Spending time with God

There is a Hymn I love to sing called the "Garden" it talks about being with God. Spending time like that with Him and the thought of walking with Him through a garden is my idea of Heaven. To be in His presence just walking along and talking to Him like I always have...only being able to see Him! It makes my spirit want to soar.

Spending time with God for me has developed over the years much like any other relationship. The time I put into it is how strong it ends up being. The more I study His Word without distractions, the more I hear His Word even if there are distractions. The more time I spend praying to Him (sometimes on my knees) the more my heart surrenders to Him and trusts Him. I can be God's Child and go to Heaven just by being saved. But knowing God personally in my soul...deep down to my core...that's icing on the cake! Nothing is as wonderful as those moments with Him. I wish everyone would know what it is like...I wish every believer would let themselves get to that depth with Him. There are so many levels to a relationship with Him it is crazy and blows my mind. Just when I think I'm full of Him...he takes me deeper.

I have spend so many hours crying in His presence...praying for people, praying for myself, asking questions, and just telling Him how I feel. He knows the aching of my heart and has caught every tear I have shed. If you have this kind of relationship with Him I guarentee you are smiling right now because you can remember those times too. The heart remembers times with the Lord, I believe, more than any human times on earth. I remember where I was with each prayer and tear...and I remember what I was praying about. Maybe it's because those moments will be etched in us for eternity where as memories from earth won't matter as much to us in Heaven.

There are not many things needed for prayer to become a part of who you are...it only requires effort. Sometimes God will use the Bible and maybe researching the Word with a concordance or even a commentary to help you to apply His Word and hear Him out.

When I first started praying...I would pray as a little girl about my brothers and how I wanted them to be nice and about boys and how I wanted them to like me HAHA. God used this time to FOCUS me on the path He had for me.
As a teenager, this was my educational time. I was in many Bible Studies a week and sang in choir. I was at church every day, and I am not even kidding. God took that chunk of time to TEACH me.
As and adult, I am learning to apply all I have learned in my teen years. God has been SHOWING me His ways and His truth through my life and circumstances.

I have not been given much of an evangelical spirit...I am relational and I like to connect with people first. Even though my writings are more direct, in person I really just want to have a conversation. Yet, I do hold firmly to what I believe and am convicted of, that is for sure. I have not felt led to go out of country on missions, and that's ok, because my friends go and I hold down the fort here. I have however been called to in community missions and writing. So welcome to my mission field! lol. My goal is to write a book series and speak at events, conferences and retreats. Once again, I am relational...so when I speak, I am not all about information information information (business business business, numbers...is this working??-UnikittyY from The LEGO Movie)...I want to make connections and meet people where they are and inspire new thought.

I have to admit, talking about waiting, purity and God can be challenging. They are hard topics because its where we find ourselves most challenged and in struggle as human beings. Sexuality, Marriage and the existence of God have been all but re-written over the years. I don't think there is one firm definition anymore. And because of this...people can become easily offended and hurt.
As I continue to seek doing these things in the next few years, this issue will become even worse to address. It is the condition of the world. But I am willing to be the trail blazer...to be hated and called names...I'll take it...because this isn't something I came up with. It wasn't my invention. It's God's thing, and He doesn't change, so why should I? God will be the one talking and I'll just be used by Him. And I trust Him to do what needs to be done.

The biggest thing I am having had to learn, is love. What love means for me and my cloud of witnesses and what I am doing with it. This has been a struggle. I have faced so many hard things recently in trying to love, but God has been so faithful to teach me. Because I need to learn this, I believe that is why my goals have not taken flight quite yet. God is still working on me and showing me what to do. And soon He will send me out! The invitations to speak keep coming, but God does what He sees best with them. I am humbled, and I trust Him to take me where He wants me when He knows I am ready.

In this new time of growth, prayer has been essential. I have had to come to Him to check myself and be willing to make changes when needed in myself. It hurts...and it's not easy to be told by God I was wrong....but who He makes me to be in the refining is awesome. I hope I never stop growing.