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.

Feelings! Whoa, whoa, whoa…

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Feelings.

Anxiety.
Worry.
Fear.
Panic.
Nervousness.
Peace.
Joy.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
Hope.
Feelings. We rely on them to be certain. “I’m gonna go with my gut.” “I feel like I am making the right decision.”
And if things don’t feel right, we might not pursue a real estate deal, take a new job, or go on a trip.
Feelings involve our heart.

Helen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”

But our feelings can also keep us from excelling, from pursuing, from stepping out in faith.
Our feelings can also get in the way of the voice of God and His Word.
Look at Isaac, Jacob and Esau.
Jacob, with the help of his mother Rebekah, easily deceived his father into thinking he was actually his twin brother Esau, and in the process stole his blessing of receiving a double portion of his father’s inheritance. That meant that when the father, or patriarch, died that all of his property, everything he owned and all of his money was given to his family. But the son who held the birthright, the eldest, would receive twice as much as the other sons.
Jacob had already stolen his brother’s birthright by tempting him with a bowl of stew after he had been out hunting. Esau forfeited his birthright and the blessing by giving it away to his brother Jacob and by marrying foreign wives. “And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.” Genesis 26:34, 35.
So Isaac had sent Esau, a hunter, out to get some game, bring it back and fix him some dinner. After that, he would bestow the blessing of the firstborn upon Esau before he died. “Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” Genesis 27:4 NIV.
While the twin boys were still in their mother’s womb the Lord had spoken to Rebekah and said, “Two nations are in your body. Two tribes that are now inside you will be separated. One nation will be stronger than the other. The older son will serve the younger one.” Genesis 25:23 NKJV.     Rebekah was listening and as soon as Esau left she began to connive with Jacob, her favorite son, to receive the blessing instead of his older brother.  “And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” Genesis 25:28.     Esau’s name means hairy, and the name Jacob means heel holder, or one who takes the place of another. Some definitions also say it stands for Deceiver!
Jacob wasn’t so sure about the Great Deception and pleaded with his mother,  “’But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.’ His mother said to him, ‘My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say…’”
Isaac was very old; his eyesight was not good at all so Jacob and Rebekah decided to make Jacob smell and feel like his brother, Esau. Jacob, on the other hand, was fair skinned. Rebekah prepared the food just as Isaac like it; she also borrowed Esau’s clothes and put them on Jacob. Then she took the skins of the goats and somehow attached them to Jacob’s hands and neck. They prepared, connived and worked together to pull off one of the greatest (and most heartbreaking) rip-offs in Biblical history…
When a person has lost their eyesight, they will then rely on other senses to see for them. Jacob went in to his father and Isaac immediately sensed something was not right. He HEARD Jacob’s voice, not Esau’s. Look at what he said to Jacob as soon as he walked in the tent:
“How did you find it so quickly, my son?” Jacob was quick with a reply, “The LORD your God gave me success.”
Isaac needed more assurance that it was his firstborn. “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
Finally he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” The Bible says he didn’t recognize him because his hands were hairy like his brothers so he began to bless him. He must have been uneasy because he stopped and said one more time, “Are you really my son Esau?”
He smelled Esau on his clothes, he felt Esau on the goatskins made to feel like his son but he didn’t listen to the voice…Jacob obviously wasn’t doing a good impression of his brother!
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We all do it. We think we know what is best, perhaps we even desire a different outcome than what we think the Lord will give us through prayer so we connive and deceive to get what we want, just like Jacob and Rebekah.

Was this God’s plan or did Jacob and Rebekah decide to help God along?

History reveals Isaac to have been about 135-137 years old at the time but that he lived another 40+ years!
Other times we want to believe, we trust and rely on our feelings, our situations, or our surroundings to confirm to us that we are in God’s will or are doing the right thing at the time.
But we ignore the Voice of God or His Word.
[Tweet “The Will of God never contradicts the Word of God!”]
The Lord had promised Rebekah that the elder would serve the younger but she took matters into her own hands instead of reminding Isaac of the Lord’s promise. We know Isaac preferred Esau and either went along with the deception so he could blame it on Jacob or was so set on giving the blessing to his firstborn in spite of what the Lord had said. (Even though he knew he had married outside of the faith and had given away his birthright). This trick caused Jacob to have to move far, far away from his family because Esau was determined to take his life.
Our feelings can get in the way of our faith. Faith is just what Hebrews says it is, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.
The English Standard Version says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
[Tweet “Feelings will fail us but faith will sustain us even in the darkest of times!”]
The Bible reminds us that we walk by faith, not by sight; not by how we feel. If our relationship with God was based on feelings…what a mess! As humans, we are up one minute and down the next, and it doesn’t have to be that way. We can put our full confidence in the Word of God and know that in every situation, even when we can’t SEE the outcome, the reasoning, etc., we KNOW that God is in control.
It doesn’t matter what you feel or what I feel, what matters is the Word of God and in that, my friend, we can put our trust.

Kingdom2

DF cover side viewDon’t forget your copy of The Daniel Fast, A Devotional. Great for ANY FAST or prayer journey. On Amazon in paperback and Kindle and Barnes and Noble too! Be blessed!

 

 

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Lose the Cape!

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The reason some of us strive to be superhuman is that we are forever trying to live up to the expectations of certain key people in our life. We can’t say “NO”! Is it hard for you? Come on, try it! Say it with me, “Nooooooo!”  Maybe you can learn that it is okay to actually not have to be Superwoman or Superman all the time.
There was only One person who saved the world and you’re not it.  A good friend recently told me I needed to do this myself…..Lose the Cape!
It began with our parents; we wanted to please them at a very young age. We came home with our report cards, always seeking the perfect A. All A’s was the ultimate goal. Even though our parents said they wanted us to be happy and to “just do your best”, we still felt that drive to over-achieve. It was in our nature. Whatever we did we felt like maybe it wasn’t good enough.
Then it was other teachers, peer groups, supervisors, professors, husbands, wives, co-workers, and on and on it went. The pressure was always building to be perfect and take on more and more. There is still a drive to become superhuman, to be all things to all people. It can be overwhelming!
Maybe you are able to leap tall buildings and you are faster than a speeding bullet, but if you are not taking care of yourself you are no good to anyone.
Women are especially bad about this because it is in our nature to take care of everyone else first. That is a good attribute to have but if you don’t love yourself first, and take care of YOU, then you cannot possibly take care of anyone else. You can’t give what you don’t have!
Of course first and foremost, in taking care of YOU, that quality time with God goes a long, long way in giving you peace of mind, self-control, security and happiness. Then you have got to make some time for yourself, even if you have to schedule it in.
You may first just try tucking the cape inside your shirt. Train yourself to say, “NO!” Sometimes you just have to set limits. You cannot be all things to all people all of the time. There is a reason why on an airplane they tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself FIRST, and not on your child. If the plane was going down and you put the mask on the child first, you might not have time to put it on yourself and the child would be left without anyone to take care of them. But if you put it on yourself first, you would then be able to put the mask on the child as well.
Sometimes we need to take a look around us and regroup. It is good to be taken care of by others who care about us. We need to learn to receive because we are letting the one who is helping us know that their love is worth something. It doesn’t mean we are weak and frail at all! We have been the giver, now let someone else bless us in return.
lose the cape
You are doing your best to pray for your family, your children, your friends and co-workers. You are concerned about others around you, their health and finances, and you pray for their children who are away from God and struggling to make it on their own. The Bible even tells us to: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2.
But there is a limit to how much you can take on; you cannot fix everyone’s problems. Don’t try to be Superman or Superwoman!
[Tweet “God doesn’t expect you to save the world; let Him take care of that.”]
I have a secret for you:  He is much better at it anyway. He has it all in control and you know what? He can do it without you! Did you know you can actually lay your head on your pillow at night, give your burdens to Him and not have to WORRY? “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7.
If you are taking on too much and feeling overwhelmed, reach out. Find a friend, co-worker, pastor, pastor’s wife, someone who can listen and help. Sometimes just sitting down and talking helps.
At home, set limits. If you have teenagers make sure they are doing their share. The biggest mistake a parent can make is to not teach their children responsibility.
Your kids should know how to do a load of laundry and wash dishes. It won’t hurt them, no matter how much they whine about it. Teach them how to cook, how to clean. Even your boys. They may live on their own one day, and then what will they do? Besides that, you should not be walking behind them every minute picking up after them; they should be pulling their own weight. Lose the cape!
In your social life you have to give a little as well. Woman want to feel needed and admit it, we also want to be liked. We have a tendency to want to do things our way. Just because others may not do things the way I would do them doesn’t mean they do them poorly. I need to step back and delegate and then let go. Give them their wings! This gives you the chance to do other more important tasks and keep your sanity in the process.
Did you know even Superman was vulnerable? When he took off his cape he had to have close human contact just like us. He needed to be comforted, loved and he needed intimacy.
What would it be like to take off that cape….forever?
Look around and see who it is you are really trying to please and seeking approval from all the time.
Where in your life are you trying to be Superhuman?
Ask yourself what you are trying to prove?
Let go of that need to please, lay down that load and quit trying to be everything to everybody all of the time.
Start trying to just please God first, love your family, take time for YOU and give yourself a break.
You only have one life so do it now….lose the cape!
Kingdom2

 

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Take it

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I never would have dreamed I could fall in love with a bulldog. I didn’t grow up with pets in the house; my mother did not allow it. (Except for the one time our beautiful Irish Setter somehow got in while we were gone to church. When Mom walked through the door, there he sat on her new living room chair, proud as he could be of his burglar techniques!)

Carrying that clean-freak trait with me when I got married, I couldn’t imagine having a pet in the house, nor did I dream my kids would either.

Enter Kristopher. He has a problem. He is a neat freak too. Mr. Clean, we call him at times. He might get busy and things get a little cluttered every once in a while but it will drive him crazy until he can deep clean and put things back in order.

Enter Eisley Quinn.

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This little bundle of short fur has changed everything. Kristopher wanted a dog for the longest time and finally took the plunge with Eisley, a registered English Bulldog.

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Eisley was the runt of the litter so thankfully, she is not going to be this 100 pound old dog sitting on the couch with the remote in her hand in years to come. She is still adorable. In a bulldog kind of way.

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Kristopher has taught Eisley a few tricks and is doing his best to instill some manners in her. Sometimes he is successful, sometimes not so much.

One trick that he is especially proud of is at meal time. As soon as Eisley hears her bowl being filled with delicious nuggets of doggie heaven, she runs. Literally. But when she arrives, all in anticipation of the flavors of chicken, tuna and rice that she is about to experience in a gourmet meal, the wind is taken from her sails when Kristopher says, “Sit.” Sternly.

So she sits. She waits. A little impatiently but she waits. He might have to point and repeat himself as she slyly edges forward a bit. But she sits.

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This part drives ME crazy. I want to give in, just let her have her food for crying out loud. I remind Kristopher I would never have made him wait for his dinner.

Then all of a sudden, with Eisley’s eyes locked on her master, he says those coveted words:

Take it.

Boom, she is on it like no tomorrow. She doesn’t just saunter over casually and sniff around. She takes it! She zooms in on it and devours what she has been blessed to have.

I’ve thought a lot about those two words this week.

Take it.

We have been blessed in so many ways as the people of the Most High God. He wants to give us even more spiritual blessings and power that we cannot contain. It is ours but we don’t take it.

With the power of the Holy Ghost residing within us we have that same power that Jesus used to raise the dead, heal the sick and set people free from the bondage of sin. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  ‘Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.’” John 14:12-13 ESV.

We limit the power of God every single day. Either because of lack of faith, confidence or sometimes just pure laziness, we fail to tap into the resources He has left with us. Look at those words again, “The works that I do, he will do also.” Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ!

But there is more. He said GREATER WORKS than these would WE do in His name so that the Father would be glorified.

What can we believe Him for today? Do we truly want an outpouring of His spirit in these last days? Do we want to see our friends and loved ones saved and ready to meet Jesus? Do we want to have the power to overcome (we’re going to need it, friends!) no matter what is sent our way? Do we want to have enough of the Holy Ghost within us to even lay down our lives if it is necessary?

Jesus holds all of that power in His hands and He is holding it out for us as a gift. It belongs to us according to His Word.

Revival.
Friends and Family saved.
Needs met.
Signs and wonders. (His Word declared we would have them!)
Miracles of healing and deliverance.
Strength to overcome in these last and evil days.
Joy unspeakable!

It is ours for the taking!

Can you imagine a parent holding out a beautifully wrapped present to their child and them just standing there trying to decide if they have the energy to reach out and grab it? No! That child trusts the mom or dad with the gift in their hands and isn’t about to turn down a free doll, truck, game or new underwear!

Can you imagine the frustration of our Lord in these last days? There we stand, caught up in worry, stress and busyness that we don’t even look to Him for help, nor do we realize He is standing there with the answer.

May we realize our place today, the  most exciting time to be alive and to be The Church! God has not called the disciples to be here in the endtime. He has called you and me. Let us rise to the occasion, in anticipation like Eisley, knowing our Master has trained us, equipped us and given us all we need to succeed.

Take it!

take it

Kingdom2

DF cover side viewDon’t forget your copy of The Daniel Fast, A Devotional. Great for ANY FAST or prayer journey. On Amazon in paperback and Kindle and Barnes and Noble too! Be blessed!

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