Getting off the Spiritual Roller Coaster

 

Today was our January Ladies G.A.B. Time and since we have had so much snow lately I decorated in a snow theme.  We almost had a full house for both the afternoon and the evening sessions and we had so much fun both times.

 

 

For our ice breaker game we played the logo game.  The ladies were laughing and singing old jingles as we guessed each product and answered questions about them.  Who remembers the jingle to Almond Joy and Mounds bars?  Some of the ladies had never heard it before and were laughing as we sang it to them!  Sometimes you feel like a nut......Sometimes you don't!

 

I wrote and gave a devotion on "Getting Off the Spiritual Roller Coaster".  1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us that God wants us to be stedfast and unmovable in our faith and not constantly going from a spiritual high to a place where we are depressed and defeated.  We need to be guarding our hearts against spiritual apathy and watch for what makes our spirituality plunge. 

 

Some things that hinder our spiritual growth are; Pleasing people rather than God, Not applying Scripture to our life, surrounding ourselves with non-believers who do not help strengthen our faith or hold us accountable to the standards of God, little to no prayer life, lack in morals or adapting to the world's morals, religious tradition where we look sanctified on the outside but not changed on the inside, independence and no dependence on God, no spiritual discipline, no consistency and not having a mentor or spiritual counselor you can talk to.

 

It is so easy to say that God is our highest priority but does your lifestyle prove it?  We must stop making excuses and stop expecting God to understand when we put him at the bottom of the ladder.  We need to not let our emotions rule our time with God, be willing to make sacrifices, embrace godly discipline, choose the important over the urgent and not listen to the lies of the enemy as we develop a fervent, stedfast, and unmoveable passionate relationship with God. 

 

 

For our craft we Mode Podged the verse onto tiles and added embellishments.

 

I think they turned out so cute!  Of course we had so much fun and laughter as we fellowshipped together.  I love our Ladies G.A.B. time but was so happy when we were done for the day.

 

 

I had received word at 11:30 this morning that my absolute favorite uncle, the one who had lived next door to me for most of my life, the one who loved me and taught me so much, had passed away.  I knew he was slipping away and that I would receive word any minute that he was gone but it was still heartbreaking.  I had the senior ladies headed to the church in an hour for G.A.B. time and was still running and trying to finish a few last minute things before they got there so I couldn't really stop and just bawl my eyes out the way I wanted to.  I prayed for God's strength and I started singing..... "the joy of the Lord is my strength, the joy of the Lord is my strength.....", and it was so true.  I joyfully taught the senior ladies G.A.B. time and was then able to head back to the house and write a blog post about the wonderful man I loved.   By the time I had to head over for the evening session of G.A.B. time, I had shed my tears and was so excited to teach the ladies the things that God had put on my heart about being stedfast and unmovable in him.

 

I am so thankful for the strength that God gives me to serve Him even in the sad or stressing times.  He is my help and my comfort and I truly do find joy in His strength!