The Privlage To Suffer For Him ♡

One of my favorite people in the bible besides Jesus is Paul. Paul had a radical transformation take place in his life when the Lord removed the blinders from Paul's eyes..... Okay maybe I like him so much because that's how Jesus saved me too.

In this scripture Paul is writting from a prison cell sending a letter of encouragement to other brothers in the faith. I love this for so many reasons but 2 stand out the most. First thing is I love how he counts it a privlage to suffer for Christ. Since when do we rejoice in that? So often I am such a weenie I am ready to throw in the towel when life gets hard. I love how they rejoiced in there suffering and I love how even from a jail cell he was encouraging others. Paul had the gift of encouragement and nothing was going to stop him from using his gifts to further the kingdom of God.

Secondly,  I love how he declares that we are all in this struggle together. Don't you just ever feel like you are the only christian who suffers and struggles?  I do. Why is that? The enemy wants us to believe this stupid lie because then we begin to isolate ourselves and then we will be prone to give up. Paul also states that He has struggled and is in the midst of a struggle. Although Paul was in a prison cell struggling he still was working for the kingdom of the Lord!

Do you see why I love Paul. He encourages me.

He encourages me to rejoice in my suffering and to thank God for allowinge me to suffer all in the name of Christ. He also encourages me to preserve in my struggles no matter what I am going through. Lately from my blog posts you may have been able to tell that I am struggling,  and that's ok. Some days are harder then others, but tonight I am encouraged by Paul. I am uplifted in my faith knowing that no matter what, I will serve my king.

Can I encourage you tonight to read God's word. It has some amazing truths that will uplift, encourage and edify you in your walk. God gave these examples to us so that we can learn and grow from our brothers and sisters from times before us. It's history. :-)

A Continual Work

So here it goes... Truth is I have struggled typing out anything on this page. For 2 weeks I have cried at least one time each day. My heart is truly broken. Being a Christian I have tried to find every reason for this. "I must have sin in my life, I must be doing something wrong, maybe I made the wrong choice, maybe I didn't hear His voice". These are all things that have gone through my head trying to pin point simply why my heart hurts.

Why do we always need answers?  Why can't we ever just trust that no matter what's going on it is because the Lord is doing something and not just anything but something that will be for our good and His glory ♡

If my life truly as I claim it to be, is in the hands of God why do I kick and scream when He begins to dig deep in my heart and begin to change things about me?

And ya know, it's not always easy to feel pain, it's not always easy to have your heart exposed and touched. We as believers like to hide our ugliness, that's why often we don't like to get close to one another because then they'll see just what lies in there.

Oh but here is the thing, we are all broken people who need a perfect Savior to rescue and save us. And not just save us but we need to allow Him to do continual heart surgery when He knows it's necessary.

Now let me just say I am undergoing heart surgery right now and I am feeling every pull and tug. Being honest I thought about giving up and screaming from the operating table that it didn't feel fair that I needed to go through this. But then I realized that Jesus went through something much more trying then I'll ever walk through. It wasn't fair that a perfect God gave His life for a sinner like me. But He did and He loves me, He loves me enough to not give up on me. Even when I cry to Him angry and confused He loves me ♡

He loves you too. I just want to encourage anyone who may be going through a difficult time to not give up. When the enemy is whispering doubt in your ear cling tight to Jesus. Remember just where it is the Lord delivered you from and remember that you know you never want to enter that place ever again. The enemy always has a way of making our past without God look glamorous, oh but friends it was hell on earth which is why we cried to God to rescue us. And He did! I am thankful that He loves me enough to never give up on me. I am thankful that I stand before Him and all He sees is the masterpiece He has created.  Why would I give up and quit on a God whose love is indescribable? I wouldn't and I won't!

May you allow the Lord to refine, change and transform your life in whichever way He knows is right.

Love your sister who is Sweetly Broken! :-)

His Masterpiece

Have you ever felt like God was finished with you? Maybe it's just me but I know I have seasons of drought and seasons where I don't feel anything. It's been 10 days since I have blogged and that is simply because I have been in a dry desert seeking after God. I'm in a season where I can't see what's ahead at all. A season where it's time for testing and laboring rather then reaping the benefits of fruit that God brings. Honestly,  it's frustrating, it at times can be depressing.

That may surprise you to hear me say but I think that is a problem in Christianity.  We think if we're not in a season of bearing fruit then we're either not saved or God must be finished with using us. I am growing to realize that there is always a season for everything and no matter what season it is God is doing something with me His masterpiece.

I must trust that during my season of drought and during my season of brokenness and sadness the Lord is using it to do the things He needs to do to me so that I can do the things He planned for me long ago.

Can I encourage you today to embrace every season that you are in. Keep hanging on to the faith we have in His promise To Use everything For His glory and our good.

Today as I am in the desert I am resting in the shelter of covering He is providing for me while I continue to walk into the next season. Friends we serve a good God even when everything around us is not good. :-)


Ephesians 2:10 NLT

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

If I Were To Be Honest....

I have found that it is my hardest moments where I feel like I'm going to snap that I am the most honest with God...

This past week I noticed little seeds of bitterness and anger being thrown my way and to be honest I wasn't sure where they had planted or if they had taken root. I noticed I was really snappy and quick to anger yet had no clue what was going on.

Today during my moment of snapping after being picked at all week I finally blew up. It was the sound of a huge hot air balloon being popped... it wasn't pretty,  I wasn't pretty and I puked up every last bit of dark anger that had crept into my heart. You see, when the Lord tells us not to go to bed angry it's for a reason. Truly we are to search our hearts each night before bed because when we lay down angry or with un-forgiveness in our hearts it takes root :-/ During my moment of snapping I was able to work it out with the Lord, I opened up and was honest with how I was feeling even letting out some ugly stuff about a certain person. No, none of you reading this ;-)

I had shared things with the Lord that I really didn't know were there. You see being a single mom of 3 children is not easy and it was during my honest moment with the Lord He revealed to me why I was so angry.

It's rough walking the narrow path and if it was easy friends everyone would be on it. It's seriously a choice we make not just daily but momentarily. There is always paths to take that look and seem better but we know deep inside they lead down a dark path.

That's how I look at my singleness anyway. There are moments when temptation come that I just want to throw in the towel and say "enough, I can't do this" or times I think about how easy it would be to just accept second best in a husband and father for my kids.

To be honest if I sat here and said it was easy being 28 and single trying to live pure I'd be telling you a big fat lie. ITS HARD!! There are moments when paying bills, taking out the trash, doing dishes, homeschooling kids, being a taxi and doing yard work gets old. The pressure caves in and I want to fold. Times when I scream out to the Lord "how much longer until I see your promises Lord? I don't see the big picture, help me to understand.
 It's during those moments when I hear his words echoing in my heart like today. "Desiree, I see the big picture,  I know what's to come, hold on a little bit longer my promises are really coming."
 Then this scripture came to mind.
Romans 8:25 NLT

But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.

So I will wait patiently and confidently knowing that in God's perfect timing His promises will come to pass. In the mean time growing in patience and long suffering is a good thing. ;-) by the way you do realize when growing in these areas we must actually go through things that cause us to be patient and long suffering right?...

Remember sweet friends before you rest your head open your heart up to the Lord, ask Him to search your heart and remove anything that is unclean in there. Also don't go to sleep angry at your spouse be thankful for them and give them a hug and a kiss goodnight.

And again if I were to be honest the hardest day serving the Lord is 1,000 times better then 1 minute apart from Him. I wouldn't trade this narrow path for any straight path out there. ;-)

Rest well my friends!

Apple Butter For My Dad

It calls for;

• 5 cups of apple pulp
• 3 cups of sugar
• 1 tbs Allspice
• 1 tbs cloves
• 1 1/2 tbs cinnamon
• Half of a lemon juice squeezed in 

1. I peeled each apple then took the core out

2. I chopped it up into pieces about the size of a quarter

3. I placed all of those pieces in my slow cooker (crock pot) on low

4. I immediately added in all the spices, sugar and lemon juice.

I stirred it occasionally throughout the entire time.

5. After 1 hour I took the slow cooker from low to high for 2-3 full hours. (Yours may be different)

What you are looking for is to see a thick dark brown spread something like this

This was the final outcome in the container ready for my dad to enjoy it. It made more then this container however,  this was just my dad's ;-)

My First Attempt At Canning

Simple Strawberry Jam, seriously guys it was not hard but it did cause for some work because it was my first time. This is not my own recipe but I do plan on perfecting my own probably to make it a little healthier. I don't think 7 cups of sugar is in my clean eating diet lol. Anyways I'd like to encourage you to try it, it was delicious. ;-)

Things you will need;

• A box of canning mason jars with lids
• Jar grabber
• Wide-mouth funnel
• A canning pan with rack (Walmart $19.97)

All of these can be found in the canning aisle at any store but I found Walmart was the cheapest. 

5 cups hulled mashed strawberries
7 cups sugar
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 49g package powdered fruit pectin

1. Place 8 or 9 8-ounce mason jars in a large hot water bath canner (or pot). Cover with water and bring to a simmer.
2. Simmer center lids in separate saucepan full of water.
3. Place mashed strawberries and lemon juice in a separate pot. Stir in pectin until dissolved. Bring strawberries to a strong boil.
4. Add sugar (measure beforehand so you can add it all at once), then return mixture to a full (violent) boil that can’t be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute 15 seconds.
5. Skim foam off the top.
6. Remove one jar at a time from the simmering water. Pour water back into the pot. Using a wide-mouth funnel, fill each jar with jam, being careful to keep the liquid/fruit ratio consistent. Fill jars so that they have 1/4-inch of space at the top.
7. Run a knife down the side of the jar to get rid of air bubbles.
8. Wipe rim of jar with a wet cloth to remove any residue or stickiness.
9. Remove center lid from simmering water and position it on top.
10. Put screw bands on jars, but do not overtighten!
11. Repeat with all jars, then place jars on canning rack and lower into the water.
12. Place lid on canner, then bring water to a full boil. Boil hard for 10 to 12 minutes.
13. Turn off heat and allow jars to remain in hot water for an addition five minutes.
14. Remove jars from water using a jar lifter, and allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.
15. After 24 hours, remove screw bands and check the seal of the jars. Center lids should have no give whatsoever. If any seals are compromised, store those jars in the fridge.

      

Folly Is Bound Up In Their Hearts Too

We have all seen it, We go into a store and see a child screaming on the floor for something and we create a judgment that they are spoiled rotten by their parents. We see a teenager acting out or being snooty and automatically assume her parents always let her act like that and they must not have any rules in their house...

I know I have made these judgments in the past. And before I move forward I must say that yes our parenting reflects in our children.  But what if we were always judged in that same standard. For instance every time we messed up someone was there to be critical and judgmental. And Every time we sinned whether behind closed doors or in front of the world everyone looked at God our Father and said "oh ya, he stinks as a parent. "

As I was dealing with sin issues with my two younger children I was so upset with them. I just could not believe they were choosing to make the choices they did. I created all these reasons in my head and blamed myself for their actions. And although my parenting will reflect through my kids I was forgetting the fact that they too are sinners and Just like my sin needs to be dealt with I knew I needed to deal with the sin issues that were in their hearts as well. As I waited to cool off I heard the Lord speak. He reminded me that they have sin bound up within their hearts and just like me they are learning and growing....

After I disciplined them I went to visit them in their rooms to let them know how much I loved them. I prayed with them about their sin issue and we hugged. Through the foolishness of my children I seen myself as well. I realized just how loved I am by my Heavenly Father and how He will continue to discipline me along this journey to teach me His ways and to keep me from harm.

I'd like to ad that although it is not always easy to face these issues of sin in our children's lives it is definitely better to have it revealed then hidden. I am glad the Lord loves us enough to reveal what needs to be fixed instead of turning his head away as if He doesn't see what's going on, because that's not love...

Running but Going Nowhere

There are some people who can just speak truth into your life, my little brother is one of them for me. The other day he tagged me in an article blog titled "Signs You May Be Addicted To Business". Was he insisting I am addicted to being busy? He sure was.

I have said this before and I will share again, I have always been a go getter. A woman who loves adventure. A few years ago when the Lord told me to "Be Still" for 2 years I thought I was going to die to be honest lol. I pictured myself trying to run and the Lord holding me by my shirt, my legs were moving but I was going nowhere.

I am still like this at times ya know. The bible tells us in Proverbs 16:9
A man in his heart makes his plans, but the Lord determines his steps.

I am so glad the Lord is sovereign and determines my steps because who knows where my crazy plans would take me and my family. I know the God of Peace created me a go getter and with zeal for life, all to be used for His glory. Sometimes I get too excited and too busy to remember that He is the God of Peace. The God who loves the quiet time He gets to whisper sweet nuggets of truth in our life. The God who wants nothing else before Him and the God who knows our human bodies need rest for many different reasons.

I am thankful I have people in my life that can lovingly speak truth to me. They know I love the Lord with every ounce of my being and I am prone to wander and place idols before our Lord. Being busy is an Idol for me. It is something I place in my heart that keeps me from that deep most intimate relationship with God. I must remember that the Lord also rested once His work was complete. I must follow after His commands and rest as well. It is needed, and it is good to rest. When I do rest I love it, I am refreshed and at peace with whatever is going on.

Today if you know your business is an idol in your life that is keeping you from hearing the voice of the Lord may I encourage you? Take sometime each day even if it is 15 minutes away from your phone, your computer, your husbands, your kids and even the duties and responsibilities we hold as godly woman and rest at the feet of Jesus. Surely the Lord desires our hearts much more then our works....

The accuser

Last week I had a challenging week full of changes and shortcomings. I started out my new season of being at home with my children, which I must say I am in complete joy and peace with. I guess maybe that is why I didn't understand why I had so many shortcomings. Why was I making those same stupid choices I made when I was not a believer? Why was that old Desiree coming out trying to roar?

Anyway as my week went on and I continued to analyze my heart I kept hearing the voice of my accuser, I kept hearing condemnation day and night, even in my dreams. It was frustrating and for all my brothers and sisters in Christ I know you know this voice well. 

As I was sitting in church Sunday feeling unworthy to even be there I heard the voice of the Lord saying "I am your defense! I have paid the price for your sins and not just yours but  for the entire world as well!

I immediately seen a court case in my head where I seen satan my accuser standing before God the Father shouting aloud all of my sins that I had committed that week, laughing and claiming how unworthy I was. Then I seen Jesus my defense stand before me and told my accuser to be quiet. He said you were there the day that I took the beating for her sins, you were there the day my blood and life paid the price so that she could have everlasting life....

My accuser shut up!!!

From that moment on I sat in church knowing that He paid it all. In Christ I stand before God the Father cleansed of all my sin and white as snow. It is nothing I have done but His work alone. Maybe you had a week like I had, maybe you lost your temper a few times, maybe you thought bad things about someone and maybe you ran back into a sin that the Lord delivered you from. And if so I am certain your accuser was in your ear all weekend. Friend its a new week! Gods mercies are new everyday! Does this mean because we live off of grace we can go on sinning? NO! However we wont be perfect until Christ returns. So on the days your accuser is wearing you down look to Jesus as your defense in court. He paid it all!

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
                                         2 Corinthians 5:21