I Want To Fix It! monkey, monkey underpants

I hate bandaids. They just provide a temporary fix or mask the problem. I also hate deep philosophical answers and symbolism, just give me practical steps and be plain about it. Let's get to the heart of the problem so we can show it to Jesus and let Him heal it, mend it, restore it, rebuild it, or wash it. It's what He does! 

THE WORD: 

I'm sure like so many of you, I've been struggling this week. My heart is so full of the need to say or do something to help fix "the problem." I want to change the world for the Kingdom, I want to make the name of Jesus known to all nations because HE IS THE ONLY FIX! So, I asked Him, what can I do...how can I help? And our loving, amazing, good Father gave me some very practical things I can do and I had to share them. They may seem obvious or simple but that's that way I like it and it's effective. 

PRAY 

Because it moves the heart of God!!!

My prayers are powerful because I'm His beloved daughter.  He delights in me! I automatically think of all the times in the Bible where people prayed and God moved and my faith rises up and I pray harder and longer! 

Here are my some of my favorite examples of prayer moving the heart of God:

• Jesus
• Forgive them for they know not what they do.
• Moses
• Moses asked the Lord to change His mind about destroying the Israelites.
• Exodus 32: 12 "Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people!" 14 "So the Lord changed His mind."
• The Tribes East of the Jordan
• 1 Chronicles 5:20: " They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer because they trusted him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated."
• Hannah
• 1 Samuel 1: 9-20 - She asked the Lord for a son and in due time she gave birth to Samuel.

The examples could go on and on.  I could share hours of examples from my own life of the faithfulness of God. He's moved even when only my heart has cried out. He's answered when I've only thought of things but never said them out loud. Prayer works because our God works! 

RAISE GAME CHANGERS 

Kindness & Unconditional love

I can teach my boy what the heart of God looks like. How to live his life like Jesus and be a light in the darkness. I can show him how to treat others with my actions and my words. I truly believe that my boy is going to mighty things for the Kingdom. But I have to train him. I am responsible for him and how he acts. I have to teach him to make good choices now or he won't know what that looks like. I don't make excuses for him and I don't stand for him acting in unkind ways. God has entrusted him to me on this earth and I can do everything within my power to cultivate a game changer! 

 

ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER & 

BUILD EACH OTHER UP 

Your Scope

Love your neighbors, speak truth to them. Go out of your way to encourage them, build relationships with them and be Jesus to them. Show kindness and love in every moment. Be a light to those you see on a daily basis. Your scope is wider than you think! 

PRACTICAL THINGS

Romans 12-15

I started in Chapter 12 and kept thinking, yea, this is it and then I kept reading and I'm like, this is it! The Word of God is SOOO amazing, it truly has all of the answers. And, of course, it has practical things! Things we can do on a daily basis to change the world. 

I'm only going to share the verses from Romans 12 that God pressed on my heart today but I encourage you to keep going. Read about respecting authority in Romans 13, we need to make this a part of our politics narrative. Read Romans 14 about the danger of criticism, who are we to condemn another, we will all have to give a personal account to God. Read Romans 15 about living your life to please others and not getting hung up on stupid things.

• Romans 12: 9-10, 12-14, 16-21 NLT
• This one is long but everything in it is SO good, it's exactly what we need to hear right now in our world. Read the whole thing, write it in your heart, teach it to your children, walk it out!

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.


10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 


12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 


13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 


14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 


16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 


17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 


18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 


19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. 
For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”
says the Lord.


20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”


21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.                                         

OK, yea, it's getting long. I usually try to keep it shorter so you'll read the whole thing but there's more. STAY WITH ME!

Encouragement for Today:

You Were Seen

One of my favorite authors, Karen Kingsbury and her family started a movement as a non-denominational way to show the world Jesus. It's called You Were Seen and it's a practical way to let others know that you see them and God's sees them and they are important to you and to God. 

She sent this beautiful email out that reflects my own thoughts exactly.  It's like she reached into my brain and pulled them out. Here's a link to the email...PLEASE READ THIS!

Random Thoughts:

Songs & Movie Lyrics

I'll save this one for next time but hopefully this snippet will make you want to come back next time to dive in deeper. Do you enter into certain situations or conversations and song or movie lyrics pop in your head and you can't help but say them or sing them? This happens to me on a regular basis. Next time I'll share some examples and get your opinion.

NEW SECTIONS 

New Discoveries & Favorite Things

I've already told you how practical I am...I was thinking of some new sections to add to this blog to give you some ideas of fun things to do or try!

New Discoveries: Female Fitness: Workout Planner

I don't know about you but I ate my feelings while in quarantine. So, now I'm trying to get back in shape and lose my quarantine pooch. I found this really great, free app that has quick workouts for all areas of your body.  I LOVE free and I needed to start a little slower with a couple of 10 minute workouts that actually work but don't kill me. Click the "Female Fitness: Workout Planner" link above and find out for yourself!

Favorite Things: Bike Trails

I am always looking for new, fun things to do to get my boys off the video games and outside into the great outdoors. One of my favorite things is taking bike rides. Are you looking for some great trails to take your family on? Click the "Bike Trails" link above and check out this website with some great local trails. 

Hope you stayed with me. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. I couldn't decide what to call this blog. A thousand thoughts went through my head and I wrote down a bunch of ideas. I felt like Lorelei Gilmore and I even started thinking like her. So, the first thought I had, and really what this blog is about, is the "I want to fix it" and the random "Hannah" is the monkey, monkey underpants. 

Don't forget, God's loves YOU and has a plan for YOUR life today!

May the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you!

Hannah