I'm going to let you in on one of my secrets.  People are always asking me how I get so much done in my day.   My big secret is time with God and lists.  Writing things down when I'm spending time with the Lord helps me to take those thoughts captive so I can focus on the Lord and not what I need to remember to do the next day.

Also,  they help me to get lots done every day.  Here's the list I scribbled down this am.  There's not much to it, but does it ever help me to stay on track.  The best part is checking off the things you get done.  It gives a person a real sense of accomplishment.

Always make sure to have a reward at the end of the day, some 'me' time where you do something you want to do.  Then you won't get frustrated.  There will always be things to do after all.  The devil will make sure that you are busy your whole life, if he can.

Busy = Busy
            Under
            Satan's
            Yoke.


The big goal in life is to find out what God wants you to do and do that, not what everyone else would like to you to do for them.  (more on that in another post) Balance-- it's a huge concept and it ties in with learning to say 'no' politely.  I'm working on how to say no politely to different people.  The closer the people are to you  the harder it is at times to say no.  Also,  it's harder to say no to those in authority over you especially if you want to have favor with them.  Therefore it behooves us as leaders to check with God about what we are asking our families and/or volunteers to do for us.  We don't want to hinder God's plan in people's lives.

It's worth it though.  The more time we spend prioritizing our lives, the more productive we will be. Here are some scripture confessions to build yourself up in your most holy faith:

-Thank You Lord that the desires of the diligent will be fully satisfied. (Prov. 13:4)
-Thank you Lord that because we love your word nothing and no one can cause us to stumble or take offense. (Ps. 119:165)
-Thank You Lord that we are quick to hear, slow to speak and very slow to get angry or offended. (James 1:17)

Have a great day!
Big hugs and many Blessings,
Brenda Gale Thompson

Being Available And How To Fill Up Your Spiritual Gas Tank

You are important to God. Your life matters. Your life counts for a lot and God wants to use you now.
It's not about how old you are or how young you are or how qualified you are. It's about being available because God can equip you to do His work, He just needs your availability.

You might not think you have much to offer, I know I wondered what I could do when I started out. I had no clue what I was called to do as a baby Christian. I just had Holy Spirit's love in my heart and I wanted to make a difference. We can all make a difference as we ask Holy Spirit to shed abroad His love in our hearts. (Rom.5:5) Then we move out from that overflow of love into our world, going about our daily business, bringing the sweet fragrance of the Lord with us. We change circumstances and the atmosphere around us because we are carrying His presence on us, which is so totally amazing. (2Cor.2:14)
If you are available, get filled up with Holy Spirit and then move out and watch Holy Spirit use you.
The gifts of Holy Spirit will start to flow. This is completely natural. You might notice that you've got a word for someone or you know how to organize an event or you notice that you are gifted at praying. These are all ministry gifts and they all start with Love.

Some gifts come naturally, and some take more effort. I was asking the Lord for more words of knowledge so I could witness more because not everybody is sick. As I asked the Lord and shared with people the impressions I was getting, I grew in the gift. I also started studying how other prophets functioned in their gifts and learned from their example. I would not worry if you don't have the gift you desire from birth because God will answer you as you seek Him and pursue Him for more to help His people.

You will seek Me and Find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. (Jer. 29:13)
The desires of the diligent will be fully satisfied.(Proverbs 13:4)

We need to desire the gift in order to go after it. If you don't, who will? That is what the Lord told me. He was desperate to have someone who could (and would) lay hands on the sick and pray in public and at work. He wants us to be available to go give someone an encouraging word. This is how we go out and impact people with Jesus. People are tired of being told stuff, they want to see a demonstration of the gospel.

They do not know that they don't have to stay addicted, full of fear, full of bitterness, wondering if this is all they can ever hope for in this life. Jesus is the answer and we (you) can do this. You can be the answer to someone's prayer as you make yourself available. This is not only for the pastors in the body of Christ. God gave the great commission to all the body. Everybody, not just a few. (See Mark 16:15-20)

A big key to being an effective witness is, "Tarry in Jerusalem until you receive power." (Luke 24:49) This is very important. I think a lot of us think we can do ministry running on empty. We all need to fill up our spiritual gas tanks with Holy Spirit every day so we have something to offer people.

One of the best ways I have found to fill up my spiritual gas tank is to just set aside some time every day to just worship the Lord. This works even if you are not a singer because you can speak words out loud. It's all about the words you speak out loud or sing out loud.
Let me give you an example. It's the middle of my day I've got a ten minute break so what am I going to do? I want to worship the Lord I want to enter into His presence so I say something like, "Lord show me how."

I tell Holy Spirit, "I just want to enter into your presence now. I just want to love on You, Lord today. Did I tell you Holy Spirit how much you mean to me today? Did I tell you how much Your salvation means to me today? Did I tell you Holy Spirit that You are the best thing that's ever happened to me? You make my life worthwhile. You are my life. You are my hope and You are my joy and I thank You Holy Spirit for waking up with me this morning. I thank You Lord that You are with me all through my day. I thank You Lord that You are helping me to bring You glory throughout my day."

Now if you just say something like that to the Lord, (out loud) you can feel Holy Spirit all over you like a glove, like a beautiful shawl around your shoulders. If you don't feel His presence ask Him why. Sometimes sin that has not been repented of will hinder us from hearing His voice or feeling His presence.

We were created for fellowship with an awesome God. We can all spend time with the Lord and tell Him how much we love Him. It's like a friendship that grows as we spend time with Him.

Tell Him what He means to you, in your own words. Tell Him how you treasure those little nuggets He gives you or tell him how much you love it when He highlights a verse in the Bible for you. Tell Him how you love to play the blessing game, where you try Bless the Lord and Holy Spirit more than He's blessed you. Tell Him how you long to serenade Him today. Pretend you are Romeo or Juliet, singing your love to Him from a balcony and if you don't know a love song ask Him to give you a special one just for you and Him.

Sometimes I'll ask the Lord what song He would like to hear to bless His heart. Then I'll sing that song to Him and You know what? He always finds a way to bless me back!
These are just a couple of ways that we can enter the Lord's presence so we have something to offer the people around us that we see in our day.

May you spread the fragrance of Him everywhere you go today! (2Cor. 2:14)