Lucky you, sandwiched between two pilots!

Yesterday I saw a post on Facebook.
"Here we go again, second blood transfusion in a week. Isaiah 40:31"
It was written by a sweet Faithfully Fit sister who now resides over 4 hours away from my hometown. The Lord brought her to our area for a brief time, but time enough for many of us to simply fall in love with her sweet energetic spirit and smile. We have been able to visit her once since the Lord carried her back up the mountain closer to her hearts home. On that trip we prayed for healing. We wait patiently for the Lord to work, trusting in Him.
When I saw this post I went straight to prayer. And then to the Word.
As Christian sisters we get the great opportunity to lift others to the Lord.
Go to Him trusting and believing that He will answer.
 As I laid in bed last night and spoke again to the Savior on behalf of my sister I apologized for my worry. This morning I went back in prayer and in study to find this old devotion written to others in 2012 and now to my own heart. I hope that you enjoy and find the relevance as I did! 
(2/13/2012 Morning Motivation email) 

Good Morning ladies!

I am writing you this from the southern state of Alabama! ...

Before my travels I asked for prayer for this trip. My safe travel, my time with a good friend, my family to pull together everything while I was away. When you ask for prayer or pray yourself what is your expectation? Do you go to the Lord expecting great things? Do you call out to Him with boldness or timidity?

Earlier this year I shared my goal of strengthening my prayer life and after reading through the Word I chose James 1:6 to be my bible verse of encouragement. It states, "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

Have you ever been afraid to ask someone for help? I know I have. This verse helps remove any fear that I have in asking of the Lord to provide for my needs. This verse reminds me to go boldly in belief that He not only wants my requests, but that he will respond. Without that belief my prayers are lifted and without result...blown and tossed by the wind. I enjoy talking to the Lord, sharing my hopes and my fears. And then I like to look for all that He does in response.

It's not always easy to see the results of prayer, especially if we forget to look. Especially if we are not patient and even persistent. But trust me when I say God never fails to answer and sometime His sense of humor shines through! Part of my prayer for my trip was safe travel- remember? Well, my specific prayer was for the Lord to have angels present watching over my flights. As I boarded my first plane I approached my seat and was a little confused. It was a row of three seats and mine was the middle. The window seat was already occupied....by a pilot! I chuckled to myself just a little, but at this point was really just wondering why a pilot would be flying coach. The plane was packed, but the third seat in my row remained unoccupied almost until the last passenger boarded. I was actually considering that I would be able to slide over and couldn't believe the luck of a full plane and an empty seat beside me! But just at the last minute someone boarded, headed toward my row and took that last seat. The passenger dressed in white looked at me and looked in the seat next to me and then spoke, "lucky you, sandwiched between two pilots!" You had to laugh a little and after a moment I responded, "I asked God for angels and he sent me pilots! You do have your wings don't you?" Most of the flight I spent reading and wondering how God could be so good and so real, but how I tend to overlook Him in the daily things.

His goodness continued on my trip. I was the most anxious about changing flights in Atlanta because I had very little time to get to the right gate. The second pilot explained a map of the Atlanta airport to me and told me exactly which direction to turn as I got off the plane. He also reminded me to check the board to see if the gate had changed since I had checked it earlier before my flight....sure enough the gate had changed. My second flight was delayed slightly and I sat comfortably 1 minute before the planned boarding time...God assuring me that He was in control, not to worry, my prayers had been heard and answered!

By the way, I did inquire as to why the pilots were flying coach and not business class or first class. The response? "We used to be up there, but recently they changed that and we only get to be there if the seats are not full."

Take your prayers to the Lord, believing that He is there and will answer. Then look for His response! I lifted my friend in bold prayer before the Lord because He desires my trust and I know He is faithful to answer.

Present your requests before the Lord trusting in Him to answer.

Be watchful for His answer.

Laugh when you see His humor.

Know that He understands your heart.

Love to all- Jodie

 

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me...

Acts 12:11

Let every heart prepare Him room ~ A Christmas gathering with pupose.

It all starts with a prayer to share the joy of Jesus with others

And.................a messy kitchen

 

Each year leads to Christmas.
Month after month, it leads to Christmas.
January, February, March, April...we wait for December. Somewhere around July we think...6 months until Christmas. And October rolls in with pumpkins and leaves we think...it's almost here...where did the year go...it's just about Christmas. And you blink...December.
Last year we started the tradition of a Faithfully Fit Christmas Gathering. Not a party. Not a meal. Not a gift exchange. A gathering. A time filled with love and purpose. Bring glory to the Lord. Fill our hearts with His word. Share the JOY of Christmas. And this year the tradition continues.
We pray.
We plan.
We invite.
We shop.
We pray and plan for all that God has in store. It is always more than we imagine. Because that is God. He is more than we can imagine. More than we can ask.
Months before we set the date. Months before we make the plans. The unique thing about this year...it's moments before that God gives the message and then moment after moment He answers prayers faithfully! He is so good.

I often ask for the message many moons sooner than I receive the message. But I have learned that in the hour that I need the message God will provide. All He asks is that I make a place for Him to dwell and then He does the rest...in His perfect time.

Trust and obey, for there is no other way.

You know the rest.

 

The message is received and we wait for the Joy to fill the hearts of all who come to receive.

 We love the details, the decorations are thoughtful.

The atmosphere is set to draw the senses to the Savior. Prepare a place. A place for others to enjoy, but more importantly, a place for God to enter. A place for God to radiate His love to his children. A place for others to see and feel the Joy of Christ. We pray the words of the angel who spoke to Mary many years ago...let the Holy Spirit come upon us and let the power of the Most High overshadow us.
After much prayer we open the doors and we wait for the Lord to answer...because He will. We pray for a sister struggling with depression to come...she turns down the invitation...at first...then calls later to say, "what time". We pray for a car...a family in need...hours later, it is provided. We pray for a daughter and trust in His care. We pray for a business having technical difficulty, later, we find that moments after that prayer all systems were restored. We pray. He answers. We make a dwelling place and He dwells. Faithfully. He dwells.
God with us. No truer three words.

The door greets...we wait. One by one the rooms are filled with cheer and laughter. The kitchen is bubbling....

Our taste buds watering and the oven is cooking slow...only I know that God is seeing if I can rise to the occasion. Can I handle the pressure of all not going just as I planned? Can I trust in the truth that God has plans beyond my plan? Can I trust in the truth that I do not need to produce, perform or perfect for the Lord to be powerfully present?

I trust.

I trust.

I stand firm. Knowing that my labor is NOT in vain.

 

Words flow forth...the Word is our guidance...we pray for the Lord to fill the space. The space we create within ourselves. Let us be a dwelling place for the Lord. Just as Mary was willing...let us be equally willing to make a room for the Lord within us. Let us trust that "His Kingdom will never end"! Let us be a dwelling place.

Trust. Without fear. Willing and wanting.

Let us simply become a dwelling place. Knowing that when we make room for Him we make space for others. Once we make space for Him he is able to fill that space with gifts overflowing from His love. And those gifts will then flow freely out of us and into a lost world that needs Him...desperately.

We open a space. We make room.

Then we sing, because we want every heart to prepare Him room.  

We light and pass candles. We share the light with one another. We share the Joy.

The Joy of Jesus.

Let every heart prepare Him room!

 

And heaven and nature sing!

Joy to the World!

Blessings this Christmas, blessings ~ Jodie

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." ~ Luke 1:38

Is there anything I can do to help?

He walks in the kitchen and says, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
I was preparing Sunday lunch. The oven was going, the stove top was steaming, the cutting board was out and I was in "full speed ahead" mode.
I answered. "The dishwasher needs unloading".

Pause.

"I mean something I want to do."
"That is not what you said. You said, is there anything I can do to help?"

We exchanged a few more times in jest of the situation. An offer to help, that was really just a polite gesture with no real intention. It was nice to hear can I help. But in this case, on this day, the response my husband wanted to hear was...no, I'm good.

The whole conversation got me thinking of how we come to Christ. We say in our most pleasant voice of prayer, Lord, use me. Where do you need me? What would you have me to do?
And then we hear the answer. We see the road and the clear path to where God would have us to serve and we pause.

That was not what I was thinking God!
Are you sure this is my calling... I really wanted to serve over here.
I want to do this, but that...that takes me far away from everything I know I can do.

Recently, I have prayed some tough prayers. They are tough because I am asking God to take me outside of what I can do alone and I am asking Him to mold me for what He wants me to do. (To unload the dishwasher would be so much easier!) At dinner last night I shared a prayer with my ministry partner...she said,"would you stop praying that!" We laughed together because we knew that it was the right prayer, but we knew it would stretch us.


I wonder. When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples what would have happened if He had first said, wash the feet of your brother?

Would the response have been positive? Would the disciples have been willing to take the dirty feet of another into their hands and humble themselves in such a way? First Jesus "poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples feet" (John 13:5). First, Jesus demonstrated. Then He explained, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will after this" (13:7). Last He instructed.  "If I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (13:14-15).

He gave the example.

When we come before the Lord to ask how He would use us let us come with a spirit of willingness. If the instruction comes and we are uncertain and less than excited to wash dirty feet, let us remember the One who first washed the dirt himself. He does not ask of us what He has not yet first demonstrated, explained, instructed and given us the strength to accomplish.

Pray today and ask boldly and willingly, "Is there anything I can do to help"?