OFFER HIM OUR ALL

Thank you all for your prayers!

Well, I am still alive.

Everyone is here now. We ate out last night.

I do notice one thing that is new with me..... my brother frustrates me something terribly now. He is notorious for changing things up on me as a joke. This infuriates me now.

I guess because since I have been on my journey and have become more real and deep, I do not care for what he thinks is funny to him is totally freaking me out. I used to not care. But then again, I used to be so very surface. It hurts my brain at times now to talk to someone on this surface level once again, if you can believe that.

Like clockwork all we have talked about since there arrival has been, "do you remember this place here, and do your remember that place there." BORING. The same ole same ole every year. That just shows you the shallowness of who he is and what I was.

Anyway, one good thing thus far, he set up my Router for my computer. Now I am wireless! Yippee!!

We will tackle mum today. When I got home last night from t. they were already over at her place. She had him working and fixing stuff already. She does not wait. We have to go again today so my brother can finish off the other chores she has planned for him.

This will be a long few days I am afraid. Cannot wait until it is over!!! I am already exhausted, have a headache to begin with. There is a certain amount of oppression my brother brings with him too. I sense that strongly. There has been a lot of depression in my family, my father especially was very severely depressed as my older brother. Runs in the family. But, it can stop here with me!

They plan on leaving Sunday. But, like last year when my mum insisted they go to church, they have already said to me that they do not plan on going this time. Well, we will see. My mum is so good with her guilt trips. But, she may lose this one, this time. So, this will be an interesting battle to witness and who will win.

I am putting on a double portion of the full armor of God for mum's visit today. We are heading out early to her place, as that is "what" she has demanded. Yes, I say "demanded."

All these words now have different meanings for me. I am just now a 'tag-along' (which is fine) and am not taking these words to heart like I once did. This is my brothers show right now. He is the one being targeted for having to do "things" for her when she wants. I am sure I will get my jabs once I am there, no doubt.

So, even though I do know what to expect, I do not. In lieu of the unexpected, Joyce Meyer shares a good devotional below on "Offer Him Our All:"

"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God."— Romans 12:1

In order to obey the verse for today, we have to choose to give the Lord our “members and faculties.” In other words, we offer Him our bodies, minds, abilities, and emotions. We must be careful not to let the devil use our minds. The human mind is his favorite battleground and he will fire thoughts at us all day long, thoughts that will drown out the voice of God if we choose to listen to them. The thoughts the devil sends us are usually sly, subtle, and deceptive so we will find them easy to believe. He lies and accuses and tells us anything he can think of to steal our joy, rob our peace, and make us feel ashamed, guilty, and unworthy. He fills our minds with ungodly thoughts about other people. We cannot stop him from sending thoughts our way, but we can resist them in the power of Christ. Then we can deliberately turn our thoughts toward God and the things He speaks to us.

To be honest, there are days when I have to cast down a dozen thoughts just in the time it takes to put on my makeup! But, thank God, I know how to do it. You can do it, too. Think of it this way: two voices are competing for your attention. You can focus on one or the other. Choose to hear the voice of God and to think about the things He says, not the things the enemy says. When we fill our thoughts with right things, the wrong ones have no room to enter.

.................................................................................................................................................... I Got The Joy!