Is the Lord helping you build YOUR house

Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate. 

Thinks this fits perfectly with where I am in this journey God has given me to enjoy.  God continues to bless us with many material blessing for which I am grateful but I am also very thankful for the children, husband, and family He has blessed me with.  May I continue to be thankful and open to ALL the blessing HE chooses to bless me with.  And may I ask God's guidance in all decisions I make.

Do you ask God's guidance in your decisions?  Do you have the same view as God on Bible topics?  Does God guide your footsteps? Does He help you build your "house"?  If not WHY not?  According to these verses if we aren't consulting God in our decisions then we are laboring in vain.  WOW...what a challenge!  May we all be challenged in each of our decisions to consult God first and read what HE has to say about the matter.  God is the ONLY one we will have to answer to.  We are called to be different, to be in the world but NOT of the world.  Are you different?  Are you trusting and obeying or are you following with what the world says or what YOU want to do.  May we learn to trust and obey more each step of the way!

Blessings

I am just taking a moment to count my blessings.  In counting them I have found that I serve an awesome God who knows far better what I need than even I do.  I am blessed in having a wonderful God, who created the world and everything in it, I need to stop and enjoy it more often than I do.  I am blessed that God was willing to send His only Son to live on this earth then die a horrible, cruel death so that I can be forgiven of my sins and shortcomings.  I am blessed that I have a wonderful Christian husband that loves me no matter what and does his best each day in encouraging me and helping me get to Heaven.  I am blessed to have four wonderful children that God has given me to raise for His kingdom.  Each of my children are individuals that have different ways of encouraging me in each step of the way.  I am blessed to have wonderful parents that encourage me and let me learn some things the "hard" way and were "strict" even when I didn't understand (I understand more now).  I am blessed with a wonderful sister (who I miss spending time with but we both have married lives and children to love and that's what comes first).  I am blessed with wonderful in-laws whom I am thankful for because they treat me like their own daughter.  I am blessed with a wonderful job with people I love to work with (makes each day that I leave my children with my hubby and mother in law a little easier). I am blessed with a great Christian family (some of whom I've never met in person but hope to some day but know if I don't we'll met the other side of Heaven).  I am blessed with wonderful friends. Some of who know almost as much about me as I know about myself and with whom I share most of the same beliefs, others who well we just have a good time together no matter what and others that are new friends that I am enjoying learning more about.  I am blessed to have a home to live in, clothes, to wear, and food to eat. I am blessed to be a woman because there are so many things that I as a woman will get to experience that a man never will (the first kicks of a baby inside you and breastfeeding while they look at you and smile that most precious smile).  I am blessed to live in America where I am free to write these things and share them and worship the Lord in Heaven without fear of harm.  I am blessed to have my health there are so many I see everyday that have diminished health and take so many medications.  I am blessed to be able to home school my children.  Some days and weeks it's an adventure but not one I'd ever want to give up. I enjoy watching them as they learn new things.  I enjoy knowing that they are learning things that don't give them the chance to question the Bible and it's authenticity. I love watching them grow in the Lord. I am blessed in knowing that God is in control and though sometimes I don't understand at that moment why He answers the way He does that He knows better than me.  I am blessed because I have the avenue of prayer to tell God my wants and needs but know that he already knows my every care.    Wow...the post is longer than I intended but yet I still have so many blessings left to count.  I hope this encourages someone to stop and count their blessing and see what God has done for them. 
In Christ Love,
Brandy

On my way to Work

So this morning on my way to work I said a prayer as I usually do.  I have been praying that God will bring me closer to Him and that in all things I will do His will and that I'll teach my children to do the same.  Well, this morning after my prayer.  I decided that since I have started "blogging" my thoughts that I will have the children do the same, except theirs will be on paper.  I am going to teach them to "count their blessings" and to "pray without ceasing" and to journal these things so that they will learn to "see" who God is and how he answers our prayers. 

I have learned that sometimes the things we consider "blessings" are not what God  considers "blessings.''  We need to study God's word to find out what God considers a blessing and count those things. A quote that often comes to mind when I think of blessings and how the world sees them is from Doug Phillips~ "The Bible calls debt a curse and children a blessing; but in our culture, we apply for a curse and reject blessings." 

So now I am on my way to "WORK" to teach my children and my self what true blessings are according to God's word.  I am going to count my blessings and watch as God teaches me to walk each step with Him.  To think and act the way He would.  To rid my mind of what the WORLD has crept in and taught us (even in the church) that blessings are.

Matthew 5:2-12
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Wow, our view of blessings are much different from God's, we can see that in just a few short verses from Matthew.  Let us learn to count our "true blessings"  as God has so richly given us.
In Him