A Day in My Spiritual Life

I'm working on getting back on track with my prayer life. I needed tools, because it just wasn't happening on it's own. I began to gather some books from my library to help me with the journey.

Journals
The top and bottom books are my journals. The small purple one on top is My Marriage Journal where I keep prayers, memes, and quotes on marriage. There is some great stuff out there on the internet for this.
The bottom is a journal where I keep my favorite Bible verses.

Bible
The biggest is my Bible. I am currently doing an on-line Bible study and following a program to read the Bible in a year.

Devotions
The third book down is my Kindle where I have my devotional, "Jesus Calling," that I read daily.

Prayer
The second book down is a book on prayer called, "365 Pocket Prayers," that I have quoted in posts and that I am now reading to help me pray.

I'm glad I have these tools. They are helping me recover from my shakedown in faith, (see July posts), and helping me to pray again.

A prayer I use daily from "365 Pocket Prayers"
A prayer about Meditation

Lord,
Teach me the discipline of meditating on You and on Your Word. How can I be spiritually focused if I can't control my thoughts? And how can I ever hope to understand Your will for me if I don't listen to what You say? Help me to push my own thoughts and desires aside and allow Your Spirit to speak to me. Guide my heart and remind me of Your presence. May my thoughts always be fixed on You.
Amen.

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You,
all whose thoughts are fixed on You!

Gratitude
1. Tools to help me grow
2. Glorious rain today
3. Your Word

Phil 1:4
In all my prayers for all of you,
I always pray with joy.

Blessings,
Deborah

Two Roads Home

Like most humans, I take the road most traveled. My journey with God has been crowded, has had many curves, mountains and valleys. I do envy those whose path has been straight from birth to present; who always have their eye on Him, even though life has not always been "pretty" for them either.  I want to be like them and like the mystics, but I let things get in the way. I long for that road. I struggle. I cry out for help! I cry.
1 Samuel 6:12 "Then the cows went straight...they did not turn left or right."
Even the cows of the Old Testament are better than I. lol

I have always loved the mystics and the mystical side of religion. The "going deeper" into one's faith and study of the Bible. I love the stories of the Saints and other mystics. Their faith is so powerful and strong. I know it comes about by discipline, perseverance, the study of God's word and keeping an open mind and heart to hear that tiny Voice within.

I have been studying, "Beyond Kabbalah." by Rabbi Joel David Bakst for quite some time with my Jewish sister-in-law, who I have mentioned before. The book is a hard study. Not for everyone. The Rabbi says in the book, "One in 1000 will get it." Surprisingly, I'm getting it, with my SIL's help. The book is fascinating, eye and mind opening, full of twists and turns, has hard questions, soul searching answers and so much joy some days I can hardly stand it.  This is not a book for the faint of heart, but I highly recommend giving it try.

Beyond Kabbalah - The Teachings That Cannot Be Taught: Preparing for the Messianic Era and Beyond - An introduction, orientation & illustrated ... Kabbalah and Consciousness) (Volume 4) by Joel David Bakst

My path is getting straighter through studying my Bible, reading blogs by other Christians and studying the mystics and mystical. It is quite a journey, to say the least.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp for my feet;
a light on my path.

Gratitude (prompts from aholyexperience.com)
3 gifts difficult
1. The Path
2. The journey
3. The world and its ways

Phil 1:4
In all my prayers for all of you,
I always pray with joy.

Blessings,
Deborah

Modern Day Psalms

My sister-in-law played a song for me the other day that almost put me in a meditative state. I could feel it and went to a place of solitude and beauty with God. Psalms can do that to me, also. Their beauty is breathtaking. I was thinking of two songs this morning that remind me of God. One is "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles and the other is "Like a Bridge over Troubled Waters," by Simon & Garfunkle. Two very beautiful songs whose meaning could be about God.

The first one is the plea, "The Long and Winding Road."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIHEuYfDypg

The second is the answer, "Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjNgn4r6SOA

Both made me cry while I listened.
Both speak of the journey to Him for me.

Genesis 24:48 ...and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who leads me on the right road...

Gratitude
3 Gifts in water
1. Baptism
2. Hydration
3. Life

Phil 1:4
In all my prayers for all of you,
I always pray with joy.

Blessings,
Deborah