This may not happen each day you meet with Him, but hopefully it happens enough so that you know Him in a deeper way.

If you are like me, there are some days, I just read for the sake of reading, and yes, God can speak to us in those moments, but nothing is sweeter than feeling Him, enjoying Him and trusting Him for your day.

As I read Exodus 33 this week, Moses wanted to make sure God was with him. He didn’t want to take a step without the presence of God going before him and the Jews (vs 15). God said, “MY presence shall go with you and I will give you rest.”

Oh dear one, do you need that assurance that God is with you and will reveal himself to you? Take time today to rest in His magnificent presence. He will gradually restore to you the energy you may have lost over these last months or years. He is the God who is ever-present, Jehovah Shammah, the with-us God.

He is a God that will go with you through every move of your day, it is up to you and me to watch for Him, call on Him and experience His presence in your ordinary day. Won’t you give Him the best part of you, today? So that your intimacy grows stronger and His presence is with you. Move out with confidence in a God who cares for your every step.

 My Soul Thirsts for You

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1(ESV)

Journeying with Him,

Jessie

Yes, even David was betrayed by a close friend, a friend that he walked in the house of the Lord with and enjoyed sweet fellowship with. A friend that may have said all the right things, but all along, he had a heart of evil.

Have you ever been betrayed by someone you never dreamed you would be? Oh, they said all the right things, but all along, they were plotting evil against you. Your relationship may have started out on the right foot, but at a certain point things began to change in your relationship. Why, you ask? Or maybe you know the answer to that question.

For some of you, it may be a spouse, a best friend or a co-laborer. No matter who it is, it is hurtful. James tells us in James 1:19-20, that we are to be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

Ladies, when we find ourselves in a similar situation, we need to respond as David did, but it wasn’t without lamentation. Yet David expressed his personal confidence in God by calling upon the Lord, for the Lord will save you (Ps 55:16); he cast his burdens upon the Lord and allowed God to have the last word. (Ps 55:22). We will need to do the same and trust in the God who redeems.

I know, I know, sometimes, you just want to have that last word?

But it is God’s to deal with, not ours. Allow him to fight the battle and He will sustain you and you will not be shaken. Always take the higher road

According to John C. Maxwell there are three roads that we can take in life:

1. The low road – where we treat people worse than they treat us
2. The middle road – where we treat people the same as they treat us
3. The high road – where we treat people better than they treat us

Ladies, the true test of character and maturity is to always treat other better than they treat you. You’ll be amazed by the positive affect this has and others will be drawn to Christ by your “re”actions.

Journeying with Him,

Jessie

You know the familiar story in Luke 5:1-10. Peter and his crew were out fishing all night with no fish to show for when they returned to shore. Jesus came to the edge of the Sea of Galilee and asked them to take him out in their boat to teach the people from the waters. When Jesus was done teaching, He asked Peter, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”  Peter’s response was one of question, “We worked hard all night and caught nothing. But I will do as you say.” When they did this, they caught so many fish that their nets began to break and they needed the help of their partners in the other boat. All the men were in amazement of what happened before their very eyes…….and here it is….Jesus’ response, Luke 5:10b “Do not fear, from now on, you will be catching men.”

Jesus took ordinary men and used them for extraordinary work – fishermen by trade became, from now on, fishers of men.

What or where has God taken you from now on? You were once what _________? And from now on you are __________?

Ladies, from now on, each of you are a princess, a part of royalty of the King, King Jesus. God now sees you through the eyes of Christ and presents you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. (Col. 1:22)

From now on you are who God called you to be…….a child of God, adopted, co-heirs with Jesus Christ and in Him you have been made complete. (Col. 2:10)

 Do not lie to one another since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.  Colossians 3:10

 From now on live in the light of God and walk in a manner worthy of His calling. Be all that He called you to be.

Journeying with Him,

Jessie

Wow, if I ever journal, now is the time!

Ladies, saying yes to God and allowing Him to lead you, can be the greatest journey of your life. He will do far more abundantly beyond what you can ever ask or think.

This particular journey began many years ago in 2000, when I attended my first Living Proof Live event with Beth Moore and my dear friend, Tami in Arkansas. At that event, I barely can even put into words what I experienced with God, but let me just say this, it was life changing and when I returned home, I am pretty sure my Pastor didn’t know what to do with me…..a mile marker in my walk with God for sure….since then, He has written a journey that only God can pen.

Fast forward now to August 17, 2011. I am sitting in a conference room @ LifeWay in Nashville, TN under some incredible leadership from the Women’s Ministry team. I received training to be the City coordinator for a Living Proof Live event in Reading, PA, Sept. 15, 2012.  As I sat there, so many thoughts flooded my mind and Spirit as we listened to Travis Cottrell sing to us and share a message from God’s word. As I heard him mention that God would restore the years the locust has eaten (Joel 2:25), just those few words brought tears to my eyes as I was reminded of an event that I stepped down from one week prior to the event day many years back.

I am reminded that God knows what He is doing and in His timing the years are restored.

If you are reading this and you are still waiting for those precious years to be restored….PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens) through.  If you allow God to teach you something through the  journey, it can be the sweetest time with your Savior as you lean on Him and trust Him for your life journey!

And….as you walk your journey, walk with Him; behind you, in front of you and beside you. Surround yourself with His love and guidance. He can take your worst experiences and turn them into distant memories as He leads you into a future of hope and prosper, as you seek Him and search for Him with all your heart.

 Success is where Preparation and Opportunity meet. Bobby Unser

 While at my training in Nashville, the LifeWay team encouraged us with some travel tips for your journey and I would like to pass them on to you.

• Soak in the scenery – slow down
• Connect with people along the way
• Enjoy your fellow travelers
• Take turns driving
• Stop for snacks along the way
• Be patient with traffic jams
• Turn up the music and sing along
• Take “restroom” breaks as needed
• Pass the pokey people
• Observe the road rules
• Recalculate your route to destination
• Capture the moments
• Indulge in the unexpected

Journeying with Him,

Jessie

Many of us have read the classic, Footprints in the Sand, poem. The poem, that has one set of footprints looking back over one’s life and at other times there are two sets of footprints. The times where there are only one set of footprints, is when the Lord carries you. As I reread Psalm 119 the other day, I saw something new about the importance of the Word of God.

Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me. Psalm 119:133 (NASB)

As I read this scripture, I thought of the footprints poem and how God carries us and directs our steps. And then I had another thought – Do I have my footsteps established in His Word? Do you have your footsteps established in His Word?

If someone picked up your Bible, would they see your footsteps all over the pages of God’s Word? God’s Word contains everything man needs to know.

Here are just some truths that will encourage you from Psalm 119.

God’s Word:

• Brings happiness (v. 1,56)
• Purity (v. 9)
• Wise advice (v. 24)
• Revival (v. 25, 50)
• Encouragement (v. 28)
• Giver of Life (v. 37)
• Freedom (v. 45)
• Comfort (v. 50,52)
• Makes us wise (v. 98)
• Guidance (v. 133)

I would like to challenge you to read Psalm 119 and mark every time you see what God’s Word offers you. I am sure you will be able to add to the list before you. Finding God’s Word, Desiring God’s Word and Loving God’s Word is what transforms our inner being. His Word tells us: that the eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him ( 2 Chron.16:9)

So, let us be women that seek after God with our whole hearts and watch how He will bless you with His presence….He shows up every time!

Journeying with Him,

Jessie

What is it, God is speaking to you?

What is it, He wants you to accomplish for His glory?

What is it, He wants you to finish well?

It is different for each of us.

As I sit here and pen the last words of the Bible study, God has put on my heart, I am convicted by the words Paul challenges me from Matthew 25:14-30. This is a familiar parable to many of you. The Parable of the Talents. Remember the  three servants were given each talents according to their ability. One was given five talents, another two talents and the last, one talent. The first two doubled their money but the third buried his talent. Regarding the first two, “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!  Again in Matthew 25:29 those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

Are you reading this feeling as convicted as I am? Is there something God has put upon your heart that you have not gotten around to? Or that you need to finish well?

The prayer from my friends as I finished writing the Bible study from the book of Colossians was: “That I would end this task with as much passion as I began it.”

Ladies, if God has entrusted something to you: raising godly children, leading a ministry, diligently working at your profession, caring for an ill friend or writing a book, do it with your whole heart.

And let 1 Timothy 4:15-16 become your encouragement – Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. Then people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation. (MSG)

Or maybe someone needs an encouraging word from you as they seek to finish something well, as they complete the ministry God has entrusted to them (2 Timothy 4:5) Won’t you be that person that nudges them to keep keeping on?

Let us be the women that diligently prepare for Christs return and use the gift, talents and abilities He has entrusted to us for His glory!

Journeying with Him,

Jessie

• fisherman to evangelist
• impulsive to “Rock”
• forgiven to free

Does our love for Jesus go beyond just saying I love you? That only take 3 seconds to say, but it will take a life time to show it. Ladies, we show others the love of Jesus: in the way we communicate, in our responses, in the way we love our husbands, if you are married, the way we treat our boss at work and how we honor our parents. This is not an exhausted list and I know you could add to it, but I believe you get the idea and if you are like me, you may be convicted.

We first need to understand the Love of God and that he sent the ultimate “love gift” to us in his son, Jesus. When we grasp how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love really is, then we will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.(Eph 3:18)
My prayer is that we will love God with our whole heart and show love to others.

Journeying with Him,
Jessie

I had the awesome privilege this Christmas season of sharing God’s love at many women’s events. Each event was special in their own way but one of the most exciting parts of the season was meeting the women and hearing their stories of God’s love and faithfulness to them. We serve an awesome God!

It is easy during the Christmas Season to prioritize Jesus Christ while we celebrate his birth, but is He your priority all year long?

I don’t know what the New Year holds for you and at times I am unsure what it holds for me. But our attitude should be the same as Mary’s: “Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38 ESV). Mary did not know the big picture of what her future held for her but she accepted it and was a willing vessel.

Is there something God is impressing upon your heart this year? Are you willing to move forward with God’s strength?
It may be:
• A new job
• A new ministry
• Marriage
• Returning to college
• Writing a book
• Being the best mom you can be
• Helping a friend or being there for an aging parent
• It may be stepping away from something you have done for years

Whatever it may be, only you know what God is placing in your heart. He is the one that moves us. He is the reason, “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 AMP).

The key ingredient to a successful life is – SURRENDER. When we surrender to God’s will then we will find true fulfillment. Be strong and courageous for our God will go with you.

If you are like me at times, I have been stubborn or just plain naive to where God wants me. I have fought God’s desires for my life in many ways. But the times when I have finally surrendered to His will, now that has brought contentment and satisfaction. Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.
(1 Timothy 6:6 NLT)

What shall I give You, Master
You have redeemed my soul;
My gift is small but it is my all
Surrendered to Your control.
Grimes

Thank you to my friends of old and the “new” friends I have encountered this past year for sharing your lives with me and the many lessons I have learned through observing your lives, ones fully surrendered to Christ. I pray that I may continue in His work for my life and to know the truth, that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37 NKJ).

Let’s claim this truth in 2011.

Journeying with Him,
Jessie

We are so busy running around hurrying here and there and everywhere that we don’t have time to spend with others except for the surface kind of friendships. Even our relationship with God is compromised and He just becomes an “add-on” to our week and then because we neglect our time with Him, loneliness sets in.

Take a deep breath, stop being so hurried….live in the moment….connect with God….and simply just be. Easier said than done, right?

Be still moments from God’s Word:
Psalm 37:7 - Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
Psalm 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 23:1-3 (MSG) – God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.
Psalm 62:1 - I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.
Psalm 131:2 – Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Lamentations 3:25 - The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

When my girls were young, God showed me after a year of “busyness” for Him, that my relationship with Him was not where it needed to be. What did that mean for me personally? It meant there were some things that needed to be removed from my schedule.

Do you find yourself crushed and completely overwhelmed and maybe feeling you are not going to live through it? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 to rely on God and not ourselves and that God will deliver us. The word “deliver” in the Greek means to draw us to oneself. This is what God wants to do for us, draw us to Himself. He wants us to sit with Him, listen to Him and enjoy Him. Never feel guilty for the time you spend with Him.

So many of us are working, running our children to their multiple activities, heading up church events, going to that “once a month” bunko night with the neighbors, being a room mom and who know what else. Please don’t get me wrong, these are all great things and they all have there places but so many of us are trying to “do it all, be it all and live it all” that we fall short more times than we can count.

God did not intend for us to live lives of such “busyness” and not tend to our relationship with Him and others. When we create a quiet space for God he will meet with us and reveal His will to us. When we leave a margin in our lives God will fill it with what He wants us to do.

Saying no to hurry allows us to say yes when it comes to giving our attention and love to our families and yes to the joy that comes from focusing on what really matters.

I confess that I am just as convicted as some of you may be figuring out this “balance thing.” If you already have this area of your life in check, then pray for us who are still working on “being still.”

Journeying with Him,
Jessie

Did His calling on my life seem to take longer than I anticipated? Yes, but through the waiting, I came to know God in a deeper way. He showed me more about Himself and I realized that the preparation time was necessary for this season of my life. One thing I know is that we are always learning More about Him as we journey.

As I reflected on the different people from the Bible that had to wait, I was encouraged in my own journey with God.
Be encouraged:

• Noah built the ark for 120 years before the flood came
• Moses was in the dessert for 40 years
• Jacob worked for Rachel for 14 years
• David in the wilderness before he became King/22 years after Samuel anointed him King
• Solomon took 7 years to build the Temple
• Joseph in prison before salvation for his family
• Joshua in the wings of Moses before his leadership
• Jeremiah is still waiting
• Paul away with God for training for 3 years before he went to the disciples
• The prophets anticipation of the Messiah
• Us waiting for the glorious return of Christ

Remember Sarah and Abraham’s long awaited birth of Isaac? God’s very words in Genesis 21:2 It all happened at the time God had said it would.

Ladies, God has a plan for you and His timing is perfect! The wait is worth the journey.

As I was praying about moving forward with God, I was watching Charles Stanley on TV. Stanley said, “It is easy to obey God when we understand, but will we obey God when we don’t understand?” Wow, that was what I had been waiting to hear from God for over a year as I struggled for the green light. I don’t pretend to understand where God is taking me, just as you don’t understand at times. If we knew it all, we wouldn’t need God, now would we? All things are in His timing!

As you move forward with me, I covet your prayers and I am thankful for all your encouragement. God willing, this fall as both my daughters head off to college, there will be a stillness in our home. My hope is to begin to write a Bible study that I will be able to share with you .
Prayer needs:
I would hear from God.
Use my time wisely.
God will be bigger than loneliness.
Teach me more about Him.

Journeying with Him,
Jessie