Here We Grow.

God definitely has a sense of humor. I recently had all my pants taken in, and all of our baby stuff we have slowly given away. I had taken the stance that I was truly thankful for my beautiful little girl and my perfect little boy. I was content with the fact that the Ward family would be a family of four.  

I guess that is not God's plan though. It's with great joy that I announce that we are expecting again. We are so very thankful and trust that God has us right in the palm of His mighty hand.  
Last week I posted a scripture that I have since daily started confessing. Deuteronomy 30:9 says "And the Lord, thy God will make thee abound in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy beasts and in the fruit of thy land, for good; for the Lord will turn to rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers."  
I was confessing that scripture not knowing that a miracle was in the works. 
Then I also wrote about fear. I could easily shrink back into fear because of our previous losses, but I will not. I trust that God is a good God and He will see us through this time. I have a joyful expectation that all will work together for our good. I will not allow the past dictate what I will say or allow me to have any fear that something will happen. 
I am so very excited. This was very unexpected.  I had been believing God for another child, and just last week I said I was thankful with a family of four and content that a little one was not in my future. Yet God had a plan, and I'm so very thankful that he has blessed us with another child. 
I will be sure to keep you posted. Now we will figure how far along I am and when our little nugget will arrive. There is so much to look forward to. 
Know that you are loved. I believe goodness, and favor surround you everywhere that you go.  
A:)
Ephesians 3 : 16 - 20

fear.

FEAR. Yes I did just use that four letter word. Fear is a terrible emotion, that has the power to cripple you. Living in fear is an awful thing. Fear is a tool of the enemy to keep you from all that God has in store for you. 
Fear and faith cannot coexist. when you are in fear your faith is null and void. If you want to live in the victory that God has for you, overcoming fear is key. 
It is easier said than done. I know that I have let fear keep me from great things. I have passed on many opportunities all because I was afraid. I almost let fear keep me from marrying Michael. I was convinced that our marriage would fail because my first marriage was a hot mess. I had my mind made up that marriage was an awful thing. It took lots of prayer and long talks with my father for me to see that my first marriage was something I did that was out of the will of God. I had to see that Michael was part of God's plan for my life. How many of you today are allowing fear to keep you from the great future that God has in store for you? 
I have heard it said that the Bible says "fear not" more than 365 times, one scripture for everyday of the year. I'm not certain how many times it says it, but I do know it's a lot. So many of us live in fear, there is the fear that you'll never be good enough, the fear of failure, the fear of lack, the fear of sickness, and that general fear that whatever you do is just going to have a bad outcome. Fear is like poison it gets inside of you and just eats away at you until you have no hope or faith left. It destroys your ability to trust and believe God. I notice that people who try to figure everything out on their own often live in fear. Their minds can not handle all the variables of life. That is the first way to step out of a life of fear. You have to recognize that you were not created to figure everything out for yourself. That is what God is for. He created us, He has a plan for us. Our job is to trust and obey Him. We need to allow God to be God. You're not God, you cannot handle all that this life holds, but He can. Instead of being bound by fear and a prisoner to your circumstances,  give it to God. Ask Him for help, He will show you ways to handle situations that you never thought of before, He will open doors of opportunity that you never even knew were there, He will bring people into your life that will build you up and support you, He will make a way where you thought there was no way. In order for you to have God move in your life you have to trade your fear for faith. Faith is like a muscle the more you use it the stronger it becomes.  
Isaiah 41:10 says 
Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.  
When you step out of fear He will straighten you to walk in faith, when you're weary He will uphold you. You will have the victory. 
Today you can make up your mind that you are no longer going to be tormented by fear. You can silence your mind, and allow your heart to believe what God says about your circumstances.  You might be saying you have no idea all that I am dealing with. You're right, I don't, but God does. He has the answer to all of your problems, He's simply waiting on you to step out of your fear and put your faith in Him. You have the choice to continue to live in torment or to step into the rest and trust God. 
Joel 2:21 says 
Fear not, my people; be glad now and rejoice, for he has done amazing things for you.
Right there God's Word tells you what you're supposed to do, how to step out of the fear you are living in. "Be glad NOW and rejoice" although your situation might seem helpless rejoice and be glad , thank him in advance that you walk in victory. Notice the last part of the scripture "he HAS done amazing things for you". It's already done, before you ever had that issue, God already dealt with it. You now have to make the choice. Are you going to claim your miracle? Are you going to step into faith? Are you going to thank Him that he is working everything out on your behalf? Are you going to stop being a figure it outer, and be the believer you are meant to be? Today let's rid ourselves of fear. I know you can do it. 
Know that you are loved. I believe goodness,  mercy and favor surround you everywhere that you go. Have a wonderful Sunday. 
A:)

Mighty Ben.

Last night Mikey stayed up past his bed time for some extra cuddles and snuggling, and instead of putting Ella to bed. We cuddled on the couch and I held her in my arms till she fell asleep. Just shy of five, I could not imagine losing her; as the Sauer family lost their precious Ben a few nights ago. The news was heart wrenching.

I prayed fervently for Ben ever since hearing of his diagnosis. I praised and thank God that Ben would have a miraculous healing. Sadly he has lost his battle with cancer, but all is not lost. 

One of the remarkable things that I think everyone has noticed through out this fight is the steady and confident faith Ben's remarkable mother Mindy maintained. When reading her blog her confidence in Christ Jesus always poured through. And now even in her darkest moment, there is a peace and confidence that she maintains.
The Sauer family has the promise of heaven. And while they grieve their sons passing they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ben is now in heaven with his Lord and savior. I never want to imagine losing either of my children or any loved one for that matter,  but if I did I know that the promise of heaven would make me able to handle the pain and live confidently knowing that one day again we would all be together.
That promise just doesn't come with a simple nod that you believe in God and believe that there is a heaven. It is through Christ Jesus and the sacrifice that he made at Calvary, that we are able to obtain this blessing. Romans 10:9 says "If you openly say, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from death,  you will be saved" . With that salvation comes the promise of eternal life. This is what has given the Sauer family the unshakable faith that you see them exude.
If we can learn one thing from the untimely loss of mighty Ben, it is that heaven is for real. And it takes a step of faith and belief in your heart to obtain that promise.
You might be saying while I've never prayed like that, or I have not been taught that. It is truly so simple though. Our heavenly Father has made it so very easy for us to obtain this promise.
Ask yourself right now, if you died do you know where you would go. Then think about your loved ones, do you know for certain that if something were to happen to them, that when they stepped out of this life, they would be greeted by Jesus and step into heaven.
I am confident that the family and friends that surround me will be in heaven. I know this because I know that they have prayed just as Romans 10:9 says.  It may seem so simple and silly to you but it is the way to obtain the promise of eternal life.
if you have never prayed that prayer today right now you can pray this simple prayer, pray with me right now.
"Dear heavenly Father, today I want to thank you for the gift of your son Jesus. Your Word says that if I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead I would be saved. Today I profess that I believe in my heart, and I am confessing with my mouth that I believe you raised Jesus from the dead. I declare that Jesus is Lord and my savior. I thank you Lord for all you have done for me, today I except you into my heart. Today Lord I have decided that I want to live for you. I want you to fill my life with your goodness, mercy and grace. I ask it all in the mighty Name Of Jesus , amen".
It's that simple. You may say now what? I would say to you to find a good Bible based church and root and ground yourself in it. God has much more for you than just the promise that if you die you will go to heaven. God has a plan and purpose for each and everyone of us. He created us to live a life of victory.
If this is the first time you have ever prayed this prayer and today you are wondering what just happened,  I have something for you. Please email or message me and I want to send you a book called "where do I go from here" . It will help you to understand what salvation is all about.
It's tragic that today a family is without one of their children. Yet we can thank God that we know Ben is in heaven no longer in pain or struggling.  I know that the testimony of the faith of the Sauer family is going to change a lot of lives. Look today yours was just changed forever. So today we can say thank you Ben. Thank you for reminding us that Jesus loves us dearly, and that he has made a way for us to have eternal life. My thoughts and prayers are with the Sauer family.
Know that you are loved. I believe that goodness, mercy and favor surround you everywhere you go.
A:)
Ephesians 3:16-20

On the move.

Hi Friends. It's been a while and I have been on the move. My previous sight was making things really complicated, and to add insult to injury, the phone version of my page was just not pretty. Now you know we can't have that. So here I am on Blog spot and loving the simplicity of it. 

As we head into summer there are lots of changes going on all around us. Lots of new adventures and projects lined up that I'm so very excited about. I have started an Etsy Shop, Mrs. Mae Monogram Shop. I have taken my hobby of embroidery and applique and started selling custom onesies, burp cloths, minky blankets, car seat tents, Boppy covers, towels, pillows and anything else you can imagine. Plus I am in the process of taking a really great sermon that was preached at church and turning it into a book. I have been a busy girl. 

With all these new projects there have been some ups and downs.There have been days where I have sat down to work and nothing comes out right. It is so frustrating, and the first thing that comes to mind is I can't do this, and I want to just quit. I am sure you have had the same feeling, when you put your hand to do something. 

So whats a girl to do. I have come to the realization that if you want to be good at something you have to just keep going no matter how many failures you have. It may be frustrating, but the enemy wants you to quit. Satan does not want anything you do to be a success.He wants you to feel defeated, a failure, and worthless.You can't take those thoughts though. I constantly have to remind myself about what God says that I am. That is what you need to do too. When thoughts of discouragement start to well up, shut them down with what Gods Word says about you. 

God says" you are more than an over comer". The Word says "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world". Deuteronomy 30:9 says "And the Lord, thy God will make thee abound in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy beasts and in the fruit of thy land, for good; for the Lord will turn to rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers." 

That's a good word. that covers you, your children, your businesses, your household, all that you do. Then in the end it says that the Lord will "turn to rejoice over thee for good". I will take that! 

When things just don't seem to be going your way, stop and remind yourself what God says about you. Don't allow set backs to knock you down. Be determined that you will succeed. You are capable, intelligent, and more than able. You can do it. When things start to go wrong , just begin to thank God for his presence and anointing on your life. Watch how quickly things will change. You were created to have dominion over every area of your life, except nothing less. When you decide that you are going to live above circumstances is when you will see that things begin to work together for your good, just as God has promised.

I'm determined. I have made up my mind that what I put my hand to will prosper. I believe that everything you do will prosper as well. I'm very excited about all that God is doing in our lives. I know He has great things in store for you as well, as you pursue your purpose, and seek Him. 

Know that you are loved, and I believe goodness, mercy and favor; surround you everywhere you go.

A:)

 

Ephesians 3:16-20