Our Limitless Savior

January 12, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Early this morning, on the way in to work, I wasn’t sure what exactly today’s post would be about. Sometimes, though, the answer is all in my morning devotion – and this morning was no exception. ‘Jesus Today’ by Sarah Young (a ‘sequel’ to Jesus Calling) is one of the devotionals I’m currently reading and when I read this entry for January 12th…I could feel the Holy Spirit upon my heart.

What a beautiful feeling. There is absolutely nothing like it! And when it’s truly the Lord pressing on your heart, you cannot help but want to share His message! And so I knew that what impacted me this morning would be my gift to y’all today:

And before you argue that this is ‘just’ a devotional reading…all of these promises are backed up by the Word of God:

Faith in Christ is truly the answer. It leads to prayer, persistence…hope…joy. If you are merely living your life…going to church now and then – or even every week! – but don’t have a true living relationship with the Lord, you just cannot even fathom what the life God has in store for you really consists of!!

When you’re in a seemingly discouraging situation, life can look bleak and hopeless. But Christ tells us to write His Word on our hearts (Deuteronomy 11:18), and that isn’t so we can look impressive with the amount of scripture we have memorized, but so that, as believers, we have the comfort of His promises in our souls whenever any situation arises.

The Lord keeps all of His promises (Proverbs 30:5), so we can rest knowing that He hears His children. Although it isn’t easy, there is never a need to ‘help’ God along and trying to do so shows a lack of faith…In true worship of Our Savior, we must acknowledge that He alone is limitless in His ability and able to do anything – creating life out of barrenness, healing the incurable, saving the unsaveable, providing the impossible.

In this day and age, it seems as if nothing shocks or amazes us anymore. But GOD is above and beyond any place your imagination could take you, and His Love is infinitely beyond our comprehension. While we remain on our knees in faith, He has already answered our cries in the best way. Just as you would never give your child a gift that might cause him harm, He gives His children the very best.

In His Word and in the devotion for today, Jesus is assuring us of His love for us…As a Father to His Children, the Lord wants the very best for us. All we must do as Christ Followers is to pray faithfully, and live our lives in relationship with Him. It is surely not a simple undertaking, but it is a beautiful and rewarding life to live unhindered in His Promise.

TTC Tuesday

This Isn’t Part Of The Plan!

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Have you ever felt God asking you to follow Him…and not wanted to go where He was leading? Have you ever silently prayed, “Lord, really?! This is not part of my plan!!”?

Sometimes we spend so much of our time focused on what we want and what we plan to do in the future that we dream up the most ‘perfect’ scenario…and then are disappointed when God ‘gets in the way’ of our plans and suddenly, things don’t ‘look like’ we assumed they would.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (AMP)

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Lucky for us, as Christians, God is the one in charge and He sees the big picture. ~~Sometimes~~ ~~Most of the time~~ The plans He has for us are always better than anything we could imagine.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NLT)

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

It’s such a comfort to know that when He interferes our plans, He always has something even better in mind.

If you’re feeling the Lord calling you to do something that wasn’t part of your game plan, maybe that’s all the more reason to be assured it is God leading you. As humans, we have a pretty strong and determined will. When we want something – from the time we are infants – we want it and we want it now. If God is tugging at your heartstrings to go in a direction that you may not have chosen for yourself, a completely unselfish direction, it certainly isn’t a worldly pull.

If you only follow Him, He will take care of you…and He may even have a few surprises in store along the way! As the book of Jeremiah tells us in the passage above, God has not only plans for us, He has GOOD plans. And when we pray to Him, He listens. His rules are there for a reason – to keep His children from harm. And when He guides you, it is to green pastures. He listens to His children. He hears our prayers and gives us a ‘future and a hope’.

Perhaps it isn’t exactly the future you imagined for yourself…but you can rest assured that if you are following the Will of God, it will be better than any plans you had for yourself!

Pray with me:

“Father God,

I know You are leading me to a brighter future than I could ever imagine for myself. Please instill in me the faith I need to follow You wherever You are leading me – no matter how it is interfering with the plans I have for my life. Help me to love You so much that following You is something I would never question, and always trust.

In Your Precious Name I Pray, Amen.”

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

The Long-Awaited Promise: Fulfilled

December 24, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

{This post is dedicated to my precious grandmother, Florence, since she ‘so loves’ reading this blog. Merry Christmas, Grandma!}

I cannot stand waiting. As a matter of fact, I sometimes drive 10+ miles out of the way for the sole purpose of avoiding traffic and stoplights. When it came to ‘waiting’ on a husband, by the time Craig finally showed up when I was 28 years old, I was about to throw in the towel. And the most difficult waiting of all? Jonah.

Still, after more than three years of praying and hoping, we are awaiting the arrival of our child – Jonah Elizabeth. (See the story HERE.) At times, it seems as though God’s promise will never come to fruition. At other times, we both feel that Jonah is closer than ever. But the waiting – well, it never gets any easier.

Three and (almost) a half years is a long time…Or at least it seems that way until you compare it with how long the Jewish people had to wait for their promised Savior:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.” Micah 5:2 NIV

That was prophesied about 700 years before the birth of Jesus! Talk about a long wait!

But it was a long wait that was well worth it. And over and over again, throughout the Old Testament, the Lord reaffirms His coming through the prophets:

2 Samuel 7:16
King David’s throne would be established forever

Daniel 9:24-26
Daniel predicted when an anointed one would be rejected

Deuteronomy 18:15-18
God promised another prophet like Moses

Genesis 22:18
The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham

Genesis 49:10
The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah

Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah foreshadowed the virgin birth of Jesus

Isaiah 9:6-7
There would be a son called God

Isaiah 11:1-10
Nations would seek the counsel of Jesse’s descendant

Isaiah 35:4-6
He would perform miracles

Isaiah 40:1-5,9
The Messiah would be preceded by a messenger

Isaiah 42:1-9
The Messiah would be a light to Gentiles

Isaiah 49:6
God’s salvation would reach the ends of the earth

Isaiah 50:6
Jesus was spat upon and beaten

Isaiah 53:1-3
The Messiah would be rejected

Isaiah 53:4-6
God’s servant would die for our sins

Isaiah 53:7
God’s servant would be silent before his accusers

Isaiah 53:9
God’s servant would be buried in a rich man’s tomb

Isaiah 53:12
God’s servant would be “numbered with the transgressors”

Isaiah 61:1-2
Isaiah foreshadows the ministry of Jesus

Jeremiah 23:5
The Messiah would be a descendant of King David

And that is merely a smattering of instances of Messianic prophecy from the Old Testament!!

The Lord reaffirmed His promise of a Savior, His Son, for many, many years before that promise was fulfilled…and now, here we sit – more than 2000 years after the birth of Christ, saved.

Just as early Christians used the symbol of the ichthus to show their faith, we can use the traditional colors of the Christmas season as a reminder of the true meaning of this beautiful holiday.

Red – the color of blood; Jesus’ death on the cross to save the world from sin.

Green – the color of life; The eternal life gained for us by our Savior’s death on the cross.

“…When we see the bright colors of winter decorations, we can remind ourselves and each other of the true meaning of Christmas. In this season, …[we] celebrate God so loving the world that He gave His only Son to us in human form (John 3:16-17; 1:14). In that way, Jesus could know and suffer all that we do, yet [doing so]without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He died for all our sins as the perfect sacrifice, reconciling sinners with a holy and just God, so that all who ask for forgiveness of their sin and turn to Him can have eternal life (2 Corinthians 5:4, 18-19; Hebrews 2:17).” -Saved By Grace Bible Study

Whatever it is you might be in a season of waiting for right now, know that all the promises of the Lord are well worth the wait – even if it is more than 700 years. (Please, Lord, don’t make us wait 700 years for Jonah!!!! 😉 )

This Christmas, keep the true celebration in your heart – the long-awaited birth of the Messiah, our precious Savior, who was, and is, well worth the wait.

Have a beautiful and very Merry Christmas, y’all!

My Choice Monday

The Most Awesome Anxiety Attack

November 16, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Have you ever had an anxiety attack?

I know it can be a different experience from person to person, but for me, anxiety feels like my heart is about to beat out of my chest. My thoughts become so singularly-focused, I can hardly concentrate on anything else, and I feel jittery – like I’ve had 2 energy drinks and 3 cups of coffee.

But it doesn’t take a frightening situation or a nerve-wracking possibility to create this sensation for me.

This is how I feel when God has charged me with a mission – something to complete and take hold of. I don’t feel like I can possibly sit still or accomplish anything until I address what God has placed in front of me.

And why do I feel this relates to an anxiety attack?

Well, I can’t think of another human experience that is as overwhelming…When God tasks me with a plan…or even just a hint of what He has in store, I can’t contain myself! From reading God’s Word and my relationship with Him, I know a sliver of just how BIG and MIGHTY and ALL POWERFUL He is! With Him, the possibilities are simply endless, and how overwhelming that is for us as mere humans.

But this anxiety is an exciting one of possibility, adventure, thrill. Serving Jesus Christ and His Kingdom is an awesome challenge and responsibility, but nevertheless, I have never felt more comforted than when I knew He was solely in control and our steps were completely dependent on His Word.

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of [the nations in the Promised Land]; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparable great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

We are all called by God to do His work. He may call you to travel many miles on His behalf, or simply to stay right where you are, but you are called.

And this should excite you beyond measure.

If you are ‘stuck’ in your church service week after week, hearing the same story about walking in the power of Christ, and never doing anything about it, then you aren’t living your life to the fullest potential. And that is the saddest result of a Christian life I can think of.

When you reach Heaven, at the end of the days God has numbered for you on this earth, and He asks you how you spent your time, are you satisfied to tell him:

“ Oh, Lord, I went to church when I could…”

“I know you wanted me to feed the poor, but I was just too tired when I got home from work…”

“Precious Jesus, I was in church every Sunday! I sang songs about Your glory each week, at the top of my lungs! I listened to every sermon about Your incredible power!!”

But Jesus responds that that is not enough. We are saved by faith, of course, but faith without works is dead. If you are truly a follower of Jesus, you long to follow Him – anywhere and everywhere He leads.

Matthew 28:19

^“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…”

Acts 22:15

“For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.”

Ephesians 6:20

“…for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

1 Timothy 4:12

“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

Is it scary? YES.

Is it completely against everything this world teaches? YES.

But it is at once the most incredible decision to follow Him at all costs. When you decide to stop being an armchair Christian, Jesus will use you in incredible and amazing ways.

Are you ready for your ‘anxiety attack’?

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

Not Too Thirsty

August 27, 2015August 27, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Thirsty for Christ. What does that phrase mean to you?

I’ll tell you what it means to me – hungering after following Him, being consumed by wanting a deeper relationship with the Father, realizing that nothing else can satisfy your soul the way He does.

We currently have a world population of more than 7.3 billion people. Roughly 31% of those 7.3 billion people claim to be Christians. That’s over 2.1 billion people. 2.1 billion.

If all two billion of us were truly thirsty for Christ, would this world be in the state it’s in today? We live in a world predicted by the prophets:

“ Be sure of this. In the last days hard times will come. People will love themselves. They will love money. They will talk about themselves and be proud. They will say wrong things about people. They will not obey their parents. They will not be thankful. They will not keep anything holy. They will have no love. They will not agree with anybody. They will tell lies about people. They will have no self-control. They will beat people. They will not love anything that is good.They cannot be trusted. They will act quickly, without thinking. They are proud of themselves. They love to have fun more than they love God.They act as if they worshipped God, yet they do not let God’s power work in their lives. Keep away from people like that.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Um…that sounds like now to me…but regardless, shouldn’t we Christians (all 2 billion of us) be shining SO brightly that we overshadow the over 69%? Shouldn’t we be so loving and forgiving and helpful and full of JOY that people can’t help but be drawn to us?

Why is it then that instead of striving to be like Jesus, we are fighting, assimilating with the secular world around us, insulting, blaming, judging…

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

We are called to be transformed – to be different, outsiders! We should have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, and therefore, have the mind of Christ – making it more than a little obvious when something isn’t right.

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” John 15:18-24

I pray for all of us to strive to be more Christlike – to thirst for Him. Christianity is not passive. It is not a club you belong to and never visit. It is a LIFESTYLE that affects every single decision you make, and every single thing you do. It is a CHOICE to follow Him, no matter what is thrown in your path.

A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God. When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and the vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of His love. Paul did not say that God separated him to show what a wonderful man He could make of him, but “to reveal His Son in me…” (Galatians 1:16). (from ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers)

Are you willing to thirst and hunger after Christ at all costs?

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

A Spirit-Filled Atmosphere

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Good Morning Friends & Welcome to Thirsty For Christ Thursday!

If you have been reading our blog for long, you know we love the devotionals written by Sarah Young – most especially “Jesus Calling” and “Jesus Today”. So this morning we want to bless you with a recent devotion from “Jesus Today”, in a format you can even print and hang by your desk as a reminder:

I just love the imagery that is derived from those last few sentences: ‘When Christlike goodness collides with worldly vileness, be on the lookout for miracles! The collision of spiritual opposites creates atmospheric conditions that are conducive to My powerful interventions.‘

Those words give me a visual of storm clouds erupting into miraculous lightening strikes.

You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. Psalm 77:14 NLT

One thing to take from Ms. Young’s devotion is this: “Be on the lookout for miracles.” If you are told to be ‘on the lookout’ for an approaching train, you would be expecting that train to come around the corner at any moment! So the same we should be in being on the ‘lookout’ for God’s Mighty Hand at work!

As the psalm above says, He is the God of great wonders, and our faith in Him should reflect our belief that nothing is impossible with Him.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26 NLT

Be expectant of the miraculous in your circumstances!

Food For Thought Friday

Trust & Obey

August 7, 2015August 7, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Happy Friday Lovies!

Are you as ready for the weekend as we are?!?! I don’t know about y’all, but for me, this has been the longest week ever!

Probably a lot of that has to do with the fact Craig was out of town. I’m not gonna lie – It’s tough being alone so much, and I can’t even begin to describe how much I miss my husband!

But last night, at about midnight, he finally walked through our front door! Yippee!!!

So needless to say, we are excited to be blessed with the weekend together before he heads back to Texas, and…we just might be doing a little bit of celebrating…

Just like we mentioned in our flashback to last year’s post, “Pack!”, on Wednesday, God works in amazing ways – and they look nothing like the expectations of this world! So, almost exactly a year to the day of having a signed contract on our Dallas, Georgia home, yesterday, we sealed the deal on a signed contract for buyers of our Maine home! WOOHOO!

God is good!

And for anyone out there who thinks this is mere coincidence, think again. He tells us in Scripture not to be afraid, for He is with us! He has called us by name, and we belong to Him. (paraphrase Isaiah 43:1)

Can you take a moment to think about that and apply it to the context of your own life?

You are a creation of God, your Heavenly Father, who loves you so much, He never leaves your side. He tells you that wherever He leads you, He will always be right there. How amazing is that? The One who created the universe calls YOU by name, and knows every freckle on your face by heart.

He led us to Maine; He provided for us in what was a very daunting and seemingly impossible situation; We served Him; He opened doors of opportunity for us; We followed His command; He led us back to Georgia; We obeyed Him; He gave Craig a promotion, and He provided for our family, and He continues to provide and lead us step by step.

Trust and Obey. Just like the old, beautiful hymn:

Written By John Sammis, 1887

Lyrics:

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
- Refrain:
  Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
  To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

That hymn (not to mention that version), especially when I think back over this past year and to our future, gives me ~~goosebumps~~ Jesus-bumps and brings happy tears to my eyes. I hope it blesses you today too!

As a constant reminder of His Faithfulness, we have a little treat for you today – a free printable:

Just right-click the image above and choose “Save Image As” to get yours! When I read those words, I can’t help but feel like nothing can stop me!

After all, we are sons and daughters of the RISEN KING! Hallelujah & Happy Friday!

Food For Thought Friday

The Age of Reason

July 31, 2015July 31, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Good Morning Friends,

Today, I wanted to talk about something that seems to have been a recurring theme in my quiet time with Jesus, where I am currently reading a devotion called “Good or God: Why Good Without God Isn’t Enough” by John Bevere via my awesome Bible app.

In today’s society, we have made laws, built standards around what we deem as good, rather than what God says is correct. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, God told them they could eat anything they chose in the whole garden. Really, from what the Bible tells us, there were no restrictions on what they could do and how they spent their time. The one and only rule was that they were unable to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, because, God said, this tree would give them the knowledge of good and evil.

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:15-17

Hmmm…’you are sure to die’…Death, from eating fruit? That’s interesting…or perhaps, did God mean it would be separation from Him – which is death?

Let’s look at the serpent’s reply to Eve when he tempted her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge:

²“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.³“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

⁴“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

⁶The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:2-6

Why would God keep Eve from something so beautiful and delicious? Why would He keep her from knowledge? Perhaps this is the exact moment we should come back to whenever we are tempted to strike out on our own path, when some thing or idea or action or person looks really good, we should ask ourselves…Is this good or God?

Sure, the fruit looked delicious. After all, that serpent has assured Eve that only good and wisdom would come from eating it. Why was God withholding something so wonderful from them???

Maybe, He was withholding something that appeared good because He knew it would lead to horrible consequences…

Because they disobeyed and chose their own good, Adam and Eve were subject to numerous consequences, but most importantly, they were separated from God.

I don’t know about you, but in my mind, the image of the Tree of Knowledge looks like a drawing from the cartoon I remember (and dearly LOVE) from my childhood: School House Rock. The trunk is spelled out with the word REASON and the leaves and fruits of the tree are all words like SELF-LOVE, GREED, SELF-RELIANCE, CO-EXIST:

Eating from that tree’s fruit literally poisoned the human race. So many times we try to reason things out, according to our standards, our knowledge, our experience…and I believe we can all agree, our knowledge, experience and standards don’t even begin to hold a candle to the vastness of God. The Bible tells us we are to have child-like faith:

^“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Luke 18:17

Think of a small child. Now, imagine this child has had a nap and woke up in a good mood or this illustration may not be helpful for you to visualize! J The child is about 3 years old, tiny. He can’t see over much of anything, but he wants to walk…and he’s still not the steadiest on his feet, so you – the parent, not wanting your precious child to fall, have to hold his hand and guide him as he walks through even the living room in your home – making sure he isn’t stepping onto a stray tack on the floor, keeping him away from the sharp corners of the end table. He doesn’t even see those things – but you do, and you don’t want him to get hurt….

That is how we should approach our relationship with our FATHER GOD. He is able to see those things, those consequences, those results that we cannot. He wants us to hold out our hands for Him to reach down and be our guide through life. Just as that child trusts his parent to keep him safe and lead him steadily across the living room, we need to trust our Lord to lead us to Heaven.

Making decisions based on our knowledge is as treacherous as allowing your child to run across the street unsupervised and alone: He can’t see the oncoming traffic, and neither can we in our own lives. Aren’t we blessed to have a Father in Heaven who not only knows what is ahead for us, but wants to guide us and lead us and direct our paths.

Imagine you’re sitting in traffic. It isn’t hard for me to do at all… 🙂

The cars in front of you just are not moving. People are honking their horns. You have somewhere to be, and you are going to be late if this mess doesn’t clear up!! Argh! So frustrating!!

But lucky you, you see a road just a little further ahead that you can turn off onto. A shortcut!! Yes! You’ll make it to your appointment on time, and you can skirt around all of this traffic…

That’s what you think…

But what you don’t know, is that on that road is a stalled tractor. It’s taking up the entire road, both lanes. And because it’s a side street, and not the main road, it’s going to take a lot longer for help to arrive to move the tractor out of the way.

What you thought – based on your knowledge, experience, and reasoning – would be a shortcut ends up putting you completely off track. You’re going to be greatly delayed in getting to your destination…

If only you had been able to see the road ahead, you would have seen this coming and never taken what appeared to be a shortcut…

God has this ‘vision’. Being omniscient, He knows what is on the road ahead and He has the very best in mind for His beloved. What may seem like a frustrating traffic jam, might be heading directly for your ‘destination’, while what seems like a shortcut could be taking you in an entirely different direction, delaying or even completely derailing your arrival.

What blessings are we delaying or possibly, derailing, because we want to take ‘shortcuts’ or our own perceived “best routes” through life, rather than letting our Father lead us, in child-like faith?

TTC Tuesday

I Am Weak, But He Is Strong

July 29, 2015July 29, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Dear Friends,

I confess – it’s been way too long since we poured our hearts, convictions and faith out to you via this blog. I have felt guilty –‘wake me up in the middle of the night’ guilty…because I know that the Lord wants to use me, my marriage, my hardships, my faith, as a vessel for leading others to Him. But…it’s hard, y’all. It’s really hard.

You all know we followed His call to Maine this past summer – almost a year ago! But you may not know that we are back in Georgia. After nine months of sharing His love with the precious youth of Southern Maine, God planted the desire for ‘home’…and with that, the desire to adopt a child…and with that, the necessary funds to make all of this happen with a promotion to Captain for Craig and a great job for me.

So, here we are, back in Georgia – ‘home’, and totally neglecting this blog and this ‘ministry’ – after we have been so immensely blessed. And I feel so guilty.

And while you may think this is a shrug your shoulders, no big deal, get a grip lady! kinda thing…it really isn’t. You don’t know the e-mails we receive, telling us how something has touched one of our readers; the requests for prayer from some who follow this blog from prison…Yes, I feel guilty for letting these people down when I am so unimaginably blessed, and so many are broken.

But I confess something to you…I try to be strong. Full of faith. Hopeful. Prayerfully diligent. But I fall so hard.

There are at least two days every week when I sob and ugly cry alone because ‘it just isn’t fair’ that I can’t give my sweet husband a child.

It just ‘isn’t fair’ that instead of going out for lunch with my co-workers, I head downstairs to the building’s gym to work-out during my hour-long break. I don’t eat gluten, carbs, sugar, anything fun. I drink apple cider vinegar with baking soda, and take a regimen of coconut oil, but no matter what, my blood sugar refuses to cooperate, my hormones will not level out and I can’t shed a pound, let alone maintain my weight.

I’ve felt like Job.

I’ve felt like David in a mournful Psalm.

I try so hard to be strong, but I’m not.

Thankfully, He is.

Lamentations 3:19-24 (Contemporary English Version) says this:

‘Just thinking of my troubles
and my lonely wandering
makes me miserable.
That’s all I ever think about,
and I am depressed.
Then I remember something
that fills me with hope.
The Lord’s kindness never fails!
If he had not been merciful,
we would have been destroyed.
The Lord can always be trusted
to show mercy each morning.
Deep in my heart I say,
“The Lord is all I need;
I can depend on him!”’

Peter tells us this truth about our Savior:

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Because friends, we are all human. We all cry and feel helpless and worry. But that isn’t the life the Lord wants for us. We are blessed in that our Lord tells us to hand everything over to Him, and just keep moving forward.

When I start to worry that Jonah will never arrive, that the adoption process will never move along, that I will never be able to have a body that functions like “it should”… I remember that He’s got this.

I remind myself that:

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” Philippians 3:8-9a (NLT)

And when I lay aside everything else, and focus in on Him and His AWESOMENESS, my troubles melt away and nothing else matters but basking in that love and sharing it with other people.

As my “Jesus Today” devotional reminded me this morning:

“The world applauds self-sufficiency…However, this is not the way of My kingdom. I want My children to recognize and rejoice in their utter dependence on Me…When the strain of living in the fallen world is getting you down, resist the temptation to feel sorry for yourself. Instead say to yourself, ‘I am blessed and thankful – and on my way to His Glory!’”

Food For Thought Friday

All That Matters

November 14, 2014November 11, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Whoop whoop! We’ve made it to Friday!!! For me, this means that after tonight, I get my husband back at home for the rest of the month, and I can’t wait!!

Now, before I get ready to head to either Boston, Manchester (NH), or just up the road to Portland to pick him up, I wanted to share a little food for thought with you:

Click this Picture For Your Food For Thought!

Now, I don’t know about your political views or stances, and those are your business – not mine, but while the gentleman pictured above, Glenn Beck, can be a controversial political figure, he is also a human, created by God – just like the rest of us.

When I read the above article (You can get there by clicking on the photo!) a few days ago, I wasn’t struck by anything political, I was struck by the awesome power of God. His healing and His guidance is available to each and everyone of us – if we open our hearts and allow Him inside! It’s that simple.

Doctors may tell us it’s all over. Family & friends may say quietly to themselves we are looney tunes. But the fact of the matter is, it’s all irrelevant. What really matters – The Only Thing That Matters At All – is what our Lord says.

And have you ever stopped and thought, where we would all be if the only one we listened to or followed was Him?