Lifestyle

Thy Will by Hillary Scott

September 24, 2017September 15, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

I absolutely love this song by Hillary Scott – Thy Will From the album Love Remains

I’m so confused
I know I heard you loud and clear
So, I followed through
Somehow I ended up here

I don’t wanna think
I may never understand
That my broken heart is a part of your plan
When I try to pray
All I got is hurt and these four words

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

I know you’re good
But this don’t feel good right now
And I know you think
Of things I could never think about

It’s hard to count it all joy
Distracted by the noise
Just trying to make sense
Of all your promises
Sometimes I gotta stop
Remember that you’re God
And I am not
So

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

Like a child on my knees all that comes to me is
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will

I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness you have in store

I know you hear me
I know you see me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness you have in store
So

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

Like a child on my knees
All that comes to me is
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord

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Love and Life

Responding to Closed Doors

September 6, 2017September 4, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

This devotional from In Touch is too good not to share! Waiting on God after praying and praying and getting an answer of “yes, but not yet.” is so tough! Waiting on God’s blessings in His time are always worth the wait.

Responding to Closed Doors

Genesis 16:1-16

God answers prayer in one of three ways: “yes,” “no,” or “yes, but not yet.” This last reply seems to be the most dreaded— sometimes even more than an outright “no.” However, patience is an important trait for the Christian, as Scripture stresses repeatedly in stories, psalms, and epistles.

Waiting on the Lord to unlock a door is always wiser than attempting to pry it open ourselves, even when the delay has been long. After God promised him descendants (Gen. 12:2), Abraham lived for 25 years with an answer of “not yet.” After that quarter-century, the answer finally became “yes.” But meanwhile, Abraham and Sarah came up with their own plan to get an heir—Sarah’s servant Hagar bore Ishmael. The couple may have convinced themselves they were “helping” God live up to His prophecy, but really they were disobeying. The consequences were disastrous. Bitterness and blame affected every member of the family (Gen. 16:4-6; Gen. 21:9-10). What’s more, Ishmael’s people lived in enmity with their neighbors, and that hostility persists in the Middle East today (Gen. 21:9-14; Gen. 25:18).

Our patience gives God time to prepare the opportunity on the other side of a closed door. Even if we could force our way by manipulating circumstances, we would not be happy with what we find there. No one in Abraham’s camp was satisfied with the situation they created! We can have contentment and joy only when we access the Lord’s will at the very moment He ordained. The blessings we find on the other side of an open door are always worth the wait.

https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions

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Not Guilty by Mandisa

August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Sunday morning one of my favorite singers at our church sang this song with the choir, and it has been running through my head ever since. My favorite line in the song is…

I know you, I love you
I gave My life just to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict not guilty

I stand accused
There’s a list a mile long
Of all my sins
Of everything that I’ve done wrong
I’m so ashamed

There’s nowhere left for me to hide
This is the day
I must answer for my life
My fate is in the Judge’s hands
But then He turns to me and says

I know you, I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict not guilty

How can it be?
I can’t begin to comprehend
What kind of grace
Would take the place for all my sin?

I stand in awe
Now that I have been set free
And the tears well up
As I look at that cross
‘Cause it should have been me

My fate was in the nail scarred hands
He stretched them out for me
And said

I know you, I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict not guilty

I’m falling on my knees to thank You
With everything I am, I’ll praise you
So grateful for the words I heard
You say

I know you, I love you
I gave My life
I know you, I love you
I gave My life just to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict not guilty

Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict not guilty, not guilty

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Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

Does Anything Taste As Good As Skinny Feels?

July 14, 2017April 29, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

~Ditch The Diet~

In an interview with fashion magazine WWD in 2009, Kate Moss said her famous motto “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”

Both fans and critics have been quoting her ever since…

While, yes, as women, we love to feel “skinny”, and the culture around us puts so much importance on our outer appearance. It is very easy to get caught up in the “Thin Is In” mindset.

But at what cost?

Is it more important to be thin than to be healthy? Is being skinny more important than being able to enjoy your life? Is being skinny worth the price of your joints and kidneys? Is being skinny so important that it is worth starving for?

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20** That your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and that we are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

God tells us that we need to take care of our bodies because not only do they belong to Him, but they are also the house that the Holy Spirit lives in.

Don’t buy into the lie that being thin at any cost is more important than taking care of the body that God gave you to live in.

So while Kate Moss may have her motto, here is my motto “Skinny Never Looks As Good As Healthy Feels!”

**1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

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Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

Caught in the Food Fixation Trap?

July 7, 2017April 26, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

~Ditch the Diet~

Here is a great devotional by Asheritah Ciuciu that I found to be very helpful!

Caught in the Food Fixation Trap?

We live in a world that both worships and vilifies food. A quick glance at Pinterest or Instagram reveals our society’s fixation with food, from scrumptious recipes that make your mouth water (often known as “food porn”) to scathing articles about the origins, sustainability, and ethics of the ingredients that make up our meals. For something as mundane as what we eat, food has become an increasingly complex issue that causes many of us to feel guilty, overwhelmed, and even hopeless.

For those of us who have spent years on the roller coaster of dieting, food fixation adds another layer of complexity to our journey. It’s tempting to dwell in the land of if-only’s: If only I could overcome my sweet tooth. If only I would develop a craving for carrot sticks. If only God would miraculously transform the calorie count in blueberry streusel muffins…. then I could finally overcome my food struggles.

e become so fixated on the food we eat—or don’t eat—that we fail to realize that food itself is not our enemy. Food is a good gift from a loving Father, given to turn our hearts and minds to Him in worship.

God could have created our human bodies to subsist on energy-dense flakes. But in His goodness, God chose to create a veritable cornucopia of foods with unique colors, textures, tastes, and smells to both nurture us and delight our taste buds. Seen in this way, food is a thoughtful gift from a loving Father.

So for those of us struggling with our food choices, our journey toward overcoming food fixation begins with recognizing this first basic truth: food is a good gift and it is not our enemy. And as we’ll see in the next few days, the fullness we seek in food can only be found in Jesus.

Food is a good gift from a loving Father,

given to turn our hearts and minds

to Him in worship.

Hold tight to the truth of Scripture and celebrate God’s goodness through His gift of food.

Reflection Questions: Have you ever heard the implicit or explicit message that food is bad? How has this type of thinking influenced your relationship with food? What are the implications of the truth that food is a good gift meant to turn our hearts toward God?

Genesis 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

1 Timothy 4:1-5 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Food Is Not The Enemy

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Love and Life

Redeemed

May 11, 2017April 19, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Way too often I have to remind myself that I need to stop fighting a fight that has already been won!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

I try to do things on my own. Do right on my own. Forgive others on my own. Be better, act better… on my own. My problem is that often I don’t trust in Him enough to let Him do it for me… So instead I try to take control, I try to do it on my own. Then I remember, God, You’re not done with me yet! He doesn’t expect me to do it on my own. He already gave me the power to do it through Him. I don’t always have to be the same, I am redeemed, God set me free!

Big Daddy Weave – “Redeemed” – from the new album Love Come To Life

Seems like all I can see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son
Stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
And wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be
I am redeemed
I’m redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”
I remember oh God, You’re not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
And wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be
Because I don’t have to be the old man inside of me
‘Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I’ve got a new name, a new life I’m not the same
And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
And wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be

Oh God I’m not who I used to be
Jesus, I’m not who I used to be

‘Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed

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Psalm 18:2

April 30, 2017April 30, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Psalm 18:2

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

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Love and Life

Happy Resurrection Day, 2017!

April 16, 2017April 16, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

I Know My Redeemer Lives!

Because He Lives (Gaithers)

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he brings;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

And then one day, I’ll cross the river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

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Forgiveness

March 5, 2017March 2, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.

Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

Luke 17:3-4 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. ⁴And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Holding a grudge can cause you to be the prisoner and warden all at the same time! It isn’t always easy to chose to unlock the door and let yourself out.

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Philippians 4:8

February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Sometimes I need a little bit of a reminder!

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Looking Joli Good

Kindness is beautiful!

Tag: Bible

Thy Will by Hillary Scott

I absolutely love this song by Hillary Scott – Thy Will From the album Love Remains