Good morning Donny from N.C. Thank you for sharing with us your honesty and your heart. That says so much about a person. Like you, I have many weaknesses and am truly fallible. But through confession and repentance, God forgives and we become transformed once again. Recently, I went through a trial or struggle that was needed to bring my "focus" back to Him because God knew that was needed for me to grow in spiritual maturity, let it go, learn from it, and to develop a stronger relationship with Jesus. Details aren't really important, but there was a blessing received in the middle of it and also the greatest reward in the end; when the joy was put back in my heart and where I prioritized my focus. God did that, not me. It's so easy to get caught up with ourselves, to say yes to this and that, but like you said if we seek His face first, God will reveal His will to us. Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." If I could add one extra word to "focus," that would be "kingdom." The eternal kingdom is God's promise to us by way of the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. I'm dong my best to stay "kingdom focused" and let God reveal His will for me and in His timing. I'm learning every day to get stronger by doing this, but it is a conscious effort on my part to try. I'm learning more each day to place God first by staying "kingdom focused" and live in the present (today) and let Him guide me for the tomorrows. Will I fail again at this? Most likely, but like you shared, confess, repent, and refocus your heart and mind and let the Holy Spirit guide you that lives in your soul. The one phrase I always come back to is "one step and one day at a time" with God first and Jesus at the wheel. God bless you Donny and again, thank you for sharing your heart with us.
Wonderful prayer walk Donny, it’s kind of funny but I’ve been going through the same with being overwhelmed and not being able to focus.
So totally understand this feeling for the past year but I’ve started to refocus on things that give me joy and less on things that really just don’t matter
I like what you said about focusing in on God and making my relationship stronger with him and as you’ve said he is focused on us we need to do the same ...
Balance is so hard to maintain in this life because there are so many wonderful distractions (and also some not so good ones). I know how easy it is to get out of balance and tip the scale the wrong direction. I appreciate your recognition and repentance. It's honest and heartfelt and I know you want nothing more than to please God in the way you live your life. However, perhaps the other things you were doing this week were also an outpouring of your love for Him. These prayer walks used to be personal and private, just for you to spend time with the Lord. I would never want them to become an obligation to please people by keeping a set schedule. There is room for God to redirect your path on any prayer walk day! Perhaps you are needing to take time away just for you and God. Sometimes it's hard to make that a priority when we have a lot going on as you do. I try to make it happen every day, but I'm not perfect at it either. Your questions made me think about whether what I do each day is truly to have quality time with him or if I'm going through the motions and making time with Him just another thing to check off my to do list each day. I'll spend some time in prayer about that. Thanks, Donny, for being you and reminding us about what's important. Blessings!
This walk reminded me of the conversation you had with Graham. God reminding you that you need to find your focus, realizing what your priorities are (those nudges).
I struggle with this so often as a teacher I have so many things on my plate, I teach, coach our academic teams and our coding and robotics teams. I so often find myself so lost in keeping everything on track and organized that there are many days when I have no idea of my purpose and no hope of finding focus.
There are times when I question if this is the place I need to be, but the fear of stepping out of that is pretty scary. But, as my Granny used to say "Give to God, he knows your way". Thank you for all you do on this platform to encourage, teach and question. You are doing amazing work.
This prayer walk resonates on so many levels. Thank you for sharing, just the nudge needed. The new year started with a bang and I have found focus is hard to find while so many want time and attention (even Mother Nature has made some demands). Finding time to sit with Lord and listening to the silence should always be a priority. Here’s to making time. We all need to right the course occasionally. Love you 🥰
First off, you do not need to apologize. Has not the world conditioned us to run by schedules etc? I consider each Prayer Walk a gift, a blessing, not a scheduled expectation.
Talking about distractions and as we all fall into the 'things' of this world because we are of this world. The MOST important thing is our relationship with the Lord. He truly is the only sustenance that will sustain us. Should we all become dependent on you? I know you would rather each if us grow our own relationship with Jesus/God/Holy Spirit. So perhaps when you are not 'on time' in our man made schedules it is because He wants us to seek Him more fully. Actually, that is what He wants always.
If I become dependant on my devotional books, podcasts etc I can still he fooled that this is my relationship with Him.
Draw near to God while He may be found.
You are a gift, a pattern, an example of how to seek Him and be humble before Him. Thank you! I pray you can give yourself grace on this.
Perhaps the Lord would have you do Prayer Walks and publish them when He moves. Not every week at 0:00 hours etc.
This talk resonates fully. I spend so much time on all the stuff entangled with this world. My soul and spirit are only fulfilled when I draw near to Him and from Him. When we take time to do our own prayer walks or sit and rest in Him is how we are filled to walk in the Spirit.
When we walk in the Spirit He does amazing things in the world.
Sadly, more of my time is spent on meaningless things. Yet, He knows my heart. He knows your heart.
Be blessed.
Thank you for your faithfulness. And I really love that you notate scripture references.
And give my hubby, Peter a shout about the electronics on the bus! Maybe pop by for a meal. We always love drop in company if we are around.
Good afternoon Donny happy Thursday and it’s very cold -29F as we speak. Wow your honesty and your heart thank you my friend. I have this words that my nurse gifted to me while I was going through chemo treatments 3/2015 for 8 weeks. You see before my treatments I was in the darkest moment of my life that I ask God I don’t want to be a part living in this earthly place. “ The journey of persistent prayer will only strengthen your faith as you expect God to show up an answer.” When we are asking for God to move in small or mighty way,for doors to be open,seeds to be planted,or for angels to intervene on our behalf,we need to remember it doesn’t end there. We need to stand in faith,believe it will be done and be still long enough for the Lord to direct us in any steps in between . I’ll be the first to admit, I am much better standing in expectancy for something that I am praying for to happen in someone else’s life then my own. I hope that’s not you but if it is the Lord whispers today,child,I got your back,trust fall and fall on me. Faith can be defined as a strong belief or trust in Gods abilities. It’s not a whimsical thing,it’s the knowledge of who God is,the miracles He has performed and the deep love He has for you. Remember he said I will leave the 99 to go to the 1. He is not going to leave you stranded. He alone is able to move mountains ,heal the sick,and raise the dead. Jesus urges every follower to pray without a measure of expectancy . We must truly believe that God is willing and able to provide for each and everyone of our needs. He fed thousands with food enough for few,parted the Red Sea, save Jonah from the belly of a whale, he CAN handle your mountain! When we ask him in faith ,and do not doubt, we can fully expect to receive the desires of our heart.I thank God for the plan you have for each and everyone of us and I look forward to the mountains you are going to move today,this week,this month and on until the day of your return. Thank you for reminders I hope you will take the time just for you and with God. Much blessings my friend.🙏
Thank you, Donny, for your honesty. I must say that I really missed the prayer walk last week- it's really a picker-upper in the middle of the week. I used to go to church on Wed. Night. But, now I am babysitting grandkids (that daughter is a nurse and soninlaw is a cop; so, they work 12 hour days. :( Anyway, your walks are like Bible studies for me. Also, we all need to refocus often. You have so much going on, it's good to take a small break once in awhile. Just know you are prayed for,-Phil.1:3-5
Hi Donny -- did you ever hear the old expression “like a fart in a skillet”? Well, that’s how I’d describe my life -- hopping around from one thing to another. I’m always glad when God just needs a nudge to get me back into focus and not a “hammer to the head.” I kind of think that’s what happened to you. I missed your Prayer Walk last week. Thanks for being the nudge I often need. Here’s to a joyful, focused January for both of us, using our gifts to serve the Lord. Praying... -- Jan xoxo
Donny, I can not begin to tell you how blessed I am to have you in my life. I have had many nudges in my life the strongest being Graham and you. You never have to apologize for not being there for us or on time. I have always had problems with praying, finding the words. You have been a God sent. God put you in my life. We all waver and we realign. God knows where your heart is. God blessings 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Luke 12:34 This verse is so simple but yet says so much. My treasure is what I value the most, where I feel my safety and security is. For the world that may be wealth, possessions, power or success. For me my security lies solely in my relationship with God. All else is fleeting and temporary. My heart is the most intimate part of me, where my moral compass lies, the source of my choices in life. Together treasure and heart determine where I spend my time, energy, resources. It is the focus of all I do, the direction finder of my journey and ultimately leads me to my final reward. As I go through the various trials or challenges of life and lose focus, which I do more often than I wish, I remind myself that my treasure is in my relationship with God. My choices of the heart must honor that. Thank you for this prayer walk and your sincerity, humbleness and the love of God that shines through you. Continued blessings on your journey. My prayers are with you. ❤️🙏
According to Genesis 6&7 Noah was 600 years old when the Ark was ready for all of his family to board and trust God for ever how long it was going to last for the flood and rain to stop. While God had Noah focused on building the Ark, God was calling the creatures to make their way to the Ark. Jesus was called to His ministry at the age of 30 and was working with 12 imperfect people. We all are loved deeply by God and I’m sure we leave Him perplexed many times. Noah had to build a boat his focus was trusting in God. Jesus had to be perfectly trusting the Father for 3 years for God to get the glory and achieve what He was destined to do. Focus for me can get off track but I know I must keep my eyes on the prize. Jesus is my portion so I can trust Him. We must be forgiving and loving others more than ourselves. My ultimate goal is to preach the gospel unto all the world. All I ever see is you doing that. Please don’t feel discouraged. God placed you in my path and it is a blessing to me. I will never try to push you to achieve my goal for your life. I trust God to do that.
Good morning Donny from N.C. Thank you for sharing with us your honesty and your heart. That says so much about a person. Like you, I have many weaknesses and am truly fallible. But through confession and repentance, God forgives and we become transformed once again. Recently, I went through a trial or struggle that was needed to bring my "focus" back to Him because God knew that was needed for me to grow in spiritual maturity, let it go, learn from it, and to develop a stronger relationship with Jesus. Details aren't really important, but there was a blessing received in the middle of it and also the greatest reward in the end; when the joy was put back in my heart and where I prioritized my focus. God did that, not me. It's so easy to get caught up with ourselves, to say yes to this and that, but like you said if we seek His face first, God will reveal His will to us. Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." If I could add one extra word to "focus," that would be "kingdom." The eternal kingdom is God's promise to us by way of the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. I'm dong my best to stay "kingdom focused" and let God reveal His will for me and in His timing. I'm learning every day to get stronger by doing this, but it is a conscious effort on my part to try. I'm learning more each day to place God first by staying "kingdom focused" and live in the present (today) and let Him guide me for the tomorrows. Will I fail again at this? Most likely, but like you shared, confess, repent, and refocus your heart and mind and let the Holy Spirit guide you that lives in your soul. The one phrase I always come back to is "one step and one day at a time" with God first and Jesus at the wheel. God bless you Donny and again, thank you for sharing your heart with us.
Wonderful prayer walk Donny, it’s kind of funny but I’ve been going through the same with being overwhelmed and not being able to focus.
So totally understand this feeling for the past year but I’ve started to refocus on things that give me joy and less on things that really just don’t matter
I like what you said about focusing in on God and making my relationship stronger with him and as you’ve said he is focused on us we need to do the same ...
Balance is so hard to maintain in this life because there are so many wonderful distractions (and also some not so good ones). I know how easy it is to get out of balance and tip the scale the wrong direction. I appreciate your recognition and repentance. It's honest and heartfelt and I know you want nothing more than to please God in the way you live your life. However, perhaps the other things you were doing this week were also an outpouring of your love for Him. These prayer walks used to be personal and private, just for you to spend time with the Lord. I would never want them to become an obligation to please people by keeping a set schedule. There is room for God to redirect your path on any prayer walk day! Perhaps you are needing to take time away just for you and God. Sometimes it's hard to make that a priority when we have a lot going on as you do. I try to make it happen every day, but I'm not perfect at it either. Your questions made me think about whether what I do each day is truly to have quality time with him or if I'm going through the motions and making time with Him just another thing to check off my to do list each day. I'll spend some time in prayer about that. Thanks, Donny, for being you and reminding us about what's important. Blessings!
Just what I needed to hear👏🏻. Thank you for hearing from the Holy Spirit & giving me that “nudge”! May we never forget the price Jesus paid for us💥
This walk reminded me of the conversation you had with Graham. God reminding you that you need to find your focus, realizing what your priorities are (those nudges).
I struggle with this so often as a teacher I have so many things on my plate, I teach, coach our academic teams and our coding and robotics teams. I so often find myself so lost in keeping everything on track and organized that there are many days when I have no idea of my purpose and no hope of finding focus.
There are times when I question if this is the place I need to be, but the fear of stepping out of that is pretty scary. But, as my Granny used to say "Give to God, he knows your way". Thank you for all you do on this platform to encourage, teach and question. You are doing amazing work.
This prayer walk resonates on so many levels. Thank you for sharing, just the nudge needed. The new year started with a bang and I have found focus is hard to find while so many want time and attention (even Mother Nature has made some demands). Finding time to sit with Lord and listening to the silence should always be a priority. Here’s to making time. We all need to right the course occasionally. Love you 🥰
Donny,
First off, you do not need to apologize. Has not the world conditioned us to run by schedules etc? I consider each Prayer Walk a gift, a blessing, not a scheduled expectation.
Talking about distractions and as we all fall into the 'things' of this world because we are of this world. The MOST important thing is our relationship with the Lord. He truly is the only sustenance that will sustain us. Should we all become dependent on you? I know you would rather each if us grow our own relationship with Jesus/God/Holy Spirit. So perhaps when you are not 'on time' in our man made schedules it is because He wants us to seek Him more fully. Actually, that is what He wants always.
If I become dependant on my devotional books, podcasts etc I can still he fooled that this is my relationship with Him.
Draw near to God while He may be found.
You are a gift, a pattern, an example of how to seek Him and be humble before Him. Thank you! I pray you can give yourself grace on this.
Perhaps the Lord would have you do Prayer Walks and publish them when He moves. Not every week at 0:00 hours etc.
This talk resonates fully. I spend so much time on all the stuff entangled with this world. My soul and spirit are only fulfilled when I draw near to Him and from Him. When we take time to do our own prayer walks or sit and rest in Him is how we are filled to walk in the Spirit.
When we walk in the Spirit He does amazing things in the world.
Sadly, more of my time is spent on meaningless things. Yet, He knows my heart. He knows your heart.
Be blessed.
Thank you for your faithfulness. And I really love that you notate scripture references.
And give my hubby, Peter a shout about the electronics on the bus! Maybe pop by for a meal. We always love drop in company if we are around.
Good afternoon Donny happy Thursday and it’s very cold -29F as we speak. Wow your honesty and your heart thank you my friend. I have this words that my nurse gifted to me while I was going through chemo treatments 3/2015 for 8 weeks. You see before my treatments I was in the darkest moment of my life that I ask God I don’t want to be a part living in this earthly place. “ The journey of persistent prayer will only strengthen your faith as you expect God to show up an answer.” When we are asking for God to move in small or mighty way,for doors to be open,seeds to be planted,or for angels to intervene on our behalf,we need to remember it doesn’t end there. We need to stand in faith,believe it will be done and be still long enough for the Lord to direct us in any steps in between . I’ll be the first to admit, I am much better standing in expectancy for something that I am praying for to happen in someone else’s life then my own. I hope that’s not you but if it is the Lord whispers today,child,I got your back,trust fall and fall on me. Faith can be defined as a strong belief or trust in Gods abilities. It’s not a whimsical thing,it’s the knowledge of who God is,the miracles He has performed and the deep love He has for you. Remember he said I will leave the 99 to go to the 1. He is not going to leave you stranded. He alone is able to move mountains ,heal the sick,and raise the dead. Jesus urges every follower to pray without a measure of expectancy . We must truly believe that God is willing and able to provide for each and everyone of our needs. He fed thousands with food enough for few,parted the Red Sea, save Jonah from the belly of a whale, he CAN handle your mountain! When we ask him in faith ,and do not doubt, we can fully expect to receive the desires of our heart.I thank God for the plan you have for each and everyone of us and I look forward to the mountains you are going to move today,this week,this month and on until the day of your return. Thank you for reminders I hope you will take the time just for you and with God. Much blessings my friend.🙏
Thank you, Donny, for your honesty. I must say that I really missed the prayer walk last week- it's really a picker-upper in the middle of the week. I used to go to church on Wed. Night. But, now I am babysitting grandkids (that daughter is a nurse and soninlaw is a cop; so, they work 12 hour days. :( Anyway, your walks are like Bible studies for me. Also, we all need to refocus often. You have so much going on, it's good to take a small break once in awhile. Just know you are prayed for,-Phil.1:3-5
Hi Donny -- did you ever hear the old expression “like a fart in a skillet”? Well, that’s how I’d describe my life -- hopping around from one thing to another. I’m always glad when God just needs a nudge to get me back into focus and not a “hammer to the head.” I kind of think that’s what happened to you. I missed your Prayer Walk last week. Thanks for being the nudge I often need. Here’s to a joyful, focused January for both of us, using our gifts to serve the Lord. Praying... -- Jan xoxo
Donny, I can not begin to tell you how blessed I am to have you in my life. I have had many nudges in my life the strongest being Graham and you. You never have to apologize for not being there for us or on time. I have always had problems with praying, finding the words. You have been a God sent. God put you in my life. We all waver and we realign. God knows where your heart is. God blessings 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️
Thank you Donny! Yes I am guilty of the same thing. And I forgive you! Please forgive me!
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Luke 12:34 This verse is so simple but yet says so much. My treasure is what I value the most, where I feel my safety and security is. For the world that may be wealth, possessions, power or success. For me my security lies solely in my relationship with God. All else is fleeting and temporary. My heart is the most intimate part of me, where my moral compass lies, the source of my choices in life. Together treasure and heart determine where I spend my time, energy, resources. It is the focus of all I do, the direction finder of my journey and ultimately leads me to my final reward. As I go through the various trials or challenges of life and lose focus, which I do more often than I wish, I remind myself that my treasure is in my relationship with God. My choices of the heart must honor that. Thank you for this prayer walk and your sincerity, humbleness and the love of God that shines through you. Continued blessings on your journey. My prayers are with you. ❤️🙏
My friend Donny,
According to Genesis 6&7 Noah was 600 years old when the Ark was ready for all of his family to board and trust God for ever how long it was going to last for the flood and rain to stop. While God had Noah focused on building the Ark, God was calling the creatures to make their way to the Ark. Jesus was called to His ministry at the age of 30 and was working with 12 imperfect people. We all are loved deeply by God and I’m sure we leave Him perplexed many times. Noah had to build a boat his focus was trusting in God. Jesus had to be perfectly trusting the Father for 3 years for God to get the glory and achieve what He was destined to do. Focus for me can get off track but I know I must keep my eyes on the prize. Jesus is my portion so I can trust Him. We must be forgiving and loving others more than ourselves. My ultimate goal is to preach the gospel unto all the world. All I ever see is you doing that. Please don’t feel discouraged. God placed you in my path and it is a blessing to me. I will never try to push you to achieve my goal for your life. I trust God to do that.