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 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)

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

"My Life" by Paul Thomas Mitchell

While watching America's Got Talent (AGT) tonight this was the last act of the night and WOW was he good. It made me think not only about my own life, but about those who go through so many struggles in their life, it is all for a reason. You go through so many horrible things and end up on top in the end is amazing. God is an awesome God and gifted him with this wonderful voice that I just had to share this with all of you. In times of despair the Lord knows what he is doing. TRUST in the lord!!!

To end this particular post I have a quote I found today which I believe applies now:

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be"

- Douglas Adams              

God Bless!

Victoria Clouse

Week 2

Above is the video from Week 2s reading in the book Trusting God from the ladies who created the Girlfriends In God (GIG). This video specifically features Gwen Smith speaking about somethings she wrote in this weeks reading. 

What I personally took away from this week is that trusting in God brings peace. Knowing that you can give your worries over to God and he will most certainly handle them is an amazing feeling. Having a recent conversation with someone has put a lot in perspective. When you trust God amazing things happen in your life. God gives us free will to make choices about the things in life that he has planned. I think we take the long sometimes not so scenic route to get to what God has planned for us. I found this paper and in it i found exactly what I am trying to convey:

"Ultimately, the only absolute freedom we have resides in a man’s free will. And that freedom was given us by our Creator, essentially, so that we might freely choose to love and serve him. .... It is in choosing to serve God, to do his will, that man achieves his highest and fullest freedom. It may seem paradoxical to say that our highest and fullest freedom comes when we follow to the least detail the will of another, but it is true nonetheless when that other is God" - Fr. Walter Ciszek for his book titled He Leadeth Me.

I guess my point is that you have to practice what you preach. If God Brings you to it He will bring you through it! He is not afraid and if he is always with you then why should you be afraid? Human nature I get it, but not when you have Him in your heart, mind, body and soul. 

The question I choose from the book this week is:

• What helps to bolster your God-courage and increases your faith strength?
• For me this comes in a coupe forms. 1. Being my husband. He is not afraid of what the Lord has in store and expresses it to me everyday. We are a good team at making sure we let God take the lead. We both know that we will not make it very far without God leading. He also inspires me in all my endeavors and without God working in his life he could never be the husband, father and leader of our home! 2. KLOVE! I know that sounds silly, but I love music and I pretty much only listen to christian music. Music speaks to me on a different level them just reading something. Plus the encouraging stories on there are a constant leap of faith for me that talk about Gods work in everyone around the globe. 3. Praying no matter where I am or who is around. I get my strength from knowing God is there. When you feel Him in your presence it feel natural yet also bone chilling at the same time. 

Share with me what increases your faith strength and God-courage? 

Also for those you do not have the book a couple main verses are 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, Isaiah 26:3-4, and my favorite from this (which goes with the music video below from a song that I know) Isaiah 40:29-31 that I thought were perfect for this weeks reading. 

   
Prayer:
Thank you lord for all the many times you have been there for us weather close calls or merely not running out of gas. Thank you for the courage, strength and understanding you give us in our times of unworthiness. We also thank you for all the creatures in the world that you had Adam name before giving him Eve. Thank you for giving us hope in the things that we sometimes try to handle ourselves. You are doing work in my life every minute of everyday and I ask that you give me the faith to give more of myself in your name to other people! In your sweet and Holy name I pray, Amen.

God Bless,

~ Victoria Clouse

Week 1

The Girlfriends In God (GiG) Team has put together a weekly video that corresponds with the reading that I will also post. They are all very short little clips that each lady take a moment to talk to us. 

God knows what is going on in our lives as well as our hearts. I plan to be completely honest the whole time I am on this Blog. Not being honest does not help our trusting in God. What an eye opener for the first weeks reading! The stories were relatable on different levels and so  to think about in our very own lives. At the end of this weeks reading were a series of questions called "Now It's Your Turn", these questions are quit profound. I found a couple that hit me personally in my faith in God along with the reading. So lets get started on some of those questions....

• What letter did everyone pick about the "trust-bail"?
• I picked letter C, which is "I Know He's strong and can handle the weight of my fall, but I bail cautiously just in case He's not interested in catching me this time". I feel like this because at times i feel my problems are minor and not as important as others who have "real" problems. God should answer their prayers over my own mediocre stresses in life. 

• What part does human understanding play in the process of strengthening our faith in God?
• This question seems like there is so much more beyond our understanding in God. Our faith comes from faith and believing that you cannot see with our own human eyes. Understanding is believing in something bigger then yourself and acting upon it.

• What does the word all mean to you when it comes to trusting God "with all your heart"?
• We hear this or we say this when we absolutely love someone or something such as an unborn child or a spouse. When we love someone so much we give them our all, we give them everything even our lives. Could you give yours in the name of God? The God who people claim to never see, never hear, never believe, and to never trust. 
• When you say "with all your heart" you must put God above all!!! Trust that He will be the one there in all times and darkness, all times of stress and pain, even when you seem like you can no longer go on, He is there. When you think you made the wrong choice, and life seems unfair, He is there with you guiding you to your next adventure on Earth!
• What does it mean to you???

• This question God to me the MOST..... this is the question of questioning Gods decisions..... If God has given angels charge over us, then why are some people protected in a car crash, but others aren't? If God really loves me, then why did He let this or that happen? Why didn't He deliever my loved one from cancer.... from the accident... from temptation?
• How do you answer this? However, my feeling about this is that God has a plan for everyone and everything and those unfortunate things are apart of it. We tend to look at something like losing a family member in an accident or to cancer as we lost our loved one, instead we should look at it as the other family/friends loved one got to live. Or when you ask God why he allowed the other person to live and not your loved one, you are basically asking God to put them in as much pain as you are currently going in. It almost seems unfair at times.
• Can anyone elaborate on this?

• The last question is very hard to answer.... most of you have someone to catch you when you fall. Who would you trust to catch you? Are you more often the friend on the tall stump needing to trust or the friend on the ground encouraging another to trust? 
• Above all my HUSBAND! Besides him though I have a couple friends I can say that i trust to catch me, but I feel more often then not that they are to business for me, almost like the how I feel God feels for me at times. Pretty crazy to think that about another person who I am supposed to trust and care for as they would for me. My problems are not as important or again are mediocre compared to what other peoples are. I would rather be the one there to catch someone else then for someone to have to worry about taking time and effort to catch me.

I end this weeks reading with the things that stood out to me in this weeks reading. First is on page 14 "God wants you to trust Him... right where you are. It might be scary. Tears might be shed, But God is faithful and can be trusted". The next one on page 17 "when we ignore our Father's warnings, we forfeit the safety of His shore and plunge into the ocean of harm's way". Also a prayer from that same page from Psalm 144:7 "Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and reuse me from the mighty waters". 

Prayer:

Thank you lord for this day, thank you for your blessings in our lives seen and unseen. We thank you for the love and pateince you give us to wait for your calling. Guide us through those storms that come with darkness to find the calm in the storm and trust that you will be there to catch us if and when we fall. We pray for those who have not found or are search for your trust that you weigh on their heart and send them understanding to love will all their hearts. In your sweet in holy name, Amen.

God Bless!!!

~Victoria Clouse

In the Beginning.......

Hello and Welcome!!!!

I am excited that you have decided to come check out this blog titled God's Beautiful Imperfections. This blog is to bring together people of all backgrounds, all races, all genders, and all ages to learn and share with other readers what your purpose is in God's creation.

For the next couple months we will focus on trusting God with this book, ironically, titled Trusting God. The authors are three women named Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith and Mary Southerland who created this ministry for women who call themselves "Girlfriends In God". In this day in age with technology there is no reason that people cannot come together, for us its on here or elsewhere on the world wide web, and fellowship!!!!  The idea of this book is to share with others our experiences, our stories about the bible and God and also learning from others about Gods plan or how to figure out God's plan for our own lives. I will post from this book starting in the next couple days. Any and all comments are welcome. If you would like to follow along I will be posting information from this book every other week and comments throughout the week.

Here is the link to the actual page of their devotionals. There are also 12 short videos that I will post along with the book information.

http://www.girlfriendsingod.com

If anyone would like to join my email distro list please send and email to Victoria Clouse at vdeshner7@gmail.com. This distro list is just to inform you that I have posted on this blog not as spam.

I end on this note..... God created all that was in 6 days and on the 7th day he rested, which signified the end of God creating by himself!!!

God Bless!!!

~ Victoria Clouse