Are You Running in Circles?

Her tail began to wag furiously in anticipation; treats...her favorite highlight of the day. I opened the back door. She ran out thinking I was going to give it to her out there. But I quickly shut the door.

You see...I have a problem, I love to play jokes, whether it's on my hubby, kids, friends and yes even my piercing blue eyed, beautiful Siberian Husky, Allie.

She sat outside for a minute staring at me through the window and then quickly ran through the doggy door, into the living room and back into the kitchen. I promptly had the door open for her again. She ran right out. I closed the door. Back through the doggy door she came, circling back in to the all too familiar open back door. Slam. I was seriously curious to see how many times it would take her to catch on. We were all standing in the kitchen laughing. She ran back in and as I opened the door she stopped and stood next to me, waiting this time for me to go out first. The third time was the charm. She wasn't going to fall for it anymore.

How many times does it take you to learn a lesson? Are you continuing to run through the same door that's led you down the wrong path time and time again? As you crawl your way back through the small "doggy door" trying to start over again...do you find yourself running straight at the door you know will close on you? Without changing habits, you will never see different results. The Lord is always calling you to Him. He has given you an escape. He wants you to learn to seek Him before you go running in the wrong direction again. He wants to teach you to "wait on Him." He will open a door that no man can shut when you "allow" Him to go before you preparing the way.

Pray, seeking Him for the right path. Learn from your past mistakes. Don't continue to run in circles, never getting anywhere. Jesus wants to guide you to your true purpose, away from past sins that so easily entangle, attempting to drag you back in...a constant trick...a joke. You know the door will slam shut on that empty way of life. The Lord has sacrificed everything to show you a better way...a way out!

Today, call out to Him. Ask Jesus to guide you, heal you, forgive you. Ask Him to make ALL THINGS new; setting you free from the chains of bondage which have held you captive for far too long. Lay it all down. Ask Jesus into your life, your heart...setting you free. Ask Him to take you deeper in His love. He is your Savior. He stands with outstretched arms, waiting to embrace you and go before you on the journey He has prepared for you. A safe passage.

It's time to stop running in the wrong direction. You are loved! You were called for more!

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."~Romans 8:37


 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”
“I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."~Revelation 3:7-8

AND AGAIN...

"The key of the house of David
I will lay on his shoulder;
So he shall open, and no one shall shut;
And he shall shut, and no one shall open."~Isaiah 22:22 

 "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."~Jeremiah 29:13

Who Are You?

I used to forget who I was, letting the things of my past rush in, flooding me with old, self-deprecating feelings. The mistakes I'd made, things I'd done that hurt others and myself, filling my mind with self-hatred. I let those old feeling overwhelm me and bring me to a state of hopelessness.

"I'll never change. This is who I am. This is who I'll always be." These lies playing over and over in my mind. The enemy was trying to use my past to keep me 'locked up'...'ineffective'...and 'unproductive' for Christ and His purpose for me.

As I eventually confronted my painful past, I cried, prayed and read the Scriptures daily. I needed the Lord's healing love, comfort and forgiveness, as well as self-forgiveness. The more I reached out to Him the quicker I was comforted. My heart began to change. I started to feel His love being poured over the open wounds of my heart. Medicine for my infected soul. The more I called Him, the more He answered. His faithfulness restoring me to who I truly am. Not my sins, not my poor choices, actions or words. A kinder, loving, caring person who's been changed through the love of Jesus Christ. My old ways have been washed clean through Christ's sacrifice. I've been redeemed, restored and given a new beginning. I can truly be all that the Lord wants me to be and so can you. Call out to Him daily and be set free! Know who you are in and through Jesus Christ.

"I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him." Isaiah 57:18

"I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears to my cry for relief." You came near when I called you, and you said, "Do not fear." O Lord, you took up my case; you redeemed my life." Lamentations 3:55-58


For this is what the high and lofty One says-he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."Isaiah 57:15

"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him." Lamentations 3:25

"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near." Isaiah 55:6

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." Isaiah 60:1 

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

OVERCOMING FEARS GRIP

story by: Lisa Petrarca

Our Heavenly Father knows how much we struggle with fear. It is consuming, overwhelming & stifling. Fear has a way of grasping hold of you & dragging you down until it's grip pulls so tightly you feel as if you're drowning, sucked deeper & deeper into the dark abyss. Trying desperately to swim to the top for air, but never finding enough fortitude & determination to push yourself to the surface.

It's in those times, when our strength & courage has diminished, the Lord is waiting for us to call HIM. HE DOESN'T WANT OR EXPECT US TO DO IT ALONE. He only asks that we SEEK HIM & HIS STRENGTH.

Fear is a tool of the enemy. He tries to shut us down, hold us back & keep us stagnate. He uses fear to manipulate our thoughts and eventually our actions. Do any of these sound familiar?

1. "I can't do it?"
2. "I'm not smart enough?"
3. "I always ruin everything!"
4. "What's the use, it wont ever change."
5. "No one really likes or truly cares about me!"
6. "I've made too many mistakes & bad choices in my life."
7. "I don't deserve better."
8. "Who would ever love me?"

The list of negative, self defeating thoughts can become endless, filling us with fear, controlling us. But the Lord wants to change those thoughts. He wants to heal all the lies, hurt & brokenness that the enemy has used to sway you for years.

As you pray, ask the Lord to teach you how to replace those self damaging thoughts. When destructive words pop into your head, replace them & SPEAK THE LORDS TRUE & LOVING WORDS. Start hearing and saying the things that your Heavenly Father thinks about you:

1. "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS YOU."

2. "YOU ARE MY SMART & AMAZING CREATION, CREATED IN MY IMAGE."

3. "YOU HAVE NOT RUINED ANYTHING, I AM THE AUTHOR & CREATOR OF ALL."

4. "YOU CAN FIND CHANGE IN ME."

5. "YOU ARE LOVED! MY LOVE FOR YOU SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING."

6. "YOUR MISTAKES CAN BE FORGIVEN."

7. "I GAVE YOU MY ONLY BEGOTTEN, JESUS CHRIST, A SACRIFICE FOR YOUR SIN."

8. "YOU DESERVE MY LOVE, TAKE THE GIFT WHICH I FREELY GIVE TO YOU."

My love for you reaches higher than the mountains and stretches wider and deeper than the sea. Take the love that I offer. My love will set you free. BELIEVE, "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD."

Isaiah 26:3
"You will keep perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."

Turn Off Your Cruise Control

I often dream of going to far off places. Visiting other countries, seeing different cultures, sites and people, breaking free of my normal life. Adventure and change has always held an appeal to me.

Taking small road trips in the meantime to satisfy my need to explore. Stopping at abandoned homes to take rustic pictures, imagining who lived there, what happened in their lives that made them leave. Trying to look at things in a different way, finding beauty and joy in the unexpected.


However, in my everyday life, I find change very difficult. I get stuck in my routines, going to work, pick up the kids, make dinner, clean up, and then getting everything ready for the next day and start all over again.

Why do we go on auto pilot? Saving up excitement and joy only for vacations. You need to turn off the cruise control. Open your eyes to what is going on around you. The adventure you are seeking can be the lonely neighbor who's lost a loved one and needs some company. A friend who asks for help. The elderly person struggling to unload their groceries, or cheering up a co-worker with a smile, and encouraging words.

It may not sound like the adventure you were hoping for, but there is absolutely nothing more satisfying than giving of yourself...living a Christ like life. He has shown us the true way to happiness...showing love to others by giving of yourself. Take a look around you this week and see if you can find an adventure waiting especially for you! Turn off your cruise control & auto pilot...step into the excitement all around you. Pray that God will open your eyes to your true purpose and remove the blinders! Only then will you find true peace, happiness and joy that may be missing from your life.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7

The Broken Wheel

Story By: Lisa Petrarca

My car began to rattle, first the steering wheel then the seat, until it felt like a minor earthquake was happening inside. Several weeks prior I had noticed the steel thread on my tire was beginning to show, but I knew that without money and time, I would have to hope that I didn't have a blow out.

The longer I waited the worse the shaking became. Turns seemed to be the worst. I would grip tightly onto the wheel trying to control it. I found myself feeling intense stress every time I got in the car. I wondered, "Is today going to be the day?"

I started to think about how that worn, broken wheel is like life. We begin to make bad choices (wearing the tread). Each wrong choice slowly tearing us apart. Things become broken and shaky, but we try to ignore it. We grip on tighter to the wheel, trying to handle it alone. The stress begins to build up inside, but we push it down. We know that something is wrong but don't know how to fix it. The longer we continue down the same path, the worse things become..until one day we have a blow out.

Our life crashes around us and we need help. If you feel like you're headed for a blow out...open up your Bible and let God speak to you. Jesus prepared a way for us to be forgiven and have a fresh start. Stop and pray...He will change you, fix you and take away your worry and stress...you only have to ask.

He is the bridge that gets you over the difficult times...to the treasure that awaits you!

"I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness. And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles. To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isaiah 42:6-7, 9

I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them. And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

HIS CREATION.....