November Scripture Writing Plan: Abundance

  Happy almost November sweet friends!

The plan this month is on something God's really been showing me lately:

Abundance

I feel like we currently live in a world where people always want more, more, and MORE. It seems like everyone is rushing around frantically all of the time trying to earn more money, to purchase a bigger house, to get more material things to fill that house, to make more friends, to get more social media followers, to have MORE of literally everything. People are grasping and climbing and hoarding and reaching, constantly striving frantically for MORE. They attempt to control and to hoard and have all the things- forgetting that God is a God of abundance and that HE can and will not just provide, but provide abundantly for His children. 

God promises abundance for us and talks about it over and over again in His word. During His time on earth, He showed us time and time again that His love is a love of true abundance.  Here are just a few examples of times He didn't just provide, He provided in abundance: 

• John 2: At the wedding at Cana, Jesus had the servants fill the jars to the brim. He didn't just provide wine for the wedding feast, He provided an abundance of it. His miracle filled those jars  not with just a sip or two of wine, but all the way up to the tippy top. 
  
  
• Matthew 15: Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes and afterwards there were seven baskets full of leftovers. He didn't just provide enough food to feed everyone, He provided more than was needed- He provided abundance! 
  
  
• Exodus 16: God provided manna from heaven for the grumbling, complaining, hungry Israelites each and every day. He told Moses to tell the people to only gather what they needed each day because He would provide. On the 6th day when they brought in what they gathered, He promised them that it would be enough for that only that day but also for the following day, the Sabbath. Those who were obedient had no shortage of manna, but those who were greedy, had nothing left over. 

God is a God of abundance. He is all powerful, He is unlimited and He can (and will) provide for all of us. He knows exactly what we need and always gives us more than enough. He provides abundance of not just physical things but also for grace when we sin, for hope when we are hopeless, for peace when we are anxious. He provides all of these things so that we may be perfectly satisfied in Him. 

My prayer is that this month we are able to focus on these verses about the abundance of God and be reminded daily that He is a God of abundance. I pray that we are able to clearly see all of the ways in which He favors us, He provides for us, and He helps us. I pray that we are reminded over and over and over again that in Him we have enough. I pray that we are able to keep our hands open to receive all that God has for us, trusting and knowing that in Him we will have all that we need and more! Lord, help us to remember that your abundance is limitless and that in you, we have all that we need and more. 

NOTE: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 

done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

September Scripture Writing Plan: Holiness of God

 Happy almost September sweet friends!

The plan this month is one I so enjoyed working on, 

Holiness of God

1 Peter 1:15-16 says: 

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 

 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

 This command (not suggestion!) in 1 Peter is simple. We aren't commanded to be all knowing or all powerful like God is, but to be holy like God is holy. 

Isaiah 6:3 says: 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Did you notice that Isaiah didn't just say holy one time, but three? It's the only attribute that is repeated in this way which tells us it is important. It wasn't enough to say God was holy, he had to repeat it three times for emphasis. It's like what I do if I am explaining to my husband that "I saw a huge, huge, huge spider!" to get him to understand how big it truly was. In the same way, "holy, holy, holy" is meant to stretch the boundaries of our imaginations. Whatever we think of when we hear that God is holy, He is more holy. He is an entirely different category of holiness and is much holier than we could ever imagine. 

So what does it mean that God is holy? I love this quote by AA Hodge about holiness: 

“The holiness of God is not to be conceived of as one attribute among others. It is rather a general term representing the conception of God’s consummate perfection and total glory. It is His infinite moral perfection crowning His infinite intelligence and power.”

RL Dabney once said that holiness isn't a single attribute but instead it's a result of all God's perfection together. Every representation of God, every manifestation of God, every revelation of God indicates His perfection. When we think of God's holiness, we should think of his utter separation from sin because everything in the creation is affected and influenced by sin. God's holiness isn't an aspect of who He is or what He does, it is the essence of who He is. Every single thing He speaks, thinks, desires, and does is holy in every way. 

He is holy in forgiveness. 

He is holy in justice. 

He is holy in love, 

He is holy in mercy. 

He is holy in power. 

He is holy in sovereignty. 

He is holy in wisdom. 

He is holy in grace. 

He is holy in patience. 

He is holy in anger. 

He is holy in faithfulness. 

He is holy in compassion. 

He is holy. 

How can we become holy? Holiness only results from a relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and accepting His gift of eternal life. If we haven't placed our faith in God's Son alone to save us from sins, then our pursuit of holiness is futile. 

My prayer is that this month, as we read and write these verses about the holiness of God, that we are truly overwhelmed by His holiness and the gift of eternal life that He alone can give.

 

NOTE: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 

done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

August Scripture Writing Plan 2021: Names of God

Happy almost August sweet friends!

The plan this month is re-post from many, many years ago and 

 is one that I so enjoyed researching and am so excited to share with you!

The Names of God

Our God is amazing and incredible and mighty! There is absolutely NO WAY we can fully understand or describe Him. We can’t wrap our tiny human brains around all the things He is & does. He loves us more than we can ever begin to comprehend. God is the Creator of the universe and everything in it. This God of ours is Jesus who became flesh AND also the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. He loves us so and longs for us to know Him. 

One of the best ways to get to know Him more deeply & intimately is to learn some of the many names He is called in scripture. These are not mere titles assigned by people but, for the most part, but His very own descriptions of Himself and as such they reveal aspects of His character.

For the plan this month each day lists two different names of God as well as scriptures to explore and learn more about our Savior, Lord, and King. My prayer is that we are able to take a few minutes each day to learn more about Him and His great love for us. That we are able to fix our minds and weary hearts on the Lord and be surrounded with the steadiness and consistency of God's love in a world where nothing is steady or consistent. 

Suggestion: Read the verses each day in several different translations and look up the definition of each name in a dictionary like the ones listed on Blue Letter Bible HERE. 

NOTE: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 

done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE

July Scripture Writing Plan 2021: Freedom

 Happy almost July sweet friends!

The plan this month is over something that is a huge gift from the Lord:

Freedom

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

John 8:36

No doubt you've heard that verse before but what does it mean? It means that as Christians, we have assurance of salvation and true freedom from the penalty and power of sin. This freedom was bought and paid for by Christ who died on the cross for my sins and your sins in order to set us free. We are free from condemnation, we are free from having to be good enough to earn our way to heaven (thank goodness), we are free from fear. Thankfully, unlike the freedoms we have as Americans, this freedom we have as Christians can't be revoked by anyone or anything and our eternity is 100% guaranteed. How amazing and awesome is that?

Unfortunately though, many people view this freedom as the freedom to do whatever they want. Jesus didn't die on the cross so we could do whatever we wanted but so that we could do what He created to do. Jesus died so that we could walk in relationship with God, so that we could obey God and choose His will for our lives. Freedom in Christ does not give us permission to sin. It gives us the opportunity to serve and glorify the Lord and shower those He created with His love. Freedom isn't the right to do what we want, but the ability to do what we ought!  I love this quote from AW Tozer which I think sums it up:

Christian liberty is freedom from sin, not freedom to sin. 

AW Tozer

My prayer is that this next month, as we write these verses about freedom that we are reminded that we are set free and that this freedom comes with responsibility. That we are able to experience true freedom in Christ by studying His word, knowing Him, walking in His ways while we focus on service to Him and to others. That we are reminded what God has done for us in Christ and that we love and obey Him with the full assurance that God WILL make good on His promise and we will spend eternity with Him!

I: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 

done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE

June Scripture Writing Plan 2021: Friendship

 Happy almost June sweet friends!

The plan this month is over something that I think is one of God's greatest gifts:

Friendship

When I speak to women’s groups I always talk about my sweet friends (because they are AMAZING and PRECIOUS and such a huge part of my life and my story). I am blessed to have friends that continually remind me of God’s promises and plans and truth and point me to Him- always. They show up in good times and bad and make me laugh so hard I almost pee in my pants! Every time I speak about my friends, I hear the following statements when I finish speaking from those in the audience:

• Gosh, you have such exceptional friends!
• You sure are lucky to have friends like that.
• I wish I had friends like you and like your friends.

 
And what I always respond with is that I believe the best way to have amazing friends is to read what God says about friendship and loving others, and then DO IT! I tell them to practice being the friend they long to have in order to grow precious friendships. To show up for their friends- in good times and especially in bad times. I always remind them that the most important thing is that God must be at the center of those friendships because no matter how fabulous and wonderful a friend is, a friendship is between two imperfect people who will fail and mess up and let each other down at some point. Friends who remind us of what God says in His word and points us to Him are truly the biggest gift. 

 
God designed us for friendship, but friendships can often be difficult to navigate, and they definitely take work and love and care. I believe community is essential and Christ-centered friendships are truly key for us to live out the purposes God has for us. Friendships are a large part of how God wired us and what brings us joy because He uses our friendships to accomplish mighty works in and through us and because he designed us to support, love and encourage each other.

Think about friendship as a beautiful flower. If you buy a new pot of roses and bring it home, give it the right amount of water & sunshine, prune it and take care of it, it will grow beautiful and produce tons of beautiful blooms and bring you great joy. But, if you buy a new pot of roses and bring it home and set it in a dark closet, never watering or giving it sunshine, it will no doubt wither and die. You can’t expect beautiful blooms from something you don’t care for, nurture and love- it’s just not possible- and it is the same for friendships.

I pray that this month as we read and write verses on friendship, we are reminded that our friendships should bring honor and glory to the Lord and that we should always point each other to the truth and salvation only found in Jesus. I pray that we are reminded to hold friendships loosely and let the Lord direct them. I pray that we are reminded that friendships in the end are not about us but about glorifying God and displaying the love of Christ to those around us. I pray that this month we would thank God for our friends, praying for each of them by name and asking Jesus to accomplish His perfect will through these relationships and that through them Jesus Christ would be glorified and His kingdom advanced.

FYI: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 
done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

April Scripture Writing Plan 2021: Hospitality

Happy almost April sweet friends!

The plan this month is over something I LOVE- Hospitality!

Hospitality is often thought of as inviting people over to your house for dinner but honestly hospitality is not about a perfectly cleaned and decorated house and fancy platters of food. To me Biblical hospitality is about serving and loving others through Christ and making them feel loved and valued and cherished, anywhere. And I think it's super important to remember that hospitality is not something optional for us to do, it's actually something that God calls us to do!

1 Peter 4:8-10 says:  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

God calls us to first love Him and second to love others. When we love and serve those God places before us, we are honoring and serving Him. When we love others, we are showing our love for God. He loves us wholly and completely and unconditionally so when we love and serve others through hospitality, we are also serving God. When we open our hearts as well as our homes, we're practicing Christian hospitality.

The good news is that Christian hospitality doesn't have to be perfect or expensive or elaborate or Instagram worthy. So often people focus on what they don't have instead of focusing on sharing the blessings of God that they do have.  They often think that when they are older or have more money or a larger house or more time they will be more hospitable. But friends, that's not what God's word says! 

And here's some good news: God CAN use people like you and me to touch lives- right now!

It doesn't matter if we rent or own a house or lease a tiny apartment or live in a trailer.  It doesn't matter if we have fine china and crystal or paper plates and Solo cups. It doesn't matter if our house is spotlessly clean or a huge chaotic mess. When it comes to hospitality here's what we have to remember: People gather with us and come to our homes to see us and spend time and fellowship with us- not to inspect and evaluate our homes. 

Hospitality is all about relationships and making people feel loved and valued. Hospitality puts people first—their comfort, their enjoyment, their needs—and invites them into our lives. Hospitality is not worrying about the clutter on the dining room table as we order pizza to be delivered. Hospitality is not about spending hundreds of dollars purchasing food for a gourmet, 9 course meal but instead it's about intentionally creating a place where people feel welcome and experience love, acceptance, and the presence of the Lord- even if it's just sharing a big pot of leftover vegetable soup along with some crackers. 

When we practice hospitality, we have the opportunity to touch lives in a personal way. We just have to be bold and willing to share what we have with those God places in our path- even if what we have is not a lot. God has not only given us the roof over our heads, He has also given us the love and wisdom needed to open our homes and hearts to others.  My prayer that this month as we read what God has to say about Biblical hospitality and serving others, that we think of ways to invite others to join and fellowship with us. That we truly see who God places in front of us and figure out ways to have them join us so we can share God's love with them. 

(Note: You'll notice that six of the days have only the verse that the piece of armor is mentioned in as the verse for that day. My hope is that you will write that verse several times and then spend time trying to memorize it!)

FYI: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 
done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

March Scripture Writing Plan 2021: The Armor of God

Happy almost March sweet friends!

The scripture writing plan topic this month is all about

THE ARMOR OF GOD

I think it's easy to forget that this world is not our home and is truly a spiritual battlefield. Every single hour of every single day we face a spiritual war and an enemy who is real and evil and who wants nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy us (John 10:10). This enemy is ruthless and cunning and evil and super crazy determined. Thankfully God has given us His Word and His Spirit so that we will have the wisdom and protection we need to stand up against the enemy. No matter how cruel or vicious or cunning the enemy is, he can never chain our spirits that have been set free by Christ. Praise the Lord!

In Ephesians Paul gives us a blueprint for how to win this battle, telling us to be strong in the Lord by first clothing ourselves with God's specially-filled and supernaturally strengthened protective armor and then secondly, to stand firm in it. He tells us to put on the full armor of God and then goes on to describe what each piece is. (It's important to remember that at the time that Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians he was under house arrest and was guarded 24 hours a day by Roman soldiers!)

In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul writes: 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

In these verses Paul describes six pieces of apparel that can help Christians in their spiritual battle: 

• Belt of Truth
• Breastplate of Righteousness
• Helmet of Salvation
• Shoes of Readiness/Peace
• Shield of Faith
• Sword of the Spirit

The plan this month takes each of these six pieces and includes verses that help us understand what that piece of armor means and how we can use it in our lives today. God has a plan for our lives but unfortunately the enemy does too. We are so blessed to have specific instructions in God's word to follow that includes everything we need to stand strong. The battle is real sweet friends, and we must be ready!

My prayer is that this month we will be reminded that God alone holds victory over sin and death and our hope is in HIM. I pray that we will spend time this month learning about these tools God has given us so that we can put on His armor, stay alert and stand strong. That we are able to hold His Word as a weapon against the enemy's nasty schemes and have the wisdom and discernment to recognize his traps and snares and stand strong against his evil plans. I pray that we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit as we learn about these great pieces of armor and reminded that with the Lord Jesus Christ, we are guaranteed victory! 

(Note: You'll notice that six of the days have only the verse that the piece of armor is mentioned in as the verse for that day. My hope is that you will write that verse several times and then spend time trying to memorize it!)

FYI: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 
done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

February Scripture Writing Plan 2021: Be Bold

 Happy almost February sweet friends! 

The scripture writing plan topic this month is all being BOLD!

I don’t know about you, but I want to live and speak more boldly for Christ to friends and family and strangers God places in my path.  But here is the thing: being bold is SCARY. Often super scary. Why? Because it requires us to be vulnerable, to put ourselves out there and to be firm in our beliefs, regardless of if we have the same beliefs as someone else or not (and especially if not) and to risk rejection and even ridicule.  I think most of the time when we aren’t bold (even when God calls us to be) it’s because we are scared and honestly because we are fearful of being embarrassed.  Sometimes we are fearful because we don’t know exactly how to say what we believe, we worry because we didn’t go to seminary, we don’t have every Bible verse memorized, we don’t know every historical reference in the Bible and we can’t read or speak Greek.  Because being bold is scary, it is usually easier to just keep wishing we were bolder, to admire and envy bold people and to follow them on social media, to read and be inspired by biographies of bold people, watch movies about bold people and do Bible study after Bible study about being fearful than it is to step out and actually BE BOLD. 

I for one am guilty of all of the above. But here is the good news: Not knowing everything or being fearful does NOT disqualify us to share the love of Christ. Thank goodness! Sweet friends, God created us for purpose, not perfection. He is eager to do things in and through us, but we must decide to take the risk to step out and be bold!

Boldness feels and is risky but only when we do it on our own. When the Lord has called us and is leading the way, we can follow Him without fear, knowing that the outcome is always in His capable, mighty hands. God takes ordinary, flawed people like you and me and help us to be bold to fulfill His purpose and calling. Of course, God knew we would struggle with this and because of that there are tons of stories in the Bible of people being bold for Christ as an example for us. These are a few of my favorites: The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10), Queen Esther (Esther 1-4), John and Peter (Acts 4) David (1 Samuel 17) and Paul (Acts 28). God calls us to be bold. God is pleased with us when we do something different and step out in faith, knowing that He will lead us and walk with us. When God resides in us and works through us, His strength and power sustains us. 

My prayer is that this month as we read and write verses about being bold, we stop being fearful and instead are bold (even in fearful situations) to act despite our sweaty palms and pounding hearts. I pray that we pursue boldness and do whatever it takes to declare the gospel to every single person the Lord calls us to and puts in our path!

FYI: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 
done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

January Scripture Writing Plan 2021: New Year

Happy almost January sweet friends! Can you believe it's almost 2021? 

The scripture writing plan topic this month is all verses about a New Year!

2020 has been one of the craziest, heaviest, scariest years for many people 

and most of us are pretty stinkin' excited for the calendar to roll over to 2021. 

This year has shown us that life is crazy unpredictable and you truly never

know what can and will happen that you are zero % prepared for. 

This year has show us that our health and jobs and 

relationships and freedom and security can all vanish in the blink of an eye. 

Whether 2020 was the greatest year of your life, 

or you are crazy happy to see 2020 finally end, 

thankfully there is one truth that still remains 100% true 

through it all for each and every one of us, 

regardless of the insanity around us:

God is with us- ALWAYS. 

God's Word is filled with prayers of men and women who reached out to God for a fresh start. 

Over and over and over again they prayed for God to give them a new beginning

and He was with each and every one of them. 

On the heels of the celebration of the birth of our King, the reminder that He is with 

us has the power to carry us right into a fresh and beautiful new start. 

The truth is that He is Immanuel, God with us. 

And though circumstances and situations around us will shift and change constantly

and though people and relationships will wound and hurt us, 

and though things will happen in 2021 that stink and we wish didn't, 

our God never changes- EVER-

and He will never leave our side. 

When I focus on it, that truth helps me to remember that 

God is in total control and therefore I can rest in the knowledge

 that no matter how out of control I feel, He is still on His throne. 

What a crazy comfort that is in this unpredictable, insane world we are living in today! 

My prayer is that as we read and write these verses about new beginnings and a new year, 

we are able to focus on the truth of His word.

I pray that as a result our hearts and minds are filled with these truths 

and that we spend each and every day of 2021 drawing closer to Him 

and learning more about Him through time spent in His Word. 

FYI: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 
done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

December Scripture Writing Plan: Gifts & Blessings from God

 Happy almost December sweet friends! 

The scripture writing plan topic this month is over 

Blessings and Gifts from God

God has given us (yep, YOU and ME!) so many blessings that we too often taken for granted. We get so used to these gifts that we fail to recognize and thank Him for these incredible gifts that can come to us only through Him. Now I don't necessarily mean physical gifts (although He does provide those), but spiritual gifts and blessings. 

We hear the word and use the word blessed a LOT (seriously, it's on every other shirt and coffee mug you see these days), but what are these blessings from God? Ephesians 1:3 says: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

Did you catch that? God gives us EVERY spiritual blessing that He has and does not hold back or leave out any blessings to us! Not some or a few- EVERY one. Not some to me but all to you because you deserve them more- ALL of them to each of us. How awesome and incredible is that?  

So what are these spiritual blessings?  These are blessings given to us when we choose to follow Jesus. Of course the biggest gift God gave us was when He physically and outwardly showed us His love toward us, by giving us His only begotten Son to us, as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we might live through Jesus and receive the gift of eternal life.  The giving of Jesus to us was the manifestation of the love of God for us. But there is a HUGE list of blessings and gifts from God that include things like: 

• Our salvation
• Forgiveness of our sins
• Grace
• Righteousness
• Mercy
• Strength
• The Holy Spirit which gives us insight and power to do God’s will
• Eternal life with Jesus
• Anything that brings us closer to Jesus

Now God’s original plan was to bless us with a life of peace and fulfillment with Him. God wants to give all of His children all of His gifts. There is nothing that God wants to hold back from us- He wants to give all good things to us. Of course sin ruined that plan but thankfully he gives us the ultimate blessing of restoration, forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus. Thankfully Jesus pours out all His attributes onto us: His love and joy, His peace and patience, His kindness and goodness, His faithfulness and gentleness. What incredible blessings those are! 

My prayer is that we spend this next month reading about and focusing on the many undeserving gifts and blessings from the Lord and remember to thank Him daily for them. I pray that during this Advent Season, just as Mary pondered the birth of her child, Jesus Christ our Lord, and the gifts and blessings that He brings and that is to come, we would be wise, just like the Wise Men were, to also ponder the meaning of these gifts that were given freely to us from the King of kings and Lord of lords and God Almighty, Himself!

FYI: I make all plans 31 days long so that they can be 
done any month-not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

October Scripture Writing Plan: Bravery

  Happy almost October sweet friends! 

The scripture writing plan topic this month is over something we all need: 

BRAVERY

Back in April, while quarantined at home, some sweet friends and I did a devotional by Annie F Downs titled 100 Days to Brave, which I highly recommend. Each morning one of us would read the devotion for the day on Marco Polo and it was truly the perfect book for such a scary time. It was such a weird, uncertain time and none of us felt brave- not at all. What I loved about it is that in the insanity of the world we were living in, it helped us focus on the ONLY thing we can be sure of and can always, always, always, count on- God.

 
I love Annie’s description of brave:

Courage is doing things even when you’re scared. Being brave isn’t something that happens when you’re not scared anymore. Brave people don’t stop hearing the whispers of fear. They hear the whispers but take action anyway. Being brave is hearing that voice of fear in your head, but saying, “Okay, but the truth is, God made me on purpose and for a purpose.”

I’ve been doing a study on Joshua (whom I adore) and I have been in awe of how crazy brave He was! Think about it…. Joshua is following behind Moses (who was an amazing leader) and both Moses and God keep telling him to “Be brave and courageous!”. That fact alone would have had me shaking in my sandals because I know that if someone tells me something over and over again, it’s probably for a very good reason. Being told over and over again to be brave means you are going to be in some situations that require you to be brave! He’s got thousands and thousands of families looking to him to lead them across the Jordan River and into this new, unknown land. He had to feel unqualified and unprepared and was most likely doubting his abilities. But, the good thing is that Joshua knew that he didn’t have to have the answers or have it all together. God had promised him that He, God of the Universe, had it all taken care of and Joshua didn’t need to worry a bit. (If you need to be encouraged, go read Joshua because it’s full of stories where God followed through on His promises and took incredible care of His people). 

Bravery requires trusting God and stepping out in faith, even when you are scared- just like Joshua. But bravery isn’t always doing something crazy (bungee jumping or skydiving) or bold but often is doing something that makes you uncomfortable and is out of your comfort zone. Bravery is living your life according to what God alone tells you to do-putting your faith in Him and putting His plans above all other plans, even your own. It doesn’t always look heroic and sometimes it’s full of silence and waiting. Bravery isn’t about us, it’s about God and out trust in Him. 

 
I love that God’s word is full of reminders to be brave because God knew it would be something we would struggle with. Let’s spend the next month digging into what God has to say about bravery.

FYI: I made the plan 31 days and plan to do that with

all topical plans in the future so that they can be done any month-

not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

July Scripture Writing Plan: Forgiveness

Happy almost July sweet friends! 

The scripture plan topic this month is over something I think everyone struggles with,

FORGIVENESS.

Forgiveness is hard y'all. Super stinky hard.

Sometimes I think even harder than forgiving others-it's harder even to forgive ourselves. To forgive ourselves the way God repeatedly forgives us over and over and over again. To give ourselves grace and mercy just as we give grace and mercy to those we love.

We torment ourselves thinking about what we could have done, should have done and although we know God forgives us, we can't (or won't) forgive ourselves. I think for me it often boils down to the fact that it's the unrealistic expectations I have of myself and put on myself that is at the root of this inability to forgive myself. I want to believe that I am better than I am- but the reality is, I'm not. I am a sinful, imperfect mess that is saved only by the grace and mercy of Christ.

God calls us to forgive- no matter how hard it is.

Isaiah 44:22 says...

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Psalm 103:12 says...As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

We all have sinned and fallen short of His glory. All of us- every single one. 

Thankfully He will pick us up when we call out to Him and repent. There is no wrong- seriously NONE- that can keep God from redeeming you. His word is full of reminders of people who made mistakes and were given a new start by God and He will do the same for you and for me. How awesome and amazing is that?

Let's spend the next month focusing on what God's word says about forgiveness. My prayer is that during the month we are able to let go of any guilt we are clinging to and trust God to work out whatever went wrong and to thank Him for His mercy that endures for ever and ever and ever. 

FYI: I made the plan 31 days and plan to do that with

all topical plans in the future so that they can be done any month-

not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.

June Scripture Writing Plan: Praise and Worship

Happy almost June sweet friends! 

The scripture plan topic this month is one of my favorite things: 

Praise and Worship

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised.

And His greatness is unsearchable. 

Psalm 145:3

Y'all- there is such great power in praising and worshiping the Lord. 

Praising the Lord takes our eyes off of our lives and pain and issues and our worries

and puts them squarely on what's truly important, HIM. 

So what exactly is praise? 

To me praise...

-acknowledges God as Lord and King of our lives
-gives thanks to Him for who He is and what He does in our lives
-is confessing exactly who God is

Praising God helps us to more fully understand and comprehend who He is and in turn, who we are. It reminds us of his amazing, great, almighty, all knowing power and 

humbles us to realize that we so desperately need Him to love us and to save us. 

I think often people think that praising the Lord is something we only do while at church singing in a worship but the truth is every single one of our days should be filled with praise. 

Here are ten reasons I think praise is so important in our lives:

1. He is GREAT and deserves our praise
2. It puts Him where He belongs in our lives- as the most important thing, as the joy and the delight of our lives
3. It causes us to think about the millions of reasons we have to worship Him
4. It gives us the right perspective and keeps our focus on what is truly important- HIM- instead of the craziness of our world
5. It reminds us of the truth of His word
6. It points us to the truth of His love for us
7. It helps us focus on and learn about His character
8. It reminds us that He is with us always- in the beauty and in the hard
9. It reminds us of His faithfulness in the past (and present and future!)
10. It points other to Him

You'll notice that many of the verses in the plan this month are in the book of Psalms 

and that is because that's what a psalm is- a praise! Did you ever notice that Psalm is the longest book of the Bible? It is and the fact that the longest book is a book devoted to praise tells us that it's vital that we spend lots of time in praise. 

Let's spend this month praising our Lord. 

My prayer is that these verses help you to focus on our great Lord and Savior and the many, many, many reasons we have to praise and worship Him!

FYI: I made the plan 31 days and plan to do that with

all topical plans in the future so that they can be done any month-

not just the month I write them for.

TO PRINT: You can find a copy of the plan in the folder HERE.