Author Archives: Nannette

About Nannette

Wife to The Sweetheart, Mom to the Fantastic Six, Nana to six of the cutest littles on the planet, Author, The Daniel Fast, A Devotional. UPCI ministers.

I invited God to my party…He didn’t even RSVP.

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I “stole” part of this post from The Sweetheart! He taught last week when we were in Georgia and mentioned the fact that God didn’t show up to his party. Find out what kind of party we are talking about today!

I love parties.
  • Birthdays
  • Anniversaries
  • Graduations
  • Job promotions
  • Bon voyage parties
  • Super Bowl parties
  • Baby gender reveal parties!

The list could go on and on. We love to celebrate just about anything and hold nothing back when we get together to par-tay!

I had a party recently and invited everyone around me. I even invited God. It seemed all of my friends had plans; God didn’t show up either. He didn’t even send a “Respondez, s’il vous plait”!

I was hurt, disappointed and confused. Didn’t God want to join me?

Gideon also wanted to have God join him at his party. 

“And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!'” Judges 6:12.

A man of valor is one who has great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. Gideon may not have thought he possessed this impressive trait but he was about to find out that with God he was unbeatable.

“Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this  happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.'”

Gideon was unsure of himself and his situation. His army was facing an attack from the Midianites and Gideon did not think they were able to conquer this enemy. He was so distressed about it that he even felt like everything he had heard his entire life was just a fairy tale. “Where are all the miracles I have heard about since I was a child? Have we now been forsaken?”

This lets us know that there are still going to be times that we may question: “Where is God?” Or more precisely, “Does He even realize where I am?!”

God, if You are with us…then why?

The reality is there are going to be some tough days ahead. There are going to be some struggles in our flesh. We are going to deal with afflictions and sickness. Our accounts are going to get pretty low, perhaps even red. There will be days that the heavens will seem locked up. We will mimic the cry of Gideon. “God, if it was really you, then why?”

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

I can imagine the Lord was patient with Gideon. He knew his shortcomings, yet He was confident in Gideon’s ability…if he would go in the name of his God. The angel of the Lord didn’t feel sorry for Gideon. He didn’t join with him in his doubt or lack of confidence.

“So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the
weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.'”

The first pep talk wasn’t enough for Gideon. The angel of the Lord called him a mighty  man of valor, complimenting him on his bravery! But Gideon still wasn’t convinced. He mentions his shortcomings and his family’s pedigree. And like we do, he comes up with excuses.

  • I’m not a minister.
  • My father wasn’t a missionary or even a minister.
  • I don’t have a degree in theology.
  • How can you possibly mean me?

But instead of joining in with him, God refuses to come to Gideon’s Pity Party.

And He won’t come to mine either.

pity party

 

God simply reminds Gideon of the mission…and the fact that it isn’t about him…it is about HIM!

Just as Gideon was finding out through his interaction…we must be filled by God in order to accomplish what He desires to work through us! He would equip him, all Gideon had to do was Go.

It is the same for us today. Jesus will not leave us without the tools we need to accomplish His will. But self-pity is downright destructive and will leave us alone and frustrated. No one wants to be around someone who feels sorry for themselves and blames everyone around them for their troubles.

[Tweet “It’s not God’s job or desire to show up at our Pity Parties!”]

If you have compassion, or pity, for others you show them love or help them in their time  of need. But if you turn that pity on yourself, feeling “Woe is me” all of the time, then no one wants to be around you. You are not doing anything to help yourself or fix your problem!

[Tweet “Pity towards others is commendable; pity for yourself is destructive!”]

He wants us to put our trust in Him, in His Word and go in the confidence of the Holy Spirit. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Roman 8:37 NIV.

Are you feeling sorry for yourself today? It is natural, friend. We are human.

Maybe you feel it is justified because LIFE is just overwhelming right now. Nothing is your fault; circumstances just keep piling up and it seems as if all of heaven is against you.

What can you do?

First. Put your confidence in the One who is in control. Let Him handle your worries, your fears; give Him your doubts!

Then Pour yourself into His Word…there are promises in there! Cling to them; make them your own.

Pray. Yes, pray and then pray some more. The more you talk to the Lord the more you will understand His ways, be able to hear His voice and become more like Him. “But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit…” Jude 1:10 NLT.

We aren’t in despair, we are a people blessed with Hope. A hope that never fades but keeps us every single day, no matter what comes our direction. He never leaves us comfortless…He sent the Holy Spirit for that reason. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever…” John 14:16.

Before you know it, you will change that invitation from Pity Party to Praise Party…I promise Jesus will show up at that one.

Blessings, friends.

Kingdom2Sharing with Making your home sing, Amaze Me Monday, Motivation Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Living Proverbs 31, Modest Monday, Monday Musings, Mama Moments

 

Doubting like Thomas?

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There was a disciple who walked with Jesus who said this very thing about our Lord,“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 20:25 NKJV.

He said he had to see it to believe it. But when Jesus showed up He said to Thomas, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29.

We are so quick to jump on Doubting Thomas…but how many of us are so much just like him? We have to see to believe.

When it comes to making money or making a deal with someone, we want to know what we are getting, right? We use all kinds of catch-phrases when we are wheeling and dealing:

A Day Late and A Dollar Short
A Pretty Penny
At the Drop of a Dime
Cash Cow
Cash on the Barrelhead
Chicken Feed
Dollars for Doughnuts
Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels
Golden Rule
In for a Penny, In for a Pound
In a Clover
Keep the Wolf from the Door
Midas Touch
Money Jam
Nickel Tour
Not for Love nor Money
Pay the Piper
Red Cent
Scot Free
Sticky Fingers
The Penny Dropped
Turn on a Dime
Two Bits

And of course, Show Me the Money!

If we can’t see what we are buying, forget it. We’re not even going to make the deal. We have avenues and outlets like eBay, Craigs List, Etsy and a host of other unique sellers, but we wouldn’t buy anything from them if we couldn’t at least see a picture of the item first.

It is so programmed into us to wheel and deal and bargain with people that we have to have everything proven to us FIRST.

But when it comes to our Savior, it should never be that way. We must learn to trust Him, not ask to have everything shown to us.

Trust-Me-hopeinthehealing-1024x775

If we do it God’s way…He says, Trust Me…just simply Trust Me…and He will show us.

Show us what?

He will show us that He can take care of us.

That He is in control.

That He cares about everything in our lives and there isn’t anything that comes our way that He cannot handle…

If we will trust Him…first.

It sounds so easy and yet it is so hard to do sometimes. Our carnal nature takes over and we want to help God fix things. Isn’t that funny? That we think we can actually do things better than Almighty God? The One who created the Heavens and the Earth?

Yes, this earthly flesh gets in the way…but we can keep it under submission by daily prayer and ingesting the Word of God. The more time we spend getting to know Him, the more we become like Him. And the more we know Him, the more we trust Him.

Is there anything in your life that you have been trying to make God show you first? You want to see behind the curtain before you can trust Him?

How about laying down those apprehensions today and just trusting Him? 

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3: 5,6.

Let Him take care of things and you can stop worrying about where all of the answers are going to come from!

“This God–his way is perfect;the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Psalm 18:30.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1.

“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:5.

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.” Psalm 118:8.

“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” Proverbs 30:5.

See the promises in His Word?

You can lean back in your chair and say,”Lord I trust You…You don’t even have to show me.”

 

Sharing with Making Your Home Sing, Amaze Me Monday, Living Proverbs 31, Modest Monday, Treasure Box tuesday, Tell Me a True Story

Who cares!

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Yep, it’s #FiveMinuteFriday again. Today? The word prompt is CARE. Be blessed and share your own thoughts!

Apathy. Lack of interest, concern or enthusiasm.

We see it all around us today. It is comfortable at times to hide our face in the sand. To not want to deal with LIFE and what is going on in our little corner of the globe.

It’s overwhelming, it’s confusing, it’s complicated. Maybe if I just don’t think about it all or ignore it, keep living as if everything is wonderful then all of the uncomfortable will disappear.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV.

Who cares? Jesus cares!

That we might not only have life but have it to the FULL. Other versions say, “More Abundantly”! Overflowing, poured out in our lap, not able to contain…JOY. Not happiness 24/7 but JOY continually. Hope beyond this life, hope in our everyday circumstances and hope that fades not away.

“And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?'” MARK 4:37-40 NKJV

The disciples were convinced they would perish and even more convinced that the Lord did not care! Perhaps Jesus was wanting them to exercise the authority He had given them and speak to the storm themselves? Could we look at the storms in our own lives, believe the promises Jesus has given us and speak to the storm, to the mountain, to the situation and say, “Peace, be still!”

He asked them why they were fearful, He was right there with them. Maybe Jesus wants us to USE our FAITH, believe and speak His Word to the things that come against us.

[Tweet “Be assured that having Jesus IN us is more than enough to combat any storm that rages AROUND us.”]

Will life be a rosy walk with Jesus? No, never without trials, temptations or even tests, but He cares. He promises to never leave us, never forsake us but go with us…even to the end. Especially to the end.

“Cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7.

who cares

Kingdom2