Thankful

I know I know it has been way to long…..

Since my last post Will and I got orders to Holloman AFB, NM. Google it! It will be a bit of a change, but we are pretty excited overall about it. We bought a house, we move in like 3 days, Halloween has passed, and one of the best of all Holidays THANKSGIVING was just last week!

With that said what are you Thankful for? I mean not just your health and your family I am talking about the deep down stuff….. I will start: I am Thankful for the spirit that I have always felt deep inside of me that is alive and spinning circles of Joy in my heart. I am becoming the women I hope God intends for me to be and I am internally Thankful for that. I am Thankful that I have health care for those times where we need to go for whatever reason and do not pay anything. It is pretty scary out there without the military and its help with healthcare. I am Thankful that I live in a country where we can argue about religion and voice our opinion (even if they are different from my own) and not be killed in our beds in the middle of the night for doing so. I value the freedom regardless of the opinions and regardless of the faults we have in our country.

Please share what you are Thankful for.

God Bless,

~Victoria Clouse

Week 8

This weeks post in told by my wonderful and amazing Mother - in - Law Carol Clouse. Enjoy!

As I was reading the assignment of week 8, the Holy Spirit continually gave me the message of Give God the Glory! When we try to do anything in our own power, in our own unworthiness we will come up short every time but when we set out to give God the Glory, we will always have the victory. We are only equipped by God when we are a child of God, we are only empowered by the Holy Spirit when we have laid down our sins at the cross and confessed our sin and asked for the forgiveness that only Christ can offer. 

On day 2 we watch the wrestling match and see how her focus switched from trying to win to try not to lose. We see this quite often in the lives of Christians that feel like the world is beating them up so they retreat and do not take an active role in the community. Stop going to church and let Satan get a foothold in their lives. We need to fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. This word peace is an action word, the battle is mine says the Lord! 

When reading day 3 my heart felt so sad when I read the words we shoot our wounded and leave the lying in the dirt to find help on their own. We are so afraid of getting into the mess of broken lives, that we find a reason to stay out of it. As Christians we also put a price on forgiveness, I will forgive you if you do this...this is not how Christ asks us to forgive. We are to live as Christ and Christ went to the cross with no expectations our stipulations of Him dying for us. He just knew He needed to for God to forgive us for our sins. Pray earnestly that God will reveal to you those that are hurting, those that you need to carry the cross for. 

Day 4 finds us looking into the eyes of the giant Goliath. What is your giant? What do you worry so much about that you have sleepless nights? Have you made that your giant? The Lord says to cast your cares on Him, to trust Him, do you have power over your panic?  

In day 5 we see the verse Romans 8:31, "if God is for us, who can be against us?" This sums up the whole weeks reading by telling us that nothing is too difficult for God, when you and 

I face the storms in our life, and we will, let us not be led as sheep to the slaughter but stand firm in our faith knowing that we have a all powerful God that nothing is impossible for Him. Be strong my friend, have faith, pursue peace and stay in your Word!

God Bless,

Carol Clouse

Week 7

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

and do not lean on your own understanding. 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

and He will make your paths straight"

Proverbs 3:5-6

"He is my Father who knows what is best for me" (p.145). 

"You don't have to understand God to trust Him" (p.142).

I start off with these two, because it stuck out as soon as I read them. How very true are these two statements and especially for someone who is unsure of their faith or their faith is not as strong as they want it to be. These whole reading for week 7 was pretty intense. I did a lot of underlining and reflecting of my own. Lets just get right into it and as we do keep in mind the two statements above.

When suffering and trying to weather the storms of life sometimes you wonder is God even there!?!?! Think about when Jesus was crucified how do you think God felt? He knew that would happen, but watching would be worse then the actual act of what Jesus went through. The storms we endure today are what tests our faith and spiritual healing. He is always right by our side and when we are going throughout painful times He allows it so it will work for our ultimate good.

When God says NO! He has a reason for it. I think after awhile we feel that God and the Holy Spirit have abandoned us, but in actuality we are granted grace in the perfect moments, times, days, and also for each stubble we go through. It is all about weather or not you accept the grace that is being offered. the Lord gives me grace that strengthens me when I am weak. This goes hand in hand with a strong faith!!! If he says no it does not mean He does not love us, because He knows what is best for us!

In this series the key take away is FAITH and TRUST. In our reading it says "faith is an anchor of hope for the believer. Trusting God is a core essential" (p.148). It is ALL about choosing to trust Him and not doubting Him. ALL meaning your life and lifestyle and how you live your life as a follower of Christ. Psalm 34:18 says "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (p.147.). Know that your faith and trust in God are the things that you need in order to fulfill Gods objectives and live a God-centered life! If you cannot do that and are only doing the bare minimum as a Christian how do you think others view you are a believer? Not just that, but what kind of "power" do you think you will have in Gods kingdom? That is what it is all about my friends, it is about what you will do once in the House of the Lord!!!

Lastly, I don't know about you, but do you pray often for things other then your own struggles? i know I look at my own life and feel that my struggles are nothing compared to those that are REAL! The Lord know what is going on every min of every day and is in total control. Your struggles are also real do not forget that, but take time to pray for those things that tug are your heart, because that is the Holy Spirit working in you! Psalm 59:16 from the reading says "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble" (p.154).

Lets Pray:
Lord Jesus, thank you for allowing me to spread your word and to those who read and receive it thank you for leading them here. I know at times your answer is No to our prayers, help us to better trust in you because you know what is best for us. We come to you in times of pain and helplessness. I need your strength and power of grace to strengthen me when I am weak. When I am weakest your are strongest, and I know then that you are shaping and molding me into the person I am supposed to be in honor of You! Help me to live what I believe in and spread your word with more courage tomorrow and the days to follow all in Your glorious name. In Jesus' sweet an holy name I pray, Amen

God bless,

~Vickie

Week 6

This weeks reading has really gotten to me more then most, due to the fact that I found an amazing church that has opened my heart to the Lord even more then ever before!!! Believing is something is greater then believing in NOTHING at all. Renewing your faith in times where it is extremely hard and to have any faith at all is huge Isaiah 40:29-31 stuck out hard during the reading….

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint". 

What is the first thing you do in the morning? Coffee? Shower? Read Facebook, emails, news? What if your first is put on hold for 15 minutes so that you can glorify God. I mean whats 15 minutes? Make the excuse in your head right now!!! ANNNNNDDD forget it and just do it. Start with just 5 days straight and see how you feel. If the mornings are not your thing then do the evenings before bed time! Start somewhere and do not make an excuse of it.

Ok so back to the reading for this week. Getting away for time with just God helps to renew your faith as it says in Romans 10:17 "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ". If you are not willing to listen how do you expect to even hear God? 

I watched Son of God twice this past week and have gain so many questions (thirst of more knowledge about Jesus), this lead me to read different passages in the bible. For instance when Jesus raises from the dead and comes to his disciples John 20:28-29 says And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." As a believer or even someone unsure of where you are in your faith, does this passage not make you want to read more about Jesus Christ!?!?!

From the book Mary Southerland wrote "We often fear the outcome or don't understand the step God has asked us to take, so we hesitate. We are afraid to fail and are more concerned about our reputation as a Christian than we are about being obedient to God."  That being said she also says "If we don't live it, we don't really believe it." Change your life and fulfill God's purpose for His Kingdom. 

Here are some tips in helping with preparing your heart and mind for whatever trials lie ahead for you:
1. Make time each day to be alone with God
2. Pour out your dreams and desperation to Him.
3. Invest fifteen minutes in solitude each day, allowing your soul to "catch-up."

I leave you with two things; when David remembered his past victories, his God-confidence was off the charts! We can gain God-confidence the same way. What battles has God brought you through?

And Corrie ten Boom put it, "Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible."

Lets Pray
Thank you Lord for giving me the words to write to all these people reading this post. Help us to be more faithful and keep us from leaning on our own understanding. Help us trust that He is in control and that He will renew our strength threw all adversities. 

God Bles each and every one of you

~ Victoria

What Do You Believe?

From the website here http://www.gotquestions.org/Christianity.html#ixzz37h54V86x I searched for what christians believe and found words that explain exactly what I wish to say. "The core beliefs of Christianity are summarized in1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, was resurrected, and thereby offers salvation to all who will receive Him in faith. Unique among all other faiths, Christianity is more about a relationship than religious practices. Instead of adhering to a list of “do’s and don’ts,” the goal of a Christian is to cultivate a close walk with God. That relationship is made possible because of the work of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit."

The music video below also speaks of what as christians we believe. Next post I will talk about if we don't live it, then we don't really believe it. Those are some hard things to even think let alone write a post about it. I am guilty of it myself thats why I feel I have to express it to the "world" and get the truth of what I should be living compared to what I believe. 

Christians can have victory in the struggle with sin by studying and applying God’s Word in their lives and being controlled by the Holy Spirit—that is, submitting to the Spirit’s leading in everyday circumstances. 

Sounds like complicated, but I tell you NOW it is NOT!!! Let the Holy Spirit work in your heart and let him speak to your heart. Do not second guess him! Go in peace with the Lord!

God Bless,

~Vickie

Life-Changing Faith in Jesus

Up until probably a year ago I was not very open about my faith. I was never ashamed or doubtful just never knew what to say about it. I mean I believe, but it was hard to explain to someone when I didn't know the bible very well! I must admit even today I would be terrified to talk to someone about my faith yet I notice myself doing it more and more. I'm currently reading (yes on top of reading Trusting God) I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp. It's such a great book and I am only a quarter of the way through it!!! In the book Jeremy says: "Truly experiencing a life-changing faith in Jesus means taking His Words off the pages of the Bible and allowing it to sink into our hearts so that it directs our actions." I keep thinking I haven't felt this before. But I'll tell you what I have been so compailed by my daughters love, my husbands heart, and the pulling toward something else in life. I know it will come when that life-changing faith will knock me down and lift me right back up at the same time.

I think faith is something you don't see unless you search for it. How can you have faith when you do not have anything to have faith toward. No one would believe a miracle unless you had faith in something bigger then yourself. By chance you say??? I say by Gods grace!!! If faith is something that is still hard for you to explain then think of it like this: (this is how it was explained to me) can you see the wind? NO! So how do you know the wind is there? Because you can feel and sometimes see the effects from the wind! You can see the effects it has all around you weather it's just a breeze or a storm there is some sort of reaction. Same with your faith weather it be in a miracle or Gods love. Warning: it may not be what you want or when you want it. It is all in His time and His will!!! 

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

With the way God is working in my heart and life, I cannot wait to see where He leads me. Putting my faith in him, gives me a less stressed life. I am bored and he is starting to challenge me. I have to have the passion in order to enjoy what God has in store for me. I'm getting there I can feel it!!!!

God Bless,

~ Victoria

Week 5

It has been awhile since I have been on here, but here I am again. I wish I was able to make more time to get on here and post more. Maybe with starting on grad school I can make more time since I will already be around my computer and going to a christian college, Liberty University. 

Did this weeks reading touch you in any particular way? As you may have read from my last post, Child Like Faith, these past couple months have been an internal struggle for me personally in my professional life. It's like an endless cycle though, what effects us professionally also effects us personally. But it's all about how you live your life for God and what you do to live my his word. 

So let's answer some questions from this weeks reading:

1. Have you thought about your failures, falls, and frustrations? How have they shaped who you are today? Have you learned from them? Or are you still in denial of what lesson they have to still teach you? The show is not over regardless of where you are in life. 

2. Psalms 91:1-2 (p. 109). Is God truly your refuge and fortress?

3. Do you believe God is fully aware of where you are and what you need (p. 104)? I think at times this is fathomable to me. I mean one who is all knowing and all doing... Am I even worthy to be looked over? But my question back to that is why am I not worthy of His watchful eye?

4. In the reading in unit 3 on pages 98-101 really spoke to me this week. "A person of faith believes Gods promises because His promises are connected to His character". Image that for a minute! What do we promise that in turn defines our chapter? 

     - On page 101 it talks about having God-confidence and the faith He already has in us, our job is to listen, seek, and obey. Not to try to control an outcome that is not in His Will. By growing in our own understanding of Gods character we learn to trust Him more. 

God bless 

~ Victoria Clouse

I leave on this verse:

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Child Like Faith

When you are going through convictions in your life you always feel like you are the only one going through them and especially alone. My convictions are not the work of the devil or anything going bad in my life, but maybe just not listening to what Gods will for me is. So in all actuality it probably has the devils backing in the end, but for now I am going to tell you about my convictions and what is going on in order to let you all know that you are also not alone.

In 2005 as College became more of a reality for me I got accepted to a couple different ones and was super excited about my future. I was going to be an architect and build log homes and eventually offer to build non-profit homes. I have always wanted to help people and everything I have ever thought about as a young lady in High School never seemed to be enough. What better way to give back to people and help them then to serve my country. I did not have a single clue as to how to even pay for college. No real guidance or mentorship at all to get to my goals for the future. I knew that the Air Force would allow me so many great things such as an education, medical, dental, a paycheck, a great career, as well as the satisfaction of serving my country and the pride that comes from that. I was in high school when 9/11 happened, and at first did not know much about the military besides the little bit from my dad being in the Marine Corps.

Fast forward to present day and where I am. I have an associates degree in Intelligence Studies and Technology and a Bachelors of Arts in Business Analysis and Management. I completed my BA January 2014 after being in the AF for just over 8 years. You would think at this point in my career after being very successful and getting my education that I should be very happy to move up in the ranks in the AF and move on with my career. It has been a very difficult couple years for me as a wife, mother, military member, and even christian. Difficult as in hard for me to find my identity within all of these. My husband is also in the AF as a Security Forces member (military police) and his job is typically a lot more demanding them mine is since we have had a child. The odds of that staying like that are very slim.

This leads to me doing somethings that are not just about me, but about my family as well as that dream of helping other people! These are the questions I ask myself all the time. Is the comfort of the military and my current job enough to satisfy me for what I want to do and who I want to be (both personally and professionally)? Can I go an do something else, which will require less pay starting out as well as a lot more schooling? Will it make me happier? How can I make the stability better for my family who are military? But more importantly is this what God wants me to do?

I was accepted for a job that is EXTREMELY competitive and one of a kind for the AF overall. In the end they could not find a job out there for my husband and because of that the job was canceled. I am not sure why God had me go through an intense interview process for the end result to be that we did not get it, but I do know that he has His reasons. And knowing that God has something else planned for us was a hard pill to swallow, because I "knew" this was a great job and an awesome experience for me. In the end I allowed God to take control and do what we need to do to make sure He was in control. It took me awhile and a lot of strength from my husband in order to understand that God has this.

My convictions today are answering those questions above and living for Gods Will. This day in age it seems almost impossible to do without sacrificing something of yourself or your family. How selfish does that sound? God sacrificed His ONLY son in order to show us his LOVE. I wish in everything that I still had that child like faith and just "knew" it would all work out according to His plan. For me to sit and write it as if I actually do it would be hypocritical of me…. so I sit here today telling you that I do not listen to God to read his word nearly as much as I should. However, that is exactly why I am writing this today to share with you the things that are going on in my life at just like your life. How amazing would it be to live like Paul did in Acts 21-22? He NEVER once doubted what God had planned even while his own friends wept over him leaving to be burnt and killed. I would not be human if I never questioned or doubted Gods plans for me, but by not even giving him a chance would be like I am not faithful in His plan for me. I learned today that you live for two things: to love God and to love others. Being here on Earth has nothing to do with YOU! While listening to that today at first I did not understand what that meant, but it brought me right back to my current day convictions….

These are leaving the military after 9 years of only knowing it as an adult, going into grad school to work on becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist (3-4 years of school) and soon after my PhD in order to work in areas that I can reach a lot more people in a very personal field. All the while trying to expand my family (currently have 1 child). This would mean full time student, full time stay at home mom, full time stay at home wife, and with very little income on my part. I would take on LITERALLY a whole new life. It takes some serious faith and prayers in order to make decisions like these. ~OR~ Do I stay in the military, make an it a career, go on to maybe do wonderful things for my country alongside my husband? While at the same time leaving my children to far away lands and not being able to get grad school done at all. I could rock the AF, but at what cost to my family and to others that God may want me to reach… I cannot answer either question until God gives me the answer!

My plan is to have that child like faith in the lord and let him lead me…. I believe that in order to get to this point I must read His word and let it lead me to where HE wants me to be. I CHALLENGE each and everyone of you to take out your bibles read a little, pray constantly and open your hearts to God and just know HE has something planned specially for you!

God Bless

~Victoria Clouse


"Read Gods Word; He WILL lead you to where you are to be" - Michael (LifeSpring Church Midtown)

Week 4

This is week 4 of the Trusting God book!!!! This week my focus is more on the actual act of TRUSTING GOD. In this weeks reading it talks about the act of trusting Him is a discipline and it is not natural. When it comes down to it and we KNOW we have to hand our worries over to God we want to "soul-scream". Isn't that exactly how it feels? It can be overwhelming…..But, the Lord wants your attention just as much as your family and worries that comprise of your stress take over your attention.

So this weeks thoughts/questions are:

~As the Lord desires to be sought after and found; what do you do to seek Him not have Him seek you?

~ Do you take time out of each day to thank God?
       -- I know for me before we had Sophia it seemed so much harder because I think we felt like we didn't have much to offer God and now we have Her to show God too. I know that sounds silly, but now our time with God, as limited as it is, is during dinner and bedtime. Will and I also do a weekly devotional and that is our time with each other and God! We do this not only for god and ourselves, but to be that greatest example we can be to our daughter.

~ Someone recently told me about something called a Silent Retreat. Do you ever just rest your soul for the Lord? I have never really thought about it honestly! But I have to say I LOVE the idea of it. What would you do to rest your soul?

~ This is just my personal thought, we should listen to the Lord. He knows that is best and IF and WHEN he answers your prayers He will do it in His own time and own way!

Watch this weeks video and take joy in your time with the Lord.

I end on this Bible verse:

*Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. (1 Timothy 4:7)

God Bless,

~ Vickie

Week 3

Good Evening Friends!!! This weeks reading really hit me! I'm going through a lot in my personal life (which has a lot to do with my professional life) and struggling with when and how to trust in God. This should be a no brainer don't you think. I guess for me its hard because I feel like God gives us freedom of choice as you will. He gives us situation's to make decisions for ourselves or does he?!?!? I mean if God is all knowing then he already knows the decisions I will make correct? He is not surprised by anything that is going on in our lives.

With that said even if you did not read this weeks reading or have the book the premise is all about no matter what do you love and trust in God? 

~ Have you ever thought that sometimes you are the unluckiest person in the world? Those times come and go and honestly are inevitable (as stated in the book), but while they hurt it is such an AMAZING feeling when you get past it. It feels like the painful part was so irrelevant to the pleasure you feel now! In the book it says that "scripture assures us that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful". Isn't this the perfect time for us to remain committed to God and Jesus? 

~ How about the song 'Jesus love me this I know…' ok stop singing :)!!! Do you love him back as he loves you? A lot of people feel unworthy of love or feel they do not deserve it. How about feeling deserted by God? Now thats a tough one to even fathom or think about. In the reading it states that the disciples were the ones who felt deserted by God. I imagine in your lifetime you have felt deserted as well, but would you give your life for Him?

~ Remember Jesus in the boat with his disciples and the storm on the Sea of Galilee? Could this not be the perfect way to trust in Jesus? He blatantly asks them to have faith in him and yet they still do not. Do you have faith in him in all you do no matter what, even when the situation does not turn out to your liking?

~ Ok so lastly, think of people you surround yourself with. Do these people show the same if not more faith in the Lord then you? If not how do you think your strength in the Lord is growing if those you surround yourself with have little or no faith? Just a thought to living a more gracious, meaningful life if you struggle with our faith because of those around you!

I could not decide on which verses I liked the most to end this week on so I decided to add both of these:

* Why are you afraid? Do you still have to faith? (Mark 4:40)

*Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:13-14)

God Bless,

Vickie