“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. … John 15:1-7

Often I desire to be able to focus on one thing at a time. Everyday I feel like I am being pulled in a million different directions. Mental exhaustion at the end of the day is pretty typical for me, everything on my to do list seems too important to cross off.

I find myself playing catch up in almost every area of my life including laundry, money, housekeeping, bible study, and grocery shopping. Finding the best way to divide my time seems almost impossible.

Often I will go to God with my overwhelm, begging Him to please help. Help lessen the financial burden by helping us get caught up or help me to be able to manage it all. I want it to be OK to not have a clean organized home, or to eat fast food everyday. But none of this is good for my family so I work to change it.

I work to try and do everything on my to do list only to have stuff left on it and I end up playing catch up the next day. Or I try to work more in order to meet our needs and I avoid sleep so I can finally try to get caught up.

But no matter what I do the disorganization and the overwhelm that is in my mind and life never seem to be resolved…until I put my complete focus on God.

When I focus on His promises, or I focus on His provision, I’m not overwhelmed anymore. Or when I focus on the individuals and the relationships that’s when I’m not overwhelmed by the big numbers that equal success.

When I focus on God I take life one moment at a time. Of course my flesh wants to be the center of attention, but my focus needs to be on God and not on me.

I desire to be able to focus on one thing at a time and when I focus on God I am truly able to go throughout my day without being overwhelmed.

And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Psalm 50:15

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this beautiful day. Everyday I wake up to a list of things to do and it is truly overwhelming at times. Often I have no idea where to start because they all are important. I am so thankful to be able to turn to You and put my focus on You. When I do You are always there to guide me. Lord please continue to guide. Show me where to pour my heart into. Guide me in when I should say no, and motivate me when I say yes. Thank You for always being there even when my heart is resistant and selfish. I pray this in Jesus’ name. – Amen!

Copyright © 2012 Heather Bixler, All Rights Reserved

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2:16-20

The word Advent means coming or arrival of something long anticipated. The Messiah had been long anticipated for thousands of years. No wonder the excitement of the shepherds!

The season of Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for Christmas Day. It is a time to slowly consider and meditate on the wonder of the plan of redemption beginning in a stable. Remember the promise God made to Abraham and confirmed throughout the Old Testament. Read again about His faithfulness and love for His people. Meditate on the glorious truth that God became man. Be humbled as Mary was that God uses broken, imperfect people to fulfill His plan.

Waiting doesn’t come easy to most of us. In fact, it’s become an obsolete skill these days. This time of year it is even harder to quiet our hearts. Be intentional about meditating on the story of Christmas and expect your soul to overflow in joyful response.

This Advent, be filled with wonder and amazement as the shepherds were. Take the time to “treasure up all these things and ponder them” in your heart.

For additional study: Luke 1:46-55, Luke 1:68-75, Colossians 1:15-20

Copyright © 2011 Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4

Is the Lord your delight or is your relationship with Him more of a chore? Do you desire and seek to be in His presence or are you just going through the motions?

When our faith is brand new, it is exciting to be in His presence. Like a young couple in love, we can can’t bear to be apart from God. We read His word, drink it in, and can’t seem to get enough of it.

But then the details of life get in the way. Our private and corporate worship becomes dry. We put all our energy into our responsibilities in our daily life and little is left over for God. Half hearted prayers are spoken. Like a couple who have been married for years and have forgotten the joy they once had when first dating, our relationship with God can become dull and boring.

How to return to our first love?

The psalmist knew how to find joy in the Lord–by saturating himself in the Word. David says in Psalm 119, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” (vs. 97) Focusing on God and His Word each day brings Him front and center. When God is placed at the center of our daily life, He becomes the focus and purpose for all that we do. We can then delight in Him while folding laundry, doing dishes, taking care of kids and all the other responsibilities of day-to-day life. These activities can in fact become an act of bringing glory to our Creator because we do it for Him.

When we soak up His word, we come into His presence. God speaks directly to our souls through His Word. A soul saturated by the Word of Truth will ooze joy from its pores and the aroma will sweeten everything that we do–including laundry, cooking and cleaning.

The Word is powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrew 4:12). It changes us from the inside out. The more we read, the more we desire to read. The more we are exposed to His Word, the more we see the grace of God, and the more we delight in Him. This transforms our personal worship, our corporate worship and our day-to-day lives.

For more opportunities to taste and see: Psalm 42:1, Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 100 and Jude 1:24.

Copyright © 2011 Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

A brain fuzzy from lack of sleep, I try to handle a sibling conflict. Impatient, I speak harshly. I enforce unnecessary consequences. Later, I realize I had made matters worse. I wasn’t Christ-like in my interactions with my children. Instead of pointing them toward Christ, my behavior turned them away.

Some days, my failures as a mother point an accusing finger straight at my soul. It tells me I am no good and a failure as a Christ-follower.

Do you have days where you feel like you’ve failed in your walk with Christ?

Scripture challenges those lies that I am a failure. Instead, it tells me that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. (Romans 5:8) When I stumble in my walk, I remind myself that he bore those very sins on the cross. His grace covers me each time I fall.

Not only that, the Bible tells me that the path to holiness has already been paved. The righteous life Jesus lived is given to me. I just need to walk in it. He will complete the good work he started. Christ paid a high price for me, He will not allow me to fail.

I rest in that promise and it strengthens me.

On those days where I stumble in my flesh, He pulls me back up so that I may stand on the road of grace. And I remember anew the Love that died for me. It was His grace that paid for me, His grace that gives me His righteousness and His grace that helps me to continue my walk with Him.

Do you sense His grace today?

For further reading: Hebrews 4:16, 2 Peter 1:2, Romans 5:10

Copyright © 2011 Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.  Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”  Psalm 126:5-6

Only God knows the number of tears I have cried over my children.  The tears flowed a river each time they were wheeled away into surgery.  I’ve cried on my knees to God and poured out to him my parenting struggles.  And I’ve cried tears of joy when they asked Jesus to be their Savior.

As one who struggles with depression, tears are my constant companion.  I often struggle with the weight of them and ask God to take them away.  When I search God’s word for answers, I always end up in the Psalms.  And it’s in Psalm 126 He is using to teach me that while the pain that accompanies the tears is difficult, it is not without purpose.

These verses refer to a time in Israel’s history when they returned from exile.  The pain and sorrow they experienced as captives finally came to an end.  Our sorrow and tears too will not last forever, there will be an end.  In Psalms 30, we learn that “weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Spurgeon said of this passage, “Hence, present distress must not be viewed as if it would last for ever; it is not the end, by any means, but only a means to the end. Sorrow is our sowing, rejoicing shall be our reaping. If there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy. ” But this end to the tears is not just for any and everyone who cries, the ending of tears only comes to those “who sow with tears.”

We must sow our tears.  We must not just let them fall anywhere, they must fall in a place where they can be planted and nourished.  Our tears are not for us alone but are to be used for God’s glory.  In planting our tears, we are promised that they will produce a harvest of joy.

Jesus knew sorrow well for he was “a man of sorrows.”  He came to earth to walk among us and experienced the same pain and suffering we all battle.  He wasn’t just here as a tourist, to merely observe what it was like to be human in a fallen world.  He entered the grief and pain of the people and experienced it for himself.  But he knew that “joy comes in the morning” and sowed his tears as he hung on the cross.  Scripture tells us in Hebrews 12:2 that he did this “for the joy set before him.”  And what was that joy?  Our salvation and restoration of our relationship with God.

How can we sow our tears?  First, we must always bring our tears to Jesus.  We need to lament in prayer before Him as He catches each tear in a bottle.  Our faith and love in Him will strengthen as we trust in Him to use those captured tears for His glory.  In prayer, we’ll plant our tears for the salvation of loved ones, for those hurting, for our own sin and for growth in our faith.  We also need to consider how we can use our tears to encourage others with the same encouragement He has given us. Our tears will reap a harvest for the kingdom when we reach out to others in the name of Jesus.  Matthew Henry wrote “there are tears which are themselves the seed that we must sow, tears of sorrow for sin, our own and others, tears of sympathy with the afflicted church, and the tears of tenderness in prayer and under the word. These are precious seed, such as the husbandman sows when corn is dear and he has but little for his family, and therefore weeps to part with it, yet buries it under ground, in expectation of receiving it again with advantage.”

We may experience times in this life where we see firsthand the harvest of our sorrows as did Joseph and Job.  Even if we don’t witness it here, we are promised unending joy in eternity with our Savior where “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”(Rev. 21:4)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  Matthew 5:4

For further study:  Psalm 116:8, Hebrews 5:7-9, Isaiah 35:10

Copyright © Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

When was the last time you were still?  For me it seems like it was before I became a mom.  Since then all I do is run.

It seems no matter how early I get up, I’m always late getting my son to school.  “Hurry!” is each mornings mantra.  I rush to accomplish chores and errands before I pick up the kids.  We run from one activity or responsibility to another.  Our culture is also fast paced and busy.  While technology has made many things easier and freed up time in certain areas, it has also given us more things to do.  There are always emails to send, status’ to check, and blog holes to get sucked into.

Our relationship with God is often rushed as well.  He becomes something we check off our “to do list.” We read our five-minute devotional for the day and we’re good.  We dutifully pray and run through our list of petitions for people and things on our prayer request list and run off to the next activity.

Yet, too often I don’t feel that close to God.

Scripture tells me that to know Him, I must be still.  What is it about stillness that helps me to know God?  When I read His word in a rush, I don’t get a chance to digest it.  We all know it’s better for our bodies when we chew and swallow our food slowly–the same is true of our souls.  We need to take time to allow the Spirit to use the spiritual food we’ve eaten to convict our hearts and deepen our relationship with God.

When we pray and read the word too quickly, we aren’t giving God time to respond to us.  It becomes a one way communication.  When we pause and quiet our hearts to hear what the Spirit is saying, we’ll find that the word takes on richer meaning and becomes deeply rooted in our soul.  When we listen to the “still small voice” instead of rushing through our list of prayer requests, we may hear in our heart God’s response to our prayer.

Peter knew the importance of communing in prayer with our Lord.  When Peter was called to heal Tabitha in Acts 9, he sent everyone out of the room and prayed.  We don’t know how long he prayed for but it was long enough for him to hear God’s response and know that God would raise Tabitha from the dead.  Upon completing his prayer, he told Tabitha to rise.

Jesus always made prayer a priority.  He took regular breaks from His work of ministry to pray to His Father.  He knew that the only way to be near His father was to get away from the noise and busyness of His life to a quiet place.  The vineyards were a favorite place for Him to be alone with His Father, as it was on that last night before He was arrested.   And it was there He received strength to continue the work He was sent to do.

In the craziness of our lives, we have to be intentional about being with God.  He can’t be included among a long list of things to accomplish for the day.  He is like the air we breathe and the food we eat; a necessity for our life.  We must dine with Him every day, multiple times a day to receive the strength we need to fulfill our calling.  And we must get away  from the multiple distractions that thunder so loud that we can’t hear His voice.

Because it’s in the quiet and the stillness that He is there.

For further study:  Psalm 42, John 6:35,  John 15

Copyright © Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

 ”Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:4-9

I read this passage in Deuteronomy quite often because it’s a passage that is foundational for me in my parenting.  As I was meditating on it recently, it struck me that the command to love the Lord with all your heart,soul, and strength precedes the verse to “impress them on your children.” Is it because effective training of our children in the Lord comes as a result of our love of the Lord?

Some days are real struggles for me as a parent.  I’m tired, irritable, and impatient.  The kids seem to fight more and it takes numerous instructions before they do what they are told.  Exhausted, I come to the end of the day and I can’t figure out what went wrong.  I open the word and this passage in Deuteronomy pierces my heart.  The Holy Spirit points out to me that I can’t teach, disciple, train and discipline my children in the Lord if he is not the center of my heart.

I need to be daily connected to the vine to receive my sustenance and strength.  Loving God with all my heart means that all of my being lives for God and God alone.  He doesn’t just want outward performance or attempts to perfectly obey him; he desires my heart.  “My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways.”  (Proverbs 23:26)  He wants me to seek him first in all things; nothing else should replace him in my heart.  When we are deeply in love with someone, it’s painful to be separated from them.  The same should be true of our love for God; the very core of our being desires to be with him all the time.

In order for me to be effective as a parent, I need to immerse myself in the word and drink from the fountain of life found there.  I need to pray and feed on his word each and every day or my soul will become hungry.  I don’t know about anyone else, but when I’m hungry I become irritable.  Our soul needs its daily nourishment as does our body.

When my heart is fed each day and is full of love for God, then it overflows as I pour it out in my children.  I can effectively teach them about his love because it fills my heart, I can adequately disciple them in the word because my soul has been fed by the Bread of Life, and I can impress them with the truth of God everywhere and in all situations because he has strengthened me through prayer and the word.

For further reading:  Psalm 119, Matthew 18:1-6, Mark 12:28-34, Psalm 51:16,17

Copyright © Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. Psalm 118:8 (NKJV)

Confidence in a leader: faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way.

Why should we have confidence in God?

Asking this question seems a bit silly, but in all reality the answer is ultimately not only life changing but also very convicting.

You see we say we have faith in God, but yet when we are afraid we doubt Him. On Sunday’s while at Church we pray to Him, listen to teachings about Him, and praise His holy name. Yet when we get home, or when we begin our week, we begin to doubt, worry, and feel overwhelmed.

We know we SHOULD have confidence in God, but do we know why?

God is in control of everything (except us!)

We should have confidence in God because He is in control of everything.

In the Bible it is clearly outlined that God is sovereign over everything. Even Satan needs to have permission to enter into our lives and attack us. God is in control of everything, except for the choices that we make, including nature!

I believe that the greatest faith in God comes from those who believe that He is sovereign, and can still trust, love, and respect Him.

Knowing that God is in control of all things can give you the confidence to do what you never thought you could do. It will give you the power to fulfill God’s will in ways you never thought possible. When you finally believe God in in control of all things, that is when you truly begin to experience God’s miraculous healing and call for your life.

However knowing God is in control of all things will also require us to continually be in God’s word. You see the truth is, bad things happen, and since God is in control of everything, we will need to turn to the Lord often so that we can understand Him more.

When the reality of this world comes charging at us, our personal relationship with the Lord is the only thing that will keep us grounded.

There will be people who will tell you that God is not in control of nature, among other things. But the reality is God is in control of everything, except us. You see we have what the enemy doesn’t have, choice.

We can either choose to have confidence in the Lord, or not. We can choose whether or not to have the Lord be in control of our life. We can choose whether or not we will surrender to His will, or continue to pursue our own will.

Either way, God has a plan and we can choose to be apart of it, or we can choose to turn out backs on it.

Prayer:

Forgive me for not having the confidence to be who you made me to be out of fear. Lord through my fear I have turned my back on You, and today I choose to turn my back on fear. Lord help me to grow into the fearless creation You made many years ago. I long to be in your presence and to serve You completely. I give you my heart, my will, and my life. Lord have mercy on me. I pray this in Jesus’ name – amen!

Copyright © Heather Bixler, All Rights Reserved

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

There are many things that cause us to get distracted from taking the time to read the word of God.

As moms we have busy lives dealing with cars that are broken down, cleaning house, financial worries. All of these things are used as distractions from the enemy to get us away from fellowship with the Lord by reading His word and being in His presence.

Even good things like serving God, Bible Studies, friendship, and spending time with your family can become a distraction in your walk with the Lord if you find yourself doing these things instead of spending time with God everyday.

If we don’t take the time to read and study the word then we are missing out on the one thing that can help us to get through the day. In this scripture Jesus says that Mary had chosen the “good part” that will not be taken from her.

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42

How can we serve the Lord if we don’t have His word in our heart? His fellowship? How can we train up our children if we don’t know the word of God? How will we know if we are being a godly wife, friend, or mother? How will we be able to discern false teachings from teachers who teach Biblical truths?

The Word and the Lord’s revelations is the one thing we can take with us, and use, throughout life, through any and all trials and triumphs we may face.

Spiritual maturity comes when we learn to discipline ourselves to read and study the word on a daily basis. When we learn to do this we will then be able to maneuver through the daily distractions and the busyness of life more efficiently and effectively.

Being a Christian mother means we are teachers. In order for us to teach our children effectively, and help our husbands, we must first have an ongoing relationship with the Lord and His Biblical truths provided within the Bible. As we grow in our realtionship we will begin to discern the distractions in our life that may be causing us to put the Lord on the back burner.

Pray today for God to reveal the distractions that are keeping you from His word and fellowship with Him.

Prayer:

Father God, thank you for another day. Life is such a gift, however lately I have been overwhelmed with everything that has been distracting me from seeing just how wonderful life really is. The distractions have also been preventing me from truly enjoying life and moving forward with the plans you have for me and this family. Lord I just pray for the distractions in my life to be evident. I also pray for your guidance on how to eliminate these distractions all together, or help me to manage them properly, and to keep everything in it’s proper place and time so that I can better serve you and grow in your word. I’m just so thankful that I can come to you for help…thank you for loving me, being there for me, protecting me and my family, and for guiding me. I pray this all in your might son Jesus’ name. – Amen!

Copyright © Heather Bixler, All Rights Reserved