“that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I am calling today Transformation Tips Tuesday as we have titled our Tuesdays before. However, as I was praying about today’s post it occurred to me that every day Julie, Ray, and I share with you our prayer is that in some way your lives will be transformed by His words/photos through us. Likewise, we are transformed through the process and by your words of encouragement.

Today’s photo is of eggs. With the rise in the cost lately, eggs have become a luxury item. Today some Christians celebrate Shrove Tuesday which involves eggs and indulgences. Julie and I are United Methodist and our local church, Herbert Memorial UMC usually has a pancake supper. While this may not be your tradition, perhaps learning about it would give you some insight and understanding into the traditions of others. Click here to read an explanation of Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Tuesday.

Do you celebrate Shrove Tuesday? Do you have any traditions leading up to Lent? Do you celebrate Lent? Tomorrow’s post will explain more about Lent. For now, may God transform each of us as we begin this season of reflection and transformation.

Dear Heavenly Father, May my eyes be open and my heart be willing to look and receive Your message for ways You want me to be transformed. May my ears hear Your word and may I respond accordingly. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Water Walkers has accepted the Rethink Photo-a-Day challenge for Lent. Join Deborah and I in this short video “Let’s Talk Lent” to learn more.

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Let’s kick our week off with Mindset Monday as we move toward the season of Lent. Lent is a time of inward reflection. We will explain more about Lent in the next few days. For now, I encourage you to examine the spiritual disciplines that you currently practice. Click here to read more about various spiritual disciplines. After reading, do you feel a nudge to change your approach to something you currently practice or are you feeling a nudge to begin a new practice? Is God asking you to lead in a communal spiritual discipline? Today, let’s go to the cross with open minds and yielding hearts as God leads us toward the season of Lent.

Dear God, Open my eyes to any spiritual discipline you would have me put into practice to draw me closer to you. Give me the strength, courage, and resolve to move in the way you would have me. May all that I say and do be a reflection of Your presence in my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Sabbath Sunday. A Sabbath is a day of worship and/or rest. Do you observe a Sabbath? Is this a new word to you? Click here to read an article by the United Methodist church that better defines Sabbath.

Sabbath is an opportunity to rest in the arms of Jesus. I have found that observing the Sabbath is a necessary practice for me. Without worship and resting in Christ, I burn out and crash.

I encourage you to set aside a Sabbath. Spend time worshipping God and resting in Christ. Allow your batteries to be recharged and your focus to be reset.

“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him. Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭34‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Join me for 👉 See You Saturday as we talk about how God inhabits our praises.

“Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” 2 Chronicles‬ ‭20‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I encourage you to worship with “The Battle is Yours” by Red Rocks Worship.

I encourage you to pray through the Bible.

Dear God, I give thanks to you Lord, for your love endures forever (2 Chr 20:21). I sing to you Lord, I make a joyful noise to you, the rock of my salvation (Psalm 95:1). In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

All this week I have encouraged you to use your senses for worship. Today as we talk about sight, I am actually going to ask the opposite of you. In 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV, we read: “For we live by faith, not by SIGHT.” So now as you sit with God, take a moment to close your eyes and take a trip down memory lane. Can you see how God has been right beside you? Can you see His faithfulness in your life? Our faith is to be lived out, not by what we see looking ahead but rather what we see through God’s past and current faithfulness.

Once you recall God’s faithfulness, you can have confidence that He is always before you. Always making a way for you. We read in Isaiah 43:19 NIV: “SEE, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

What is your favorite promise? Do you have a life verse? Do you need to be reminded to pray big? Use your time of worship today to meditate on God’s faithful promises. I will leave you with a few of my favorites.

My favorite promise comes from Philippians 4:13 NIV: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

What I consider my life verse comes from Philippians 1:6 NIV: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

When I need to be reminded to pray big I read Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Now let’s pray using scripture!

Dear God, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your SIGHT Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬) In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.” Luke 8‬:‭43‬-‭44‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There are several instances where Jesus’ touch is recorded in the Bible. One example is Jesus healing the blind man in Matthew 9:29 NIV: “Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’” Another example is Jesus healing the man with Leprosy in Mark 1:41 NIV: “Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’”

In our key verse, a woman courageously touched just the edge of Jesus’ cloak. This touch must have taken so much faith and humility as she had been deemed unclean. Her faith in Jesus was recorded in His response in Luke 8:48: “Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” How can we worship God with our touch? We can worship with both courageous bold faith and a humble spirit.

As you sit and worship with God I want you to imagine you are sitting at Jesus’ feet. With His cloak within reach courageously lift your arms up to God. Use your sense of touch to worship Him. There doesn’t always need to be healing, we can simply lift our arms up in humble praise. Now let’s pray.

Dear God, Thank you for your healing touch. Thank you for the unnamed woman to teach me about bold faith. I humbly lift my arms to you in praise and seek to worship you in all I do and say. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.