What do you want?

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
"Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. John 1:35-39 (NIV)

"Look, the Lamb of God!"

In my opinion John used the perfect introduction. Everyone get your eyes on this One for He is the one that will pay the price and it will be a one time deal. He is the one we have been waiting for. The days of sacrificing a lamb in the morning and a lamb in the evening for the peoples sins would soon be gone. Only God could provide the perfect sacrifice.

So the disciples left John and followed after Jesus. For John had prepared the people to follow Jesus. Everything John did pointed people to their coming Savior. And here John witnesses the fruit of his labor, and see the disciples walk after the One. John's purpose had been fulfilled.

Jesus sees them. I just love these precious words, you see Jesus doesn't miss a thing, He sees everything! So, He sees them following after Him and asks them a question. Which is another favorite part of Scripture for me...I love when Jesus asks the questions. He is initiating the conversation, He is reaching out in a loving relationship!

"What do you want?"

I believe Jesus is asking this in a very loving, and inviting way. His question is saying that it is not enough to just follow after Him, we need to do it for the right reasons. Those right reasons are His. If we don't know what they are then we need to be asking Him to show us. It is not okay for me to follow Him for my purposes. That would be me asking Him to follow me, which is not a good idea at all!

Do I follow Jesus for me? Or for Him?

Do I want Jesus for me? Or do I want Jesus for Him?

Am I seeking my glory? Or seeking glory for Him?

So the disciples ask their great Teacher,

"Where are you staying?"

For they are seeking to know more of who He is, and to be in relationship with Him.

For they want more of Him.

Jesus invites them,

"Come and you will see."

Jesus knew their hearts, He knew they were truly seeking Him and He would reveal more of Himself to them.

So the disciples went and spent the day with their Teacher.

May we accept His invitation and spend time with Him!

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Happy Thanksgiving! May you all know how thankful I am for you. Enjoy your week and I will be back after the holiday next week!

The kleenex, chocolate, did I say that time of the month

Today's post will be one that wipe the grin right off of Satan's face. For he does not want me to share this with anyone.

For many years I have went from month to month in fear of how my emotions will carry me. Will this be a "half a pan of chocolate brownies month" or will this be the full out need to visit the "Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory" field trip month?

I am sitting here typing this out for two reasons, one it is part of having the chains removed and stepping out into the light of freedom. Second it is out of obedience, for I believe God didn't write my story for my benefit. He wrote it to bring glory to Himself. And He has whispered to my heart....'Nichole there might be another person out there that needs to know they are not alone.'

So here it goes...

"Hi I'm Nichole and I can get not so nice and emotional due to a wacky amount of hormones that go rushing through my body each and every month!"

Each month I end up with a few days that feel very dark for me. Even in the bright sunshine standing outside in the middle of the day, it can feel very dark, gloomy, and depressing. Some months are just fine while others can bring me into a pit. I say things out of emotion, I am short tempered, I cry, and I can treat those closest to me not so nicely.


On Friday (scroll down to see the Friday Challenge) I asked God my question: "Why did you create me so hormonal?" Well Satan was the first to jump in with his answers. I heard Satan loud and clear "you are messed up Nichole, you are not good enough, who do you think you are, God cannot use you, you are an emotional basket case, this isn’t a real issue look around you all the other women are dealing with it just fine, this isn’t something you pray about and its definitely not something you talk about. "

I heard God respond to Satan's lies with:

"I made you just the way you are!"

I believe God has a purpose for the kleenex, chocolate, did I say that time of the month. I am seeking His purpose. I am seeking His will. I know that it is not His will for me to be in the dark, or for me to base my actions on my emotions and feelings. I know God wants me to love those around me. I know that this is not something He expects me to suffer through. He created me with emotions, they are built into my DNA, some are for loving those around me, for having compassion, and for encouraging. I refuse to listen to Satan lies. I refuse to sit in the darkness he brings and to allow him to smother me.

I choose to live in the light. Part of this choice to live in the light is writing this very post today. You see Satan would have me keep this all to myself and keep my pride mask on and appear that I am in control of everything. God has asked me to trust Him, to allow Him to remove the mask and to step into His light and to let the truth of His word set me free.

I am so thankful for a God who cares about every detail of our lives. I am thankful for a God who can take our "great big emotional, cried on dipped in chocolate questions" and answer them in His perfect timing!

The women that are joining me on this 40 day challenge to ask God "our question" are Heather, Edie, Pam, Sue, Susan, Joy, and Mom. I am committed to lift each one of you in prayer.

May this 40 day journey be one of asking our questions, seeking His answers and finding ourselves in a deeper relationship with our Creator!

Friday Challenge

Hello! Welcome to the blog, I am so glad you are here.

I am scared, excited and overwhelmed with the Friday Challenge today. It is a very personal one with me, which makes me scared to take it myself! I am excited to share it as I know God will do great things through it and I am overwhelmed with the idea of just how much "work" needs to be done in my heart alone!

Do you have a question for God?

God has laid it on my heart that there are a lot of questions today. Questions that need to be asked, and He wants you to ask Him. In asking Him, He will bring the perfect answer, at the perfect time!

I know my specific question of God. As I was praying for you, He laid it on my heart that there are other questions out there about:


Hardship

Depression

Ministry

Doubt

Pride

Love

Divorce

Overspending

Addiction

Guilt

Plan

Fear

Foundation

Conception

Disease

Survival

Lost

Freedom

Victim

Diagnosis

Money

Loss

Marriage

Identity

Religion

Relationship

Hormones

Church

Children

Belief

Work

Sin

Friday Challenge

This weeks Friday Challenge is to commit the next 40 days...which will take us through the end of this year, to ask God your question, be in daily dialogue, journal what you learn, journal how you see God working. Read His precious word to you, journal what you hear Him saying.

For those of you who are asking 'what if my answer comes before my 40 days are up?'....Thank you Jesus! Then ask your next question!!

If you are committing to this challenge, let me know, and I will be praying with you and for you!

Scripture I am reading:

Psalm 78

Ephesians 5

Happy Birthday Madison

I have been so blessed to meet an amazing family,http://armygirlsx4.blogspot.com/ though we have yet to meet in person, someday we will. I will hug and thank each one of them personally for the love and joy they are spreading to the world around them!



Please join me today in wishing Miss Madison a VERY Happy Birthday!!

Happy Madison!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing the world eight years ago with Madison, for the world is a better place because of her. Thank you for creating her on purpose and with a purpose. Love on her and remind her of just how beautiful she is. Thank you Jesus-Amen

Madison, eat cake, dance, sing and know that you are very loved!

Show Off

Can anyone else see that God is working like HUGE right now. Like everywhere I turn, He is working in a circumstance. He is bringing purpose to pain. He is restoring families. He is delivering His word in to the hands of people who are hungry for Him. He is healing His church. So I say...God keep doing your thing and just keep Showing Off!!! I love to see God. Please share with the people around where you see Him working!

God works in the situations that really don't make sense at the time. But in His time He will reveal the purpose for the journey! Please know my friends, that some of you might have seen His purpose a whole lot sooner than me! So no shaking your head thinking...'yikes this poor girl'!

A few weeks ago I was asked to participate in a follow-up group for the movie Fireproof here in my area. To which I responded immediately with "Yes" because I was passionate about the movie and I am also passionate about healthy marriages!! So I started to roll with the process, however something wasn't sitting right with me. I couldn't tell what it was and couldn't even express it in words. I kept praying and seeking God. Desiring to be obedient. Then one day last week at lunch, I was having a hard time eating...which for me is NEVER a problem...food and shoes...food and shoes....food and shoes; they find me! God whispered the name of a person He wanted me to call for "wise council" I made the phone call...and could hear God's speaking right to my heart.

God:

"Nichole I have a purpose for you. One that I have created and wrote specifically for you to fulfill. One that other people might not understand or see at this current time, because its not their purpose. You need to remain obedient to Me and the purpose I have for you. Your obedience is with me, and the purpose I have for you."

Can you see that God has to repeat things for me? Boy am I forever grateful that His love endures forever. That even my weaknesses, my doubting, my confusion, my frustrations, my passion cannot mess up His purposes!

After my phone call with my "wise council"...I knew I had to make one more phone call. I called to say that 'God has something for me, and that I couldn't get in His way'!

This was very hard for me to say no! Can you relate? Having to say no to something that is a good thing, yet it's not "our good thing" cause its for someone else! He has a place for each of us! Oh and how beautiful it works out when we are in the places He created for us.

They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. Acts 18:19-21

Paul declined, he was listening to God's purpose for him. I went on to read this section of Scripture. Paul declining was being obedient because he left the spot for Apollos to come. The people in Ephesus did need to hear about Jesus. The spot was for Apollos! That was Gods purpose!

I have to focus on the priorites God has for me. The fact that a need exists doesn't mean God has called me to meet that need. And this girl has learned the hard way...she is not tall enough or big enough to stand up to God and take anyone elses place.

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Does He want you to plant a seed?

Does He want you to water the seeds that have been planted around you?

May we each live fully and freely in the purpose He has for us!

Then Stand Back and let God Show Off!

Void Filler

Thank you Mary for guest writing on Friday! You had us all tuning in to hear the words around us and you challenged us to check our own words.


I believe God created us intentionally with a void in each one of us, a void that can only be filled with The Word of Life.

We live in a world that is full of resources to fill this void. But none of the worlds resources quite fit the void that our Creator designed.

My heart is ready to be used by an amazing God to spread The Word of Life to those around me. There is an urgent need to be God's hands and feet.

so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. Philippians 2:15-17 (emphasis added)

May we be uncomfortable with the idea that there are voids out in our world today!

Friday Challenge

Words!

Words have the power of life and the power of death.

How many words of life do you speak daily to your husband, children, family, friends?

How many words of life do you hear daily from your loved ones?

18 years ago I was in a car accident that left me completely paralyzed. Hearing my mom speak words of life to me in the hospital everyday changed me. It changed my attitude, my outlook, and my recovery. It could have been gloom and doom, but it wasn’t! Everyday had its challenges, but they were faced by speaking words of life, which is God’s truth and standing on that truth!

Rebekah and Jacob is another parent - child relationship, but words of life were not spoken. Rebekah, by her words and actions, taught her son, Jacob to lie, scheme and deceive. Read Genesis 25:19-34 and 27.

Words we speak to others and ourselves have the power of life and of death!

Your Friday Challenge is….
Which words are you going to speak? Words of life or words of death.
Throughout this weekend, think about what you are speaking to others and let Nichole know Monday how it goes and what differences you see in those around you!


Thanks for having me!
Weekend Blessings,
Princess…Daughter of the King
http://marygeer.blogspot.com/

The Need to Know

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36

This verse has taken on so much meaning in the last few days since God revealed it to me in a new way, thank you Beth Moore.

There is only One who knows when Jesus is coming back for His bride. That is the Father. Not the angels, not anyone walking on this earth. Not even Jesus the Son. And if anyone should be privy to this information, I would think it would be Him!

Can you see Jesus sitting right next to God waiting in anticipation to hear Him say..."okay Son go get your bride and bring her home!"

I can barely sit still...this my friends is a beautiful picture of His love for us!

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I will be speaking on Friday so a friend is honoring God by writing this weeks Friday Challenge. Come check it out!

Guest

Dear New Friends On Monday Nights,

Thank you "girls" last night for allowing me to be a guest. I feel so blessed to have sat in the room with you last night. Thank you for sharing your stories, for they are important and God knows them. He loves you so very much. Step out into His love and live in it fully. I feel honored to have prayed with you last night, thank you for blessing me with the opportunity to take you to God and let Him love on you! I am continuing to pray for you, knowing God has great blessings for you!

Nichole

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Dear Family, Friends, and Guests,

Thank you for joining in on this past Fridays Challenge. Prayer changes things!! Thank you for taking and leaving prayer requests. I am continuing to pray for these requests, knowing God is all over each situation...cause thats just how GREAT He is!

I am needing a guest writer to write this weeks Friday Challenge if you are interested please contact me via my website under the contact page. I would feel honored for you to write the Friday Challenge!

Love to you and prayers up to Him!

On Purpose,
Nichole

Do This in Rememberance of Me

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." Matthew 26:26-29

For I am in awe of what He has done for me. For He did it for everything I did in the past, to which He brought grace, He did it for right now the these moments as He is teaching me and is filling my life with grace, and He has grace for my footsteps of faith in the future.

There is NO place that you have been, or currently are, or will ever go that His grace is not sufficient for.

He desires for us to live life freely anf fully in His grace!

When we allow the love and joy that has been given to us to become a flaming fire full of passion inside our hearts we will desire to share it with others.

When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:17-20

Friday Challenge

Good day, and welcome to the blog. May you know that you are loved today by a God who is able to hear your heart and restore and renew all things.


Do you know that God loves to talk to us? He loves to have a ongoing open dialogue with us. Did you know that there is power in prayer? You see we don't pray unassisted...thank goodness! He has gifted us with the power of His Holy Spirit to intercede for us. I have used the visual many times of the Spirit standing there tugging on His robe..."listen to your daughter, she is crying out for your help." Many times we don't have what we feel to be the right words, or even know how to pray, rest assured...it's okay...just open your heart to Him...and He will guide the dialogue.

So the challenge this week is to:

Pray

However the Friday Challenge this week is going to have a little twist. Below is a list specific prayer request that have been brought to His feet today. I am asking today that you "take one" and "leave one". Please take a request that is on the list below or that has been left in the comment section and pray. And then please leave one in the comment section. If you would like to leave one anonymously that is great too!


God cares about these things:

Lee's (http://prayergifts.blogspot.com/) brother-in-law has been diagnosed with cancer. Please pray for the entire family to be surrounded by God

A marriage in Salem OR fighting to staying together

A grandmas grandson who is fighting to stay off drugs and find a job

A woman in OR who is rebuilding the foundation of her life after struggling many years with alcohol and drugs

Cindy (http://armygirlsx4.blogspot.com/) Shining like a light in the midst of a heavy battle

Stay at home moms who are needing perseverance to get up and do it again today

Multiple churches that are being attacked by the enemy

Parents who are fighting for their children

Praises for physical healing

The woman who is trying to find her true identity

The lady who is went home to her house last night lonely

A marriage retreat in Leavenworth


Dear Heavenly Father thank you for loving us, thank you for hearing us. We believe You are the One who works all things out for the good of those who love you-Amen

A Sacrifice of Praise

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28


I love you, Lord

And I lift my voice

To worship You

Oh, my soul rejoice!

Take joy my King

In what You hear

Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear


Our Father up in heaven
Your name is Holy and Sovereign
I know Your Kingdom will come
and I know your will, will be done!
For you have planned it up in heaven
and you will bring it to be on earth
Give us what we need for today
Please forgive us for our offenses to you
and we forgive those who have offended us
Lord lead us not into temptation
and deliver us from the evil one
For Yours Lord is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever-

Amen

For I know my purpose has not changed because of earthly election results...I will continue to Live My Life On Purpose!

Obedience, a reward?

I have been asked to speak at a local MOPS group. The leader of the group has asked that I share my testimony or the meaning behind Living My Life on Purpose. I am always so excited to share my passion with others and thought to myself that this would be an easy speaking engagement…’how hard can it be to share my testimony and what my purpose for living is all about?’ HA!! As with past speaking engagements…God really does some hard core character building that is ‘topic specific’ and very purposeful leading up to the speaking engagement. And it usually takes me a few days to catch up and see how He is bringing purpose to it all! And to be honest…this time I am not sure I will ever catch up! I have been working on the session for a few weeks now and was trying to build it around my life verse…because its my life verse…my testimony so that should all work out just fine…right? Well it wasn’t working…so I took a few days and went down a path He led me on to start reading about people in the Bible and the purpose God brought into their life stories. Wow…I was feeling like I had hit a gold mine! There are some people with purpose in the Bible.

"Nichole your life verse means something to you because its what I brought to you to bring purpose to your life" –God

"Yeah and I think its great and I think I need to share it because I will be sharing about my life and the purpose You brought to it" –me

"Nichole are you sharing to talk about yourself, or to bring people to me?" -God

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

This is the verse He has covered my days with for the past week. Everywhere I turn, this verse is shining bright. I am on a Bible Reading Plan and it was "scheduled" for me to read, a friend lent me a book The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers a very powerful book about bringing purpose to a very difficult situation in which the author uses Romans 8:28 to end the book, in our Sunday School class we are doing the Chasing Daylight study by Erwin McManus and that was the verse he used to share about uncertainty. And just yesterday God asked me to step out in obedience to put myself into a very uncomfortable situation.

"Really why am I here, what am I supposed to be getting out of this?"-me

"Nichole you are not here for yourself, you are here to comfort." –God

For in ALL THINGS, God is working to bring good!

Uniquely Useful

Hello and welcome! To start I would like to say if you took part in the Friday Challenge I am sharing this Scripture:

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:6-8 (emphasis added)

Please know that I am a committed and teachable student of The Rabbi. That being said I do not want to get in the way of God’s word and His plan for each person’s life. Friday was not for me to cast the "gift of encouraging" on anyone.

On to today’s blessing of Scripture….

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When was the last time you asked God to show you something unique about you?

The Bible is full of people He created with unique characteristics and abilities that He can use to accomplish His work. The key is that we have to be willing to let Him use us the way we are. God used, a slave, a shepherd, a farmer, a son of a prostitute, a housewife, a peasant girl, a tax collector, a doctor, and a fisherman.

Are you a passionate person like Paul?

Are you physically strong like Samson?

Are you a Hannah who is willing to give her children for God’s use?

Are you a leader like Moses?

As I have been studying different people in the Bible and learning how God used them to fulfill His purposes, I met Ehud. His story is in the book of Judges in the Old Testament. Please read http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%203:12-31;&version=31;

Ehud was left handed. In his day that was considered a handicap. God used Ehud’s perceived handicap to bring Israel victory. This story includes some not fun details, but I am grasping real tightly to what I am considering a really neat detail. He was left handed! You see I am left handed and even though I would not consider it a handicap in my life I have stood out from the crowd many times. Please don’t get me wrong there are many other people who deal with much greater issues than this. God used this story to speak to my heart and to my life message of Living My Life On Purpose. He created you and me just how He wants us, and when we submit all of who we truly are to Him, He will do great things through us. He created us to have an intimate relationship with Him. In this relationship He will teach us and develop us so we will fulfill the purpose He has for us.

He is a God who can use anyone in any circumstance to build up His kingdom and bring glory to Himself. Amen!

May you come to Him just as you are and allow Him to do great things through you.