This devo from Calvary Fort Lauderdale needed to be reposted...  www.calvaryftl.org if you want t o get daily devotionals sent to you.

“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”—Romans8:27 (NKJV) When my wife was a young child, she thought of herself as a character in a storybook. It was as if someone was turning the pages of a big storybook, as she lived out each day. Have you ever felt like that? Like your life was an open book for others to see? As a four-year-old, I remember looking up at the night sky in awe. Seeing all the stars made me feel so small. What about you? Do you, or have you ever had, a sense of your smallness within the universe? When we have a sense that we’re being watched by someone greater than ourself, or a sense of our smallness, it's not an accident or anomaly. Several places in the Bible tell us God makes His existence known in many ways. In Ecclesiastes, we're told God has put eternity into our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). When we come to know God. He puts His Spirit in our hearts. And because He lives in us, He knows our heart. This is both reassuring and unnerving. As King David asked, “Where shall I go from your Spirit?” (Psalm 139:7 NKJV) Romans 8:27 is encouraging because it reminds us that God knows every bit of us, even the dark corners where we try to hide, and He intercedes on our behalf. God has plans for each of our lives, and is at work to bring these plans to fruition. Of course, it helps when we cooperate with Him, rather that resist Him. We've probably all seen a young child fight the effort of a parent insisting they hold their hand at a busy intersection. Perhaps you've been that child! This is what comes to mind when I think of the Holy Spirit's work in my life. I imagine many times I'm like that resistant child—resisting the leading of the Holy Spirit. Of course, God sees dangers I don't see, and insists on what's best for me. God's view of things is much greater than ours could ever be. He sees far beyond what we see ahead of us, physically and time-wise. He knows how we need to grow spiritually, even emotionally. He intercedes for us in ways we're unaware of, yet necessary for our growth. He searches our heart so He can see our needs and what’s needed so we can be transformed into who He's called us to be. This is why God searches our hearts, and this ought to reassure us. DIG: Have you sensed your smallness recently? How have you experienced an awe of God? DISCOVER: When was the last time you asked the Lord to search your heart? DISPLAY: Take some time today, or this week, to open your heart to God and then listen.

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When you fall...

I went to a worship concert the other night. It was the token revival type of event and I struggled.

I struggled to focus.

I struggled to sing with gusto.

I struggled to pay attention to the speakers.

Most of all I struggled to just keep my eyes closed during prayer.

I was thinking of things, people, planning how I would get home, trying to decipher if I was hungry. My mind was all over the place.  I looked around and saw people engaged and tearing up and although my physical presence was the same as theirs, I was not there in any sense of "being there."

So, I sat down.

I put my head down.

And I asked God why He brought me there...

Asking "why" is my norm. God has always been kind to answer most of my why questions. There, in all the music, drums and singing, in the midst of the "Amens," I had my moment of peace with My Lord.

I had to fall down in order to stand up and experience what was happening around me.  I wasn't expecting that fight that night. I wasn't ready BUT my God was ready. I am so thankful that I serve a God who is always ready and for His legions of Angels who are always ready.

I will never stop fighting with myself but I hope and pray that one day I may come to a point in my life where I have more days of trust and peace than uncertainity and chaos.  I know my God is faithful and he will bring me to this place, I just need to be ok with the pauses in between to learn lessons.

As it always has been for me, my phrase rings true once again...

Love God and the rest will follow!

Rejection...

How do you deal with rejection?  Everyone has their go to way of dealing with it.

Do you post about it on Facebook? Do you write about it in your journal? Call all your friends and talk it out? Mull it over again and again in solitude?

Whatever you do, every rejection changes you.  whether you care to admit it or not.  It does.

This isn't an easy post for me to write but after reading this post, i am deciding t tackle it: http://godsizeddreams.com/god-sized-rejection/

I was raised to not just exceed expectations but to set higher ones for myself.  I was always expected to go one step above, reach one foot higher (which is extremely hard to do for a short person!) than the norm.  When the expectations are that high, the rejection that comes along is harder to deal with. I have dealt with rejection all my life and a lot of times it was from my own... family, friends, and of course, God (although I know thats all in my head.)

The kind of rejection that has ruined me the most? the one where I reject myself.  No, I dont have multiple personalities, although sometimes it feels like that would almost make life easier somehow.  I have mentioned this before, you will hear me say "I am fighting with myself..." quite often.  I struggle with pleasing two versions of myself: Worldly or Spiritual.  There are times when Worldly me will do or say or watch something and the aftermath of that is not a pretty sight! Worse? when my Spiritual side does something and my Worldly side is kicking and screaming the whole way through.

I am one of the people who retreats into a corner and replays an incident on my own. If I were to talk it out or post it on FB, it would just be a hot mess! The good part?

There's always a way... out! With God, its the Hope that doesn't disappoint.

These days, my rejection is dealt with praise and worship music, prayer, the Bible and sermons from some amazing men of God.  If i stay in my corner, in my head, i will never never never enjoy a breath i take or a sunrise or even that pain in my legs when i have been running too long on the treadmill. I have to INTENTIONALLY push my thoughts to God and say "I cant even deal right now..."

and my hope? that God will be kinder than I am to myself.

Whether it be dreams like in the post i referred to earlier or rejection like it is in my case, we offer it up to the Lord and we LEAVE it with Him.

So...deep breath...Love God and the rest will follow.