We Plan and the Lord Directs

Good morning everyone! I pray that you have had a wonderful Christmas holiday with friends and family, celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus! As you can imagine, the holiday season around our house has been busy, but very enjoyable. Jeff, my husband, has been home for many days which is a rare treat for our family, and we have enjoyed many wonderful days of restful bliss! I pray that all of your are happy, healthy and safe this holiday season. May God bless you!

Another reason for writing today is that I have been away from this blog for several weeks, soul-searching, spending time being transformed through God's Word, and I have felt as though I was supposed to be away from this for a short while to "regroup." Over the past year of this blog, I watched the readership grow from (2) hits per day, to more than (60) hits per day. The Lord blessed this work of His, and it was wonderful. But...at the end of the year, the Lord began making some very serious changes in the way I think about myself and others. He began to show me that this blog was still too centered on ME and not enough on HIM. I have been in pryaer and study, and have been allowing the Holy Spirit to change me, so that this blog could be a blessing to many. This blog was a plan that came into my mind one day, and I ran with it. I believe it was the Lord's idea, planted within me, but as with every ministry....it needs the fine tuning of God's Spirit.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been burdened in my heart that many who were following this blog would not return. I felt as though they gave up because I had to take a hiatus. Perhaps, this is the case, or perhaps not! But I am here to say that I am going to make another go at this, and I am going to begin the new year with a fresh wave of God's Word and His teaching. That was the original idea that the Lord gave me, but in my own circumstances of life, I strayed from the intended purpose of this blog. There were blog days where I did not even mention a scripture, and that is FAR from what the Lord intended. For my own faultiness, I am sorry...but I am thankful and rejoice in the fact that my Lord never fails! What HE has begu n, HE will continue, and carry on to completion!

I wanted to share with you a message that God has been giving to me through scripture, friends, and my church. He has taught me that we are to submit our plans for life to the Lord, and He will direct our steps.

Proverbs 16:9 (NASB):

"The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps."

Sometimes, we are waiting so long for the God's direction that was just fail to do anything at all. I, on the other hand, tend to step out on an idea TOO quickly at times. I have to learn to wait, others have to learn to step out! But this scripture says we should think on things, plan our way, but we also allow the Lord to direct our steps. How do we do this? Through intimate fellowship and communion with God in prayer. When we are walking with God, He is leading us in every step, and we can make plans and He will bring them to pass. However, when we are walking closely with the Lord, we begin to want less our own selfish desires, and more of His divine will and plan. Therefore, His plan becomes our plan, and He brings it to pass! We begin to meld together as one. This is the close fellowship with the Lord that I hunger and thirst after...but the Bible says that I will be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6 (NASB):

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

Lord,

Today, I thank you for your friendship and fellowship. I thank you for walking by my side through peaceful valleys and mountainous climbs in life. I thank you for taking me through the fires and across rivers. I thank you for the adventure of life that you have given me in You. I thank you that I can wake up each not worrying about what I will do, or where I will go, or what I will eat or drink. I do not have to worry about having clothes to wear. I certainly never have to wonder if there is a purpose to this life. You show me purpose every day, and I am truly blessed beyond measure in everything you lead me to do. I look forward to many more days of following you, no matter where you might lead me. I thank you for listening the plans of my mind, and for giving me the steps to accomplish my greatests dreams and desires, which are yours also. I thank you for saving me from a worthless and meaningless life with no purpose or direction, and yet continuing to bless me during that time with a precious family who loved me. You have used my family to show me unconditional love and I thank you for that! I pray right now, Lord, that you will these readers' lives with meaning the richness of following your will. I pray that you would bless them by choosing them and calling them to have the right to be Your children. I pray that you continue to reveal to their hearts the message of Christmas, the birth of your Son, but also the meaning of His death and resurrection....for their salvation. Lord, I pray all this in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Blessed beyond measure,

Sarah