The Summer Devotions Pursuit Ends Today!

Today is the last day of the Summer Devotions Pursuit - and we hope it will be just the start to a lifetime of seeking Jesus!

Every day we need Jesus.  His Word is the food for our souls.  Time with Him draws us closer to His heart and makes us more like Him.  It is a beautiful lifetime journey of walking with and growing in Jesus!

He is calling you to Himself afresh today.  He has infinite things in His heart to reveal to you about Himself and His Truth.  He wants to make this verse real in your life again today, "For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."  Psalm 107:9  Will you daily receive His grace to respond?  As you do, your walk with Him will continue to grow - and so will your joy in Him!

Congratulations to those of you who completed the Summer Pursuit - please be sure to send in your charts by September 6th and we will gladly mail you your reward!  Below is a testimony from a young woman who took part in the Summer Pursuit and found the joy of meeting with Jesus!  Please stay posted here on the blog for more encouraging testimonies to come!

May the Lord bless you all as you continue to seek Him and find Him to be what your heart is longing for!

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A Summer Pursuit Testimony:

"I am so thankful that I participated in the 2012 Summer Pursuit! What a blessing to have a daily accountability to do what I desire most deeply- to spend time with the Lord! Sometimes in life, I get so busy. But this summer, through the encouragement of Loving the Lord Ministries' challenge, by the grace of God, I was able to set aside a daily time to pray and meditate on Scripture, as well as commit much to memory. I am looking forward to continuing to practice my new habits as I seek the Lord first an foremost! Sweet are the memories of the past summer, spent in precious time with the Lord!"  ~ Rachel, Washington

The Lord takes pleasure...

"The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love."  ~ Psalm 147:11

What Matters Most

Dear Friends,

Last night I returned home from some time away camping with my family.  The time was filled with family fellowship, outdoor activities, working on writing the book, reading, campfires, and more.
 A very precious part of the time away were my times of stillness sitting by the water and listening to Jesus.  As I sat on the beach, gazing out at His creation and listening to Him, the noise and business of the world settled and what really matters came into focus so clearly.

These are the truths that are ringing afresh in my heart:
~ Jesus is what matters and the only place we will find true satisfaction.
~ His Word is the food our souls crave and is Truth that we can confidently base our life upon.
~ Time in His presence transforms our hearts and gives us the right perspective on everything.
~ Nothing is worth allowing in our lives that will hinder us from growing closer to Jesus.

These truths are so rich, powerful, and real.  They are meant to shape and be the heartbeat of our daily lives.  I find over and over that this requires daily receiving the Lord’s grace to remember them, live them out, and reject what will pull us away from our Jesus.  We all constantly need to remember them.

As the Lord spoke to me, refreshed me in His presence, and convicted my heart, He showed me ways to respond to these things.   It included:
~ Seeking to let Jesus have 1^st place in my heart at all times .  This includes: daily meeting with Jesus, walking through my day with Him, and looking to Him to meet all of my needs.
~ Soaking myself in His Word.  Some ways I do this: reading my Bible, memorizing verses, listening to the Bible on audio, and grabbing glimpses at my Bible throughout the day.
~ Setting aside special times with Him.  This is my daily devotions, as well as other times through the day when I can pause and meet with Him (in addition to walking with Him through the day).
~ Addressing the things that I feel hinder my sensitivity to Him or draw me away from Him.  Practically, one of the things that I realized that was threatening a growing sensitivity to the Lord’s voice was time spent on the computer.  This has meant setting more serious boundaries for my computer time - Nothing is worth hindering my relationship with Jesus!

These are things Jesus has been teaching my heart.  How needy my heart is to continually learn from Him – how needy my heart is of JESUS!  He is pursuing us, friends!  (Jeremiah 31:3) He wants us to know Him, walk with Him, and experience the fullness of joy that only His presence can bring!  (Psalm 16:11)

This morning as I embraced the fullness of normal life, the Lord gave me this precious verse, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”  Psalm 105:4

Together let’s seek our Lord and His presence continually – allowing nothing to hinder us – and we will discover the joy that results from seeking what matters most!

Seeking Jesus with you,

Amy Vest

P.S. Here is a picture of me in the hammock in the middle of talking with Jesus and treasuring the Word…  I am so glad that we are able to seek Him together this summer!

Keep up the good work on the Summer Pursuit!!!

We have been blessed beyond words to hear from so many of you the amazing things that the Lord is doing as you seek Him in the Summer Pursuit!!!

Nothing compares to knowing Jesus and every moment you spend seeking Him is worth it!

May you be blessed and encouraged as you continue to faithfully seek Him! 

“So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.  His going forth is as certain as the dawn;  And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.”  Hosea 6:3

A verse brought to life

"My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  2 Cor. 12:9  The Lord has really brought this verse to life in a new way in my life this Summer.  He has asked me to go through some trying things recently, and just when I think I can't go even one more step, He gives me the grace to go two. Just when I feel all alone, He reminds me in a sweet way that He will always be there for me!  Just when I feel weak, He gives me strength!  He knows just what we need, right when we need it!  He is SO faithful! ~Isabella

Never too young to start seeking Jesus!

I have been so blessed to see my little six year old sister spending time with Jesus every day all on her own!  Once she found my sister and I were doing the Summer Pursuit that Loving the Lord ministries is doing for girls, she asked with excitement, "Can I do it too?"  Ever since she started this she's been having devotions all on her own!...every day!  You are NEVER too young to start seeking Jesus!  He will always be found of them that seek Him!  (Jeremiah 29:13)  

Announcing the "Beautiful to God" Conference ~ November 16-17th ~ Roseville, MN!

"Beautiful to God" Conference
~ with speaker Amy Vest ~
November 16-17th, 2012  

You are invited to join us for a special time of encouragement in personally discovering the fulfillment of a relationship with Christ, the power of basing your life on the Truth of His Word, and the joy of living a life that is beautiful to Him!

Who: Young women, their mothers, grandmothers, and mentors – ages 11-111
Dates: November 16-17th, 2012
Time: 6:30pm-9:45pm Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm Saturday
Location: Roseville, Minnesota
Cost: $25.00 per person before October 1st, $30.00 after October 1st
Registration: Registration opens September 8th, 2012
Hosted by: Loving the Lord Ministries, Inc.

Topics covered include:
~ Loving Jesus as Your Best Friend
~ The Heart of Real Friendship
~ The Importance of Inner Beauty
~ Finding Your Identity in Christ
~ The Influence of Your Thoughts and Attitude
~ The Power of a Pure Heart
~ The Impact of a Life that Is Beautiful to God
… and more!

An online brochure about the conference can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/MVFWeW.
More information coming soon - please visit us at www.lovingthelordministries.org!
Contact us with questions: ltlmevents@gmail.com.
Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/437652142923879

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
~ Proverbs 31:30