Will I ever learn????

Oiy Vey!! Such a stupid cycle I do, over & over & over again! Does anyone else do the same? It's like this...things are fairly good at home, my focus is Christ, house is fairly tidy cause I'm making something of an effort, I'm into the Word & worshipping daily, I'm not over FaceBooking....then I get comfortable, hey its all good, I'm happy let's just relax - those aren't my actual words but that sure becomes my attitude...life gets busy as usual, devotions are forgotten, my focus slips to the business around me, we're away & so miss church...a week goes by & I'm getting grouchier by the hour, depressing-discouraging-frustrating-angry thoughts abound!...another few days go by & I FINALLY realize what the problem is!! Duh! So I repent & refocus...so on & so forth.
When I read over all that it just seems really silly! How can I possibly make the same mistakes over & over & OVER again? Arg! Well, apparently I'm not alone.

1 Peter 5:7-9 ...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

So here I am again, making a stand & choosing to be vigilant...choosing to not be stubborn like a donkey!!

Psalm 32:1-11
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
⁵ I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶ For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
⁷ You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,Else they will not come near you.

¹⁰ Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
¹¹ Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

God has given me &/or made available the tools etc that I need. Whether I choose to pick them up & use them on a daily basis is up to me. I have free will & He won't make me follow Him. He's not forcing me, but He IS waiting for me, cheering for me, urging me, encouraging me, working on my behalf, blessing me, preserving me, teaching me......

pic from http://uniqueboutiquenz.blogspot.com/2010/07/well-we-have-moved-i-have-gone-from.html

New Month, New Attitude, New Resolve

Dear Blog, so how does one start their very 1st post?? I guess by just diving right in! This a.m. is the start of a new month & new attitude & new resolve! The month is November, my attitude is Thankfulness & my resolve is to "do unto the Lord" (specifically housework!).
"And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him."   Col 3:17 Amplified
The new month is simply cause, well, it is! I love that God's mercies are new each morning & a new month is so exciting! You flip the calendar page & see an entire month just waiting to be lived.
The thankfulness comes in because God has been talking to me about my complaining & grumbling. A person can't complain when they are busy being thankful...for their kids, spouse, church, life in general!! Case in point, if while I'm loading the dishwasher I'm thanking God for blessing us with a dishwasher, I can't really in the next moment complain about how everyone piles their dishes ON TOP of the dishwasher counter instead of simply putting them INSIDE! My attitude of Thanksfulness will make for more Joy all the way around!
The resolve part is this: I'm LAZY. I do have my productive spurts, but overall, I'm looking to do the least amount of work & the easiest way out! Now mix that with a house, 4 kids, 2 cats, hubby & a busy life...what you get is a very messy, unorganized chaotic home! yuck! The Bible has a lot to say about laziness, here's a few of it's verses: Prov 10:5, Prov 10:26, Prov 12:24, Prov 12:27, Mat 25:26, 1 Th 5:6, 2 Thess 3:10. Reading these (+ about 10 others) has given me a nasty reality check. Laziness is a sin I want & will have *positive affirmation!* NO part of! Over the next while I'm going to do a Bible search/study on not being lazy & to start I need to know what I'm looking for. So a Google search of "the opposite of lazy" gives these results: diligent, hard-working, industrious, energetic, pro-active, ambitious, productive. Hmmm...this is going to be a long, hard road, BUT God has recently showed me (yet again) that He is soo faithful, give me nothing I can't handle while leaning on Him & provides more than enough grace.