Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 45

5 Ways to Get out of a Rut in Your Quiet Time

 

 

This week, I realized that “spiritual funk” was starting to set in. My quiet time was turning into a ritual again. I was reading to check off something on my list, but my heart and spirit were not connecting with the mystery and the glory of the page.

God’s Word is not something to be glossed over. I am not reading for information. I am engaging in relationship. My Abba Father has something important to say to me, and I don’t want to miss it because I am not fully present when I come to break bread at His table.

I have the Word of God in my hands. He speaks to me. I need to wake up and come before Him with a hungry heart.

Lord, give me ears to hear.

Have you been there? Do you find yourself in a rut during your quiet time? Maybe you need to shake things up and do things differently. Let go of your “usual” and ask God to do a new thing in your heart when you open up the Word of Life…

I am sharing over at Missional Women today.
To read the rest of this post, join me here.

The post 5 Ways to Get out of a Rut in Your Quiet Time appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Hear the Shouts

I’m sharing “Hear the Shouts” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
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The Greatest Romance

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Something to think about…

 

I’m sharing “The Greatest Romance” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.

 

Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.

As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.

Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Cast Your Cares

I’m sharing “Cast Your Cares” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
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But God

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Yesterday, I drove the car home on close to empty and chose not to fill up the tank.   And, of course, this morning, I kept hitting the snooze button and totally forgot that my car needed some attention.   So, I puttered to work on fumes and a frantic prayer.  

The car was not the only thing that was running on empty.  Mornings like this almost persuadeth me to become a coffee drinker.

At lunch time, I decided to be proactive and service my vehicle, rather than bemoaning having to stop on the way home and being late to mid-week service yet again another Wednesday night.

I flipped on the radio and slid the car out of the parking lot and onto the traffic filled street just as my favorite DJ introduced the next song with a very personal story.   She rejoiced in sharing that a loved one she’d prayed over for years had recently radically come to Christ, and she remarked that her familia was getting acquainted with a whole new version of him.

I smiled.  Her story birthed a little hope in my weary heart.  I’ve been praying big for quite some time for several tough cookies who are on my Holy Spirit Hit List, and I’d love to see a transformed life or two.

Just as I lifted up that prayer to God one more time, the lyrics to the song broke through, and two words flooded my spirit.

I tried to find my worth

In things that didn’t work

My confidence was broken

I was hopeless

But God,

You have made me new

You’ve restored my heart and

Turned these ashes into life

Oh God, You have pulled me through

And everything I was is gone

And washed away for good

I’m a new man in You

I once was lost, but God found me.
I once was blind, but God gave me eyes to see.  

“Like sheep they are meant for the grave. Death will be their shepherd…. But God will free my soul from the power of the grave. For He will take me to Himself” (Ps. 49:14-15, NLV).

“I cried out to Him for help, and I praised him.  If I had been hiding sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened to me.  But God did listen to me; He heard my prayer” (Ps. 66:18-19, ERV).

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26, NIV).

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:7-8).

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins….But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…” (Eph. 2:1-5, ESV).

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (I Cor. 1:26-27, NIV).  

I was empty, but God filled up my tank today.  I am so thankful. 

 

 

Something to think about…

 

I’m sharing “But God” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.

 

Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.

As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.

Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post But God appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

God of Peace

I’m sharing “God of Peace” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
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Holding on to a Real Hope

 

I am going to confess something: For the longest time, I did not really understand the true meaning of hope in the life of a disciple.

I put my faith in Christ, but I didn’t understand that the word hope now had a new meaning – things had radically changed in my life because the power of the resurrected Christ now lived in me.  I could walk in a new confidence because of Him, but I didn’t fully comprehend that at first.

You see, hope for the Christ follower is not wishful thinking that something might happen.  Hope is a “confident expectation and assurance” that what God says in His Word is true.

This world offers us little certainty that anything is true or sure.  But our God stands firm.  His “Yes” is always and forever “Yes.”

As a believer, our hope is rooted in the past, endures in the present, and is fixed forward on our eternal glory in the future…

 

I am sharing over at Missional Women today.
To read the rest of this post, join me here.

The post Holding on to a Real Hope appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

I Declare

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declare


 Verb [dih-klair] 

1.  to make known or state clearly, especially in explicit or formal terms
2.  to announce officially; proclaim
3.  to state emphatically
4.  to manifest; reveal; show

 

 

I declare



Almighty God is present and at work in my world.   He is the God who performs miracles.   Nothing is impossible for Him.
Jesus is Lord of my life and of this universe.  He conquered death and can breathe life into any situation.  No weapon formed against me will prosper.
The Holy Spirit is actively engaged in the nitty gritty of every moment of my day.  I have everything I need to face today and tomorrow.  I am empowered to walk in victory.

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I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. (Psalms 118:117)


Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. (I Chronicles 16:24)
Many, Lord my God, are the wonders You have done, the things You planned for us. None can compare with You; were I to speak and tell of Your deeds, they would be too many to declare. (Psalms 40:5)
 I will declare that Your love stands firm forever, that You have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.  (Psalms 89:2)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9)

 

 

 What is your life declaring to the world today?

 

 

Something to think about…

 

I’m sharing “I Declare” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.

 

Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.

As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.

Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post I Declare appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Fragrant

I’m sharing “Fragrant” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
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Tea and Sympathy

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Year ago, Mayra and I befriended a novice teacher who sat with us each day in the teacher’s workroom during 3rd period planning.  His quick wit served him well in the trenches with teenagers at first.

Unfortunately, his dry humor was a rather unsuccessful disciplinary tool for the long haul.   Managing the unruly started to take a toll on him as the year wore on.    We offered advice and prayers in hopes of rallying his spirits.

Our disheartened friend finally crashed when he ended up face to face with a very disgruntled parent during an after-school conference.    He gave us the “play by play” of how the meeting had transpired the following morning.

The brutal details of the exchange made my stomach turn.

I honestly don’t remember much of what he said, but one tidbit from his story has remained firmly implanted in my memory.   When the meeting was over, he debriefed with an administrator who had passively chaired the conference.

“What advice did he offer?” I remember asking.

“He didn’t say much,” my weary friend responded.   “He basically got up, closed his briefcase, and suggested that a cup of tea might make me feel better.  And, then he left for the weekend.”

We laughed in disbelief.

The last few weeks of the school year, we put on our Mother Hen hats and tried to protect our wounded baby teacher.   Daily, we tried to help him to spread his wings and fly.

Sadly, our friend found teaching was not his cup of tea.   He decided to move back home at the end of year, and his teaching career came to a close.   On the last day of school, he presented us each with a tea cup card to thank us for supporting him through a difficult season.

I think about him often.

+++

Recently, I’ve read the brutal details of sad exchanges on Social Media.   My heart grows weary of the unkindness.  How am I to respond?   I could sit back and do nothing — that would be the easy way out.   My selfish heart wants to close up my heart, turn off the screen, and offer Pharisaical platitudes as I walk away.

I want to do nothing.  It’s not my problem, really.  Right?

But then I open up my Bible and read the words of the Apostle Paul.  He is sitting in prison, and his heart is reaching out to two Philippian sisters in Christ who cannot seem to get along.   He speaks wisdom to them:  “…Agree in the Lord,”  he exhorts.   “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near”  (Phil 4:2, 4-5, HCSB).

The Lord is near, so we are called to be

gracious
gentle
reasonable
unselfish
considerate
forebearing
yielding
peaceable
equitable
patient
humble
meek
kind

Offer warmth and revive the soul of your fellow man.

Be someone’s cup of tea today. 

Something to think about…

 

I’m sharing “Tea and Sympathy” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.

 

 

Thought-Provoking Thursday Spotlight:  Nancy Backues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When a cancer diagnosis rocked her faith to the core, Nancy Backues found herself fighting an even greater battle than her illness. She was also fighting for her faith.

In Unshakable: Finding Faith to Weather the Storm, Nancy shares openly about her struggle with fear and doubt and addresses the tough questions many of us ask in the midst of difficult circumstances. Questions like

Is God really good?
Does God really love me?
Is God big enough for my situation?
Is God even aware of what I’m going through?
How can any good come from my situation?

As Nancy’s story unfolds, she wrestles with these difficult questions, answers them with overwhelming evidence of God’s love and faithfulness, and takes readers on a journey to find faith that is unshakable.

Want to read more of Nancy’s story?  Head on over to Amazon to purchase Unshakable: Finding Faith to Weather the Storm. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Backues is an author, speaker, wife, mother, and two-time cancer overcomer. She lives in Missouri where she relies on God’s grace and good coffee to live out authentic faith in the midst of a mostly messy life. Connect with her at www.NancyBackues.com.

 

 

Thought-Provoking Thursday Linkup: 

 

Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.

As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.

Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post Tea and Sympathy appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.