Stand Firm, Part 2

“Rejoice in the Lord, always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!” - Phil. 4:4

Paul wrote these words of encouragement to the people who started the first church in Philippi. Knowing how difficult it would be for them to stand firm in their faith, he shared a six-part battle plan with them in the verses that followed.  

His plan is timeless, and is just as useful to us today as it was two thousand years ago. 

Standing Firm - Battle Plan to Fight Worry: (Philippians 4: 4-10)

• Rejoice! - When worry strikes, immediately rejoice that God is with you and for you.  On God’s team, you always have something to rejoice about.

• Be Gentle – Let your gentleness be evident to all. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide in every situation.  Seek to understand, not to convince or seek revenge.  Be slow to anger and lovingly listen. Follow Jesus’ example.

• Pray - Cast all your cares on Jesus because He cares for you.  Give your burdens to Him because He promises to lighten your load and carry them alongside you. When worry strikes, position your heart immediately to pray.

• Ask for Help & Give Thanks – Give God thanks in advance. His will and His ways are best for you.  You were never meant to go the road of faith alone.  Ask Jesus to guide your steps and thank Him for His amazing plans.

• Think Right – If your thoughts are not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable or excellent, then your mind is not aligned with Jesus’ spirit.  Take each thought captive and question its truth.  With God, bad thoughts can be replaced with good ones.  

• Practice Your Faith Daily - Follow Jesus’ teachings and truths.  Let the word of God spur you on to run the race God has marked out for you.  Be awake to His promptings and obey when God says, “Go!”

Yes, these six steps help us to stand firm in our faith, but let’s be real.  When life gets complicated, or relationships become challenging, it’s common to forget God and fall asleep in our faith.  That’s why we have to look to Jesus’ promises not our own abilities.  He promises to:

• Be the author and the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  
• Be always on guard of our hearts and minds (Phil. 4:7).

That’s it!  We can stand firm because Jesus is always standing guard!  

As He walks with us, our paths become straight and our feet hit smooth ground.  Worry wanes and peace prevails. Our great guard is always on duty.  That’s reason enough to Rejoice!  Let’s say it again: Rejoice!  

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

The Battle Plan to Stand Firm

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6

Worry and I have spent way too much time together over the past two years.  Worry wakes me up at night to taunt me about my teenagers or remind me what I didn’t accomplish.  Worry also distracts me during the day by rehashing past conversations that didn’t go well or projecting possible future failures.

Recently, I decided to go to war against Worry.  I wanted to share with you my Battle Plan in hopes that you will be ready to fight against Worry when it shows up uninvited in your heart and mind.  Over the next couple of blogs, I’ll send you the Battle Plan.  Stand and fight with me!

Standing Firm - Battle Plan to Fight Worry:

• Pray – When worry enters into your heart or mind, let it be an alarm sounding in your soul reminding you to go to God immediately in prayer.  Whatever the concerns, give them all to God first.  

1Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 

• Give Thanks – A thankful heart is key to fighting against Worry. Look to God’s goodness, mercy, grace, and unending love, then start counting your blessings.  Every good gift you have is from your Heavenly Father. If you need help to get started, just start with the alphabet and thank God A to Z for the good in your life or His awesome goodness. 

Psalm 100:2, 4 – Enter His presence with joyful singing! Give thanks to Him and praise His name.  

• Fix Your Eyes on Jesus – When Worry tries to take you captive, turn to Jesus and follow His lead instead.  Walk as He walked, talk as He talked, and ask His Holy Spirit to be your guide. Whatever the Worry may be, God can use it to prepare you for His great plans. 

Hebrews 12:1-2 – Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  

These days while I’m waging War against Worry, my 3pm alarm goes off with God’s truth appearing as a message written personally for me.  You can write your own and have it repeated every day.

This is one example of a Stand Firm 3pm Prayer:

“Jesus, I give you my worries. Thank You for taking them ALL.  Fill me with your peace so I can run the race you have marked out for me. I will follow you.  Lead me on.”

I truly believe we all need our Wake Up Call from God each and every day to fight our good fight of faith.  Whatever war you’re fighting, set a personal message for yourself on your phone, so when the day is in full swing the alarm can snap out of it and help you stand firm in your faith.  

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Walk and Talk With God

Jesus said, “Anytime you ask for anything in prayer, believe you have received it.” – Mark 11:24

This time of year, I’d be absolutely lost without my to-do list. I’d pick up kids at the wrong time (if at all), miss important meetings, and never even make it to the Post Office.

Last week, I wrote at the top of my to-do list: Walk and Talk with God, then shoved it in my front pocket.  Later that day, I pulled out the list to see if I could check anything off. (Because checking things off is the best part of lists!)  I could check off a lot, but not my “God time.”  It had taken a back seat to a lot of meaningless busyness. 

My 3O’Clock alarm taught me years ago how vitally important it is to pray to God every day.  Some days, I invite Jesus into the mess.  Other days, I call out for help.  On the good days, I share my overwhelming gratitude because I’ve experienced His presence and power in an amazing way.  

What started out as a one-way prayer to God has now become an ongoing conversation throughout my day.  I used to run ahead of God, then turn back and ask Him to bless my path.  Now, I rely on His guidance before I make a big decision. I have learned the hard way that trusting God is the best way.  

In the past, I only looked at the desires of my heart.  That’s sure a recipe for disaster.  Thankfully, now I look to God’s word as the lamp to my feet (Psalm 119:105). I trust in God’s promise that He has great plans in store for all of us.  Plans to give us hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). I’m often reminded when my trust wavers that nothing is impossible for God because He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). All we need to do is ask and believe (Mark 11:24).

That’s easier said then done, isn’t it? 

That’s why I have to add Walk and Talk with God to my to-do list.  If I don’t prioritize it, it won’t happen.  I challenge you to do the same.  God wants to spend time with us as we race towards Christmas. “Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:8).

Close to Him is where we experience amazing peace! 

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Regifting

But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed. – 2 Timothy 4:17

Think of a time when God gave you the strength to endure an awful experience, walk through uncharted territory, or get back up again after being knocked down. Thankfully, in God’s strength, you made it through.  

Wouldn’t you love to give God a Christmas present this year to show your thankfulness?  Maybe you can, if you’ll be courageous.  Paul was a great man of faith who modeled courage for us.  Let’s follow is his footsteps this Christmas season.

Just imagine what Paul must have been feeling when he was in prison waiting to be executed.  With his hands and feet in shackles, he penned powerful Bible verses to his mentee, Timothy.  The first three words of 2 Timothy 4:17 (above), “But the Lord”, make all the difference in the world.  

Here are three modern day faith stories (all true) similar to Paul’s to spur you on to write your own.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but the Lord comforted her, so she boldly shared her faith in Jesus with doctors, nurses, and visitors in the hospital. All who knew her, witnessed her “fighting the good fight of faith,” every step of the way to heaven.

She suffered from an eating disorder throughout high school, but the Lord healed her and called her to share her story with teens struggling with anoxia and bulimia. She is amazed how God has taken the scariest part of her life and is now using it to help others. 

She worried day and night about her wayward son, but the Lord came close and whispered to trust Him.  So now when worry comes back for a visit, she’s reminded to go to God first and give Him all her concerns, because He truly cares.  While she’s trusting and praying, she kicks worry out the door.

What is one of your faith stories?  It could be as short as two or three sentences?  Has the Lord rescued you, restored a relationship, or carried you through a challenging season of your life?  These are precious times that can highlight God’s promises and power. 

This Christmas, you will gather together with friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to toast, eat and share in all the celebrations.  Is God nudging you to share your faith?  

It takes courage, but can be as simple as, “I was _________, but the Lord ______________.  Therefore, I am incredibly thankful to celebrate the birth of Jesus this year!”

Never forget, your treasured encounters with God cannot be disputed, because you lived them.  You felt the hand of God when He entered into your darkness.  You experienced God’s comfort when He came close.  He changed whole parts of your life by His love, mercy, and goodness.  

Always remember, your faith stories are free gifts from God. Will you be brave and give them away this Christmas?  When you do, you are re-gifting them to God with a big note on top that reads, “Thank you!” 

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Are You Ready?

May the LORD make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else. 
– 1 Timothy 3:12

Are you ready for Christmas: tree up, cards signed, and gifts ready to wrap?  If not, don’t feel bad.  I’m sure you’re way ahead of me.  Just this morning, I picked up the soggy Halloween pumpkin from our front porch and launched it into the compost pile. Upon landing, it collapsed into a flat, gooey heap of orange mess.  I could relate.  This time of year, with holiday pressures squeezing me from all sides, I too feel flattened into a hot mess.  

Why does December seem to move faster than all the other months?  I’m especially far behind this year.  Except for a few cards from my high-functioning friends, my house has no sign of Christmas. My list of things to do, people to connect with, and places to go gets longer every day.  I plopped down on the couch this morning and wondered “where is the love, peace, and joy the season?  Where is God in the midst of our dizzy December days?”

My first thoughts were critical.  As soon as the Laura bashing began, I began to pray.  Immediately, in God’s presence, I felt the love and reassurance I desperately needed.  I reached my hands out, with palms up, and confessed that I had too much to do and asked God what I needed to prioritize.

As I exhaled and waited for the Lord to direct my day, one word came to mind: LOVE.  

Think about that for a minute.  What if we were to focus our distracted hands and minds on love?  

I picked up my long list of Christmas chores and circled what would increase love in my life.  I moved visiting a friend who just had surgery to the top. Next came taking my daughter out for dinner, then finishing my Bible Study.  That means the Christmas decorations won’t come out for another week and our Christmas cards might arrive in 2017.  But that’s ok because by prioritizing love, God brought peace into my heart.  Bonus love and peace!

Then John 3:16 came to mind.  I’ve known this verse since I was a child: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Just last week I heard David Platt, author of the book, Radical, explain how “radical” is was for Jesus to speak those words. 

Up until then, God’s people had been the Israelites.  God loved, protected, and guided them. They were His children.  The notion that God loved those outside of the Jewish Nation as well was unheard of.  This message of inclusion resonated with God’s people.  His love went viral when He sent Jesus to earth.  

Christmas is when God began His divine rescue mission, a great work on earth that He will be faithful to complete.

In 1 Timothy 3, Paul is praying for Timothy and the people of Thessalonica; for their love to grow and overflow onto one another.  That is my prayer for all of us during this Christmas season.

Heavenly Father,

Awaken our hearts to Your boundless love. 

Fill our hearts with a love that overflows onto others.

This Christmas, may we remember Your love and prioritize love every day.

In Jesus’ Name I Pray, 

Amen 

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Swimmin' Upstream

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. – Colossians 4:2

My Bible Study has been studying 2 Timothy for the past six weeks.  Many of us were struck when we got to this passage: 

2 Timothy 3:1-5 - But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. 

I asked the “wisest” women in the room; those in their fifties, sixties, and beyond, to compare the American culture of their twenties to that of today.  Each one felt that we have degenerated from something better into the character traits above.  When I asked them which traits seem to be increasing the most, they singled out “ungrateful” and “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

As we prayed for our culture, our communities, and our children, it hit me how difficult it must be growing up in America today.  It must feel like swimming upstream for young people to profess a faith in and follow Jesus.  They’re constantly paddling against the currents of our culture. 

When the world’s currents become class V rapids, and you’re feeling swept away, stop and pray.  God is listening to our cries for help.  He is available in any crisis, chaos, conflict, or calamity. 

As the world screams, “Live freely, you are the master of your own destiny,” do just the opposite and pray.  Prayer humbles you to your right place in God’s kingdom.  Prayer says, “God, I know You are in control and I know You care about me.”

Prayer bends our knees and turns our hearts to humility and trust.  Prayer summons God’s presence.  And prayer invites God’s power to activate in us and move mountains around us.  As you pray, here are a few reminders to place in your heart.

P – Press on in faith. (Belief)

R – Rely on God’s Word. (Bible)

A – Ask Jesus for your daily needs. (Bread)

Y – Yield your heart to thanksgiving. (Blessings)

There is power in prayer!  Prayer ignites a far greater power within you than any power available in this world.  So grab your life vest, jump in the Jesus boat, and let’s row upstream together.     

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

It Takes Practice

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

What if I asked you to run a marathon with me next Sunday?  What would you say to 26.2 miles in Boulder, Colorado at 5,280 feet of elevation? Hopefully “no,” because I don’t think I could make it to the finish line, even if you gave me 24 hours.  Why not?  Because I haven’t trained or practiced for the race.

Practice is at the front of my brain these days because our youngest daughter started playing basketball for the first time.  Every day when I drive her to practice, she doesn’t want to get out of the car and go into the gym because everything is new and challenging.  She’d rather stay and tell me how she can’t dribble or shoot or score.  I lovingly shove her out of the car and say “That’s why you’re going to practice.”

(It doesn’t help that she’s thirteen.  Her face is pimply, her teeth hurt from braces, and her lanky body trips and falls unpredictably.  Aren’t you so thankful middle school is only once in your life?)

No coach would put a team on the field without practicing.  No comedian would step on a stage without rehearsing. No teenage driver would show up to take their driver’s license test without practice.  Right?  What would happen it they did?  Failure, for sure.  So why do we rush through life without practicing Biblical principles that strengthen our faith?  When unknown or challenging times come our way, why do we panic instead of praise, complain instead of standing confidently, or worry instead of worship?  

Because we need more practice.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, clearly tells us to do three things – Praise, Pray and Give Thanks.  When we stop at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, look up to God and thank Him, we are practicing this truth from God in its’ entirety.  Great job team! 

Running our race of faith is like a marathon.  Life with God is a long road with many hills- sometimes you go up, sometimes you go down.  Storms bring unexpected challenges and detours can be expected.  Doesn’t it make sense to practice our faith daily so we’ll be stronger in our race? And remember, this race has eternal rewards far greater than any team trophy or marathon medal.   

So let’s get to practice, praise and thank God Today in Prayer.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Big News and Small Changes

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:14

Today marks our 255th daily 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call blog post!  

When we started this in early March, I was absolutely certain God was calling me to write every day, since my alarm has been going off a 3 o’clock every day now for more than sixteen years.  I committed to this plan and promised God I’d write every day until He gave me a new assignment.  I didn’t think He’d take 255 days.

Just recently God has started moving me and the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Ministry in a slightly different direction.  It began a few weeks ago after a phone call with a self-publishing representative from the Christian publishing house, Thomas Nelson. I had approached her with the idea of publishing the first 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call Bible study. (The same one I had been pouring over with my mentor and dear friend Alice at her dining room table before she passed away in August of 2015.)  The binder of edits and advice she had given me had been collecting dust on a dark shelf and needed to be shared.

During our discussion, the publisher kept referring to it as a “book,” rather than a Bible study, and a seed was planted in my mind.  Putting the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call into book format has been something Dan and I have thought about for several years.  Life’s busyness and curveballs (… stories for another post) have always derailed our efforts, though.  Until now.

So here are a few small changes and hopes heading forward:

• I will continue to write blogs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Using the other days to work on book chapters.

• We will continue to send out text messages and push notifications to phones every day.  If you do not receive them now, you can follow a link to download our free Mobile App for iPhones or Androids by clicking here or simply text 3pm to the number 313131. This will be keeping with our ministry theme of giving God Thanks every single day.

• Lastly, we are asking YOU to pray for us.  We need God’s presence, protection, and provisions to see His plan through.  We know He will provide.  Believe with us.  And, please continue to spread the word about the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call Movement.  The more people already on board when the book is finished, the better it will be in the eyes of a publishing company.

Thank you for being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call!  We love you and believe God has great plans for all of us.  This is the race He has called us to run, and we will do so with perseverance and faith.  We spur you on to do the same!

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Respond Differently

Be careful how you live.  Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days…and give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

– Ephesians 5:15, 20

How do you usually respond when someone asks you how you’re doing?  I tend to answer with “I’m fine.  How are you?”  The other day when I gave this response to the cashier who had asked, she didn’t answer me in return.  She had just been making small talk and really didn’t care how I was doing.  It was easier for her to ignore my question then answer me honestly.

This interaction, or lack thereof, got me thinking about the small talk we make everyday with people who don’t know us well but see us often.  Who are the people you bump into often; at the grocery, coffee shop, gym, post office, library, school or at church?   

What if the next time one of them asks you how you are, you answered their question by saying, “I’m thankful!”  Wouldn’t that prompt them to ask the next question, “WHY?”

The Bible tells us to always be ready to give the reason for our hope.  (1 Peter 3:15)

Think for a moment about the act of thanksgiving alive and active in your life.  Answer these quick Powerful “W” questions:

• Who are you thankful for?
• What is one gift you’re thankful for?
• When was the last time you said “Thank you!”
• Where have you experienced great gratitude expressed lately?
• Why do you think God desires for us to give thanks for everything?

I’ll share my answers through a story of what happened to me last week.  

I’m thankful for Tammy, my favorite grocery store employee.  Every time Tammy sees me shopping, she comes over and gives me a big hug.  I guess a long time ago she decided that she could be herself with me because I saw past her disability and genuinely cared about her.  Recently, she was used by God to answer one of my prayers.  

A week earlier, I had been calling around looking for a place to serve on Thanksgiving Day since our family had postponed our celebrations to Saturday.  (I guess the blog post about serving really got to me.) Every center and church I called said “No thanks.  We have enough help.”  But the day before Thanksgiving, there was Tammy in the produce aisle hugging me and excitedly talking about tomorrow’s “feast.”  A local restaurant was holding its yearly dinner for children with disabilities and their families.

I thanked Tammy for what I call a “God wink,” then drove across town to the restaurant hosting the event.  At the hostess’ station, I asked the manager if I could volunteer the next day.  He almost hugged me like Tammy does, and said “Yes, we need more hands to help!”  

What an incredible experience!  When the families with special needs children asked me, their waitress, how I was doing on Thanksgiving Day, I answered them truthfully by saying “I’m so thankful!”  Those three words seemed to give people permission to respond in kind.  It’s as if one “Thank You” unleashed a multitude, reminding me that that is exactly how God desires for all of us to live every day.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Confident in His Control

My heart is confident in You, O God; my heart is confident.  No wonder I can sing your praises! Wake Up, my heart! – Psalm 57:7-8 (NLT)

Happy Cyber Monday!  Are you shopping online?  How many stores did you visit without ever walking through their doors?  Last year on Cyber Monday, Americans spent three billion dollars online in 24 hours.  This was up 12% from the year before, and it’s expected that we’ll spend even more in 2016.  

I didn’t think Cyber Monday was a big deal until several years ago when I purchased our family’s Spring Break trip at a 60% discount.  Cyber Monday made an otherwise unaffordable trip into one of our favorite family memories.  The kids were old enough to be safe on their own, yet still liked spending time with us.  That wonderful week gave me confidence that we could maneuver the rapidly approaching teen years without much of a problem. 

Boy was I wrong.  As soon as we started hitting the bumps in the road, I lost all my confidence as a mother.  I spent endless hours awake at night worrying that they wouldn’t make it home safely.  I tracked our teens on their phones every time they left the house. 

It had been my job for so many years to keep my kids safe, and now they were driving and making challenging decisions on their own.  Had I taught them well enough?  Would they choose the right path in the face of temptation and peer pressure?  As I paced and worried, fear and anxiety rose to levels I’d never experienced before as a mother.  The enemy had a field day with me, filling my mind with thoughts of destruction and death.  There was one point that I fully expected our son to die.  It wasn’t a matter of “if,” I thought, but “when” would we get that call.  I was trapped in darkness and despair.

Thankfully, my 3 o’clock alarm saved me from fear’s trap.  Every day when my alarm sounded, I started sending God S.O.S (Save Our Son) prayers.  God heard my cries for help and came close.  

His presence gradually displaced the fear with faith.  His powerful Holy Spirit began teaching me to give Him my troubled heart and He’d lead me to trust Him more and more.  God entered our high school story and gave me a renewed confidence.  A little in myself and my parenting, but a lot more in Him.  After all, God loves my teens even more than I do.  He has great plans for them.  My job is to place them in His loving hands so that, day by day, He can guide all of us through the tumultuous times.  

I have learned to give God thanks and praise even when I can’t locate my kids, when it’s past their curfew, or bad news comes our way.  Thanking God for who He is, instead of the circumstance I’m in, eventually developed a comforting level of trust in my heart.  I can now stand confidently in the storms because I know who controls the weather. 

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement