Post-op Examination

When I knew that I was going to have surgery on my ear, I made a promise to God that during my recovey time when I was off work, I would devote my time to reconnecting to Him; to build our relationship and take it to a deeper level. To reclaim my first love. My plan was not to rush through my devotional time so that I could make a check mark on my to do list for the day, but to spend the time soaking up His word and meditating on it and truly offering a sacrifice off worship. My goal; not to just let my ear heal that I might have better hearing; but that my hearing would be more sensitive to His voice.

So now that I am awake and coherent, I have been giving God the first fruits of my day and letting Him speak into my heart; not just laying out my requests for Him as if they were a grocery list of items that I need.

One of my favorite things about God's word is that it is alive and each time you read it you receive a new nugget, or it polishes up an old nugget that you may have forgotten about. No matter how many times you reread a passage you will ALWAYS get something from it! 

Here are some truths that God reminded me off as I was reading His word and my devotional book that is walking me through the Bible, yet one more time.

2 CORINTHIANS 4: 16 Even though the outward man is perishing; yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 

Are you worried more about maintaining your figure and appearance more than your heart? Have you read God’s word today? 

PSALMS 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

When you acknowledge the reliability of the one who is in charge of your life and then admit your fear; you have to appropriate the power that He has promised to give to you. You have to tell Jesus your troubles. (Sanctuary; by David Jeremiah) 

As a friend of mine used to jokingly say "has it come to that?" Don't let your problem go on until the only thing left to do is pray. Pray when your problem first arises!

JAMES 3:17 The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

God’s supply of wisdom never runs dry, but keeps coming to meet the demands of each hour. Worldly wisdom results in confusion but God’s wisdom brings peace, produces fruit and automatically multiplies. (Paraphrased from Sanctuary; by David Jeremiah)

Don’t let anything- people, money, fame, success, family- lead you any where but closer to God. (The Women’s Devotional Guide to the Bible; by Jean E. Syswerda) 

ROMANS 5:3-4 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. Endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

God love His people with a desperation that causes Him to wait patiently for them to turn away from their sin and to turn towards him.  Even when affairs are their darkest, He is working, often behind the scenes, nudging events along in a way that will make His people see, if only they will look, that their only hope is turning to Him.

Frame your belief in God’s ability based on the promises in His Word (Mark 11:24 & Matthew 6:10) to fulfill your needs and your desire for His perfect will in your life.(The Women’s Devotional Guide to the Bible; by Jean E. Syswerda)

The circumstances that you are going through right now might just be a stepping stone towards an answered prayer, do not despise your trials, but let them refine you. 

MARK 11:24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 

MATTHEW 6:10 May your Kingdom come; on earth as it is in heaven… 

PROVERBS 15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

Anger does not promote change but only makes the problem go deeper. Learn to respond and not to react in every situation.

Some of these truths are so simple, and yet God reminded me of them because they are still relevant in my life on a daily basis. I must constantly meditate on them to keep my heart focused in the right direction. God needed me to realize that I will never be perfect enough or have the right amount of knowledge to be used, but that if my life is in order and I am putting first things first, I am usable. In fact He can't use me if I am "perfect" or "well accomplished" because then He would not get all the glory due to His name. He has to use imperfect people (David, Gideon, Samson, Rahab, Moses, Sarah- the list is never ending; all people are imperfect, you just have to have faith) because it is when we are weak He is strong!