A little slow on the draw this morning, Father, but this time together is too important to miss. I did miss yesterday but I am grateful that I was able to spend some quality time with a dear friend talking about You and being encouraged by each other in the process. Thank You for that time together.

I Thessalonians 2:1-2 (<<click here)

Lord, as you speak to me through this passage this morning, help me to be attentive to Your voice. The phrase that sticks out is “…the courage to declare [Your] Good News…boldly…” Put me behind a pulpit and I am good to go. In years past I, on occasion, have spoken to several hundred and in my current responsibilities I speak before a much smaller but no less enthusiastic crowd. In that setting I am comfortable for I have the confidence to declare what You have placed on my heart. But put me in a non-church setting, say at work, and I am less exuberant. I am more hesitant. I know You have been working with me on this and I readily acknowledge that I most certainly am not where You need me to be

What it boils down to is that I need to stop second guessing myself and trust You and Your direction when saying something comes to mind. Of course I have the bad habit of over analyzing things – what if I offend them? Will they still like me? And on and on it goes.

I am so glad that You pulled everything together in enabling me to start the blog. (It’s hard to believe it’s only been about 3 weeks!) It has changed me, drawing me closer to You. It has kept You at the forefront of my mind because I truly want to be authentic. I don’t want to come across as one way in private and another fleshed out when I interact with friends and loved one. It has already opened many doors of opportunity in my relationships with others.

So, bringing it back around, why do I back off from speaking of my blog with friends at work? I am proud of it but I don’t want to come across as self-promoting – Lord, I need Your help. The blog is a wonderful stepping stone for touching people for You. It firmly establishes the fact that I am Your child. It shows, when I share it, that I truly care about my friend and family. Once people read it, I pray that by my sharing who I am on a very personal level that it will open more doors of communication about You!

Help me to live and speak in such a way that I would have “the courage to declare [Your] Good News…boldly.” People need You! I need You! We need to get to know You because only in that relationship will we ever find the answers to who we are and why we are here. Thank You, Jesus, for being the Answer!

July 9th, Wed, 6:51 am