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Be where your feet are.

The other day I was scrolling through social media and saw this quote. I thought it was simple yet profound. I have always been a “planner.” I like to-do lists, structure, calendars – basically anything that makes it seem as though I know what I am doing and have it together. I often like to focus on the future instead of the here and now so it goes without saying that when I read this quote it made me stop and think.

So often we get caught up in our future, goals, and plans – which is a good thing in most instances – until we allow it to consume us. We think to ourselves “in *fill in the blank amount of time* I will achieve *fill in the blank* and THEN I will be happy – THEN is when I will feel as though I am making a difference, THEN I will happier, THEN everything will just be BETTER. When I check off everything on my to-do list, when the house is clean, when I get my dream car – whatever it is that I am wanting in this moment – when I finally get that thing I will be happy.

For as long as I can remember, I have also always been a person that wanted to matter – truly matter. I’ve always been in constant pursuit of doing whatever it would look like to matter – to someone, to the world, to God. I believed that I had to be hustling toward the next best thing to prove my value.

“Be where your feet are” is a constant reminder, a way to remind myself to look around and acknowledge where I am, the people I am around, and the community that I have been blessed to be a part of. It is something that is simple enough that I can whisper this under my breath and remind me to live in this moment. To remind me that God put me here for a reason. He put you here, wherever “here” is for you for a REASON.

Without fail, when I turn from distractions, God always shows me moments that He handcrafted for me. They’re there waiting for me. I just need to step into them. We are living in a time great mental, emotional and even physical stress. We have survived so much as a people that it is often hard to simply just ✨be✨. With social media constantly in our faces, we feel as thought we have to prove something to others constantly. It is easy to get distracted from hearing that still, small voice that is telling us to live in this moment and be who God has called us to be. God did not call you to be your neighbor – He called you to LOVE your neighbor. Wherever you are, whatever you do – you have the God-given power to change the lives around you in either a positive or negative way. So choose to speak life into your neighbor – choose to live in this moment – choose to bloom where God has planted you and above all – choose to be where your feet are.

I am here to say that God wants to work in you TODAY. TODAY is the day that the Lord has made so let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Below is a quote that I wanted to share from a book that I have been reading that I feel really shows the power in “being where your feet are.”

“When we hang out on the internet instead of our neighborhoods, when we look through magazines instead of into people’s eyes, when we dwell on our own problems instead of the problems in our communities – we will always feel inadequate and shut down. We begin to feel like there are so many people doing cool things that we are not needed. But in the real world none of those cool people live on your street, none of them are loving your neighbors. God wants to do that through you TODAY…”

He that has began a good work in us WILL bring it to completion! (Philippians 1:6)

“Now to him and who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” -Ephesians 3:20-21

Psalm 25:4-5, “Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” 👣🌻🪴

My blog: themadisonjade.blogspot.com

This last week a friend and I went and saw Jesus Revolution. It’s such a great movie! I recommend watching if you haven’t already.

A quote from the movie really hit me.

“how can they believe in the one whom they’ve not heard?”

It really got me because I feel like we take for granted the opportunities we have to share the Gospel.

Everyday we go out. We go to the grocery store, the gas station, to work, school, to church. And if you don’t go out then you’re probably on social media at some point.

All of those things are chances to share God’s love.

Don’t miss this.

We are called to share the Gospel. To share what Jesus did for all of us.

And if you are living out the Word of God then you will want others to be able to experience God’s love too!

It should be a desire to share Jesus.

Go grow the Kingdom and share the love of Jesus.

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

I don’t think I have ever felt a burden for the lost like I do right now!! My heart feels so heavy to think that there are people out there that have never accepted Jesus Christ in their hearts. There are people who will not spend eternity in heaven, but in hell. I don’t want to ever pass up an opportunity to help someone learn the truth and the love of Jesus Christ. Do you know that God expects us to stand in the gap for lost family, friends, nations, and etc.? The definition for standing in the gap is to expose oneself for the protection of something; to take the place of a fallen defender or supporter.

Ezekiel 22:30 says,” I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” In biblical times walls were built around the cities to protect them from enemies. When there was a breach in the wall, defenders would go to it and stand and protect it until it could be repaired, but in this case there was no one and it was destroyed. Verse 31… “ So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”How sad that God was searching and could not find one person to stand in the gap.

There are however several other instances in the bible where people did obey God by standing the gap. Psalm 106:23 says, “Therefore He said He would destroy them … had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach (gap) before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them.” In Acts 7:60 as Stephen is being stoned, accused of blasphemy, he cries out with a loud voice, “Lord do not charge them with this sin” and when he had said this he fell asleep.” In Romans 10:1 Paul prays for Israel’s salvation,”Brethren my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” One last example and the most important is Jesus Christ as He stood in the gap for us and all of our sins on the cross. Luke 23:34 Jesus said,”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

I know times are different, but as I said before, God still expects us to stand in the gap. Our time on earth is running out! We don’t want to leave anyone behind. So what can we do? Most importantly we can start with praying for the lost. We can pray specific prayers for our family members,friends, people in our workplaces, and communities. We can also pray in a larger spectrum for people all over the world. Pray for the missionaries who are trying to reach them. Pray, pray, pray!!! God listens to our prayer and He desires for all to come to repentance and be saved, but He is a holy sovereign God and nothing can change that. It does require accepting Jesus Christ as God’s Son and believing He died on the cross to save us from our sins. We have to be ready to talk about the gospel to anyone we meet. We are servants of a true living God who expects us to spread His word. We should be shouting it wherever we go. Now, we will come across those who absolutely refuse to hear it. God just wants us to plant the seed and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. As we continue to pray for them He will work on their hearts and minds God uses us to open that door and then it is totally up to Him. Our goal is to love the lost just as much as our fellow christians. Love is the most important attribute that a christian can have.

God has placed us on earth for such a time as this and it is time we stand in the gap. He is giving us time,to pray, to seek His Will, and to be the servants He wants us to be, but time will run out for each and every person on this earth.God does not want to see anyone go to hell. Let’s do all we can to fill up our eternal home. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

The last 2 years have been a journey with the Holy Spirit on becoming content & grateful. I found myself in a very discontent & negative state of mind that came on by me not guarding my heart & mind.

I wasn’t truly grateful for anything. One night I had an encounter with Him & the desire to become so content & to only let gratitude come from my heart & mouth became so strong. I could feel the Holy Spirit saying, “You’re going to have to become violent in this approach to change your way of thinking.” In that moment I made a decision to only speak life & truly let gratitude flow from my life. It was then that true contentment began taking root.

“Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with OVERFLOWING GRATITUDE. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ….”Philippians 4:6

The word overflowing means to be so full that the content goes over. It’s noticeable to those around you. It spills into your atmosphere.

How do we stay grateful?

“So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.” Philippians 4:7-8 TPT

The word grateful means feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness; thankful. One enemy of gratitude is comparison. If I compare my life to those around me instead of being grateful for the season & place I’m in, I’ll never be truly grateful or content.

Being grateful means I’m constantly in a heart posture of being thankful for EVERY glorious work of God.

“You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise. Come right into his presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful name!”Psalms 100:4 TPT

Have you ever struggled to enter in to His presence? Be thankful. We enter into His presence with OVERFLOWING GRATITUDE.

Gratefulness is the forerunner to contentment.

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”” Hebrews 13:5 ESV

”Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” Philippians 4:11-12 NLT

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NLT

Contentment is a state of happiness & satisfaction.

“Let joy be your continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus. Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 TPT

Feasting on joy brings contentment. When I’m choosing to be joyful & feasting on the joys of life, there’s a deep contentment that takes root within. Then even in difficult seasons I can still have joy because contentment is present. They go hand & hand.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 NLT

When we’re content, we won’t rush seasons away, even hard ones. In 1 Thessalonians, the very next verse after it says be thankful, says “never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.”

A lack of gratitude puts out the fire of the Holy Spirit in my life, it actually restrains Him! When I operate in extreme gratitude, it welcomes the Holy Spirit to do what He wants in me & through me. THIS is the will of God in our lives. Knowing you’re operating in the perfect will of God & the Holy Spirit is present & free in your life, leads to the greatest contentment.

“I overflow with praise when I come before you, for the anointing of your presence satisfies me like nothing else. You are such a rich banquet of pleasure to my soul.” Psalms 63:5 TPT

Only Jesus truly satisfies. When I know that & I’m satisfied with Him & Him alone, deep gratitude & contentment takes root & flows out.

Location, Location, Location

How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers, Psalm 1:1-3, CSB.

I have a group of friends whose company consistently uplifts me. We always have fun, but more importantly we are intentional about making our time meaningful. We talk about life and truly listen to one another. We make the most of our time so that we each walk away with a full heart. It’s as if each person is pouring from their own cup so generously that no cup is left empty in the end. 

Of course, we have all experienced the opposite, when our time with someone is like an energy vacuum. and leaves us feeling deflated and discouraged. Worse than time with someone who unintentionally sucks the life out of us is time with someone who brings us into their orbit of deceit. These people can seem fun and our time with them seems enjoyable, until we realize they are pulling us into a place we never intended to be. These people are funny, but their jokes are at the expense of others. They have a good time doing hurtful things. They are the ‘bad crowd’ our mothers warned us to avoid but can seem so tempting to join. As the psalmist tells us in this passage, the short lived bloom of sinners and mockers will wither in time and rob our happiness.

Our location impacts whether we flourish or fade. God created us with a need to grow both roots and fruit. We need to be planted near nourishment, and have regular access to streams that will hydrate and not hijack. Delighting in God’s Word and spending time soaking it up will lead to lasting fruit. A tribe who is into soaking up and dishing out the love of Jesus will lead us to nourishment. We can certainly be friendly with and loving to people who are not planted in God’s Word, but we can’t put down roots with them and soak up their poison. 

God’s Word will nourish us, and placing ourselves near his people gives us better access to that stream of spiritual nutrition and hydration. Where are you located right now? What are you soaking up and allowing to influence your heart and mind? 

Prayer: God, you are the source of life. Thank you for sending friends to encourage me and point me to you. I am sorry for the times I participated in humor at the expense of others and conversations that were hurtful to your children. Help me to discern where I should be planted, and enable me to meditate on your Word often and fervently. Amen

It was a whopper of a week.

And when I say a whopper, I’m not exaggerating. Things went wrong that I didn’t even know could go wrong. Let’s break it down:

▪️I had my first Celiac attack in over five years – and attack is putting it mildly.

▪️I received a new, rare medical diagnosis. Because I didn’t have enough of those. IYKYK

▪️At said appointment I found out my favorite doctor is leaving.

▪️And then a few things happened that I’m not going to talk about here. Rude, I know.

I had a decision to make: beat the week or let the week beat me. And just so you know, my daddy didn’t raise quitters.

And neither does Jesus.

He modeled that for us all throughout His life on earth. When times got tough He got tougher. How? He prayed. He called out to God. He dug down deep.

He kept His eyes on the prize. And that prize is His Kingdom.

Life’s gonna get hard. And just like Maverick said last week, it may even smack us in the face. But we gots to keep going.

We’ve got to keep going for Jesus.

So ladies, when it all comes crashing down on you – and at some point it will – call out to God. Dig deep. And don’t you dare take your eyes off of the prize.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12