My church had their annual Women's Retreat this last weekend, from which I just returned yesterday. I figured it would be great, as it was last year, but it was much more than that. The messages throughout the weekend continued to pierce deeply into my soul. Among many other topics, our speaker, Susie Larson, spoke of the importance of listening to and believing God's promises and to see ourselves as well as others through His eyes. She reiterated the extent of damage that comes from listening to the lies of the enemy, who comes only to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). By entertaining the negative thoughts that we hear, weather in our own mind or from others speaking to us, we are allowing the devil to steal God's promises from us. He has no claim on the promises of God. Only when we listen to him, do we freely hand over our blessings. But, if we stand on the word of God and refuse the lies, blessing and power are ours for the taking!

How often have I listened to the wrong voice? Daily. Am I going to allow this to continue? Not with the power of the Holy Spirit! Every day I will speak aloud the affirming words of the Lord, even if I may not feel like they are true. In God's eyes, they are true all of the time. I am also going to commit to spending time in God's Word every day. I have heard it so many times: "How can you deepen your intimacy with God if you never spend time with Him?" Those words are as true today as they ever were. So, without further ado, I will wrap this entry up and go spend some time with my Father God (before the kids wake up!).