Prayer the life giving conversation

Prayer has got to be one of my most favorite subjects in the Bible, right next to Love. Prayer is the conversation that can bring significant change to your life, or how you see your life.

Sometimes praying, just the act of conversation with God, can change how you see things. God often lifts off the blinders and you can see the situation for what it is, or why the person does what they do, or why your answer hasn't come yet.

God needs you to remember that in the midst of this chaotic life, He wants to hear from you. Our lives should not be so busy that we don't stop to have a conversation with our Father. He cherishes the time we spend with Him. It should not be a check list item, but a full immersion in His presence. That alone is when true peace, love and grace is found. Give God the opportunity to talk back. He will, and you can know it's him by His voice aligning with biblical principles. (If you aren't sure about something, Check your Bible) Please if you learn nothing else as a follower of Christ, learn to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. That will be the most beneficial thing you can ever have in your arsenal against the enemy, and in life in general.

Prayers do not have to sound beautiful, they need to be heartfelt.
Let your prayer life, be an opportunity for God to give you a new/changed life.
Love and Prayers,
Shevonne Daley

Faith like a Child

Often times children will incessantly beg for what they REALLY want. Where did we lose that? Well we probably lost it when we were told it was wrong! LOL

Persistence in prayer is a lot like asking God, like a little child, over and over for the thing we want/need. At times like a good Father, God denies us what we want because we are not ready, or it really would not help us. God's will is for us to prosper. He will not give us anything that will set us back or set us apart from Him.

There are those times though when you have to go for it, and pray hard, and often for your request. Praying til you get an answer! I think of my son, to whom I promised I would go on a date with him and take him to see the Lego Movie. He won't let me forget it and I don't want to go back on my promise either! I will see to it that we do go and it is one of the best dates yet! If God has promised you something, He delights in giving you the best of what He promised! He will take his time if he has to, only so you can have the very best, so remember that. (I have to remember this too)

Also like a child, don't forget the good He has already done! My son and daughter often relish in the fond memories they have had with us. They remember that we have stayed true to things we had promised them, which only reminds them more to ask when a promise has not been fulfilled! LOL Remember the good, the miracles, the healings, the greatness of God's work in your life. Be persistent! I can name plenty of times in the Bible and in my life where persistence played a key roll in answered prayer. Don't give up child!
Love and Prayers,
Shevonne

Everything is Meaningless

These words used to confuse me so much when I was younger. How could the Bible tell us that "Everything is meaningless"?

Let me tell you what I have learned through the last 10 years walking this journey out with Christ. I am not a Bible scholar nor do I pretend to be. I do know, however, what God has revealed to my heart. We as humans put so much meaning into unsubstantial things and situations, we make mountains out of molehills, and try desperately to make sense of every little thing. I honestly believe what Solomon was trying to tell us is we are not as smart as we think we are, nor are we just here taking up space. We can never grasp the whole picture like God can. We have purpose and are searching always to fulfill that purpose but often times we stress on things that eat up time, and have no impact on our future, or our particular purpose.

Yesterday my Grandfather passed, and I realized how much time I have wasted doing the silliest things. How could I be so dense to make things so big when they never were. We put so much emphasis on our past, we carry shame for life's regrets, when what we should be doing is living life as God intended. Sharing His love with the world, with thankfulness for all that He has blessed us with. Instead we stress about money, time, scrutinizing ourselves, badgering our families about things that don't matter, crying over how hard life is. We forget this life is fleeting, that any moment can be our last. We forget to relish in the good, and instead focus on all the things that need change. Granted there is a time and place for evaluation and for improvement. To never stop and breathe, reminding ourselves how fragile life is, only robs us of the goodness God intends for us.

Many times I have caught myself tearing myself down, if I ever thought of a friend the way I think about myself, I wouldn't have friends! I have had to learn to step outside the negativity, remind myself of what matters: God, family, church,and community. It is meaningless, this life is a treasure and we truly need to start taking every day and lay it at our Father's feet. Follow His lead and live! Live abundantly, with grace, love and hope! My point is, stop worrying, stop stressing, stop beating yourself up. Learn with God, Love with God, and never let Him Go. Everything else will fall into place and you will find you live a more fulfilling life.

Love and Prayers,

Shevonne Daley 

Humility as a Crooked Saint

The name may seem misleading, like I think I am a Saint but live a crooked life, but it is actually quite opposite. I have lived a life full of crooked paths and brokenness. God made me a Saint the day I became a Christian though I am still battle scarred and as I say, "Beautifully Broken". Beautifully broken like a broken lamp held together with glue, and the light inside shines beautifully through the cracks. This is how Jesus shines through in all our lives. The number one lesson I learned about becoming a Christian is humility. Often new Christians feel this need to be perfect, and in this perfection everyone around them who says they are Christians should be perfect too! What we often fail to realize is everyone is on a journey and in very different places in that journey with Christ.
Pride and Prejudice will get you nowhere as a Christian let me tell you. (Awesome book reference right there.) A humble heart and a transparent life God can mold and use to influence lives. I am not saying let your past define you as broken, but to remember where you have come from. Humbly accept your inequities. This is a direct path to our purpose.
None of us are perfect in any shape or form, and we would deceive ourselves to think otherwise. It's only through Christ perfection that I could ever call myself righteous. No matter how "righteously" I try to live, or perfect I try to be, without Christ I would always fall short. I thank God every day for His presence in my life. Without Him I would be a hot mess, that is for sure.
So, yes, I am a Saint, but bent by experience with a crooked past. I make sure to point all that has changed, all that has prospered, all that has propelled me forward and made me better towards Christ. He is the one who has done the hard work to put me right with God, all I have to do is make sure I obey the Holy Spirit's convictions and direction.
I hope and pray you realize your life, no matter how far off it had been in the past, can absolutely change the outcome in someone else's life. All you have to do is accept your faults and remind yourself God is working on you and through you. Continue to grow friends in the Light and Living Water of Jesus!
From one Crooked Saint to another,
Shevonne

When you think you're down and out

There are days I must tell you when I feel like tapping out. Where every ounce of fight I have is spent, my energy is zapped, and I can barely lift my chin to look my enemy in the face to continue on. This is the very place where our spirit cries out for us, screaming out to God on our behalf. HELP!! We can be thankful as Christians that even when we don't have it in us to continue on, God does!
Recently my battle has been my health. After struggling for years with PCOS, then Diabetes and CRPS/RSD, I thought I could never strive for health! Believe me I tried it all, diets, exercise, pain management. I was on the brink of being put on a morphine pump for my pain condition when I got a healing! Literally I was going in the next week to talk about my options and God showed up and began to show off in my life.
So my RSD pain is so minimal now I take 1 pill at night versus 5 pills all day long! I can function and move like a normal person. So my next focus was my weight (main issue for PCOS and Diabetes) I did a diet called the Optifast meal replacement, and it seemed to work fine til I couldn't afford it any longer. I kept the weight off too, til I got an injury. For me enough was enough after 20 + years of being overweight. I weighed 200 lbs in 5th grade, yes I know I am young, but it really had been 20 years. I decided I had to take the leap and I did Gastric Bypass, the hardest and best decision I ever made! I am now almost a year out on Feb. 23rd, and have lost exactly 100 lbs! My Diabetes is gone and technically so is my PCOS. So I have been more active, been able to take care of my Sister's two kids on top of my own, and do things like play softball, and just be an active 33 year old woman.
I thought my battle was over, man was I wrong! I am still battling hard for my fertility and for my body to align with God's perfect will. Every month I am knocked down and can barely move, this is not how God has intended for me to live. I feel defeated in these moments but that is when the Spirit reminds me to FIGHT and FIGHT HARD! I am not made to be a wimp when the going gets tough. I am God's Daughter and all his Daughters are WARRIOR women! So I summon up my battle cry, get to my knees and pray this thing out. I may not have the physical strength but I have God!
Whatever you are battling for, whom ever you are battling with (yourself, a family member, friends, the Enemy) remember your #1 weapon is Prayer. The devil is terrified of it because he has no defense against it. The only thing he can do to win a battle is to keep you from crying out. If you are disappointed, talk to God. If you are angry, talk to God. If you are depressed, talk to God. Let him know how you feel, get back to His heart, remind yourself God is on your side. He intends good for His children. To prosper and not harm you. He can save you from yourself, the enemy's schemes, and from the pain. If you just cry out.
Don't get frustrated when everything doesn't fall magically into place as soon as you pray. Prayer is the beginning, like they say "Rome wasn't built in a day." Prayer takes time to be answered and completed. God doesn't start something He won't finish. So if you are just at the beginning, don't give up, keep praying it out til the answer is complete!
So I am praying for my promised addition to our family, our 3rd child, and I am praying for health that is complete in God's eyes so I can do more for His Kingdom. I will prosper even while I am down. If anything just telling my story to keep others encouraged is a direct hit to the enemy even when I may seem down and out.
Hope this encourages you a bit to keep pressing in, keep circling those prayers until the answer comes!
Love and Prayers
Shevonne

And so it begins...

Now is the time, there is no time like the present, and all of those other sayings that empower you to start something new are going through my head. This blog has been in  my heart but could not come to fruition til I had a title, of course! So here it is: Musings of a Crooked Saint. This is a blog about my life lessons and, hopefully to come, life lessons of other Crooked Saints who have been through the muck and mire and came out shining for Christ! If you ever needed to be encouraged, empowered, lifted up, or just like to read about other people's journeys, well you have found the right place.
Musings of a Crooked Saint came from the heart purpose God christened me with. Running For the Broken (A Suicide Prevention and Awareness Group) is just part of that, I am a Crooked Saint, I am a broken down mess put back together by the glue of God's Love and Grace. I am made a Saint now in God's eyes for Christ's sacrifice! I have seen pain and anguish, and thought I could never be used! I thought I would always be a mess, and no one would listen to my story. God proved me wrong over and over again. So here I am to share my experiences, and the experiences of others to help you or someone you know fight another day, be inspired to be more, reach for big and better dreams!
So I invite you to comment, share, write me about your stories if you want me to place them on the site. I am open to it all and look forward to what God will do with this Blog. I know the internet can be used for amazing things and I pray this blog reaches people I will never meet or see in person, and it inspires hope, love, grace and fellowship!
Love and Prayers,
Shevonne