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Daily Devotional :: 6.26.08
This is a time when you can take steps to deal with and correct long-term problems. You will no longer ignore or be in denial about things that you have swept under the rug, but you will suddenly have the courage and insight to look squarely at every situation and make decisions that are long overdue. You will need to detach emotionally and seek Me for wisdom and direction, which is abundantly available to you when you believe, says the Lord.
James 1:5- 8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double- minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Have a great day today :]]
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Daily Devotion :: 6.18.08
I know your heart and your desire to be with Me in My kingdom, so I say to you, "Follow Me." This doesn't mean that you just follow your religious ideas aimlessly, but that you purposely pursue Me, says the Lord. Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Mark 8:34) Be done with the works of the flesh, be led by My Spirit, and follow My example. Yield to the work of My Spirit so that you will be transformed into My image.
Colossians 1:9-15 (The Message)
Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created.
Another amazing devotion, I love that passage from Colossians.
I hope your day is wonderful and God-filled :]
Always, Karina
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Daily Devotion :: 6.17.08
I see the places in your life where you need wisdom, directions and answers. The reason you have not received is because you have not asked. Why have you not come to Me? Do you not believe that I hear and answer your prayers? Do not be afraid to ask. You belong to Me, and it is My desire that you prosper in all things. I indeed direct your steps, and I will show you the next step that you must take. Arise from your dilemma, and Come to Me, says the Lord.
Jeremiah 29:12-13 "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." (--That was The Message bible version, I love it.)
This was like a reality check for me this morning.
I hope you enjoy it and take what he's saying to heart.
Have a wonderful and blessed day :]
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Daily Devotional :: 5.15.08
This spoke to me so much--
Beloved, clear your mind and silence your flesh. Things have not worked out as you planned, but I am bringing you by a way that you have not known, and I am doing things in your life that you have not expected. These things are for your good. I want to bring you to a higher spiritual level where you can see clearly that your position in My kingdom is not about your desires or satisfying your flesh or meeting your financial expectations; it is about living in the Spirit where My purposes become your purposes without question, says the Lord.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
I sincerely hope it speaks to you, too. God bless you :]
Oh, here is a picture of me... It's so amazing! God is great, I'm 21 weeks:
I never thought things would turn out this way. But I know God has big plans for our lives. We're a family now... And it's
so crazy to think about the way everything works out. How you had no
idea when you were fourteen joking around with your closest guy friend about growing up and having
kids together- just as friends! And here we are, planning a future that
will forever be intertwined, and life is just beautiful. The Lord works in the most mysterious of ways... And what he has planned, is often something we would never have or could never have imagined! Everything for us has changed
so much and so fast. Priorities, outlooks, dreams, they all seem to
just... Shift. And it's amazing. We are so excited and so blessed that
God has placed this gift into our laps- literally for me :]]
Needless to say, we're excited. No, ecstatic. This is such a huge
journey, and every single day brings more to the table.
I hope everyone's life is going great... Change is a beautiful thing that we often don't understand or even accept at first, but we have to remember, it's not about us. Although we have some control, we forget at times that He has all of the control, and whether we want it or not, He will still move and shift our lives according to His perfect will. I am certainly not here to question God's plan for my life, and no one else is either. That is what my response is to negativity or anything short of a positive reaction to my news. This is no mistake or accident, from the moment I came into existence it has been in my plan. I have to accept that, and you better believe I do with great joy and excitement, for it just goes to show, when we think we have a plan for what we are going to do or where we are going, we can so easily be flipped upside down and turned all around to something completely different. I almost think its fun for God to show us we really aren't in control, to exercise his 'almighty' you could say... I think we all need to be put in check every once in a while, honestly. It blows my mind how far off I was, or have been in the past thinking of what my life would be like at this point. I am so glad I was way off! I couldn't imagine leading the life I was before... It seems so far away from me now, I can't help but smile as I watch it get ever farther and more distant. Things are much more simple, and easy-going. Which might seem boring to the average onlooker but let me tell you, it is so amazing. I have grown so much and learned things that most may not learn until wayyy later in life. I have never taken advice the right way, if at all. I can honestly say I made it so that everything I learned was the hard way, I guess it had to be hard for me to ever learn anything. If I could go back, I'd like to say I would do things differently, but I maybe not because I might not be the same person. I would definitely apologize to a lot of people, and whats sad is I'd be apologizing for things that sometimes, I don't even remember. I made a fool of myself so many times and in so many different ways, if anyone is reading this that knows of a particular instance, I am so sorry. I wish I hadn't. To those that I've hurt or misled, please forgive me. If you don't, or can't, that's alright, just know that I am not the same, and am sorry. I can't tell you how many times I've been found picking myself up after making a huge mistake, that could have easily been avoided, but wasn't, because of my foolish youth. The point I guess is, we all screw up. And after making mistakes so much you can find you expect less of yourself. And that is not what God wants. Probably the best day of my life was the day I finally listened to God and those close to me that loved me telling me that I was better than the things that I had been doing. That my mistakes didn't define who I was. We can so easily get caught up in thinking negative things and being stuck in a vicious cycle with ourselves. I can't tell you how great it was to get out of it. Just by listening for a few moments to God saying this is not who you are and he knows what you're capable of and he can see your heart as clear as day, you can immediately start to feel the difference, and actually see yourself in a new light. Today, nobody can tell me who I am and am not. I do not want to be percepted as anything that I'm not, and I won't be. I can only thank God and my family and Aaron of course, for helping shape me into who I am now. I never thought I would know the right things to say to someone who needs advice like I did at one point or another... And when I see people experiencing what I have, I feel for them. Sincerely, I do. But I also am glad for them because I know how they will turn out. You have got to have faith, that you will become who God wants you to become. That is why I can't thank him enough for this little girl whom I am feeling kick around in my stomach right now. :] I always thought how strange it would be when I had a child, and the world didn't revolve around me. I'll be honest, I did not think such a place existed. I wondered how that would change who I am and how I see the world and go about my life. At humbled times, I can vaguely remember wishing for something like that. For a change so huge that I would never be the same, irreversibly different, in a good way. Now that I'm here, and she's in here, letting me know how close it is until she comes, I can't tell you how wonderful it feels. How much I appreciate life and every lesson that I have had to learn to get here. I would not change a single thing. About myself, about the man I choose to be with, about God's plan, and everything I know and don't know that He's got in store for me.
My name is Karina Marie Baker Nelson... I have messed up, and I am a great person today. I have hurt others, I have been hurt, I have acted pretty crazy. I have loved incredibly, and I have lusted unbelievably. I have lied, cheated and stolen, and I am a completely blessed and chosen child of God. I have given everything, and I have taken just as much. I have reproached, discredited, and shamed myself, and I am an amazing, inspirational role model. I am a loving, sweet and kind individual, and I have brought hurt upon others that shook their very cores. I have hated the person I was with the fire of a thousand suns, and I love and couldn't imagine being any more content with the person that I am today. I understand the power of forgiveness, and that it begins with yourself. I can tell you God has blessed me immensely and
without what some might consider rhyme or reason, and that I couldn't
ask for a more amazing gift than the life he has given me. I know you have to have faith in God even when you don't in yourself or those around you. I know He is always with me and you and will never give us more than we can handle. I believe anyone can change and will when their time comes. Most importantly, I know that I am not here to question His plan for my life, and neither are you.
Have an incredibly blessed day and I pray the best for you and everyone that you love.
Until next time,
Karina :]
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Daily Devotion :: 05.07.08
Beloved, I am stretching out My hand to heal what has become diseased, disabled, wounded, and broken. I am even now releasing a supernatural impartation that is available for all who can believe and receive. This impartation will cause you to be completely renewed and restored so that your affliction will lose its hold and become only a distant memory. No longer be afraid of this infirmity, but rise up in the strength and purpose of My will, says the Lord.
Hebrews 12:12-13 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
Enjoy and be blessed today :]]
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