Distracted or Focused Dreamer?

I’m a day late and most likely a dollar short on joining in tis week for Five Minute Friday. I’ve always marched to my own beat. J 

The Five Minute Friday linkup can be found at http://katemotaung.com/

The word prompt for this week was: “Dream”. The idea is to free write and let the idea’s flow for 5 minutes. No editing and no over thinking. Yeah, it scares me every time too.

Here goes:

I’ve been thinking and writing about dreams a lot lately. You know, those God given dreams that seem so big and out of reach. The thrilling but scary dreams.

So I found myself in an awkward position of procrastinating when it came to doing the work to follow those dreams. My son loves to say that procrastination leads to great motivation. Maybe when it comes to cleaning my house when I hear someone is on their way over but not on chasing dreams.

I kept telling myself I was just too busy. The truth is we’re ALL busy. We all have the same amount of time in a day. People still MAKE time to do what they put as a high priority. I was letting distractions get in the way. Little things that added up to big things.

Social media was eating up way to much of time. It was clear I needed to turn off all notifications and set aside certain times to check it but it needs to be only at those times.

I’m also not waiting to FIND the time to do the work needed when it comes to my dreams. I’m MAKING the time. It’s a priority!

I’m cheering all of us on to become the focused dreamers God called us to be.

Stand Guard - The Attack is On!

Its crunch time baby!

I’m getting down to the wire preparing for the SheSpeaks conference in NC in one month.

Eeek! Did you hear that? ONE month. 

My book proposal runs through my head in just about every waking moment. Sometimes even in my less than waking moments.

I love the fact that God called me to write. Even when the more formal side of it scares me to death. God put this desire in me at an early age. I have the passion and am working on improving my skills daily.

Satan hates that I’m taking ground for the Kingdom.

He has been on the prowl lately and I feel his fierce, cruel breath on me daily.

The Bible warns us exactly of this. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are warned to “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

Matthew Henry’s commentary says “He is a roaring lion, hungry, fierce, strong, and cruel. The fierce and greedy pursuer of souls.”

Satan is after our faith. He knows if he can make us turn away from it he can ruin our souls. He works tirelessly at this by bringing persecutions against us.

These persecutions can be very tricky at times and just seem part of daily living if we’re not being watchful. The enemy doesn’t want us to notice his tactics. Just slip in unnoticed and do his dirty work.

One of the enemy’s arrows I’ve been dealing with lately are insecurities in my God given dream. My head swirls with the voices of doubt. It could be easy to give in and just back off what God has called me to do.

The thing is… I have already tasted the sweetness of obedience. I’m not going back! My heart is freer now then it’s ever been and I don’t want to give that up.

Satan’s latest tactics include less than subtle attacks on my health. God working through me must be making him pretty nervous I’m guessing.

In 1 Peter 5:9 we are encouraged to “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

I’m surrounded by people praying me up right now. My family, friends and my new “family” of friends going to the She Speaks conference. We share our struggles and remind each other regularly to be on the alert and stand firm against the enemy’s attacks.

I would truly appreciate your prayers over the next month and beyond as I prepare, attend and go to work following the conference.

God is good and I’m expecting to see Him move!

Open My Eyes

It’s lambing season at my house and it is just flat exhausting! You go nonstop. Sometimes I struggle to put one foot in front of the other honestly.

I was telling a friend the other day that I felt like I was drowning. It was like I was desperately treading water just to try and keep my nose above it.

In the middle of all the physical, mental and even spiritual struggles though was a gift from God. Small miracles I got to witness on a regular basis.

One particular revelation God gave me had me in tears. I’m not really an emotional person by nature and some of it could have been the exhaustion but most of it was just being in awe of how great our God is!

We had moved some ewes and young lambs to the “pair pasture” in the early afternoon. We went back that evening to check on them. One lamb was missing! His mother was desperately running all over calling to him but with no luck.

We spent the next 2 hours looking for a lamb in several hundred acres. Talk about a needle in a haystack! I prayed for my eyes to be opened and the Lord to give me direction. We covered every inch of that pasture. I finally gave up and was very frustrated. I figured an eagle had gotten him as they’re very hard on new lambs.

I went home feeling defeated as this is my flock and I want them all to do well! I went to bed praying that if by some miracle he was still alive that God would help him and his mother find each other.

The next morning I headed out as soon as it was light fully prepared to look again. Within minutes of getting out there though I found his mother and right there with her was her lamb. Wow! It was a miracle.

To say I was overjoyed is an understatement. I even had to hug the dog that was with me. The lost lamb had returned and I was celebrating.

God laid it on my heart right there that the joy I felt over that lamb being found paled in comparison to the joy in heaven when a lost sinner finds their way to God.

This scripture was truly brought to life for me right there on that hillside. I got a tiny glimpse of the joy that is in heaven every time a lost sinner repents.

Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Lord, open my eyes to those that are lost and need help to find you. I want to rejoice with all of heaven when the lost are found! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Linking up with Live Free Thursday, Serving Joyfully, #RaRaLinkup, #WordswithWinter, #DanceWithJesus and