Perseverance

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,”—Colossians 1:11

When things aren’t happening like we think they should, we tend to get impatient…at least I do. If God is making us wait on something there is a reason for His delay. We have to trust His ways even when we don’t understand them. That is called faith. You have to believe that God knows what is best for you and when and if it should happen.

In Galatians 5:22-33, patience is one of the fruits of the spirit. I will be the first to admit this is not my strong point. I have attempted sock knitting 4 times! I gave up the first time, but after my daughter saw the pair my friend, Patti, made me, she encouraged me to try it again. It helps to persevere when you have another believer giving you wisdom along the way.

How was my 2nd attempt? Frustrating to say the least. Part of the reason is that I have a hard time sitting still with small needles in my hands. However, having an encourager that builds me up when I feel like a failure is what kept me going. Patti has been this friend not just for my sock knitting but in my life too. The easy thing for me would have been to quit trying. This is a tactic that Satan wants us to employ in our life too.

When you are praying about a situation that may seem hopeless, Satan will whisper in your ear, “Why are you even praying about this, it’s never going to change. No amount a prayer is going to change this outcome, so you might as well stop.” “This is too hard, if God really wanted me to do this, wouldn't it be easier? God must not want me to pursue this.” These are all lies that the enemy uses to weaken our faith and draw us further from our Lord and Savior. His goal is to destroy our faith through the trials while God wants to develop our faith through them.

You may be praying about a prodigal child, a loveless marriage, an unfaithful spouse, the loss of a job or someone you love, a broken relationship, an illness…I don’t know what prayer of yours isn’t being answered in your time, but remember that God’s timing is always perfect.

We are equipped with the Holy Spirit to endure during the waiting period. From our human perspective, we see a turtle pace but from God’s eternal perspective it is in the perfect speed. Waiting on God and His timing is not easy. It has been nearly 4 years since the start of my knitting book journey. I have faith in His plan and timing. During the waiting period I can see how He has been growing and equipping me for the book launch in October. He was and is with me on this unknown journey.

Dear Lord,

Help me to walk in faith even when I am not seeing results. Give me the patience to trust Your timetable and not mine. Even though I may not see things moving, I praise You that through Your glorious power, You are always behind the scenes orchestrating Your perfect timing. According to Your Word, You will give me the strength, endurance and fill me with joy on this journey. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.

By the way, the socks in the photo below, I made! They are the result of my 4th attempt! The 1st two pairs I completed, but they weren’t wearable. In fact my second pair, which I thought I could wear, unraveled after I washed them due to some dropped stitches. My 3rd pair were too big and didn’t match. This pair, while not perfect, I did finish and they fit! I figured that with as much money that I have invested in sock yarn, I should come up with an easy pattern that I can do and finish!

June Memory Verse: This verse is now imprinted on my heart and I repeat it every time I start to worry about something.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”—Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

Please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.

Meditating On God's Word

“But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.”—Psalm 1:2 (NLT)

When I hear the word, “mediation,” I automatically think about other religions such as Hindu or Buddhist, but when I did a Google search on what religions practice mediation, Christianity was listed among them. It shouldn’t have surprised be because it is mentioned in the Bible how we should meditate on God’s Word day and night. 

This means, I do more than just memorize my monthly scripture verses. I need to be letting these verses soak into my soul so that I am living them out too. Incorporating scriptures during my prayer time is another way I do this. I specifically pray certain scriptures for me, my husband and my children. One in particular is Hebrews 10:23. This is how I pray it: You are my Father and I know that you have a plan for Pat, Brandon, Mallory, Danielle and I. Please bind us to Your will and teach us to desire Your heart above all else. Help me to hold unswervingly to the hope that I profess, knowing that You are faithful. It is simple practice that helps me to give God’s Word life during my prayer time.

Meditating on God’s Word is more than reading and studying it but dwelling on it as well. By memorizing Philippians 4:6 this month, I am reminded to not be anxious about anything which gives me the power through the Holy Spirit to remove those worrisome thoughts rather than let them take residence in my head. I will repeat that scripture over and over until I am filled with peace and not fear. 

The scriptures that I have been memorizing the past few years are reminders of the strength available to me through Jesus. He is the one that lifts me up when I am down. Have you ever opened a devotion book and flip to one that was exactly what you needed to hear? It is as if God wrote it specially for you. That gives me hope because I know God hears my cries and cares about what is heavy on my heart. It makes it harder to let doubt fill my mind rather than God’s truth. Especially when I feel He is speaking directly to me through a devotion, person or sermon at church. Praise God that He hears not just my prayers, but yours too. Will You trust Him and release your burdens at His feet?

Lord,  I thank You that I have the freedom to meditate on Your Word both day and night. I give thanks that through the Holy Spirit, I am able to change my thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. I praise You that when I allow You to flow through me that I am no longer bound by fear and worry. Help me to trust that you hear my prayers and that Your will and ways are better than the world’s. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.

June Memory Verse:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”—Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

Please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.

Don’t Let Procrastination Steal Your Peace

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 4:6-7

According to dictionary.com, the definition of dread is; fear or apprehension as to something in the future; great fear. Does that resonate with anyone? It does me. The power that dread can have over you is that it will suck the joy out of every moment. Rather than do what needs to be done, you let your thoughts wander to what “could” happen.

We can easily get stuck in that mindset when we have a task before us that we really don’t want to do such as doctor appointments, medical tests, paying bills….Seriously, is there anyone that looks forward to turning 50 so that they can have their first colonoscopy? Probably not, but as soon as I hit 50, I made that appointment so I could just get it over with and not have to think about it. I was just thankful I made it to 50 and that we have medical tests that can detect a possible problem with my body before it is too late. 

Procrastination only causes extra stress or more problems. If you are thinking about putting off that medical test that the doctor recommended months ago, just do it. If the Holy Spirit lays it on your heart to go to the doctor about something and that results in more testing for you, listen to that feeling because the test that is done may be the difference between stage 1 or stage 4 cancer.

I can’t tell you how many people I know that had the “gut” feeling that something wasn’t right and the test that the doctor ordered revealed the early stages of cancer. Had they put that off, they might not be here today. 

It’s not just our health that we may not be proactive about, it could be managing our household. Where I live in Texas, property taxes have sky rocketed. We got our taxes in the mail a few weeks ago. You have until May 15th to protest them. Sometimes, you can have success doing the online protest, which is what I tried first. Key word, “tried,” which means I wasn’t happy with the offer. After I received the online response, I felt God impress on my heart, that I should go the next day and meet with someone. Not really what I wanted to do but it had to be done and the longer I waited the more I would dread going. 

It’s not like it used to be where you would make the 30 minute drive and have to wait anywhere from 2-4 hours to meet with someone. You can call ahead and be put in a que and they tell you when to arrive. I had no expectations going into it. I was hoping to get it lower than the online offer but whatever the outcome, at least I would know I tried. 

I had about a 20 minute wait and during that time, of course, I knit. I was praying that God put me with someone that would have some favor on me. When my name was called, I had a good feeling about it. It was definitely worth my time to go in person. While going to the property tax office might not have been on my list of “fun” things to do for the day, I made a decision to embrace it rather than dread it. It is a choice we all have when we are faced with tasks that we rather not do.

Is there something you are putting off doing because you fear the outcome? I love verse 7 from Phlippians 4. In verse 6 we are told to not worry,  pray about everything, tell God what we need and to thank Him for all He has done. When we do this, verse 7 reminds us, “you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Don’t let anxiety weigh down your heart. When I catch myself letting negative thoughts swarm in my mind, I start praising God for all that He has blessed me with and pretty soon those thoughts disappear.

Dear Lord, 

Rather than face life with fear and apprehension, thank You for the reminder that when I go to You in prayer and let You know what I need and thank You for all you have done that I will receive peace that surpasses all understanding. I ask that any spirit of dread that may be lingering in my soul be replaced with a calmness that exceeds anything that I can imagine. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things. Amen.