Turning the devils attacks into blessings

I apologize for not having posted recently. I've been on a hiatus of sorts. I've been so very busy I've been behind on my blog posts & so much else. I feel so negligent. I got to the point where I just wanted to shut down & go away for a little while just to escape the frenzy that has been my life recently, but God is faithful & it has been my relationship with Him that has kept me moving forward.
I just learned that my stepmother is getting sicker (cancer taking yet another member of my family), my mother is getting ready to retire after suffering a mild nervous breakdown, I'm STILL trying to finish moving my office to it's new location, I had a flood in my basement due to a theft of copper piping in my neighbors empty house, I had to plan & lead a graduation ceremony at my co-op, then finalize everything for one years end, and prepare for the next years beginning (orientation being this Tuesday & I needed to prepare 4 classes that I'm teaching next year), my daughters two best friends were in a bad car accident this past Friday (totaled the car) and I've been overwhelmed with counseling several Christian friends on a variety of subjects. Add all of this to my regular work of running a home business, babysitting my 5 year old nephew, dog sitting, keeping up on laundry, yard work, housecleaning, raising my own 6 year old, prepping 3 meals daily for my husband to take to work (done before 7:30 am) and I'll tell you there are days that I feel like Dorothy from the wizard of OZ being swept up into a giant tornado.
In the past, I would have taken such situations and turned them into opportunities to eat. Now, however, I have been taking these situations & turning them into opportunities to meditate & draw closer to the Lord. I find the early morning spending time alone with Him to be my greatest refuge.
I don't know what you are going through, and I don't know what you need, but HE does. He'll be everything & more and He will provide ways for you to get through the ever present storms of life so that you may receive the peace He so longs to give you.

Keeping Your Attitude In Check!

This past week I was attacked regarding an issue at the co-op where I teach. It escalated to a point in which I began to retaliate and I allowed anger to consume me. I was truly out of control within myself, and I could not focus on releasing the anger, as the devil used several people around me to feed it. From the beginning of the point in which I became angry, I opened the door for the devil to latch on to me. I acknowledged to those I had spoken with that I was spiritually weak and I was not handling things properly. Unfortunately, because some of the people I was interacting with are not spirit minded, they did not understand how important it was for me to strengthen my spirit before I was able to deal with the issue in the proper fashion. Those are the people that the devil can use best. It's not that THEY themselves are trying to hurt me. In fact, quite the opposite, some of them love me very much & were only trying to help the situation. Unfortunately, because they are not walking in the spirit, they do not recognize the snare of the enemy. Fortunately, however, I do have one very close spirit minded friend, who knows my heart and encouraged me in the Lord. After talking with her, I spent time in quiet meditation & prayer, and IMMEDIATELY my attitude changed from one of anger & malice to one of humility & love. I was then able to go back & deal with the issue in a calm and rational manner. In fact, I feel that the end result was far greater than I could have expected, and the best part of all is that God received the glory.
Even in a sin filled world we can be lights for Him. By admitting our dependence upon Him, we assure ourselves victory in all we do. When we admit to those around us that we are wretched without Him and allow them to see our faults as human beings, we take the focus off of ourselves & put it on Him, where it rightfully belongs! When we practice humility, our attitude becomes the kind in which God can use to reach those around us.
God truly is good my friends. We can trust Him with even our ugliest sins because He loves & cares for us. Philippians 2:5 teaches, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." In order to develop an attitude like Christ, we must begin by becoming humble and submit to the Father, just as He did.
There's a good article about checking you attitude. You can find it here: Check Your Attitude!

If you're struggling with issues of pride & anger, or any other attitude that has kept you from experiencing true freedom, spend time in meditation & prayer & give it over completely to the Father. You will feel a wonderful sense of peace & a great lifting of burdens!

God bless you as you keep your attitude in check!

Do not abandon your commitment!

I'd like to say I have been on a sabatical, a wonderful retreat in which I become spiritually renewed. I've always wanted to take one of them, but unfortunately it just doesn't work for me. In fact, the past two weeks have been so busy for me I can't even remember what I did each day! You can read more details here: "Sticking with your commitment"
I don't want to repeat myself, but what I do want to say is this. No matter how busy the devil keeps you, no matter how hard he tries to fill your days & nights with work or issues you need to take care of, there is NO reason whatsoever that you have to abandon your commitment. There's no reason you can't find a small space of time to spend with your Lord. He should be the most important thing in your life. He should come first, before anything else. There should ALWAYS be time for Him! He'll take even the smallest increment you are willing to give Him, THAT'S how much He loves & adores you! Without Him, you will never win this fight.

God bless you as you stick to your commitment!