Category: God’s provision

Storing Up or Driving Through?

Lisa Preuett

A package of 40 water bottles.  45 rolls of toilet paper. Goldfish crackers, chicken nuggets and loaves of bread to last for a month. Yes! I love going to Sams Club! My cart gets overstuffed every single time and sometimes it’s difficult to push it by the time I get to the check-out area.

Everything there is in BULK. You can’t just run in there and get a small item. You can’t  get one of anything. Nope. This kind of store is designed for people to stockpile their favorite items. When I pull out of the parking lot I realize I won’t be back here again for at least a month…maybe longer. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing I won’t have to worry about purchasing these things for some time.

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Ever wish you could stockpile other things? For instance, how about grace? Now I could definitely use a month’s worth of that! Wouldn’t it be cool? Bam! Here you go…all the grace you’ll need for at least a month.

What about patience? Yep. Every parent would fork over a chunk of change to buy even a week’s worth of patience to dole out on their stubborn-strong-willed children. Just open up the pantry where all the other bulk stuff is stored and grab a jar of patience for the day.

Oh, and wouldn’t it be ideal if we could buy a big bulk package of wisdom? If that were possible, I’d fill as many carts as I could push and load those packages up in a truck. I wouldn’t have to worry about asking for wisdom for a very long time.

But it doesn’t work that way. Not at all. God did not design us to stock pile these attributes in bulk. He doesn’t just dump a load of grace, patience and wisdom on us and say,  “This should last you a while; see you next month.” Why??? Why can’t it work that way?

He wants us to come to Him DAILY. He longs for a relationship with us. He wants us to depend on Him moment by moment. Not month by month.

When Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:11, he said, “Give us today our daily bread.” Notice the word daily. Nothing in there about a Sam’s Club portion of bread. In Exodus 16:4-5 God instructed the Israelites to gather up only a day’s worth of manna. He even warned them that if they tried to gather more than that, it would spoil. He did this to test them and see if they would rely on His provision for each day alone.

Back in those days they didn’t have the extra freezer in the basement to store a month’s supply of beef on sale. They didn’t even have a refrigerator to keep things cold. They truly had to focus on the food for each meal at a time. Which is just how God wants us to relate to Him. He wants us to rely solely on Him. One moment at a time.

As ideal as it sounds, we just weren’t designed to store up grace for a month. God promises His grace is sufficient. And it is.

For today.

But when I worry about something next week or something way down the road, there’s no grace given to me yet for those things. I can’t just go to my pantry and pull out an ounce of grace for next week’s problems.

Do we sometimes go to church on Sunday and think we’re good to go for the week? I’m quite guilty of this at times! Yep, I’ve stocked up on enough wisdom to get me through til next week. I’ve got enough living water to soak up until next time. And then we attempt to plod through our week thinking we have enough stored up. But before Tuesday comes, we’re bewildered as to why we’re feeling dried up. We’re thirsty. And we desperately need a drink.

When running errands with my daughter on a hot summer day, a familiar scenario plays out. After getting in and out of the car multiple times and then sitting in traffic, we realize we are thirsty! Those 40 bottles of water from Sams sitting in the pantry at home don’t do us any good in that moment. Not at all. So we pull over to the closest fast food place we can find and order a large ice-cold water or lemonade through the drive-through. It hits the spot perfectly. It satisfies our thirst. At this point it wouldn’t matter if there were 400 bottles of water at home in the pantry. We get thirsty daily. And sometimes it happens when we least expect it. No amount of planning ahead would solve the problem. All we know is that we need something to drink in that moment.

Dear friend, if we want to have a real, deep relationship with our Heavenly Father, then we have to get rid of our Sam’s Club mentality. And then replace it with a “gotta-have-a-drink-right-now” approach instead.

Just enough for one day.  One moment. One desperate drink at a time.

Are you trying to cram as much as you can into one shopping spree? Is the cart of your heart so heavy you can barely push it down the aisle?  Get enough for one day.  Just as Sam’s Club seems to have a never-ending supply of bottled water, toilet paper and chicken nuggets, our Heavenly Father has more than enough love to lavish on us.

Enough wisdom.
Enough patience.
Enough grace.

It’s never going to run dry. It will be there every day. Each and every moment

Matthew 6:11 “Give us today our daily bread.”

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Look at the Birds!

Lisa Preuett

We have a bird feeder in front of our dining room window. It’s amazing to stop and watch these creatures as they sit perched up high, eating to their heart’s desire. Once one bird discovers the feeder, it’s not too much longer before a whole crew shows up for the dinner party. Just when I fill up the feeder, it seems I’m filling it up again and again.

One day my daughter asked me, “Mom, what would the birds eat if we didn’t feed them?”

I assured her the birds would eat food in the wild without our help. God even tells us this in His word!

Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

God most certainly created birds to display His awesome power and for our enjoyment. But I think He also created them to remind us of how much He will take care of us.

If birds could speak our human language, I wonder if we’d hear them say things like this:

“I wish I had a different flavor worm today!”

“Why does that blue jay have more than I do?”

“Hey everybody, let’s build a Sams Club to store up food for a whole year!”

“I’m so worried there won’t be any worms tomorrow, I might as well head back to my nest and just die.”

I don’t think we’d hear the birds utter anything like this at all. Their behavior seems to indicate the opposite.

Just listen to them chirp.

Listen to them sing.

Watch them bounce happily across the lawn.

They appear to be very content.

Why can’t I be more like these birds? Sometimes I make my life so complicated. Sometimes I bring undue stress on myself. Sometimes I worry about something tomorrow, zapping my joy for today.

What qualities do these birds possess that I want? Contentment… with life as it is. Trust… that their needs are always met.

God promises to take care of their needs. Their God-given menu consists of worms, insects, plants, berries and even weed seeds! But the fancy bird feeders are extra to them. The fancy bird feeders are like icing on the cake. The fancy bird feeders are equivalent to our wants…beyond our basic needs.

Oh how the truth of this convicts my heart. Why do I ever doubt God’s provision? Why do I worry about something that is not in my control? If God promises to take care of these simple birds, then how much more will He take care of me? We are eternal souls who get to live in the lavish love of our Heavenly Father! Of course He will take care of us. And He goes way beyond just meeting our basic needs. He often gives us an overflow so full we can hardly fathom it. He lets us perch on the never-ending flow of the fancy bird feeder. He gives us more than a basic “worm and insect” diet.

So where are you dear friend? Are you perched happily on the edge of your bird feeder? Or are you scrambling around on the ground worried about getting worms?

From here on out, anytime you see a bird, let it be a reminder to you that God will take care of your needs. And He will go way beyond that!

Matthew 6:26 ” “Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

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Are You Drifting Away?

Lisa Preuett

Last week my family experienced the blessing of soaking up the sun on a Bahamas cruise. Four wonderful days of relaxation, refreshment and rejuvenation! No “to-do” list. No preparing meals or cleaning up after anyone. Those things alone are enough to excite anyone who is constantly on the go.

One of many highlights of the trip was a stop at Great Stirrup Cay. The beautiful beach was lined with lounge chairs waiting for us to claim our spot for the day. I could have stayed there all day long in that same lounge chair without a care in the world. But at one point we noticed people floating around on huge blue rafts… large enough for three or four people to enjoy.

My daughter squealed with delight after she talked her grandmother into renting one of these cool rafts.

“This is going to be so much fun!” she exclaimed loudly.

Everyone else out there looks so relaxed. How appealing to just lay out in the clear blue water under the bright sun. Small waves barely splashing against the raft. It will be refreshing to lay there and do nothing.

It took all three of us to push the huge raft out into the water. We experienced some difficulty getting positioned just right on the raft, but finally, we were all set. For a little while we were enthralled with the beauty of the water.

“Look how clear it is!”

The cool water felt so refreshing on my sand covered feet. Then we saw our cruise ship in the distance. We talked about what we’d have for dinner later that night and all the fun activities that awaited us. My daughter searched for fish along the side of the raft. She told us about the colorful fish she’d seen earlier when she’d gone snorkeling with her daddy. We were all caught up in our conversation. We were relishing the moment. Time seemed to stand still.

But then all of a sudden my daughter screamed frantically “Oh no! Look how close to those rocks we are! We’re going to crash right in to them!” 

Rocks? I didn’t notice any rocks earlier when we started this pleasant journey!!

I turned my head towards the direction she was pointing at and sure enough…there were huge rocks just yards away from us. How did we get out here so far? I thought we were just twenty yards or so from the shore. But now we were WAY far away from where we started.

After the shock of realizing how far out we’d drifted, we all had to start paddling like crazy to get the raft turned around. My mom jumped into rescue mode and was brave enough to get out and start pushing her side of the raft away from the rocks! My feet became the “motor” of the raft as I kicked furiously from the back. My daughter paddled like crazy with all her might on the other side of the raft.

Little by little we moved away from the rocks. It was harder to get back because we were going against the current of the water. With all the energy we exerted, it sure felt like we were getting nowhere at first. Finally…we made it back to the shore. Exhausted.

What started out as pleasure turned into panic.

What started out as rest turned into a race.

Our plans to doze in delight came to an end because… WE DRIFTED AWAY!

Do you sometimes find yourself floating around aimlessly without direction? Do you start off down an intentional path only to realize later you are nowhere near where you wanted to be? Do you wake up in a startling panic and see that you’ve drifted away?

We’ve all experienced this! The scary thing about it is that it happens ever so slowly. Gradually. One innocent ripple at a time. And then before you know it, you’re way off track headed for jagged rocks.

What causes us to drift? What causes us to go from the safety of the shore to the jagged rocks?

We were so focused on having fun that we didn’t even notice how far away we’d gotten. We were so wrapped up in our conversation we didn’t see the approaching rocks. We were caught up in the awaiting pleasures of the cruise boat we failed to be aware of where we were.

Pleasures of this life can cause us to drift if we aren’t careful. Even blessings directly from God can cause us to drift if we forget where those blessings come from.

Laziness and passivity are often culprits causing us to drift. I am often guilty of sacrificing quietness with God for something I think is more important. Choosing comfort instead of commitment is frequently a challenge for me.

So what can we do in our journey of faith to keep from drifting? What should our focus be on?

We must be intentional in seeking God daily.

Time in His word.

Time on our knees in prayer.

Time to be still in His presence.

Time to pull away from the distractions of the world and refresh ourselves in His spirit.

And we can’t do it alone. No, we must surround ourselves with other believers who help hold us accountable. We must encourage one another. Be vulnerable enough to share our struggles so we can be encouraged by others.

These are the things that keep us focused on Him. And when we do, we won’t drift away. He becomes our anchor to hold us where we need to be.

So where are you dear friend? Are you starting to drift in a specific area of your life? Are you getting too far away from the safety of the shore? Are you close enough to see where you went off course? Or are you getting ready to crash into some rocks?

Wherever you may be, the loving hand of the Father is ready to gently turn you around. Ready to wrap you up in His grace and mercy. Ready to take you from drifting away to delighting in Him.

Hebrews 2:1 “We must pay careful attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away.”

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Plugged in and Charged Up!

Lisa Preuett

Acts 1:8 “And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

I’m really bad about forgetting to charge up my cell phone. I’ll be out running errands, grab my phone to make a call and get the all too familiar warning:

“Battery too low….recharge your phone!” 

Ugghh! This happens frequently and then I feel helpless. Cut off from whomever I’m trying to get a hold of. Even worse, I’m cut off from whomever is trying to reach me! (usually it’s my husband who panics and thinks the worst if he can’t reach me)

My smart phone is really cool with all its apps and fancy gadgets. But it does me NO GOOD if it isn’t charged up. No power equals no communication…..either way.

Isn’t that just like our relationship with God? When we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, He gives us the Holy Spirit….right then and there. All of the Holy Spirit we will ever need is poured into our hearts at that moment.

But do we access the power of the Holy Spirit? Are we charged up and ready to go at any moment? Or are we frequently on the setting that blares “Battery too low….need to recharge!” Do we frequently find ourselves feeling helpless and cut off? I’m often guilty of this and wonder why I feel so frazzled and run down at the end of the day.

If I’m not plugged in to the power of the Holy Spirit, then I’m not in a position to receive what God wants to communicate to me. If my heart isn’t charged up then I’m not as likely to call out to Him in the midst of a challenging moment. What exactly does it mean for me to be plugged in?

Prayer. Time in His word. Sitting still before Him so I can hear Him.

Something else I’m realizing with my smart phone is that I’m still discovering new things about it. I’ve owned if for well over a year, but have never taken the time to read through the owner’s manual (who has time for that?). Just the other day I stumbled upon an app I didn’t even know was there! Wow! That app proved to be quite helpful to me in that moment. It’s been there the whole time. I just didn’t know.

And yes! God is like that too. He’s way smarter than all the smartphones in the universe put together. We may have known Him for a long time, yet there are always new aspects of His character and new perspectives He shows us. We learn something new about who He’s always been. He gives us fresh insight on a scripture we’ve known since childhood. And He often gives us glimpses of heaven and hope of promises to come.

So what about you? What are you doing to stay plugged in? What are you learning about staying charged up in His power? Running on empty and feeling frazzled with your life? Tired and exhausted from doing too much?

If you’re a child of God, then you have access to the power of the Holy Spirit. The power that brings life to your low battery. The power that brings life to what you think is dead. He is there. But you have to plug in!

What do you need to do to stay plugged in? Change your priorities? Slow down? Take something off your schedule so you can have more time to sit still? Maybe you need to reach out to someone to help hold you accountable. Perhaps you just need to admit “I’m helpless. I’m feeling cut off and empty.” 

Whatever it is dear friend, I challenge and encourage you to plug your heart in to the power of God and walk with Him moment by moment so you stay charged up. Charged up to do His will. Charged up to bring glory to Him.

Acts 1:8 “And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

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Give Up and ASK FOR HELP

   		   		

   			Lisa Preuett   		

   		   	


   	   	

   		
Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us..”


The other day I was pondering this passage of scripture and the word ask seemed to jump off the page at me. Just days prior to reading this passage, I experienced something with my daughter that God used so powerfully to drive home a much needed message I needed to hear.


My daughter is very strong willed and quite independent. She frequently has a hard time asking for help in any given situation. She was attempting to fix the adjustable strap on her new pair of jeans to make them fit her waist just right. After several failed attempts, I asked her if she needed help.


NO Mom! I can do this myself!(eyes rolling as she blurts this out.)


She became more and more frustrated at this point, continuing to fidget with the elastic strap that just wasn’t cooperating with her. Her frustration grew as we were trying to get out the door to go somewhere. All along, I watched her. Waiting for her to get to the point of wanting my help.


Finally……she broke out in tears, heaved a heavy sigh and looked at me with desperate eyes.


I give up! ! Will you help me, Mom?


Of course I helped her, smiling at her while fixing her strap. Once the tears stopped and she had calmed down, I asked her why she didn’t ask for help sooner. Her response caught me off guard and God spoke loud and clear to me through it.


I really thought I could do it by myself, but it was much harder than I thought!


I am JUST like my daughter when it comes to certain areas of my life. I think I can handle them on my own. But I let pride get in the way, and I don’t want to admit I need help. Or admit that my way isn’t working. No wonder I sometimes feel overwhelmed and frustrated!


And God is there watching……waiting……for me to call out to Him. Waiting for me to admit my weakness and humbly ASK Him for help. Just as I waited for my daughter to become desperate enough for help, God so lovingly and patiently waits for us to call out humbly to Him.


So what is it for you? What are you hesitant to ask for help with? Challenges in your marriage? Difficult season with your kids? Or maybe it’s another area of your life causing constant strain and stress. Whatever it may be dear friend, I want to encourage and challenge you to humbly drop to your knees and ASK HIM for help. Go ahead and admit you can’t do it on your own.


He is waiting. Waiting for you to cry out to Him. Ever so patiently and lovingly. (With much more patience than we could ever offer when we’re frustrated with our stubborn kids!)


Look at Ephesians 3:20 again:  He wants to do immeasurably MORE than what we ask for! As a follower of Christ, it just doesn’t get any better than that.


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He’s Still There

   		   		

   			Lisa Preuett   		

   		   	


   	   	

   		
I have a new appreciation for the sun in light of the frigid and snowy winter we’ve endured thus far. Even a little glimmer of sunlight is enough to get us thinking it’s alright to pull out the flip-flops and dust off our spring clothes. Single digit temperatures have a way of giving a new perspective on the meaning of the word warm. We used to think it had to be at least 65 degrees to be considered warm outside, but now my guess is that if it’s above 50 degrees, it’s a heat wave!


I must confess that as I’m typing this first post, I am sitting in Orlando, Florida outside by a pool. The sun is brightly shining and the heat created by its warmth is overwhelmingly pleasant! (In less than 48 hours however, I’ll be leaving the sunshine and heading back home to cold weather no doubt.)


But you know what? Just because we don’t see the sun as often as we’d like; it’s still there.


And just because we don’t feel it’s warmth on a cold, wintry afternoon; it’s still there.


Even when the clouds temporarily block our view of the sun; it’s still there.


There’s a parallel we can all grasp from this when we think of God’s presence. He is always with his people, no matter what. Sometimes we go through seasons that are long……dark……and extremely cold. During these times it may be hard to see God working. We feel He is nowhere in sight. We feel lonely, lost, hopeless. But He is still there. 


Or maybe you see Him clearly working around you in other people, but you feel His presence has somehow forgotten about you and your situation. He’s answered her prayers, what about mine? My neighbors seem to be so blessed. What about me? But He is still there. 


Just like the clouds block our view of the sun, there are “clouds” of this life that seem to block our view of God. What is it for you? A challenging job situation? Difficult marriage? A savings account disappearing? Kids trying your patience? Don’t let these clouds convince you that God is not there, that He somehow doesn’t know your circumstances. HE IS STILL THERE!


The earth is actually closer to the sun in January. Now don’t ask me to explain the details of the earth’s axis and orbit, but I know this is a fact. Doesn’t make sense, does it? If we are closer to the sun in the dead of winter, then why is it so cold? Again…..don’t ask me to explain the science behind this. Perhaps there is a nugget of truth we can pull from this to parallel our own lives.


Could it be that God in His infinite power, grace and mercy promises to be even closer to us during our dead-of-winter seasons? Maybe it’s during those times that we seek Him out even more because there is no where else to go? Maybe it’s times like these that take us to our knees, crying out to Him in our most desperate moments. And He promises to carry us through those times. He promises to hold us closely to Himself. And just when you think you’ve gotten used to your “dead-of-winter” season……you see a glimmer of the sun. Just a little at first. But then you see it come and wash all over your entire being…….every fiber of your soul soaks it up. But He’s never left your side this whole time. Because HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU! 


So go ahead dear friend, lean in close to Him during your season of winter, no matter how bleak it may look. Just as we know for a fact that spring follows winter, our Father in Heaven is always there for us no matter what we see or feel.


Matthew 28:20 “And behold, I am with you ALWAYS, to the end of the age.”


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Blessings to you!


Lisa Preuett