KICK UP YOUR HEELS AND FEEL JOY!

Featured

“I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart – where? Down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart. I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart to stay.”I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart – where? Down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart. I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart to stay.”

Like many people, I have my good days and my bad. But there have been times in my life, when I feel more calm, when I have more patience, I’m more loving, more kind, more generous. I try to be all those things in my life all the time, but there are times when it just comes more easily and I’ve finally figured out why. It’s the times I’m reading my Bible on a daily basis. Now, I know that there are many people who will scoff at this and say that the Bible is a book, just like any other. And I know a lot of people who consider themselves Christians who don’t feel the need to read the Bible because they go to church or believe in God and “that’s good enough”. But hear me out, because I believe this with every fibre of my being – the Bible is a living document.

What do I mean by that? I mean that the Bible is one of the ways God will actually speak to you. That you will get something different from it every time you read it, and that it has the power to change you. There were so many times during the building of our farm that I struggled with something, only to find the answer almost highlighted in bold for me in my daily Bible reading. Don’t get me wrong, it is so easy to push it into the “round-to-it” category. And I totally get that the Bible is a daunting book, so here’s what I propose…let’s read it together. I’ll show you how I do my devotions and I want to hear from you, the verses that speak to your heart. I have found the secret for me, is that I have to make it first – before I open up Facebook, or email, or answer my texts.

There is a voice in your head right now that says you don’t need to read the Bible. I want you to squash that voice. That voice is very real and that voice doesn’t want you to draw closer to God. That voice wants you to stay right where you are. For the next few days you are going to have to fight that voice so hard. Maybe for the next few weeks. So click on this link, put it in your Bookmark Toolbar and every morning, grab your cup of coffee and before you click Facebook, email, or even check the weather, click on it and spend 5 minutes with God. See if it doesn’t change your life too.

Why are diets so hard?!

Featured

I am finally starting to get back into a routine of reading my Bible every morning. Has it ever happened to you. You think to yourself, I’m good with God, I can take a day off, and so you skip a day, the next week maybe you skip two and before you know it, sitting down and spending time with God on a daily basis isn’t part of your routine, but something that you might not even remember to do. I don’t know why things that are good for us are so easy to let slide, but things that hurt us are the easiest things in the world to keep doing. Ask anyone who’s ever lost a significant amount of weight through diet and exercise. Eating healthy and working out feel so good when you are doing them, but take a week off and it can feel like climbing a mountain to get going again.

I know a lot of people who believe in God, who love God don’t necessarily sit down with their Bible everyday, my parents are prime examples. They go to church, they love God, they live good lives. But as someone who has read through the good book a few times now, if you aren’t reading the Bible you are missing the chance to be reminded by God how much He love you. Here are the passages that were part of my readings over the past few days.

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Let us then approach the throne of grace with conidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

“You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Psalm 86:5

Now maybe these verses aren’t speaking to you, or maybe they are, the point is that they spoke directly to what I was feeling this morning. You will be astonished to see how often a verse you read in your daily devotions resonates with what you are going through in your life. That’s the power of God’s word! But let’s be honest here, the Bible is a big freaking book. How do you even know where to start? There are so many amazing resources out there on Pinterest and the internet, but to help you get started, here are links to the ones I’ve been using lately. (No I don’t get money for this).

Just like a starting a habit of healthy living to get ride of those extra pounds, starting a habit of daily time with God can help you get rid of all of the extra “stuff” your heart and soul are carrying around.

Surrender yourself to the experience of being spoken to by your heavenly Father through his word. I promise you won’t regret it.

God bless,

Meredith

https://www.facebook.com/victoriouslivingblog/