More Than You Can Handle

The other night I was in bed reading Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure and in Chapter 16 she referenced some verses from 1 Corinthians 10 and it really got me thinking. This verse has come to mind many times over the years and because of something I read some time ago, I have learned to look at it in a different light.

Anyhow, folks always talk about taking scripture out of context. Reason it happens is cause they will use the bit that suits and pay no mind to what comes before or after. Oftentimes leaving out some very important information. Which brings me to the verses I came across and the one folks use a lot. They say "God will never give you more than you can handle" then they leave it at that. Guess what y'all, there's more to it!

My personal thought goes like this: ok, GOD will never give me more than I can handle however, the things I go after on my own and pile on my plate that aren't His will for me are often what give me trouble. And that there is absolute truth.

Now let's look at what it says in 1 Corinthians 10:11-13:

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 13 And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

WOW! I could dig deep into verse 12 cause I got a big testimony for that, but my focus right now is verse 13. Did you read it in it's entirety? I'm sure you did but read it again, slowly and let it sink in for a moment. Do you think we have been missing something? Two big words here: BUT WHEN. This verse isn't just one sentence but two! You can't have one without the other, they are equally important. He will provide a way out so we can stand up under it, can I get an amen? Here's an excerpt from Reshaping It All that pretty much sums it up:

"God doesn't always provide the easy way out. He doesn't promise that life will be a breeze or free of temptation; in fact temptation is something we can always expect. But what He does promise us is this: He'll always provide a way to escape. There's always a way out..." C. C. Bure

Temptation... thanks Eve for mucking it all up for us LOL It's been with us from the beginning and will be with us til the end. No one is immune to it; no one is perfect; we all fall short. I firmly believe that God wants the best for us but sometimes (oftentimes) we gotta work for it. I mean really, if he just gave it to us, how would we learn all these amazing lessons? He knows what our limits are; he knows the areas where we are weak.

Just look at Job. Even my worst day is like gumdrops and candy canes compared to a day in the life of Job! If God allowed Satan to mess with Job, a man who he noted as being the finest man on earth, blameless and a man of complete integrity, then how can we stand a chance? But we can. Just as Job was an overcomer, we will be too because God is faithful. He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us, but oh how He will test us along the way.

Well, I think I may have run a bit down a rabbit trail there but I think you get what I'm saying. There are things that we do that are in God's will and a lot that we do outside of His will. How we handle what life throws at us comes down to perspective. We can either allow life to keep dishing it out til our tray is so full it's about to crash to the floor or we can do a little soul searching, exercise determination and ask Him to show us a way out... a way over or a way through.

In conclusion, these are just my two cents. As always, when we hear any sermon or Word spoken, we should go to the source (the Bible) ourselves. See what it says, see how God stirs your heart when you read it. Five different people could read the same verse and all walk away with something different. You may ask, why is that? Here's my answer. God speaks to us through his word. We are uniquely made; we come from different walks of life and aren't all planted in the same season. His word speaks to us as individuals, in our present time and circumstance. What one verse means to me today might mean a completely different thing for me 6 months from now. The most amazing thing about His Word is that it never comes back void! The more we read it, the more we glean from it.

In speaking about the Bible, Christopher Abel's professor said: It is alive. It desires to be known. It dares you to chase after it, pursue it and immerse yourself within it. So do not take it lightly. Spend time with it. Get to know it. It is complex and mysterious and deserves your time.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this though and see what God has revealed to you about this particular verse. Comments and input are always welcome.

Blessings in Christ,
Brandy

Want or Need?

Today I listened to a great sermon on wants, needs and being content. It really got me to thinking about my life, my choices and where I'm presently at. Pastor Randall pointed me to several scriptures that I have read more times than I can count and in a nutshell stated that God is the source of ALL our needs. My conclusion to that statement is that, He will meet those needs IF we seek His Kingdom first. I think those of us who are Christians know this to be true. Yet so many times we fall away from what we know in our hearts.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I'll be honest with you. Today was the first time I opened my Bible in over 2 months and it was the first time I heard a sermon in almost 3 months. It doesn't mean that because I have slacked off that I'm not a Christian, it just means I'm human and I have fallen prey to the business of life as most of us do. The good thing is that God continually offers his grace and always finds a way to gently nudge us back where we need to be. 

What exactly drew me to Cross Point Community Church's website this morning I'm really not sure. It's a church I attend several times a year. Not because I don't like it, rather I would love to go there regularly. But it is a 2+ hour drive from my town so I only get to visit it when I happen to be spending a weekend at my sisters house. Anywho... I went to their site and clicked on the "Messages" tab and stumbled upon the "I Need" series. To tell you the truth, I'm thankful I did. Isn't it funny how when you've been away from church for sometime and then you decide to visit or listen to a sermon that it is ALWAYS just what you need to hear at that moment in your life? Well, I don't know if it's true for you but more times than I can count it has been true for me. 

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

After listening to I Need... the Truth I have realized two things:

1. While we want more money so that we can get out of debt, I realize that the jobs we have provide enough money to cover our expenses and we are not struggling; therefore we have what we need.
2. While we want to get out from under the house we are in (because of the circumstances that surround it) and get a new one, we realize that what we have suits us just fine. It provides a roof over our head, it's plenty big for the two of us, there are no holes in the ceiling, walls or floor and while it may not be what we want for our life right now, it provides all that we need and we have learned to be content. 

I'm sure if I took more time to think on this before writing this post I would have come up with a few more things but as I look back over the last few years I would have to say these have remained the top two. And I think to have what you need in these two areas is truly a blessing. Especially when you reflect upon our society today and see how many people are jobless, homeless or both. 

Thankfully I have never really been one to live outside my means. I've never felt the need to have the trendiest clothes in my closet or the dopest shoes on my feet. And I certainly don't have the urgency to waste my hard earned money and hours of my time standing in line just to get a phone that has a few more features than the one I have now when the one I have now still works perfectly fine. Ok that one may have been more of a rant LOL I think you know where I'm going though. Why do we have to always want the top of the line things when in reality what is considered average or basic is often more than enough to meet our needs?  

Matthew 6:8b

...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

I encourage you to take some time today and have a look at your life. Realize that there is a difference between want and need, then ask yourself what it means to be content. It all comes down to realizing one thing: prayer is the vehicle to managing your needs. Don't allow money to become your god; instead ask God to be your God and step into the future he has waiting for you.

Love y'all, go forth and be blessed! ~Brandy 

The Battle Rages On

A little over 6 months has passed since my last blog and I am ashamed to say that I am back in the same place I started all those months ago. Yes I am still fighting this battle with food and my addiction to it. As I sat down to write today, a lyric popped into my head.

I'm in a war every minute, I know for sure I'll never win it, 
I am David up against Goliath, and it's a fight...

That's exactly how it feels. Like I am up against a giant that from where I'm standing looks impossible to defeat. That's how it looks, but in my heart I know that's not true at all. I can take him down, I know I can cause I got Jesus and he is all I need to conquer anything. Yet still I fight and I struggle on a daily basis. Despite what the lyrics go on to say:

'Cause You are, bigger than any battle I'm facing
You are, better than anything I've been chasing
Saviour and Royalty, the only hope for me
Jesus, You are, You are...

Yes, Jesus is way bigger than this battle I'm facing. He is way better than what I've been chasing. He IS the only hope for me. So why am I still stuck in this same place? Oh how I wish I had the answer. I feel like such a failure for not being able to tackle and take down this addiction. Why is it so hard to stay committed to healthy eating and exercise? I'm tired of fighting this battle and always ending up a loser. 

On a good note, my spiritual health is improving. I had been looking for some time for a women's devotional Bible and had come across several that I liked but wasn't in a position to pay the asking price. Well I happened to visit the Christian store this past Monday and found one of my picks for 50% off. My new NLT Sanctuary bible has been such a blessing! You see I don't just have a hard time committing to getting healthy. I also struggle with being in the Word daily and having that quiet time with the Lord that I so very much need. I'm happy to say though that I am 6 days strong in the Word thanks to the daily devotionals and I'm working on reading it from cover to cover for the first time ever. It's true, in my 13 years of knowing Jesus I have never read the entire bible. Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament several times but have yet to get through all the books in the Old Testament. In light of the struggles I just shared in the area of my spiritual health I guess I just answered the my own question LOL Why am I still stuck in this same place? the core issue is failure to commit. 

Lord, I need your help. Show me the error of my ways. Teach me how to walk in obedience. You know my struggles, you know where I'm lacking. Help me be the kind of woman whose yes means yes. Help me commit to you by being in your Word daily and having quiet time with you. I know that in order for the other things in my life to fall into place it requires putting you first ALWAYS. I am certain that once I learn to walk in obedience to Your will and Your ways then and only then will I see the other areas of my life begin to change. It all starts with you Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

You Talking to Me?

I was going to title this "Attention Please" but I figured after yesterdays post with all the talk of how needy I am at the present time, that it wouldn't be a good way to start and might run people off LOL

So a little after 7 this morning I get a text that wakes me out of bed. Well not really, I was already awake just wasn't sure if I wanted to put my feet on the floor yet :) The text was simple: Psalms 121:1-3. I throw my feet over the side of the bed then make my way across the house to my computer room figuring if God is going to send an angel to throw me a lifeline this early then I need to be up and at 'em. The scripture was one I knew, at least verse 1 and 2 but the 3rd verse I never managed to remember but it is oh so important! 

Psalm 121:1-3

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

How wonderful to know that we are so important to God that he is watching out for us 24/7? Not that I didn't know it already, I guess I just see it in a different light now. And he will not let our foot slip! Total confidence booster if you ask me. The way I see it is this... if we do our part (lift our eyes to Him, trust Him, seek Him daily) then we can be confident that God will do his part (help us, keep us from falling). 

Now it's 11am and I'm about to get my worship on with all my peeps at Living Hope. We do a super speedy rendition of "I'll Fly Away" and from there transition to "Always" by Kristian Stanfill. Not thinking ahead to what the words in the song are I just start singing my heart out as I always do. Voices are uplifted in praise and then there it is, right there on the screen:

I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord

Back the bus up! That is the exact scripture that got me out of bed this morning and now 

here it is again? I smile and say to my husband "you think God is trying to tell me something?" Then it dawned on me that even though I have been praying about my struggle, I haven't been looking to God enough for help. That I have spent more time trying to work this on my own than relying on Him and His strength. Well no more of that!

Yesterday was a new beginning. Last night God showed me why I am still in bondage to this addiction... a story for another day. Today He gave me new hope. 

Thank you Lord for the people you have placed in my life and for the work that you are doing in and through them; how you are using it not just to bless me but to bless those around me.

Love y'all ~ Brandy

If you can't see the video that is posted below, click here to watch Always by Kristian Stanfill

I Will Beat This

I was googling some scriptures online this morning to help me with an addiction that has held me captive for far too long. Food addiction. I absolutely have no control over what I eat and how much I consume and I'll be honest, it scares me. You would think that would be enough for me to fight with all that is in me, but it's not. They say food addiction is the hardest to overcome since food is needed for sustenance. Not that I prefer to have another addiction instead of this one as all of them come with their own struggles. 

I have tried time and again to get control over it, not just on my own but on occasion with the help of others and through God centered bible studies. I do good for about 2-3 weeks then a craving gets hold of me and I give in. Within a few days I am completely off the wagon and right back where I started. It is a very destructive cycle. The older I get, the more concerned I become that I haven't been able to get a handle on this.

For me it's not about being thin, it's about getting healthy. Right now, that's a long way off. At this point I would be satisfied just to get out of the obese range and into the overweight category. But I struggle daily and am unable to get a grip on it. I have no off switch; no sensor that tells my brain to stop eating; no feeling of full which all contribute to my current state of being. 

I know it pains my husband to see me like this; to see me struggling and not able to do anything for me; to see me emotional and not be able to comfort me. He too seems to be at a loss on how to help me. 

Back to the "googling"... 

I already knew one verse and where to find it. Matthew 4:4 says that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. The other that came to mind was from John 4:32 where Jesus says that he has food to eat that they know nothing about. It was this second verse that lead me to a page at Heartlight Magazine and there I found these words about this scripture:

"Jesus had real food, food that sustained his soul and not just his body. While food is greatly valued by Jesus and his disciples, we must always remember that Jesus is trying to open our eyes so we can see the real food God longs to provide us. The same power that sustained Jesus can sustain us. Let's find that food!"

Following that was a prayer:  

"Open my eyes, dear Lord, and help me see what is important. Turn my heart to your will, your Word, and your Spirit for I know that only these can truly nourish me and sustain me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen."

My hope is to take what I learned today and use it daily. I have written the prayer on an index card and plan to carry it with me. So when I want to eat the bag of chips sitting in the kitchen just because I can rather than out of hunger; when I'm at the store and want to buy a box of donuts and go home and scarf them all down because I love how they taste; when I want to eat a second breakfast cause the first one I just finished didn't satisfy me even though I know I got enough calories from it to sustain me... I can pull the card out of my pocket and read it. Even if it means standing in the aisle at the grocery store reading it ten times over to give me enough strength to realize that what I am craving is not what I need. And if I'm at home I can read it then pull out my Bible and read it until it has filled me enough to move on until the next wave hits. 

With everything that is in me, I want to beat but my needs are great and it's going to require a lot of help. 

*I need to first and foremost keep my eyes on Jesus and stay in the Word.
*I need to be accountable. 
*I need people to hold me accountable; to reach out to me and ask me how I am doing. 
*I need to find a support group either online or outside of my home and interact with them regularly. 
*I need people who are not afraid to be honest with me.
*I need my friends and family to love me and pray for me daily.

What would be ideal is this: 
to have 7 people, one for each day of the week, that could pray for me and reach out to me through a phone call, email, text or facebook my wall 2-3 times in that day. Send me a scripture, words of encouragement, ask me how I'm doing, suggest things to point me in the right direction, etc. I realize it's a lot to ask but I am desperate. At the same time I am confident that God will send 7 people if not more to walk with me through my addiction and help me beat it. If you're up for the task please don't hesitate to reach out to me. 

Love & blessings to all, 
Brandy ~


If you can't see the video posted below, click here to watch Overcomer by Mandisa

Another New Year

As much as I like to write, it's hard to believe I haven't posted to my blog in well over a year. I've allowed myself to be consumed by too many things that really don't produce fruit and I want to change that. There have been so many things that have crossed my mind and I think "hmmm, I should really sit down and write about that," only to get distracted by something else. I'm hoping this year will be different. There's a lot I'd like to share as far as lessons learned and how God has moved in my life, hopes and dreams, set backs and disappointments, words of encouragement, projects, goofy things and maybe even some random useless information LOL The last several years I have drifted pretty far from my creative side but this year I'm gonna dig it up and bring it back. I'm excited to see what's in store for 2014 and I hope you are too.

Love y'all & God bless,
Brandy      

Never Alone

It's been quite some time since the writing of my last blog but I haven't really been moved by anything enough to write about it LOL That is until this morning. I woke early and thought that I would take advantage of the quiet time and do some writing in my journal so I could reflect on the past week and hopefully gain a fresh perspective.

Earlier in the week I decided to draw up a financial plan for 2013. It wasn't pretty. I spent several days tweaking it, trying to crunch numbers that have been crunched more times that I can count and cut corners that have already been cut 3 times over. It didn't change the fact though that we are looking at another year of sacrifice; another year of very tight living. Probably more so than we had to this year even though I never thought that possible. Then last night, the ever present issue of our house situation hit me hardest. 

In a nutshell our house, a double wide trailer, is still in the name of my husband and his ex. We have made numerous attempts to get it out of her name and into ours and all have failed. She's not happy about the situation, nor are we since all ties were supposed to have been cut by the end of 2009. Fortunately we have been able to keep her at bay by keeping her in the loop as we work through the issues surrounding it. She has given us until 2013 to get it squared away but I can't help but think to myself, what if we can't make it happen? She has threatened to involve a lawyer but really what will that matter? He can't change our financial situation, nor can he force an institution to approve a loan. Yet still it plagues me. 

My thought is this: she should be thankful that we are paying the mortgage on time, thankful that we haven't had to go into foreclosure or file for bankruptcy. Not that I don't understand where she is coming from but I pray that if again there is no resolve for this situation in 2013 that she would know that we are doing everything in our power to rectify this situation and that it WILL happen... just not in the time frame we all would like.  

So last night I became very anxious about all of this and the only thing that brought me back to peace was repeating to myself that God will never leave us of forsake us and that with Him all things are possible. Which leads me back to my journal writing this morning and digging into my Bible to find the scripture references. I didn't realize the "forsake" verse was in both the Old and New Testament, probably because I spend alot more time in the New. But when I turned to the book of Joshua I knew that God had lead me there for a reason. Joshua, chapter 1, verses 5-8 reads:     

⁵ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

After reading this I was in total awe of it. This was God's way of bringing me right back where I need to be, into the palm of His hand. Not trying to fight a battle on my own, but relying on Him and his Word to get me through it. Three times he says to "be strong and courageous." I am now completely filled with peace and am confident that whatever happens in 2013 that God will see us through. It kind of makes me thankful for the rough year that is coming to a close. I believe it was his way of preparing us for what lies ahead. You never really know how much your faith and trust in God can grow until you are faced with situations that you have never been in before. His word tells me that I do not have to be terrified or discouraged because He will be with me wherever I go. What an awesome promise! No matter where I go, I'm never alone because God is always with me.

Until next time ~

Be Blessed in the Son,

Brandy