Forgiving Yourself Just as Christ Forgave You

" If anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation; The old has gone, and the new has come."

- 2 Corinthians 5:17

When I first laid my life down to Christ totally and completely I felt like a new creation....and I was! God has done a TREMENDOUS work in my life, and I am ever so thankful. But even though I knew I was forgiven through Christ for ALL the awful down right sinful things I have done in my life, I couldn't seem to forgive myself. I would replay in my head all of the darkest times in my life and would feel absolutely disgusted with myself. I knew God had made me a new creation because it was very evident in my life that I had done a major 360, but my thoughts would not let me live that freedom that I had been given. 

When God does His awesome work in your life (which is an everyday thing) the devil tries to creep in and take that joy that comes along with it. He will use any negative tactic he can to try and take your focus off God and onto sin. For me he was using my thoughts.

It wasn't until I started praying for God to help me take every thought captive an make it obedient to Him (2 Corinthians 10:5) that I started seeing myself in a different light...in God's light. When one of those negative thoughts would pop in my head I would tell myself that I am forgiven, I am not that same person, and I DO NOT have to beat myself up for those bad decisions anymore because God has already forgotten about them and I need to do the same.

It took me some time to finally come to peace with my old self and embrace the new creation that God has made me. I am no longer the sinful, party animal wild (and I mean wild) child Haleigh...I am now a daughter to a King who loves me dearly. I am a broken vessel ready to be used for God's purpose in helping others, just the way He has helped me.

I am so very thankful for the trials and troubles that I have faced in my short lifetime because they have all built me up and prepared me to be the women that Christ has made me today. I know that the mess of a life that I had will be used for God's glory!

Once you have repented of your sins to Christ let go of them yourself. Don't let the devil try to steal your joy. Remind yourself that you are NEW, forgiven, and loved. Forgive YOURSELF, just as Christ has forgiven you!

** Cue the Frozen theme song** :)

God bless,

Haleigh

Praying for & with your Children

A praying mother is POWERFUL. From the time our little ones come out of the womb we want nothing but the best for them. As a new mother I remember having a lot of fears and anxieties with my fragile newborn. Even before he was born a lot of thoughts and worries ran through my head and that is when I really started learning how to pray for my child. Praying to God and giving him all my worries and fears gave me total relief and peace of mind. I can remember sitting in Michael's nursery before his was born and praying over it, asking God for protection, peace, and comfort. I may or may not have prayed circles around my boys crib as my hubby was putting it together ;) !

With a newborn comes a lot of rocking chair sessions at 2:00 in the morning, which can also lead to some good prayer time. Sometimes some of those prayers may have been were for my sleep deprived sanity, but most of the time they were for my sweet boys heart and soul.

Here is a little bit of what we do:

Each night Michael and I have a special routine. As I am lathering him up with lotion I pray for him from head to toe. As I am putting lotion on his legs and feet I ask God to protect them and help him to walk the straight and narrow path that leads to Him. Next I pray for his heart that God would fill his heart with His Holy Spirit and that Michael would have a heart full of love for the Lord and others and not anger. I pray that Michael would remain pure until marriage and that he would honor God with his body. I move to his head and pray that he would have a sound mind that is full of God's wisdom, and that he would retain God's word and think positive thoughts. I pray for Michael's eyes to see things the way that God sees them. I pray for his ears to hear good things that are pleasing to God. And lastly I pray that God would guard his lips & that Michael would proclaim God's name and spread that gospel to others. I know all that may sound like a lot and may be weird to some but its a sweet time for Michael and I to spend with the Lord!

Once he gets his pj's on we read a little devotion called Bedtime Prayers by Bonnie Jenson. I really like this book because it starts out with a bible verse, then has a short devotional/poem, and ends with a little prayer. It is very toddler friendly and it helps teach children from a young age how to pray and spend time with God (the pictures are pretty cute too).

After the book I say/pray aloud Proverbs 4:20-27 over him. It is such a beautiful verse and kind of sums up our "head to toe" prayer! As I turn out the lights and finish getting him ready for bed I say my own prayer silently over him. I thank God for his health, happiness and growth. I thank him for the shield of protection that He has around him, and ask him to continue to protect and bless him. I pray more than anything that Michael will come to know the Lord at an early age, and be fully devoted to Him. I pray that he will have an unconditional love for him and lay down his life. I pray that he won't fail or fall astray as a teen, but that he will stay focused and active with the Lord. I pray that as he grows he will become a man of God that marries a godly woman, and his happy, healthy and successful in life...someone who is always willing to help others, who is slow to anger, a godly leader to his family, and a hard worker. I ask God to surround him with godly influences each and everyday that will help him to grown closer the God. Lastly I ask God to give Hunter and I wisdom as we train him up, and to cover us with patience and peace. To guide us as we discipline him, and to help us to be godly influences & to bring Him honor and glory with Michael's life.

We also pray aloud each morning on the way to work and daycare for others in our life, people who may be sick or hurting, and any other things that may be on my heart. I hope that by praying for things that are on my heart in front of Michael (even though he is just a toddler) that it will teach him how to pray and have a heart for God and others. I want to set the best example I can for him in hopes that he will grow to have great communication with God. We say many more little prayers throughout the day, and it is always such a joy to hear that sweet little AMEN coming from my little guys mouth! Oh and he also said his very first mealtime prayer the other day...it consisted of "ahjhdhi hishdihd sjhuahudhu...AMEN"! :) Even though I have no idea what he prayed for it sure did make this momma's heart smile!

I hope by this sort of detailed example of how I pray over & with my child gives you some ideas of ways to pray for & with your children. I know other moms may do it differently and I would love to hear them. Feel free to tell me things you may do... I am always up for learning new things/ways to do prayer time!

God bless,

Haleigh

God's work lately

There are some trials going on in my life right now, and though I though I would normally feel like I am down in the valley, I actually feel as though I am up on a mountain top. I have been feeling God's grace and love covering me each and every step of the way. I have heard is soft whispers tell me " I've got this Haleigh, don't you worry". I can totally rest in that!

God has been doing amazing work in me through the trials. Normally in situations like these I would make it all about me..." What is this happening to me", " Do they not care about how this will affect me", and the list goes on. It was all about me me me, but in reality these trials have nothing to do with my me directly. God has showed me during this season of life that in fact it is not about me, but about encouraging and loving others; Showing the same grace God shows us daily to others in the midst of this storm.

Taking the focus off of me and putting it on the one who is really in need is actually quite releaving.  God has showed me that I need to be giving Him the glory... Not glorifying myself.  God calls us to deny ourselves DAILY, take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23). God knew that we could not handle anything in this world on our own, we needed help and guidance. We need to follow HIM! His word always stand true and He is always faithful.

" We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our hope of confident salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment." - Romans 5:3-5

I love the way God breaks us down to help build us up. He completely strips us of our own "power" to show us that He is the ONLY way we are ever going to make it. I find total peace in the fact that even though we will have troubles and trials in this life we don't have to go through them alone. We have a living God that is ready to take on our full load of worries upon himself and show us the way to go. He gives us strength in our weakness, and wisdom in the very midst of not knowing what to do. He is the answer to every worry and wonder that we may have.

I am so THANKFUL for this trial and rough season in life... Yes thankful, because I know that through this it is making me a stronger person for God. It is bringing Him honor and glory and is helping me to fully lean on Him for everything! As I sent in this dental chair waiting on my next patient I have a fire burning in my heart for the wonderful awesomeness of God. I love this giddy feeling I have that comes with feeling God's presence upon me. Thank you so much God!!


** If you too are going through a tough season in life please feel free to email me at HaleighPerry22@gmail.com. I would love to pray for you and give you encouragement!**
 God bless, 
Haleigh

The Great I Am

" Again the high priest asked Him, Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I AM; and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty and coming on the clouds of heaven."    - Mark 14:61,62 

I AM.....

• Redeemer
• Healer
• Savior
• The Trinity
• Loving
• Gracious
• Merciful
• Comforter
• Understanding
• Giving
• Passionate
• Loyal
• The lion
• The lamb
• Ever present
• Helper
• Restorer
• LIFE
• The beginning
• The end

I could continue the list of all of the things that God is because in reality He is EVERYTHING. God is the reason we live and breathe. God is always there and is always working, weather we feel His presence or not, He never leaves us or forsakes us. God is loyal and is always waiting with open arms to forgive and RESTORE. He created this earth and He will bring this earth to an end. He holds ALL things together.

This morning as I was reading in Mark and drinking my coffee I noticed the sun shining through my window right into my eyes. I could hear the birds chirping and singing, and I thought to myself how awesome it is that God's creation sings praises to His name! As soon as the sun comes up its like those birds are thanking God for a new day. How often do we do that? I can be very guilty of just going through the motions of a busy week that I take for granite each new day that God has given me. A new day to praise His name, to start fresh, to seek God and rest in the peace that his restoration brings. Each new day is a remembrance of what Christ did for us on the cross...He gave His life so that we could have the hope and chance of having a NEW life in Him. Every new day brings a chance for new life in everyone.

" For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." -Matthew 26:11

Have you ever stopped to really think about all the Christ did for us on that cross. His whole life was dedicated to saving us. Christ knew what his purpose on this earth was and he sought after it with his whole heart....literally! He endured affliction, pain, and complete torture with us in mind the entire time. Wow! God's love for us is so big we could never grasp or understand it. I don't know about you, but I fail God a lot daily...it makes me wonder sometimes what makes a sinner like me, who can be rotten to the core, so special that God would want to give His sons life to save me?! Who would want to willingly suffer so much pain and anguish to save my life? The answer is simple, yet so in depth our flesh could never truly grasp it.....unfailing, everlasting LOVE!

God created us in His image and our purpose on this earth is to bear His image. I like to think of God's love like a mothers/parents love for their child. When your child is born your heart feels love like it never has before. You love your child so much you are wanting and willing to do whatever it takes to help them thrive. Nothing your child ever does could make you love them less, yet anything they do could make you love them more ( complicated right?!? ). Their daily life and activities put a smile on your face and fullness in your heart. That is EXACTLY (if not more) the way God feels about us. He loves us with an unconditional love and smiles down on us every day. He did whatever it took to help us thrive in this life...He gave us a SAVIOR! 

I know this sinner is forever thankful for God's amazing grace! I pray that I will never take Christ's sacrifice on the cross for granite, but rather embrace the illustration of love that was poured out for us that very day. God is OH SO GOOD, and I am so thankful he can save a wretch like you and I. Thank you JESUS...may our lives shine your light and glorify you!

" I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; And the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."
-Galatians 2:20  <<------- AMEN!!

God bless,
-Haleigh