Just say "no" to Vinnie: Speed walk to the finish line! Guest Blogger: SuperPurple JEN

Philippians 3:12-14
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.


Near The Goal!!!!

I have come to see that when you're in a race (I did a 5K and a 10K
last year, not running but speed walking) it is not the start that
hurts or even the miles you walk down a long stretch, it is when you
see the end (the goal) in sight. When the goal is spotted is when the
heart, nerves, courage, and muscles are strained beyond anything you
can think of and you feel like you're almost at your breaking point.
Now at this point you can stop and call a taxi and have them take you
home, or you can take a look back and see how much you have
accomplished and press forward to make it to your goal.

The last week has been so up and down for me and instead of hailing down a taxi and saying 'Vinny (Yes I named the taxi driver) take me back to where I started" (and that would be one HUGE mistake), I chose to press into God even more. I know that my new season is just around the bend and
all I have to do is continue to cry out to God with all that I have, I
have been training way to long to give up this race and I know that
God is right beside be cheering me into victory!! So with this in mind
I continue to press into God and reach for the goal, and jump over
road blocks and dash past red light if I have to, just to reach the
goal that is in sight. Even if my goal is in the distance and I feel
like my 10K has turned into a 20K I know that God has a good reason
for his timing, and I may be cry out to him that it hurts, but I know
that the pain will subside and I will have a nice pretty prize in my
hands!!

Today I will walk (or speed walk) to my victory!!!!

Turn your Whining into Winning!- Guest Blogger: JULIE

Jeremiah 15(the end of)
{ God speaking}
"Take back those words, and I'll take you back. Then you'll stand tall before me. Use words truly and well, don't stoop to cheap whining. Then, but only then , you'll speak for Me. Let your words change them. Don't change your words to suit them. I'll turn you into a steel wall, a thick steel wall, impregnable. They'll attack you, but won't put a dent in you because I'm at your side, defending and delivering. I'll deliver you from the grip of the wicked. I"ll get you out of the clutch of the ruthless."

Whoa! God was so direct with me this morning. He gave me this
scripture after I asked where I should read, and not until I got to
the very end did the Holy Spirit set my " alarm bells" off.
I have said many negative words about having to work. Even when I
already committed to it, my flesh would cry out and my tongue would
speak negative words. There have also been many times that I've spoken
judgments against my family members, outside my immediate family.

Meanwhile, my number one gripe was that no one seems to take me
seriously. I kept thinking, why do I seem to have such little
influence over people that I "should" be able to give advice to, or at
least be listened to by? The babysitter is telling me I should pull
my daughters long bangs into a clip(Flesh speaking: "Hello? I'm the
mom of a 2.5 year old. I think I know how to take care of my child.")
I'll speak up about something at work, and sometimes just get
ignored.
So while I cannot control how people treat me, and sometimes there's
just nothing I can be or do to change them: God has shown me that I'm
the one stopping Him. Until I (with God's help) CONSTANTLY speak the
words that are true and good, I will be defeated. Because if I really
believe God's words in my heart and expect to see them come true, my
mouth would not be pouring out junk.
My job is a good thing, I am not being stolen from, this is adding to
my life, God will use this time to bring harvest into His kingdom, He
is not punishing me.