Here is another confession about myself: Although I have heard others describe me as a patient person, there are some things that I do not like to wait for… For example, I don’t like to wait for a solution to a problem any longer than I have to. Even if it’s a small problem, I like problems to be fixed very quickly. But God has really showed me the value of waiting on Him to bring the solution. This has brought me much peace where there was once worry and unnecessary stress and tension. Sometimes rushing to fix something doesn’t allow to me to reflect on the situation and understand how I can learn from it.

I can see that in selfishly rushing to find an answer, it can sometimes cause bigger problems. :/ Waiting on the Lord also helps me to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit which in turn helps me to more readily recognize when God is speaking to me. It has helped me to trust Him.

Changed my profile today. I wanted to update my profile to describe one of the major reasons that I started this blog: To be obedient to God who is using this as a stepping stone to help me gain the confidence to write a book and give me the experience to share my thoughts with others. It's not always easy but I think it's important to try and be transparent with the things that I face. If I pretend that I have it all together then how is that encouraging to others? I think we find our way back up when others reach down to help us who have been through the same struggles. It is uplifting to me to find someone who is honest and real and who genuinely cares for others. People who share openly and care about showing love to others more than they care about what people think about them. They inspire me to try and do the same. This is me being me.

This past week I finished my first 40 day fast! Thank you God for being with me the whole way. (I gave up my favorite foods and drank mostly water and some natural fruit juices.) I am so happy and it was a great experience. I know that might sound strange but I’m being sincere. It was so enlightening and encouraging. I saw God move and felt God move.  

There is a song by Britt Nicole and one of the lines in the song is, “People ask me, how do I know what I believe? Well I’m not the same me and that’s all the proof I need.”

That’s exactly how I feel. I know God gave me clarity of mind and really answered my prayers. There were even things that I forgot I was believing for that God answered. What a great God I have that answers the prayers that I forgot I prayed. Lol. That made me laugh at myself. I believed for many things and made a long list and my God did not disappoint!

Before I go on a fast I make a plan and write down how many days I am fasting, what the purpose of the fast is, what I’m fasting from, and what I am believing God for during the fast. I made a big list this time and when I looked back at my journal I realized that I had listed some things that God brought an answer to before my fast was over. I boldly believe that He is bringing an answer to other things that are on their way as the fast has come to completion. Some things are only a step of faith away from being answered. I love you God! <3

I just wanted to add something to my previous post…The thing that I find myself praying for the most is wisdom. God’s wisdom and Heavenly insight. It’s something that I greatly value. Just to sit at the feet of Jesus and hug His ankles and love Him and adore Him and listen to His teaching.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” – James 1:5

I used to get offended when people would suggest things to me after I worked really hard on something. It was insulting especially if someone didn’t approach me in love. But I see now that I have had the privilege of knowing others with good hearts and creative ideas. So no matter how much of an expert I think I am in certain areas, I choose to continue to practice being a good listener. I have seen how I have cheated myself of growth and kept myself from learning something new. Not only have I opened my ears but I have started to ask people for suggestions and invite them to share their perspective. I genuinely want to hear what they have to say. God has used other people to answer my prayers and help me. How can I be cold towards them? I know the Holy Spirit will guide me and direct me on if and how I can apply advice.

Hey Guys, :)

I wanted to post something today and time got away from me. I really need to go to sleep but I wanted to post this thought and can expand on it later: "To convince ourselves that we know everything, is to cheat ourselves of knowledge."
I don't know if that is an existing quote but that is what I feel God has placed in my heart. A good piece of wisdom to follow that has proven itself true to me.

Talk to you guys soon!
-Heidi

I was in church this morning and one of the songs that the worship team sang included these lyrics, “And I’ll shout it out from the mountain tops, Yes, the Lord is good forever”. Then I thought about what that meant to me. There are people that God places in our sphere of influence whom we can share His love and encouragement with. We all have different places that God can use us. It can be at work, at church, the places we run our errands, and more. So I ask you today, where is your “mountain top”? We might not literally be able to shout God’s goodness off a mountain top, but where can God use you to tell about His goodness? :)

Today and in the last few days I have received some compliments and it really made me think: I am thankful for people who are brave enough to speak kind words to others. There are times when I think about how kind someone is, or how nice they look that day, or what a great job I think they do. As nice as that is, if it never goes beyond a thought, it does them absolutely no good. There are specific times that I feel led to speak sincere, encouraging words to others. Sometimes it is out of my comfort zone but I push myself to walk up to someone and tell them what I feel that God has placed on my heart. Sometimes I may not be able to tell someone in person so I send them a text or mail them a note or call them. Giving a genuine compliment is investing in the lives of others. It goes beyond words and can be really uplifting to someone's spirit. In some cases it can be a timely word: something that someone needed to hear at the time they needed to hear it. Bringing glory to God.

Hello everyone :) this is the first post that I'm writing from my phone and everything looks so tiny! Lol. But it's good practice. I wanted to share a passage from a book I just finished reading called, "Fasting", by Jentezen Franklin.
"A friend called me just as we were about to begin the corporate fast. To my surprise he said, 'I feel so sorry for you.' I replied, 'Dont feel sorry for me. Go ahead and eat your food for the next twenty one days. We will compare notes at the end of the year to see if the food you ate accomplished for you what fasting for the next twenty-one days accomplished for me.'" Page 139-140.

I realized how much I think about food. I love food, I'm food motivated, and get excited about my favorite foods! But during this fast I know that God is directing me towards seeking Him instead of a temporary fulfillment of a delicious treat.
For the first time, I'm actually excited and living in expectancy of all that God will do during my fast. Of course there are challenging times but the end result is worth so much more than my favorite foods and that's what keeps me going. Knowing that my God will show up. He has done so much already that I know wouldn't have been possible without Him. I know I can trust Him to do even greater things.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about fasting.

Let me tell you about a small gift I received today from God: For a few weeks I have wanted to download a song but I could not find it. I knew the artist and the name of the song but when I would type it in, it seemed like another artist or song would come up with the same name but it was the wrong song. Today I was in my car, (random thought – a lot of revelation and things come when I am in my car. Lol.) Ok so I was in my car and I heard the song on Air1 Radio and then Liz, the DJ, announced that there was a FREE download for the song on their website! No way! Thank you God! He knew I had wanted that song and He helped me to be in my car and listening to the radio at the right time. AND I didn't have to pay for it! The song was, Human, by Manafest.
When those gifts occur, as tiny as they might seem in the grand scheme of things, don’t forget to give God the glory. For in doing so, you acknowledge His presence all around you and you will quickly realize how present He is in your everyday life. Give honor and Glory to Him when it is due. Say thank you for the little things and see how it will bring joy into your life because you will realize the many ways He shows His love for you.