“But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things,” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭41‬ ‭LSB‬‬ Notice Jesus speaks her name twice….. When we notice this in scripture, the Lord is drawing not only the attention of whom He is speaking to, but us today as well. Almost like a “Listen up! Pay attention!” We know the story of Mary and Martha well, but have you ever analyzed this behavior in yourself? The busyness of Martha was the manifestation of what was going on in her mind. Jesus looks past her OCD cleaning and addresses the root “ you are worried about MANY things”. He was speaking to the chaos in her mind. How often do we get busy for nothing or even for something and forget all about the love, care and presence of Jesus in our every moment and every day. But just as the wind and the waves know His voice, so do we as His sheep, we’re just not always listening. Sometimes a good thing isn’t the right thing. Sometimes all that is required is to ““Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭46‬:‭10‬ ‭LSB‬‬ In the stillness the Lord speaks, rather we may hear Him clearly if we clear the junk from between our ears and intentionally focus on Him. It can be uncomfortable sometimes, but wait and worship at His feet, and He shall speak. Mary gives us a perfect picture of intimacy and intentionality with her worship, like it was just her and Jesus. I think of this passage often when life tries run me down and distract me from what really matters, Him. “but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭42‬ ‭LSB‬‬

AW Tozer “The attributes of God” Volume 1 A journey into the Fathers heart. This book is amazing. I read it years ago and anytime someone asks for my recommendation this is always my go to. Truly powerful intimate and a timeless piece of literature that I believe will continue to span generations. Tozer has a lot of good books that God has used him to write, but this one by far is my favorite.

“Delight yourself in Yahweh; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37‬:‭4‬ ‭LSB‬‬ This has been a foundational scripture for me for years. Not because I think God is my personal genie, but because as i “delight myself in The Lord” He is what and whom I’m seeking. The desire of my heart is Him!!! And as often as needed I come back to that center in my life, He is my hearts desire, His presence, His word, and His love. He not only fulfills that desire, but through the process and honesty I grow closer to Him Who has always been there waiting. When He is our priority and desire, the flow of grace comes in like a flood and things we wanted in the first place come anyway most of the time, but only from Him coming first and reigning in our heart as King of Kings. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭LSB‬‬

“Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭LSB‬‬ Endurance is not a feel good part of our faith or a popular topic for a sermon or Bible study, yet it is a foundational truth about our walk with Christ. Yet not many people talk about it. For me the key to enduring is best communicated through the words of Paul in the passage above. The enemy and our flesh tries to slow us down and drag our past behind us and keep us focus on things that have already happened, in these times we must lean into our faith, our hope, and our future, JESUS CHRIST!!!! Press forward, lean in, and lean on The One Who holds eternity in His hand, enduring is part of our walk but He has empowered us and instructed us that if He is our focus we shall overcome!

@Nicole Landy be encouraged sister, it is part of the process, we all go through these times, I’m at a pastors conference in Florida this week with my wife and intercessor and the message last night was this “ kings and leaders are not created in comfort, they are forged in fights”. Our growth is dependent on our perspective, are we focused on our circumstance or our Creator, ebbs and flows of life happen each and every day, but God….“The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭LSB‬‬ Be encouraged sister, and know you are beloved of The Father!

@Krista Wallace “Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you died and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭LSB‬‬ I believe that we MUST realign our focus, perspective if you will, to eternal Truth in and through Jesus Christ. I choose to believe my true life is hidden in Him, and not what we go through or “feel” about ourselves, God asked Adam in the garden, “ Adam where are you?” This question wasn’t because Gid couldn’t see him, it was to help Adam understand that he was hiding in guilt and shame from the presence of God, something he had never done before and most certainly wasn’t created to do, but all the same he chose to hide, what it means to me today is I can choose Gods narrative or my own, only one of which is Truth. And when I choose to believe I am hidden with Christ in God, guilt and shame cannot abide there. But it is the power of choice that is the most beautiful gift in love we’ve been given. “We love, BECAUSE He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 We all go through ebbs and flows, this is the human condition, but when we choose to believe the narrative of a loving Father and all sufficient Savior, instead of our circumstances, our narrative is changed to align with His Truth and not our experience. Not that I have it all figured out, but my hope and my strength is in The Lord and not in myself, to which I CONSTANTLY remind my flesh and emotions.

“and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬ ‭LSB‬‬ I don’t believe the religious narrative that we’ve all heard about the statement Jesus makes here, I don’t believe it to be a command. Rather I see it as an invitation, and invitation into the divine nature of Jesus Christ.