Happy birthday Dad!

Dad.

     You're not perfect, but you know that. You're not always right, but you know that too. You are a human, full of flaws. But you're still my hero.

     Whenever I think of what to say to you on days like this, I start to cry because I realize there is no way to put into words how thankful I am for you. You constantly show me the importance of God in life; you place family before yourself continually; you are an honest witness, showing Christ's love to everyone; you have the ability to make a situation okay, even if it is not; you are encouraging and supportive, but tough; you are strong, kind, compassionate, thoughtful, and considerate.

"Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

{Joshua 24:14,15}

Dad, thank you.
Happy birthday!
I love you.
Abby

When you're down.

   The enemy knows how to get at you when you're down, when you're already struggling. He's right there to keep pushing you down and away from the Lord. He see you having a tough time and decides to keep shoving until you break.

   This is when you have to get up and push forward. God is not going to give us more than we can handle: "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Get up and start refocusing your attention onto the Lord and away from the circumstances you find yourself in.

   In case anyone needs some ideas, here is a short list of a couple of the things I do to help in these types of situations:

• Read my Bible and write out Bible verses. 
• Walk around with my Bible in my hand and pray Bible verses over people and/or situations.
• (Joshua 1:5-9, Nehemiah 8: 9-10, Psalm 25, 34, 66, 91, 123, 124, 141, John 16:25-33, Ephesians 6:10-20, James 1:12-18, 1 John 4:1-6 are some of my favorites.)
• Put on some hymns or praise music.
• Get on my knees and pray.
• Talk to the Lord wherever I am.

   The point is for you to connect with God; this is not the time to sit back and let the devil win. Don't give up the fight because it feels too hard. The Lord will be on your side. He does not change. Lean on Him every step of the way.

Abby