Have you ever had a time in your life where you had a trial and you just knew you had to push thru, but the how of pushing left you bewildered and searching for answers? If your answer to this question is yes, please know that you are not alone.

 Like you, many of us have experienced trials, circumstances, situations, and issues that warrant action, but seem to inspire confusion.   Yet there are things that we must remember when pushing thru.


#1 When reminded of what the Bible says, remember that God is not the author of confusion.

BAM! There it is, right there... God has not orchestrated the mess, so now you and I both know where to take a stand in the midst of pushing through. -Pardon me as take a brief moment to cut my nails, so that I don't wake my dear husband, as I type away at 5am.  You see, I had determined within myself that I was going to share with you this inspiration that God had blessed me with this morning, no matter what. You might be wondering why I felt it necessary to say "no matter what." We'll, wonder no more, you are about to find out. A few weeks ago, when taking over Prayerful Bloggers, I had been in prayer, seeking God about His will for this ministry.  Yes, ministry, not just a group.  I wanted to know how He desired for me to lead and what He wanted us to do.  Well, don't you know that He began to fill my heart with great plans and activities for us to get connected and fellowship together; Great ways for us to honor Him. However, in the midst of executing these plans, rather preparing to execute them, I was sideswiped by our enemy, the adversary. My husband's mother and father were both hospitalized.  Two of my four children got sick.  My finances got attacked and so did my friendship with my best friend.  As if this were not enough, my biological family began to experience such troubles, that if I had not had the Lord to lean on, I would have been traumatized.  Yet, in the midst of all of this, I have held on to the promises of God and he has kept me.

  #2 Hold on to God's promises and He will keep you.

 I truly believe that all of these things have happened because of my "yes" to God.  And that is expected, but what is not expected is that my God would fail.  No it is not.  So for the past few weeks, I have just continued to pray and push. There are so many things that God has in store for us, but we must remember to walk in faith, no matter what the circumstances look like.  Our God is so much bigger than our problems.  He is more powerful than any trial and there really is nothing that He cannot do.

  #3 Walk in Faith

 In the midst of all of my planning & praying for Prayerful Bloggers and the ambush sent by the enemy to stop this, I can say one thing.   It is the thing that keeps rising up in my spirit and encouraging me. I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread. Psalm 37:25 This is a testimony and reminder of the Lord's faithfulness to us, His people. Some prayers are unspoken and there are times when we push through without telling anyone that we are pushing, but I want you to know that when we are pushing, we are not alone.  The Lord is right there with us.  His Holy Spirit is leading and guiding us.  He is pulling us thru...encoraging our spirits and motivating us to keep on going.

  #4 We are not alone

 I had this great plan for us to study the book of Romans this month.  I was working on our reading calendar, affirmation calendar, blog contribution calendar, praying, and seeking Him for direction, when all of this happened.  I have been determined that we are going to do these things together because the Lord has brought us together for such a time as this.  However, I am taking all of this, one stride at time. Below are our group updates, but the last thing to remember is that our God is faithful.  Do you hear me?

#5 He is FAITHFUL.

• Reading the book of Romans: Yes, we are in the second week of May, but there are 16 chapters in Romans and 19 days left in this month.  Lets read this book and study it together.  What do I mean by study?  Well, as we read it and questions/observations come up, lets discuss them in our Facebook group.  I don't want this to be some lecture type of study.  It would be great if you could share with us what the Lord is showing you regarding this book of the Bible.  If you want to write a post on your blog, periscope, create images, write a poem, post a topic/question, or do other things to communicate your thoughts with us, do it and freely share all of this with us in the group.  Let's have a conversation about the book of Romans.  I am really looking forward to this!  I hope you are too.
• If you are a blog contributor, and have submitted a post, please know that it is being approved and scheduled.  We are so honored to have you all with us, to encourage and inspire us.  You are a blessing from God.  Thank you for your patience. :)
• Prayer:  Let's not stop praying.  Pray for friends, family, strangers, our country, and other countries, ministries, governments, and individual situations.  Continue to pray and make your prayer lists.  Remember that the Lord has heard our plea and has accepted our prayers. (Psalm 6:9)
• End of the month Prayer Call: At the end of the month on May 27th at 1pm EST, Lord willing, we will be having a prayer call.  We will be praying for all of the prayers submitted this month and taking requests over the phone.  We will be praying for those requests live.
• End of the month book discussion:  At the end of the month on May 26th, Lord willing, we will be having an online discussion on the book of Romans.  It will be at 1pm EST.  I will send out an invite through our Facebook group.
• Are you looking for an accountability partner?  If so, sign ups will be starting very soon.  I will post the sign up form to the Facebook group, so that we can all get connected.
• Would you like to receive a daily affirmation text directly on your cell phone?  I know that social media can be distracting at times.  :) If so, please text EZAFFIRM to 313131
• Last but not least, I wanted to announce the boo of the month for June.  It will be What happens when women say yes to God by Lisa TerKerust

 I hope that you continue to have a great week.  Reach out to us if you need anything.  I look forward to connect with you more.  If you have any prayer request, remember to submit them here Let's recap quickly on the 5 things to remember when pushing through

1. The Lord is not the author of confusion
2. Hold on to God's promises, He will keep you
3. Walk in faith
4. We are not alone
5. He is FAITHFUL

I hope that you found inspiration and encouragement in this post.  I'd love to hear from you?  Share with us your thoughts below in the comments and don't forget to connect with us through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  We are a community her to support, encourage, and pray for you.
(Please be reminded that our new website and blog is now located at http://prayerfulbloggers.org)

 Thanks for reading,

 Your prayerful sister Makeda

1 comment Bible Study, Blog Housekeeping, Life Seasons, Makeda, Prayers

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Journeying through seasons

Hey everyone! My name is Ann-Marie and I blog over at Miles To Go, a blog where transparency is key and the words flow straight from my heart to the keyboard. I am a faithful Jesus enthusiast, nursing student fueled by coffee, girlfriend, marathon runner, and amateur writer who believes that living transparent and vulnerably is the first step to loving what you have been blessed to have in life.

To show you a little bit about me and my story, I want to share the current mission in my life. 

I am all about the whole "what season of life are you in?" idea. Winter is a time for being still and reflection, spring is the time to plant the seeds and build roots, summer the time to tend them and renew their strength, and autumn is the time for harvesting and truly reaping in the benefits. 

(seasons idea was adapted from Lara Casey)

Now these seasons are not literal. You could be facing summer in the dead of december. It is based on where your heart is focused and where God is placing you. 

For me, I am in spring. I spent the winter contemplating and assessing my life and it's next goal. Now I am ready to plant the seeds and establish roots. What is the plant I am cultivating? 

I am determined to grow with my family and bring them closer to Christ. 

Oh man, I can just imagine the beauty this flower will grow into! 

A great way I have found to assess the season we are in is to ask these three questions: 

1. What do I feel pushed/called to do? 

2. What steps have I taken to become closer to this/ how far do I have to go?

3. What can I do to strongly support this plant I am tending to?

Once you have an idea you can spread the seeds and start planning your garden. 

Here is a little road map to how my seasons are playing out

Winter: Lots of reflection and prayer asking God what I should focus on. Be still and listen to what really sticks on your mind and what your heart truly feels called to. For me, it was to bring my family to church with me and introduce them to Jesus. I found myself aching more and more for this and knew that God wanted me to plant the seeds. 

Spring: Now was the time to hatch a game plan. I dug up soil, planted seeds, and pray that God has the roots forming. Consistently, I ask my family to attend church with me every sunday, attend a bible study, read books like Make it Happen or C.S Lewis. And most of all, I am very open to talking about my faith and answering any questions they have. 

*It is VERY important to pray and have faith during this step. Don't give up. Just because we can't see the roots, does not mean they are not there. God has a plan and He will fulfill it perfectly.*

Summer: I am not quite sure what summer will look like exactly, but I can imagine it will involve getting out the water can and tending to my little flower. Reinforce church going, bible reading, discussions, and then invite them to pray with me before mass or a meal. 

Autumn: It seems like a lifetime away, but autumn is coming and it is beautiful! My flower will bloom and I can't wait to see it. The Lord is good and I know He will bring my family home to Him.

The seasons of our lives and the plant we are growing is always changing according to where God wants us to be. That's one of the most exciting parts of life! We always have room to grow therefore our lives are always meaningful. God created a role for you to play in His kingdom that only you can play. He equipped uniquely you with the abilities you need to fulfill His purpose. 

Kind of an incredible and empowering thought?

I pray you find clarity and focus in whatever season you are in!
Thanks for reading and God bless!

Leave a Comment Ann-Marie, Life Seasons

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