I have been struggling with consistency the past few days. Worse, I am struggling with a lack of desire to be consistent. Lying around all the time should make it easier to spend more time in the Word, but I find there is a whole different set of distractions available to me. There are projects that I want to work on while I have the time, like organizing family pictures and researching home school options (my favorite website right now is www.homeschoolreviews.com). There are books I want to read (lately I have been devouring Joel Rosenberg’s books, The Last Jihad, The Last Days, and currently, The Ezekiel Option). And, while none of these are bad things, it’s amazing how much time they can eat up so that, at the end of the day, I have spent little or no time in the Word.
Another thing making it difficult is my irregular sleep schedule. I have gotten out of the habit of getting up at my regular time to be alone with God. Some nights I can’t get to sleep until 1 a.m., and on nights when I do fall asleep earlier, I often wake up in the wee hours of the morning, again unable to sleep. Pain and contractions certainly make sleep difficult sometimes! Of course, I can (and sometimes do) use that time to be in the Word. But usually my brain is so foggy from sleep deprivation that I can hardly concentrate on a verse, much less process what God is trying to say to me.
Maybe I’m being a bit hard on myself. I haven’t given up, and I do crack open my Bible at least a little each day. But why is it so much easier to distract myself from the pain with a novel or a movie (I’ve watched the whole Lord of the Rings series in the past couple of weeks) than it is to enter into the Word of God? I want my spirit to be renewed, and no other content, however worthy, can replace God’s living Word for doing that.
I know that my weak prayers and efforts are sweet incense to the Lord. I know that He sees the “yes” in my heart and understands my struggle. What concerns me, as I mentioned at the beginning, is how much my desire for time in the Word and prayer has decreased over the past few days.
Last night, when I couldn’t sleep, I listened to a OneThing podcast of a sermon by Misty Edwards. She was talking about the parable of the virgins with their lamps and oil in Matthew 25. She put it very simply: the lamps are our outward life and ministry. The oil is our inward life with God—intimacy with Him in the secret place (primarily spending time in the Word). The foolish virgins are the ones who spend all their time and energy on their lamps. They have a little oil, but they are not investing the time to deepen their relationship with God. In the end, they lose everything. The wise virgins, on the other hand, also have lamps, but they are not consumed by their outward lives. They are investing the best part of their time in getting oil, and when the light is darkest, their lamps do not go out.
Oh, how I want to be a wise virgin! Lord, help me not give in to lethargy or laziness concerning Your Word. Renew the urgency in my spirit to go deep in You.
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Give me oil in my lamp, I pray
Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning
Keep me burning till the break of day
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The Rock of Roseville, 725 Vernon Street, Roseville, CA 95678
Women ... mothers ... wives ... who have set our hearts to seek God first, knowing that as we do, "all these things shall be added" (Matthew 6:33).
Who We Are
We are a group of moms who long for a deeper relationship with God and for fellowship with others of like heart. We meet from 8-10pm the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at The Rock of Roseville, 725 Vernon Street, Roseville, CA. First we spend an hour in the prayer room to spend time with the Lord and read a chapter of a book we're studying together. Then we meet together to discuss the chapter and pray with one another. We are always open to new members, so if you're interested, come check us out! (Child care is not available; babies are welcome.)
Current Study
- Sacred Influence: How God Uses Wives to Shape the Souls of Their Husbands by Gary Thomas
- (Updated 8/7/10)
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The viewpoints expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the The Rock of Roseville. This is a spiritual journey, and we hope to grow in understanding as we seek the Lord together.
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History
Early in 2006, Michelle became desperate to learn how to pursue God wholeheartedly while being a wife and mommy. As the Lord began to answer her heart's cry, her desire grew to meet with other like-hearted moms. Thus was born Moms Pursuing God (aka "RHOP Moms"). Over the past year, longtime members Sarah and Ruth have stepped up to co-lead. We have been meeting nearly every Friday since May 2006, sharing our hearts, laughing, crying, praying, and forming lasting friendships. We would love for you to join us!
Leaders
Michelle was raised by parents who loved her and the Lord. After being sent around the world by the Air Force until she was nineteen, they returned to their home state of California. She married Paul in 2001 and came to The Rock in 2002, a few months before their first child was born. They now have four children and an ever-deepening desire to pursue the knowledge of God. Her hobbies are reading, taking walks, playing piano, board games, camping. She is a homemaker and home schooler.
Sarah grew up in Illinois and met her husband at a Vineyard church where they were youth/young adult pastors for a few years. She moved from Iowa to the Sacramento area with her husband and two children in 2005. They ended up at the Rock of Roseville in in 2006 and feel like this church home has been a huge part of the reason they ended up moving to the Sacramento area. Sarah is a stay at home mom for her two kids and is so desperate and grateful for the set aside time with God and other moms seeking Him at RHOP moms. She enjoys being outside: hiking, camping, being at the ocean or in the mountains, spending time in God's presence, loves reading a little too much, and baking.
Ruth grew up in Marysville and ended up in Sacramento. She married Jack in 1995, and spent 10 and a half years in Germany. In 2006, they returned to Sacramento and discovered The Rock and the Roseville House of Prayer. Currently she's home-schooling their two children and "holding down the fort" while Jack is spending the year deployed to Baghdad. Her hobbies are Alpine snow skiing, walking, biking, camping, swimming, and, when life slows down again, scrap booking. She is a homemaker and teacher. Her heart is that her biggest ministry in this season is to her husband and children.
Sarah grew up in Illinois and met her husband at a Vineyard church where they were youth/young adult pastors for a few years. She moved from Iowa to the Sacramento area with her husband and two children in 2005. They ended up at the Rock of Roseville in in 2006 and feel like this church home has been a huge part of the reason they ended up moving to the Sacramento area. Sarah is a stay at home mom for her two kids and is so desperate and grateful for the set aside time with God and other moms seeking Him at RHOP moms. She enjoys being outside: hiking, camping, being at the ocean or in the mountains, spending time in God's presence, loves reading a little too much, and baking.
Ruth grew up in Marysville and ended up in Sacramento. She married Jack in 1995, and spent 10 and a half years in Germany. In 2006, they returned to Sacramento and discovered The Rock and the Roseville House of Prayer. Currently she's home-schooling their two children and "holding down the fort" while Jack is spending the year deployed to Baghdad. Her hobbies are Alpine snow skiing, walking, biking, camping, swimming, and, when life slows down again, scrap booking. She is a homemaker and teacher. Her heart is that her biggest ministry in this season is to her husband and children.
3 comments:
I am going to share with you a scripture prayer from "Prayers That Avail Much for Mothers"
What I love about these prayers is that I am speaking the Word of God over my life and He promises that His Word will not return void. Therefore I can speak His Word over my life and expect it to do It's work!
This prayer is a commitment to walk in the Word. And since your stated desire is to be able to get into the Word I picked this one. There are so many that our great!
Father, in the name of Jesus, I commit myself to walk in the Word. Your Word living in me produces Your life in this world. I recognize that Your Word is integrity itself - steadfast, sure, eternal - and I trust my life to its provisions.
You have sent Your Word forth into my heart. I let it dwell in me richly in all wisdom. I meditate on it day and night so that I may diligently act on it. The Incorruptible Seed, the Living Word, the Word of Truth, is abiding in my spirit. That Seed is growing mightily in me now, producing Your nature, Your life. It is my counsel, my sheild, my buckler, my powerful weapon in battle. The Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It makes my way plain before me. I do not stumble, for my steps are ordered in the Word.
The Holy Spirit leads and guides me into all the truth. He gives me understanding, discernment, and comprehension so that I am preserved from the snares of the evil one.
I delight myself in You and Your Word. Because of that, You put Your desires in my heart. I commit my way unto You, and You bring it to pass. I am comfident that You are at work in me now both to will and to do all Your good pleasure.
I exalt Your Word, hold it in high esteem, and give it first place. I make my schedule around Your Word. I make the Word my final authority to settle all questions that confront me. I choose to agree with the Word of God, and I choose to disagree with any thoughts, conditions, or circumstances contrary to Your Word. I boldly and confidently say that my heart is fixed and established on the solid foundation - the living Word of God.
Heb. 4:12
Col. 3:16
Josh 1:8
1 Pet 1:23
Ps 91:4
Ps 119:105
Ps 37:23
Col 1:9
John 16:13
1 Pet 3:12
Col 4:2
Eph 6:10
Luke 18:1
James 5:16
Ps 37:4,5
Phil 2:13
2 Cor 10:5
Ps 112:7,8
The above are the references from which the prayer was written.
I know your heart is after Him and He knows Your heart is toward Him. Don't put yourself under a burden tha God has not given you for His burdens are light! Rest in Him.
He told me today that as long as I do what I do unto Him that it is okay to have FUN!
Love, Mama
Thanks, Mama. I'm going to look up those verses! I'm also fasting entertainment this week to refocus my heart on my one true Delight. He is so good!
Also, to back up what you said about doing unto Him, even fun:
"And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him" (Col. 3:17).
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