel about how you answered the above questions?
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Take some time to think about your answers. Do you sense God is ready to take you to another level?

Lord, we want to serve you but we don't always know how to begin. Give us a strong sense of the next step. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Till tomorrow, love, Karen

Photo by Susanne Guttler, courtesy of photoxpress.com

Your love walk

Hello again and welcome back to A Good Bible Study. Currently, our main focus is the Joyce Meyer study titled, The Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Journal. You don't need to purchase the workbook to follow along, but if you'd like to, click the title for a link to the Joyce Meyer website.

Let's pray as we prepare to receive God's Word:

Father, thank you for this time to come together and share your Word. Thank you for giving each of us the insight we need to experience you more. I pray for each person participating in this study, that each day the burning desire of our hearts is "More, Lord, more of You!" In Jesus' name, amen.

By now you are probably getting some thoughts that just seem to come up over and over regarding ways you can show love. Please share in the comments box below what things God is asking you to do, or in what ways you have responded to the call to love. I can't wait to hear what you've been up to!

In this section of the study, Joyce asks us to journal our "Love Revolution." I'll share what I've written:

I realize that while I might want a "mutually satisfying" marriage, there really is no such thing. We have this concept in modern times, that we are making a bargain with our spouse, a bargain that ensures we will each get enough from the other, to make us happy in the marriage.

That's what I want out of marriage now, mutual satisfaction, but that isn't what I agreed to when I got married. When I married my husband, we talked about the various things we each wanted from the other, and we married in agreement of giving those things to each other. So, what happens when what I want changes? Is he obligated to fulfill my new desires, or am I bound to ask for no more than he committed to in the beginning?

My husband and I recently went through a period of time in which we realized we had each, in our own way, been operating under assumptions about each other, and as a result, neither of us was being really honest about our needs. It's difficult to make changes, and the first response is usually to blame the other person for not meeting our needs, instead of accepting the responsibility to first discover our needs, then share that information, and ultimately, do what needs to be done to meet the needs of . . no, not each other so much, but ourselves.

I can blame my husband for putting too much on my plate, but at the end of the day the only person who makes my schedule is me. He can be angry with me for not affirming him in his "love language," but if he hasn't let me know what's important to him, I'm going to keep on doing what I think is right. 

What God has been whispering into my heart, is that I can only fulfill my end. If my husband is not loving me the way I want him to, all I can do is be honest with him, and then let God work out what needs to be changed. If I know I have, with kindness and firmness, let my needs be known, then I have done all I can at that point. I can get out of the way and let God work, or I can keep bringing it up over and over until my husband is determined not to change just to show me who's the boss of him. God reminded me that I am only in charge of my portion: my behavior.

This mutually satisfying relationship is a myth. Sometimes he's satisfied, sometimes I'm satisfied, sometimes we hit a sweet spot and we're both pleased as punch, but that's more often than not, few and far between. If I am looking for my husband to keep me happy I am going to be a disappointed woman a lot of the time, and vice/versa.

God told me this is a sign of strength, not weakness. Let's be clear: I'm not talking about tolerating abuse. I'm not talking about being a miserable doormat. I'm talking about being able to be loving to someone without waiting for them to satisfy us, first.

God tells us to submit to one another in love. That means willingly putting aside your own desires and thinking of how you can make your spouse's day with kindness, taking pleasure in letting your husband or wife have their way, this time. It doesn't mean "you first."

Think on that; I am! And please, share your own journey with us. After all, we are in this together. With love till tomorrow, Karen

Photo by Digimist523, courtesy of photoxpress.com

I want YOU to join the Revolution

Welcome back! Let's get right into prayer so we can share how God is working in us through this bible study.

Father, we are so thankful for your Living Word. What a delight it is to read the same passage on different days, and get a fresh insight each time. Open our minds to understand what you would have us know, Lord, and soften our hearts so we can be molded with your love into willing, obedient, love warriors! In Jesus' name, amen.

Are you beginning to sense God's desire to equip you to be an ambassador in His love revolution? I am. What opportunities have you discovered in order to make love an action:
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If you helped someone with the goal of simply showing them kindness, I can bet you got the same giddy, happy, sensation of joy after doing so, as I do. Am I right? If you are still struggling, pray now for God to release an attitude (or spirit) of love in you today. Ask Him to reveal anything blocking or hindering that spirit.

The workbook on which I am basing this study, The Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, by Joyce Meyer, points us to 2 Corinthians 5:20. Read it now.

In this passage, God tells us we are his a_________________s, and that He uses us to make His appeal to the rest of the world. When you see someone poor, diseased, homeless, or in need, do you have an instant desire to help, or do you look the other way? Be honest.

Joyce Meyer has found that common attitudes toward the needy are disdain, fear, or misunderstanding. We may feel their condition has been brought upon by themselves due to sinfulness, laziness, or inferiority. I'll admit I have a hard time watching those commercials showing emaciated, fly-ridden, dirt-encrusted children, without changing the channel, not because I have no compassion, but because beyond sending a small donation each month, I can't do anything to help them. It's overwhelming and depressing to watch. Can any of you relate to what I'm saying?

How do you feel when you see people near the freeway with signs asking for food, or walking down the street in dirty rags, pushing a shopping cart? Share a comment if you'd like, or write it down for yourself:
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In what ways do you insulate yourself from the poor?
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How is God leading you to let down some of those defenses and attitudes and reach out?
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In what ways have you been challenged during this study?
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What are some truths you now believe about love, even when people don't seem like us, or worth helping?
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What are some actions you will take this week with this new truth?
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When I finished this section, I committed myself to writing this bible study. I also choose two places to give financially in addition to my church, with a small monthly donation, and did so. (Your gift of love does not have to be financial, these were two ministries I felt called to be involved in.)

If you've committed to see hurting people as worth showing kindness and love, then you have joined the Love Revolution! Let's proclaim together this prayer from The Revolution:

"God, I've made my decision to become a love revolutionary! I look to you to help me sustain it. I'm finished with business as usual. I'm finished with church as usual. I'm finished with being just a 'normal,' quiet, complacent Christian. I'm going to start my own personal revolution. God, I want You to turn my world upside down, and every day of my life, I want to make a difference for somebody else. By Your grace, mercy, power, and wisdom, things are going to change in the way I live my life! God, help me to really learn what love is and to begin to love other people the way You love them, Lord. I take up The Love Revolution creed and ask You to bring it to pass in my daily life:

I take up compassion and surrender my excuses. I stand against injustice and commit to live out simple acts of God's love. I refuse to do nothing. This is my resolve. I am the Love Revolution. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name!"

May God bless this start you've made, love, Karen

What's your problem?

Hello brothers and sisters of the Revolution! If this is your first visit to A Good Bible Study, welcome!

We currently are reading The Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, by Joyce Meyer. You can visit the Joyce Meyer site for the workbook, or just follow along with me here. Catch up to us in the first chapter.

And for those of you who have been following along, welcome back! I'm so glad you are with me as we seek God's presence. We'll get much more out of this time together if we begin in prayer:

"Father, I thank you for every eye on this page, for every heart seeking your love, and your wisdom. We ask you to open our eyes so we may see the truth, open our ears so we may hear Your Word, and open our hearts so that we may receive all the love we so deeply need from you.

Let us show love today to at least on other person. Give us patience with those who frustrate us. Give us understanding for those who don't meet our expectations. Above all, let us reflect Your Son, Jesus, in every encounter we have because we are all hurting, all imperfect, all looking for hope. In Jesus' name, amen."

I love knowing I am about to be blessed by the Holy Spirit when I open the Bible with a desire to be changed, don't you? Let me ask you something. Think about how many times you have said the phrase, "What's your problem?" Usually it's said in response to someone who got out of bed on the wrong side. My answer would be, "I haven't had my coffee or bible time yet, give me a minute."

What if we meant it? What if we said it with a real intention of helping, like "What's the problem you're having today? I'd like to help."

A key phrase of The Revolution is "We must aggressively, intentionally, and on purpose reach out to others daily." What does that mean to you?
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There are so many people in need of help in this world, sometimes it is so hard to choose where to give our time or resources, that we end up not doing anything at all. Our workbook states there are an estimated 143 million orphans worldwide; The US alone has over 15,000 certified nursing homes, often understaffed and filled with lonely elderly persons; our prisons are overflowing with hurting people; every few seconds a child is abducted into the sex trade; most of the world's population is living on less than $730 a year; and since 1981 AIDS has killed more than 25 million people worldwide.

The early Christians were faced with a similar dilemma. Paul wanted the followers of Christ to be sincere in their motives and use wisdom in how they dealt with situations. He wrote to the church in Philippi: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ," Philippians 1:9-10 (New International Version).

The Message says it this way, "So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush" Philippians 1:9-10 (The Message)


God wants us to be thoughtful in our giving, but to give, to help, to do something more than offer our condolences. Perhaps you give to your church and allow your giving to help hurting people under your church leader's guidance. That's a very good place to start. As Joyce Meyers says, we need to give into where we are getting fed the Word of God.

But what about people in your neighborhood, or your city, that you come across in the course of your day? What if you saw a child without proper clothes and daily food. Would you do something now? Would you say a silent prayer and walk on? Would you even notice? Please turn with me to James 2:15-6. Does this verse change your decision, or reinforce it? _________________________


1 John 3:16-18 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

Unfortunately, more than a few of us in this study are suffering from the effects of the economy. May be you are among the needy right now. I want to suggest that there is so much more of value in you, than simply money. Let's come up with some ideas together, alright?

Make a list of things you can give to a shelter or to a friend in need; a list of talents you can share with someone trying to build job skills; a list of tools or skills you can use to solve a problem in a neighbor's home, or in your church building; perhaps a charity for which you can make phone calls or write letters.

I've always had small children at home (my kids ages range from 22 to 5, currently) so I've tried to volunteer in ways I can either work from home or take my kids along. Some worthy organizations I've enjoyed being involved with are my local church,  MOPS, Home Delivered Meals, 4H , and The Compassionate Friends.  Spark any ideas? Brainstorm some thoughts below:

 God says, "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have (2 Corinthians 8:12). In other words, do what you can with an attitude of love, and that is more than enough.

I can give or use:_________________________________________
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Sometimes we get blocked by feeling inadequate, like our contribution is just a drop in the bucket of need. In The Revolution, Joyce talks about the power of one. One person, Adam, made a very poor choice that brought all mankind into a fallen state of sin, pain, unhappiness and suffering. One man affected the whole of humanity. Well, I can't affect the whole of humanity, you might say. You're right. But you can affect one area: one problem.

Joyce points out that in the 1700's up to 50,000 Africans per year were captured and sold into English slavery. Like in the US at one time, and as is still practiced in parts of Africa and the modern world (can you believe that?!), slavery was seen as a financial necessity. One man, William Wilberforce, worked over the course of 14 years to continually introduce legislation to Parliament to end slavery. Despite government and social opposition, threats against his life, personal sickness, and repeated failures, he believed so strongly in the need for change that he did not give up until he succeeded. In 1807 Parliament abolished the slave trade in the British Empire! The only difference between William Wilberforce and any number of people who agreed with him in silence, was that every day he did something, no matter how small, towards his goal until he succeeded.

What I am suggesting, is that instead of focusing on all we can't do, focus on one thing we can do. One thing today, something else tomorrow, repeat all week long. The only person who is in charge of choosing your "thing" is you. This is not about competing with each other, getting our Pastor's approval, or trying to earn God's love with our good works. This is about deciding we can do one thing to ease one other person's pain in some way today, and doing it.

Homework: Pick a problem to solve or a cause from your list above and take one action. Out of the many worthy causes, pray and ask God to reveal where you are most needed and pay attention over the course of the day or week as to what comes up over and over, or what really tugs on your heart. You don't have to, and cannot, solve every problem. But you can solve one piece of one problem.

Write in the comment section and tell me, "What's your problem?"

Dear Father, thank you for quickening our hearts and giving us strength to take action when you give us the opportunity to see a need. Give us both compassionate natures, and wisdom to know when and how much, and in what way. Above all, remind us that it is you that knows the hearts of those to whom we give, and it is our job to help, trusting you to bless our giving no matter if the gift is used wisely or not by the recipient. After all, when we give to least of us, we are giving to You, Lord Jesus. (Matthew 25:40) Amen.

I'll meet you here tomorrow, love, Karen

Back to first day of Bible Study


Photo by Simon Howden, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

The final five hindrances to prayer

Goten Tag! I'm thinking of learning German in anticipation of a possible mission trip later this summer, and so far I know good afternoon, and good morning, or goten morgen. It's amazing to me how many German words sound very much like their English counterparts. I am so thankful for those who have gone before us to translate God's Word into my language!

I can't imagine how difficult it was for John Wycliffe, and those like him who in the 1380's translated God's Word under great persecution, into English. The Pope was so angry that Wycliffe had translated the bible into a common language, that long after Wycliffe had died, the Pope had his bones dug up, crushed and scattered in the river! In 1517, despite great opposition from the Church, Martin Luther was the first person to translate and publish the Bible in the commonly-spoken dialect of the German people. Imagine living in a time in which reading the Bible was illegal!

According to Greatsite.com  "Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records that in that same year, 1517, seven people were burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church for the crime of teaching their children to say the Lord’s Prayer in English rather than Latin!" I am so thankful that our Catholic brothers and sisters can now read their bibles without fear!

We really do not appreciate the freedom we have in this country to read the Word of God in our every day language, to teach our children to pray as God leads us, and to attend the churches of our choosing. I wonder if we will still be so free in another 10 years? Let's pray:

Dear Lord, you say in your Word that the devil is like a lion, constantly prowling around seeking someone to devour. Lead us to value your Word, and to protect our rights to openly read our bibles, in our home language and without fear of prosecution. Others have died for so that we can benefit from their sacrifice. Open our hearts now, as we read our precious bibles in your presence, that we will grow in wisdom and in love, amen.

Now, you have been very patient, and I promise today I will complete the final five hindrances to prayer, as discussed in the Joyce Meyer conference. So, let's get started.

Doubt - doubts are initially just thoughts that come up in our minds. They can be accepted and incorporated, or dismissed and rejected. Doubt, like belief, is a choice. God is who He is, or not; God can do what He promises, or not; He is working in our lives, or He is not. What do you believe? Be honest and if you are allowing doubt to rule your heart, ask God to give you the will to believe. Turn with me to Mark 11:23 and record what Jesus said you could do if you believed it with all of your heart: ____________________________________________________________________.

Joyce encourages us to talk back to the devil and tell him to step off! He is your enemy and will use any ploy to get you to doubt God's love as well as the power at your disposal to resist the devil, and win! Don't be a slave to random thoughts. Your thought life is the key to your emotional response, so take charge of your thoughts and tell fear, doubt, anxiety or any other negative spirits they will not define who you are for one more day.Try it now, use authority and righteous anger! Be sure and comment to me your results - I can't wait to hear!

Selfishness - do you ask God what His plan is for your life, then ask Him to give you the strength to fulfill it . . . or do you plan what you want to happen, and ask God to bless it? Be honest. I know for much of my Christian life, I bought into the whole prosperity message that can too heavily focus on material gain. I believed if I was tithing and doing all the things that are pleasing to God, then He would bless me financially. I was speaking my good fortune into being, sisters!

Doing good things is, well, good, but God looks to our heart, to our motives, not to our actions. What about when we do all the right things so everyone around us can see what a good Christian we are? Do you ever catch yourself looking around when you are doing a well-intentioned service for someone else, to see if anyone has noticed? Be honest. I'm ashamed to say I've been guilty more than a few times. Joyce says the best way you can keep yourself straight in this area of approval-seeking, is to check your motives. Are you doing it for people, or are you doing it for God?

Matthew 6:2 says if we are doing things to make ourselves look good to other people, God has no need to bless us, because we are getting what we really want, the approval of people. If we want God's blessing, He wants our hearts. He wants us giving to our churches and to hungry children because we want to make sure we have a place to worship and to praise God, and it breaks our hearts to see children starving and going without. When you are giving because it would offend your heart not to, that's when God is blessing you. Blessings are about far more than money. Too often we see God as a genie who should give us the desires of our selfish, self-centered, greedy hearts, or else we're just not going to believe in Him anymore (now stomp your foot and pout!) Let's be clear: He created us for His plan, we did not create Him for ours.

Read James 4:3 and record here what you learn about why we do not receive answers to prayers that are selfish:________________________________________________ Now read Psalm 37:4.

Does that tell you that God wants you to suffer, or have the desires of your heart? If you are delighting in the Lord, truly loving Him and taking joy in your relationship with Him, what desires are you likely to have in your heart? That's right, the kind He wastes no time in granting!

Lack of love - Have you read the Five Love Languages, by Dr. Gary Chapman? Part of the premise is that we have a love bank, and it needs to be filled up on a regular basis or we won't have enough positive feelings inside to enable us to give to others. The ultimate love bank is God. Unlike people, God never runs out of love. We can take, and take, and take all the live long day and He will always give more.

If we don't have enough of something, how can we give some to anyone else? That doesn't make sense. Personally, I agree with Joyce Meyer that love is a verb, not a noun. How many times has someone who claims they love you, done something despicable to you?

We want to love, not to feel love. Feelings are changeable creatures, and respond primarily to our thoughts. You want to stop that lovin' feelin' real quick? Start thinking about all the ways your spouse has irritated or hurt you? That's right. Still feelin' it?

Christians are called to be known by the way we treat other people. 1 John 3:18 says, "My little children (speaking to all of us) let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." This means by the way we show love to each other in actions, not just inprayer, and not just while the hallelujah chorus is singing at church. You know what I mean.

I challenge you, the way I was challenged during the conference, to get up each day and ask God, who can I help today? When you see your spouse, ask "What can I do to help you today?" I'll admit, I did that today and I was glad my hubby was on the phone and couldn't see me scowl when he took me up on my offer. Hey, I'm on this journey with you, not because I've got it all figured out!

Despite my sometimes reluctance, I have been putting this into practice, and it amazes me that even though I don't want to inconvenience myself a lot of the time, every time I submit my own selfish desires to God, and go out of my way to help, and I mean without allowing myself one thought of how it could end up helping me later, but just step up and be a help, I get this really cool feeling of joy afterwards. It's like God Himself is saying, "I'm proud of you daughter and I love you." Oh yes, it's good.

Refusal to do our part -  We can pray all day for the Lord to help us out, then go right out the door and start complaining to everyone we meet about how bad things are, gossip about our next door neighbor, blow off bible study, again, and get into a screaming match with the brother-in-law over whose house we'll be holding Thanksgiving at this year, thank you very much, and yet we are surprised when our prayers don't seem to be getting answered.

I'll ask you, at what point is it our responsibility to put on the armor of God and start walking what we are talking? May be we wouldn't have so many problems to pray about if we did more acts of service for our friends and family than acts of instigation. Ouch. What in the world is the armor of God? Let's read Ephesians 6:11 and 6:13, then continue with verse 14 which tells us the armor consists of t_ _ _ _, r_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, the g_ _ _ _ _ of p _ _ _ _, f_ _ _ _, s_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, the sword of the S_ _ _ _ _or the W_ _ _ of G_ _,  and always p_ _ _ ing in the Spirit!

Based on this scripture, what is our part of the bargain, where does our power lie?
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The last hindrance to prayer, in this study at least, is a lack of thankfulness and praise. I thought the following was funny when I heard it, but how true it is: "Don't ask for something new if you are still griping about what you've already got." (Joyce Meyer) The best way to get into a spirit of thankfulness and praise, is to start listing, out loud or in writing, all the things that are going well in your life. Recite the prayers that have been answered; list the blessings you've already got.

If you hate your house, declare your thankfulness that you have a roof over your head, and how about that food in the nice cool refrigerator, and that car that gets you from here to there despite the rust on the side panel? Are your kids healthy? I don't know about you, but I've lost a child and I am even more aware of how fragile life is. I thank God every day for my kids and for every moment I have with them, because there are no guarantees in this life, except one day it will end as we know it.

Number two, forgive everyone and anyone who has hurt you. Ick! Now, I didn't say let them hurt you again. I didn't say tell that it is alright that they hurt you. I didn't say have one more thing to do with people that make a career out of hurting others. I said in your heart, let it go and be thankful God will do what needs to be done about them, and hallelujah, they are not your problem anymore. God gave you the gift of forgiveness for you, not for them. You cannot experience joy if your heart is tied up in bitterness. They may have hurt you that time, but if you keep replaying the woe-is-me tape then you are letting them hurt you every day since! Look, I've got some hurtful people in my past, sometimes they try to be  part of my present, but when I start getting bitter, I start praising God, saying,

"Lord, I am so thankful I do not have to be a part of that situation any more. I am so glad you are working that person's heart because when they face You and see what they have done, oh, their hearts will break from shame. Lord, I thank you for setting me free from that situation. Lord I am so glad I am not alone, and I don't have to be afraid, because at the end of the day, the sun is gonna shine, my family and I are going to enjoy the grass and the garden, my dogs are gonna love me and most importantly, God, you love me."

Do you see what I mean? Let God deal with those folks who just don't get it. That's the blessing of choosing who you spend time with and who you just let step. Forgive yourself, too. We don't go through this life without making mistakes, it's in our genetic code. You and everyone else on the planet, darling. Is it going to turn back time to keep on hitting yourself on the head about it? Apologize to whom you need to apologize, make any amends you can make, then learn your lesson and praise Jesus that you don't have to make that mistake again!

Last of all, put the Holy Spirit in charge of your case. Joyce says when we keep on putting our case before God, telling Him what this person did to us, and how they hurt us, and how we can't get over it, it is like we are in a court of law. She says, put the Holy Spirit in charge of your case, and let Him do His job. Get out  of His way and trust that He has got it handled, in the best way. It might not be your way.

Boy, can I get out my book of suggestions as to how God could handle a person or two in my life, let me tell you. Fortunately, God has plans that are much better than anything I can come up with. As much as it might upset our apple cart, God might actually plan to bring those enemies to Christ! Personally, I hope he sets them down a notch or two on the way to the cross, but that's just me. That's what I mean about getting filled up with the Holy Spirit, left to our devices it's just too hard to show love, otherwise. We need to get it, to give it. Read 1Chronicles 16:34 and Psalm 107:1 and finally, Ephesians 5:17-20.

I thank God for you and ask God to bless you each day as you obey Him and seek Him, and rejoice with you as you find Him! Let's pray in closing:

"Father, thank you for this time we have spent together in your Word. Thank you for making sure we have time each day, distractions are dealt with, frustrations diminished, and inner voices calmed, whenever we seek time with You. Please bless the families of each reader, protect them and lead their decisions as they go about their day. Give us the desires of your heart, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.

See you tomorrow, love, Karen

Photo by Jaimie Duplass, courtesy of photoxpress.com

The second hindrance to prayer

Welcome back to A Good Bible Study!

In the grainy photo to the left, are Lisa Anderson, myself, and Hazel Van Hove at the Joyce Meyer Conference in St. Paul, MN, which ignited the desire to begin this bible study blog.

We are investing time with each other, and with God, as we move through the Joyce Meyer devotional workbook and "field guide," The Revolution."  Let's start again with prayer. I want the Holy Spirit so deeply entrenched in our study we cannot do anything but marvel in the way He moves our hearts to grow in love, and our minds to gain wisdom!

Father, thank you for reminding us to make time with you, the most important time of our day. I am a much more compassionate and patient mother and wife when I have put time with you first each day. Nothing seems worth being upset about when I am still aglow from the filling of your Holy Spirit! In Jesus' name, amen.

I'm going to break this up over several days or this will just be so long your eyes will cross from reading! Let's get started!

Have you read the book, or watched the movie version of "Persuasion," by Jane Austen? In one scene, Mrs. Croft is describing why she enjoyed being with her husband, Admiral Croft, on his ship. She said the only time she ever "imagined" herself unwell, was the time she crossed the ocean by herself, on another ship. Then she was afraid, but "as long as we could be together, nothing ever bothered me." That's the life we can live when we spend time with God and truly seek His input and direction in our lives.

As long as we are spending time together, talking and praying to God, seeking His guidance, appreciating His help and gifts, finding out what we can do to show Him love in return (that's like discovering His love language!) then nothing much can bother us.

I used to know this in my mind, and had glimpses of it when in sincere prayer and praise, but recently, I am experiencing it in such a way that I almost feel my heart will burst with this strange feeling of just wanting to do something loving for everyone, not just those in my house, but everyone! Believe me, I don't get up feeling this way. It's something that kicks in as soon as I start my morning prayer and am thanking God for all the good things going on in my life, and thanking Him for working in all the things that aren't going so great, and for leading my mouth and my intentions today, etc.

I recently went through a period of time when I wasn't spending time with God every morning. Life was fine, even happy, other than the day to day stressors. I wasn't falling away from God, or having a crisis of faith, I was just coasting. Now, Joyce Meyer is no more or less anointed than any other Jesus-loving believer who is called to share God's message of love, but it happens that going to her conference recently gave me an opportunity to dig into the Bible and listen to sincere, practical teaching about my relationship with God, as well as get caught up in the spirit of joy, forgiveness, and worship that seemed to saturate the Xcel Energy Center - for three whole days.

Let me tell you, getting into sincere bible study, singing and praising God with music, and being around people who are determined to demonstrate character, integrity and kindness cannot help but quicken the heart of anyone with even an ounce of desire to know God more intimately.

Sure, it's easy to have an emotional moment during a concert, or in the midst of thousands of praying believers, but what I experienced was more a personal revival, or a revolution. The Revolution message finally got past my head and into my heart, and that's where real change starts, the heart.

Now, some of you need to hear the reassurance that I'm not talking about being in denial of stressors or problems, I'm talking about being less concerned with stressors or problems and more concerned with connecting with the people I love and actively loving them. I am in no way suggesting we not deal with things that need to be dealt with, irresponsibility is not Godly. However, can't you think of some things that you really can't do anything about, yet you think and worry over them all the time anyway, letting these thoughts steal your joy of the life you are living right now?

Turn to Matthew 6:25-34; Psalm 121:1-2; and Proverbs 3:5-6 and record what you learn about Jesus' instructions to believers about worrying:
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Is He saying walk around in the buff and trust God to supernaturally slap some duds on you on your way out the door, a'la "Evan Almighty?" Give me a break. Is He saying not to care if your kids don't have shoes that fit and you don't have a paycheck for three more weeks? No. He is saying ask for what you need, trust that God is working on it, let appropriate people around you know what your needs are so someone can be moved to help, and get on with your day knowing it is alright to be happy in the middle of problems.

Problems do not have to control your mood, your reactions, or your faith in God! Did you hear that? Can you name me a time when your life will not have problems of some kind? Stressors? Disappointments? Failures? Deaths? Conflict? So WHEN, I ask you, exactly are you going to choose to start believing God, believing in His love, receiving it, and sharing it with the people in your life? I'll be happy when is never going to happen, folks.

So, let's be happy today even though there are problems. If you have a chance to be kind today, do it! If you have a chance to do something for someone who cannot do anything in return for you, do it! If you have a chance to be interrupted by a child today, do it! Don't be surprised if you get a little shot of joy in return.

Now, what were those remaining 6 hindrances to prayer that Joyce Meyer talked about? Oh yes, the second hindrance is :

Hidden Sin - Yikes, that hurts. Are you saying God knows the tally I am keeping in my heart of my husband's short-comings??? I'm saying He knows it all, sister! Read Psalm 66:18. It just means that you know if you are holding on to desires for the wrong things, or behaviors that interfere with an honest, meaningful relationship with God. He is going to be more concerned with your seeing it for what it is, and letting go of what is not working so He can  move you forward, than He is with letting you sit in your sin and just making you think it's all O.K.

Look at it this way: when you know your children are lying to you, or doing some things you want them to stop, do you keep blessing them with the car keys or do you set up some consequences to give them an incentive to change?

A common way we sin is through strife in our relationships. Churches have broken up over squabbling and gossip, not to mention friendship and even marriages. The quickest way out of sin is to ask God to reveal to you anything you are doing that is hindering your prayers. If you are sincere, He will show you and when He does, believe me, you will be glad to ask Him for forgiveness and experience the joy that comes with it.

If you have a recurring sin that you have struggled with for a long time, sometimes God sets you free immediately, and sometimes you will gain more from working through it day by day. Start each day asking God for help first thing in the morning. It is often helpful to honestly and openly confess your struggle to a trustworthy Christian friend, Pastor or counselor, and allow them to help you to work towards change over time. Paul suffered with a trial like this, a daily trouble, and he was probably the most influential believer in the Bible! Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Now, ask God if you have been holding on to sin. Ask Him to reveal any ways you have resisted Him in your life. Ask Him to give you a heart ready to change. Write down what you discover here, if you like, and if you have a trusted Christian confidant, tell him or her what you have learned about yourself. Most importantly, tell God you are sorry and ask His forgiveness. It feels so good to release our faults and bitterness, it makes me just want to dance! Let's pray together:

"Lord, I discovered I have been sinning and grieving your heart by:
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I am so sorry for the way I have behaved, and now that I know, I am so grateful you have forgiven me and are opening the doors of blessing on my heart! You tell us to first seek You, and then You will give us all the good desires of our hearts! Help me to remember the first step, the most important priority in my life, is to seek You, and then . . . Make me desire what you desire, and I know my prayers will be answered. In Jesus' name, amen."

Have a joy-filled day and thank you for commenting and sharing with me your insights and the changes God is making in your  life as well! Love, Karen

Links to bible study posts:
 A good bible study - intro
Something can and must change - day one
Why prayer goes unanswered? - day two

Something can and must change!

Welcome fellow seeker,

We are studying The Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, by Joyce Meyer. My day goes best when I start with prayer: Lord, bless this time we spend with you today. I thank you for going before me and smoothing out the bumps before I get there, for giving me the strength to face any temptation in my path, and to show me in Your Word, what You know I need, today. In Jesus' name, amen.

Now, a revolution does not happen until we are no longer willing to live as we have. An upwelling of desire and determination occurs inside of us and we reach the point where change is no longer something we dream of, but something we will  have.

In The Revolution, Joyce is referring to a change in our hearts; to no longer think all day about ourselves and we we want, or don't want, or who is doing what to whom, or that we will be happy when ____ happens and not one minute before, by golly! Instead, we crave an explosion of genuine desire to see what someone else needs, and give it to them, do it for them, or point them to it.

It does not have to be someone a continent away; there are people around us right now in desperate need of an act of kindness: spouses, children, extended family, co-workers, fellow church-members, strangers in the coffee line, even those who are homeless, or hopeless, at home and abroad. When was the last time you really saw someone else, saw their pain, their secret wish, their situation, and showed them an act of love?

The last time I did something kind for someone was ______________________________________________________________________________.

How did you feel afterwards? _______________________________________________________________________________.

When I talk about kindness, I'm not talking about prayer, although prayer is good, prayer is powerful. But too often, we excuse ourselves from taking action by offering to pray, and do nothing more, nothing tangible that is a help right now.  Would it surprise you to know that Christians are seen as hypocrites by many unbelievers? Those who talk a good game but don't back it up with much. Granted, those who do not believe will not understand much of what Christians value, but how often do we act on the core of our faith?

Turn with me to Matthew 22:37. What did Jesus say are the two commandments on which our faith and values depend?
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How do these commandments affect your belief about what is most important in life?
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Do you think God's command to "love," means a feeling or an action? _______________

So often we turn wise words into flippant sayings with no power behind them. Take for example the phrase, "What would Jesus do?" It's on a key chain, a bumper sticker, a t-shirt and a bracelet. What does it mean? Should we make water out of wine, heal the sick, raise the dead, or turn over the tables at a church bazaar? Jesus did all those things in response to the needs of those around Him. Most of us don't have supernatural gifts to heal, and wouldn't consider replenishing the wine at someone else's wedding, much less get arrested at a church fundraiser. So, what if we instead asked, "What can I do?"

We need to stop dwelling on how much we can't do, how big the problems are, and how ineffective we think we are. Everything great was accomplished by one small act at a time. Can you think of one small gesture someone in your life made, that was nothing big to that someone, but made a tremendous difference for you?

When ___________ helped my by _____________________________________________, it made a difference in my life by _________________________________________________________.

My fifth grade teacher, Mr. Reitz, at Dry Creek Elementary in Clovis, California liked to celebrate the talents of his students. As far as he was concerned, we each were talented. George drew pictures of the rock band, "KISS" and Mr. Reitz made a huge show of hanging each piece on the wall; Shelly beat everyone in arm wrestling (including me and I was really fit) and there was a loud party to celebrate her victory that day. Me? I wrote stories. I still remember how special I felt when Mr. Reitz called me to the front of the class to read my latest thriller, "There's  a Shark in my Shower!" Like many of you, I didn't feel special at home but I sure felt special during the two grades I spent in Mr. Reitz's homeroom. Years went by before I felt the call to write again, but the encouragement I received as a child planted a seed that would blossom more than 30 years later. Little things make a difference to a lifetime.

The call of The Revolution is to "declare a war on selfishness, injustice, and oppression" - one small act at a time. A challenge I received from Joyce during her Conference in St. Paul was to find one person each day to bless. Not just with prayer, but with action. I really want to start at home, with the people I love most.

Now, like a lot of you, I grew up in a very frugal household. My family raised almost all of our food, baked our own whole wheat bread and even churned butter from our cow and goats. I never saw my mother buy herself something just because it was pretty, or treat herself in any way. Whenever we wanted to do something special, we stopped by McDonalds or Taco Bell (hence my natural tendency to cook for others to show my love) but always got something cheap on the menu. Cheap was important. We only got one set of clothes for school each year, and to show you how ingrained frugality became, it never occurred to me to ask for another pair of pants till the following August, not even when mine were up to my shins. Nope, not even when I blinked back tears of embarrassment when other kids called me "high-waters."

Now that's certainly not the worst thing to happen to a kid (nor the worst thing that ever happened to this  kid) but it gave me a mindset that has been hard to break. It's still difficult for me to spend money on anything except groceries, but I realize I am operating by a set of unconscious rules that don't always serve the best interests of our family. It hit home when I began to hear my kids refuse some offers of necessary purchases, saying, "Mom, I don't need that, it's o.k." I realized that while I still want to be frugal, I need to show my kids that they deserve more than cheap all the time.

Will this solve world hunger? No, but it goes far towards helping my kids develop of mindset of value, that I value them enough to splurge on the "Blizzard" instead of the small single cone, once in a while. It's what? A difference of a couple of bucks and a world of difference in a child feeling special. I know there are far greater ways to make a difference in a child's life, the point it doesn't have to always be dramatic to be important.

Homework: Today, do something, no matter how small, to be helpful to each person you meet. It might be a smile to a stranger passing by, helping a mom struggling to load her kids and  her groceries, or going out of your way to take a friend to the store. You will know what to do when the time is right. After you've said, "Hello." Ask yourself, "What can I do?

Let's pray: Father, thank you for the seeking hearts on this journey with me. May your Holy Spirit whisper small acts we can do for someone else today. Lord, fill us up so much with your love, that we cannot help but share it with everyone we meet! In the name of Jesus, amen. Love, Karen

Photo by Graur Razvan Ionut, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

A good bible study

A good bible study is starting here today. I invite you to read along with me as I study the Word of God, learning more about the great I Am who is God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. Comment your own thoughts, insights and questions as we move through the lessons together.

The subject is The Revolution, a Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, by Joyce Meyer. I'm so excited to get started and I am happy you are coming along in the journey! A good bible study is one in which the we learn more about God, more about ourselves, and more about the relationship between the two. In addition, a good bible study changes our thoughts, refines our desires, and focuses our vision.

For me, it's just not good enough to read the Bible unless I am changed from within. I expect to have a great a-ha, and ideally, both weep profusely and laugh whole-heartedly, sometimes all at the same time! I want my heart broken as God reveals one more aspect of His love for me, or one more way I have been less than I could have, and less than I will be from now on.

Instead of shame for the flaws and selfish desires that so often rule my choices, I am relieved to see them as they are, and let them go, even throw them away with great force as I receive in turn, a joyful rush of His forgiveness, which I cannot describe sufficiently on these pages. If you don't know what I am talking about, but you want to know, stay with me, for if you have come to this page then, Praise God, it is the right time to find out.

If you know exactly what I mean, you'll be even more excited to travel this journey as we seek God together. After all, He promises if we seek him, we will definitely find Him, Deuteronomy 4:29; and Proverbs 8:17.

Now if you are just not sure what the heck a devotional or field guide is, let me tell you. A devotional is a daily reading that gives insight to God and our relationship to Him. It is a practice usually done in private, so you can think about what you've read and let it sink in, and change your perception and attitude. The Revolution is also a field journal: a notebook or sketchbook used by explorers, travelers, scientists, missionaries, and others who seek to learn more in a subject or area. It is used to record observations, thoughts, methods, results and conclusions, sketches and drawings, etc. along the way.

You may certainly invest in your own copy of The Revolution Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, or read the book on which the field journal is based, The Love Revolution by Joyce Meyer. You can also just follow along with me. Either way, I encourage you to keep your own field journal in a notebook of your own. There is something magical that happens when we put pen to paper. It activates the goal-achieving centers of our brain. Only 10% of people ever achieve their goals, and of those that do, 90% of them wrote the goals down. Amazing!

So, let's start a revolution: "a complete, radical and total change in the way we do things!" From The Revolution, a Devotional Workbook and Field Journal, by Joyce Meyer. Pray with me.

Father, let your Holy Spirit fall on each person reading these words, and open their eyes to see the wonder of all that you have planned for them, in the name of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen
Love, Karen

Photo by Arvind Balaraman, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.