CHOOSE: CONFESSION

Sensitivity has a way of showing one her sins. That's when Wednesday becomes a day of confession for me, aka "Weeping Wednesday." I desire to "confess, renounce and find mercy" (Proverbs 28:13) and forgiveness (1 John 1:9) as He purifies my heart. (James 4:8)

It's not like going into a confessional booth or opening up to a friend. It's just me before the Lord asking Him to "Search my heart." and show me my heart. (Psalm 139:23) Did He ever!
That's why it's a scary thing to do. It's hard to truly "see" the wickedness of one's own heart. A heart that He needs to "clean and restore."(Psalm 51:10) Confession and repentance are heart issues. Restoration is from God.

Forgive me, Lord, for my self-protective and self-promoting ways.

Glad I chose "Confession." It took away the guilt (Psalm 32:5) and as Mama Davenport always said, "confession is good for the soul."

CHOOSE: PATIENCE

Hard to choose patience when you're harboring Apple Store Angst!

But, choosing patience it is! It is a choice---even if It means  much is lost on my laptop, thereby making blogging on my phone a necessity--though it's very difficult!

My, my---I wrote the above entry around 10:20 this morning. After taking a visiting friend to lunch and the airport, I headed to the Apple Store---just like yesterday but this time I took a book for "the wait."

So....though my choice was made early, I didn't get my "affirmation from above" until I came home and picked up my devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest.

Patience--"the idea of an immensely strong rock withstanding all onslaughts." My day with seemingly "unsolvable" tech problems both local and with on-line tech support, seemed like a great onslaught.

I knew patience was the right choice to begin my day. But God...seemed to give me a "pat on the back" for choosing it.

CHOOSE: MEDITATION

Meditation Monday---Nothing more needed than my old favorite New American Standard Bible.
Plus, on page 14, it has the yellow highlight marks from Josh at age 2.
An open Bible with a 2 year-old in your lap is always a special time for meditation.

http://dotsydetails.blogspot.com/2015/07/meditation-mine-or-thine-q-and-a.html
Today I was able to meditate on Isaiah 45:18-22 with two Prayer for Revival warriors.
Prayer overflows from the meditation on His word which always comes first!
What a time of praising the creator of heaven and earth knowing that He speaks truth and declares what's right. (Isaiah 45:19, NIV)
What a privilege to have prayer partners!

CHOOSE: FOUR FOR THE FOURTH FRIDAY

This entry could have been "Choose: Humor" but I love alliteration.
So-o-o....thanks for humoring me.

I hope to add to your "humor" by adding 4 "funny" marginalia quotes. 

Maybe just funny for me as one with a sharpening pencils fetish, modus operandi of panic, who is an all around human mess, and needs to allow God to "turn (my) mess into a message."

1. Jesus needs to photo bomb all those "selfies." (Cole Huffman)
2. Family Motto at our house is "Wake up and Panic!"  (Carolyn W.)
3. REMEMBER: If there's not blood, smoke or fire, it's NOT a crisis. (Carolyn W.)
4. Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil, it has no point! (unknown)

Choosing to laugh today as I focus not on my faults but focus more on how God can use them.

CHOOSE: 901

Believe it or not, choosing 901, for me, is a biblical choice.

Acts 17 reinforces my belief that God who gives all men, life and breath and everything else (Acts 17:25) has placed me here. He chose my time in history and where I would live. 

"...He determined allowed periods and the boundaries of their dwelling places." (Acts 17: 26, ESV)

God chose 901 for me so it only stands to reason that I would try to make a difference in the 901 area for His glory. 

More than that, I choose to inhabit my habitation with prayer. I think the prayer choice is key to receiving God's blessings on "my" city.

CHOOSE: ALL

"All" is only 3 letters but in a grammarian world, it speaks volumes. "All" assumes 4 of the 8 parts of speech depending on its usage. That makes me think all is an all important word. (adjective) So....I'm going to give my all to get this right! (noun) If I don't lose all of my mind in the process (as pronoun, substitute for noun)

Are all of you already confused? Or am I all alone in my confusion? (adverb)

The main idea is that generally the usage of all expresses the entire quality or extent of something. 

Today, I choose ALL only as complete, in its entirety.

I remember a favorite old hymn of my grandmother. "I Surrender All." 

Not I surrender all except; that bit of resentment I keep well hidden, my health, my home, my children, my spouse, my savings account, etc. 
No buts or exceptions with total surrender.

The hymn says "All to Him I freely give."

Reading Robert Morgan's devotional, All to Jesus,* this year, I am amazed at the power of that word throughout scripture----from God's commands to the Israelites to His comfort to all believers as the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10) whom He invites to cast all anxiety upon Him (not some or part) because He cares.(1 Peter 5:7)

I choose this day to surrender all to Him who works all things together for my good. (Romans 8:28)

*I thank Marje Andrews, with all my heart, for giving me this gem of a book.

CHOOSE: TRUTH AGAIN AND AGAIN.

Choose truth again, is a merger of Monday's 4/17/17 "Choose: Truth" entry and "Choose: Not to Choose "  3/28/17 entry. An important revisit because all folks need to be able to distinguish---between GOD'S TRUTH & HOGWASH.

It's only a "little" sin----one that doesn't really count.  (Hogwash)

(1 John 3:4) Sin is sin, regardless of a man's perceived "size." God grades sin by the cross, not on a sliding scale or a curve. (Romans 3:23)

No one will ever know. (Hogwash)
Our sins are not hidden from God. (Psalm 69:5)

Going to church will make me a Christian. (Hogwash)
It might help you hear truth that leads one to salvation but church attendance does not guarantee an entrance into heaven. (June 14:6)

I can do it MYSELF! (Hogwash)
Sounds like a two -year-old, doesn't it? Self-reliance is a dead end street. Humankind needs God and each other. Others whom they can trust. (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)

God helps those who help themselves is in the Bible. (Hogwash)
No it's not.
God is our very present help---we can depend on Him. (Psalm 46:1)

If one prays hard enough and often enough God will give them whatever they want. (Hogwash)
God is not an ATM machine or a cure-all. He will more likely give what we need rather than what we think we want. That's NOT a  prayer based on a relationship aligned with the Lord's will. (1 John 5:14)

Money is the root of all evil---Baloney! (aka Hogwash)
It's the love of money and greed that is the sin problem! (1 Timothy 6:10)

Only good & perfect people will go to heaven. (Hogwash)
God's standard is not perfection for humans. One could never be good enough apart from the blood of Jesus.(Romans10:9-10)
CHOOSE TRUTH, not Hogwash.....it's an important choice!

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CHOOSE: PEACE

Choosing peace is not always as easy as it sounds. It's a "mind thing!" Aren't all choices!

When anxious thoughts seem to multiply within me, (Psalm 94:19) like knots in my stomach, I need to seek the "fruit of peace!" Allow His peace to come forth, grow within, and ease those knots.

Choose to "Seek Peace and pursue it"---thats the right choice!! (Psalm 34:14)

CHOOSE: FIVE FOR FRIDAY

Choosing 5 fave marginalia prayer quotes for my Friday focus. Often the source is not listed, so my apologies to all those folks not cited.

1. The purpose of prayer is NOT to change God, but to change us.
2. Puritans say, "Pray until you pray."
3. Talk to God about men before you talk to men about God.
4. During times of prayer, cultivate faithfulness, not feelings and sensations.
5. Praise is Christ's address. 

Today, I choose to heed the truth found in these tidbits written in the margins of my Ryrie NIV study Bible.

CHOOSE: TO DANCE

Dance Lesson to follow...............

Sometimes its hard to even take that first step on the "Dance floor of Life" especially if the tune is unfamiliar or the lyrics to the song are ones you don't want to hear.

If first step hard to take, just hold out your arms and your dance partner will meet you more than halfway because He is already on thence floor. He can give clear direction----more than once, if needed. Many dancers have to revisit this first step often in order to clearly learn the lesson the Lord has for them.

But....when the "Lord of the Dance" is your partner and you are allowing Him to lead your steps, it's easy, not only to choose to dance with Him, but to be the first one to hit the dance floor.