This Week - wk11

Hey everyone, it’s Tricia with some encouragement for you for the week ahead. If you have your Alone With God journal, grab it, and let’s head to your “This Week” page or Day 1 for your week. If you don’t have an Alone With God journal and you would like one, you can order it at wordbymail.com.

So, on your “This Week” page, there are two sections laid out. One says, My Prayers Are: and the other says, My Spiritual Focus Is:

The section for My Prayers Are: has become such a crucial part of my week. I bring all I have before God. Big, little, it doesn’t matter. If I don’t do this part, I can end up during the week trying to take control of things that aren’t mine to control –  they actually belong to the Lord.

Well, After I sit quietly and hear from him, I can then write my Spiritual Focus for the week ahead. What I mean is, When I really commune with God here, I rediscover him in my busyness of life, and I know he has my messes and clutter in his hands.
It is here in this space where my spiritual attention shifts my focus:
from my purposes – to God’s purposes.
From my weakness – to God’s strength.
From my preferences – to God’s priorities
From my lack – to God’s provision.
And eventually, from my self- self – self -self – to the mind of Christ.

I pray that you take the time and just sit with God. Pour out your heart to him. Hear from him, listen, and focus in on him. I encourage you to tune yourself from your way of thinking to God’s way of thinking. Ask him this week, to open your ears and awaken your attention. Then, respond to him with a loving heart of surrender.

I think intimacy with God grows as we come to know his heart, and listening transforms us into willing obedience and forward focus.

I’m going to leave you with this verse from Romans that has been such a pillar of hope for me. Maybe it will be for you, too.

Romans 12:2 (NLT)
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Let’s pray.

Father God, open our ears and our hearts to what you would have us do and say and be. Change us, Lord, from doing things the world’s way into doing your will. When we listen, when we surrender to your way of thinking, we will know your will for us – that good, and pleasing and perfect will. Bring us each to that place, Lord. Please give us truth and clarity in the week ahead. For your glory, and in your name Jesus, amen.