PREPARATIONS

Recently saw the young woman who is out-swimming the males. She is coming up for the Olympics and she is phenomenal. They showed her in her practice swims, and though at ease, she broke her own time. And yes, she was swimming with males in practice. Her coach wanted her to train with them and try to keep pace with them, for he believed she had a quality and that it would come as she trained.
He was so right!
As individuals we certainly need to train ourselves. We must learn some cooking skills, paying bills, cleaning the area of earth the Lord has given us to take dominion over. I am amazed today how many men and women cannot cook up a meal. I remember my mother always telling me to stand by her side as she prepared a meal and consistently watch everything she did so I could take it and run one day with it as well. That worked for us when my mother went back to work when we were in high school. She did not have to worry about the evening meal being started. And she would finish it up when she arrived home.
It is all about preparations and if we do any kind of preparation for where we are headed. I have seen couples that we have known lose their loved one, and feel inadequate as they could not even boil water. Still others, I have seen take the role seriously, and continued to prepare meals for themselves when that loved one left this earth for glory!
I have seen our children teach their child to bake banana bread. They bring out all the ingredients, get her situated on the step, and hand her the measuring cups, and she is running with it! And she bakes up some really great banana bread with chocolate chips! Preparations!

So where are we headed? Where do we plan to be in a year or so? Tomorrow will surely come and how prepared for it are we at this moment?

Proverbs 14:8
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand His way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
NKJV

How true that the prudent will understand their way, but the fool will put off all that for another time and place. In deceit, they make up excuses about tomorrow and put off what really should be done today. Like growing older and making plans for leaving this earth certainly makes one stop and think about life and how short it is, but in truth we must make plans so whoever is left behind will have some satisfaction knowing everything was dealt with before leaving this earth. 

A lot of people do not want to make the needed goals, but rather set them aside and maybe ignore them for awhile longer.

Like Jesus, we too, must make goals, and see them made plain that we follow through to their completion. His of course was the purpose and the mission.

Luke 19:9

9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." 

NKJV

When we take time to "talk" with our Father Who is in heaven and relate to Him what we are experiencing, He will show us how to walk on through. It is allowing Him to show us the perfect plan and then how we are to implement it in our life. Surely when one faces some hard things in life, like finding the needed blood one might need in an emergency, and none matches your own, you certainly give heed to the direction of the Lord and how to proceed to make the needed changes that would help your spouse should anything occur all too quickly. But by faith we walk, with eyes on the God who can deliver. Walking by faith, is keeping that faith walk alive by speaking and preparing. It is not about leaving all to God, for He already did everything He was going to do. It is up to us to obey and do now what He has spoken for us to do.

James 4:13-17

13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. NIV

Yes, we can certainly make our plans, and in the long run most never come to fruition. Some I have noted of late is of people who make a plan, went on vacation when they should have stayed home, and then died on the vacation trip. So the spouse had to deal with bringing them home. Now I am sure this does not happen all the time, but of late I hear it happening a lot of the time. 

We should always ask the Lord's plan or will for the specific thing we are planning and if we are to move then God would have His seal of approval on it. And I know by experience it took us two years many decades ago, to really move from where we were at. But God kept speaking to us about moving from where we were at to get TO WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE!

YES, not obeying is sin! 

So do we have anything today that is disabling us from being the individual who can cope with great change? Are we willing to learn to wash clothes, clean a house, cook a meal or even care for a spouse who might need it? These are just questions, but they need to be addressed.

Will we come out on the other side of a loss with hope in our hearts that we can continue to live on with a cheerful attitude or will we be the grumpy and the unforgiving sort.

Consciously we should seek to be educated on what we lack knowledge on and then to be informed of what changes must take place.

I know when my grandfather had passed many years ago, he had left my grandmother well cared for. She had money in the bank and a new home to live in. Yes she lived alone but had many guests frequently dropping by for a glass of sweet tea or just to chat. She had a life to continue with and lived many decades after his death. She never remarried but remained faithful to the marriage she was devoted to. And when she passed, she left an inheritance to her children's children.

God is for us. He has the best for us, but we must get moving on learning all that we must learn and deal with hard questions and those things that may seem terrible right now, but will bring peace and satisfaction to those we leave behind.

We must want to practice victory everyday. It starts by getting out of bed in the morning and dressing for the day. We are to walk in triumph for all things have been given to us. 

Yes, the enemy may come with circumstances and even thoughts, but we are to walk in the steps of the Lord that is righteousness. Sing out in triumph and know it is not over till God gives you the nod that it is time to go HOME! Today we must rejoice for we boiled that egg and it appeared cooked in the middle. And hey, I did not burn the toast, although the cornbread I did bake fell apart while taking it out of the pan, I could still put a little butter on it. I like to bake and try new recipes but they do not always turn out for me. But for my husband, well, he loves to cook up new recipes and we always have fun in the kitchen together!

Isaiah 57:19-21

19 "I create the fruit of the lips:

Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,"

Says the LORD,

"And I will heal him." 

20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea,

When it cannot rest,

Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 

21 "There is no peace,"

Says my God, "for the wicked."     NKJV

The fruit on our lips must be for peace, for ourselves and for our loved ones. As we take the opportunity to give praise to God, we are healed of any sorrow or pain, and we gain our victory for each day that we praise. Whatever the trial or tribulation, we must be the prepared to continue to walk in that peace of God.  May our confidence be in God and hold onto to His truths as we make our way into eternity.

Father, You cause us to triumph in Christ Jesus. We are thankful for Jesus and all that He did for us on the Cross. We pray to be the diligent who will make preparations as individuals and for the welfare of our loved ones, so that whatever may occur we will be the prepared and not the fool! Help us in dealing with any change. Show us Your plan and purpose for us as we make our way through this life and how to enter eternity with Your thoughts for us.  Jesus said that we must deny ourselves and take up His cross to follow Him (Matthew 16:24) Following Jesus requires us, Father,  to change our plans, although  sounding really good, those plans may not be the best for us. Help us to know when we are tying to make deals with You and know that we must not INSIST ON OUR OWN WAY THROUGH DAILY LIVING BUT A CONTINUAL SURRENDERING  our life to Jesus.
We desire to have no struggle over this area of decision making as we make those lasting decisions to help our loved ones. Our desire is to make life easier and to bring peace when all is set and done. We know we are promised long lives and we truly seek that long life following Your voice as You lead us down that path of righteousness. Thank You today for Your plan that is one of ease for our lives. Today we will choose to fill our minds with Your words and focus on Your thoughts for us that are for our good and not for evil to give us hope in our final outcome. It is in Jesus' s holy name we pray. Amen.

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