Thursday, January 19, 2012

Day 2: Keeping an eye on Safety of your Home

Our dog Jasper "protecting" our home.

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."  Proverbs 31:27


Is your home safe?  Maybe it's physically safe, but is it safe in all other areas?  Spiritually?  From predators?

Would you know if it was or not?

There is so much evil lurking around out in the world these days.  It's enough to make any gal a little jittery about the safety of her home.   So, how do you know if your home is "safe?"

First of all, we need to become accustomed to praying over our home (yes, the actual house) and over our family living within its walls.  I am surprised at how many people I know that think that God is "too busy to really care" about our actual house.  I can tell you that HE DOES CARE.  God wants us to pray a hedge of protection around our homes.  He has protected far greater and much less things--I think He can and WILL protect our homes.

Prayer is easy.  As  Proverbs 31 women-to-be, we need to put prayer as Numero Uno (No. 1) on our priority list.  Philippians 4:6 says:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
That brings me to the 2nd thing we need to keep in mind while keeping an eye on the safety of our homes.  We don't need to worry or be anxious about what might happen.  Everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.  Give it all to God!!  He can handle anything.  If you start to worry, give it to God.

I'm not saying everyone needs to go out and purchase a top-dollar security system, install barbed wire fencing around the property, and get a huge watch dog in order to be safe.  I do want to say that God gives us the wisdom we ask for in such matters.  If you live in a neighborhood where crime seems to be a problem, maybe a security system or a big, gnarly dog is what you need.  Lets not get crazy and go completely unprotected!  However, if you live in a small, quiet neighborhood or town and crime hardly ever graces the pages of your local paper, you probably don't need extra security around your home.  Use your best judgement.  Pray and ask God for wisdom and guidance.

At our house, we don't have a security system.  We live in "small town Texas."  We know almost everyone in town and have for many years.  All of these people are my security system.  We all look after each other's homes.  It's a great aspect of living in a small town.  We do have a "miniature" dachshund named Jasper (see picture above) that protects us from all the "evil" Schwans delivery trucks, UPS trucks, and anyone driving by with a trailer.  He knows no stranger, however.(haha!)

I do get regular email updates from the Registered Sex Offender database for my area.  I do try to keep a watchful eye for what may be coming in under the radar.   I also like consumer Reports.  They do a great, unbiased job on comparing products for safety.  They do everything from shampoo to baby car seats to tires.  Sometimes, things are recalled and like to know.  Below are some great websites I find useful in protecting my home.  (I am not including any products since I don't endorse any one product.)

Registered Sex Offender database:  http://www.familywatchdog.us/
Home Safety:  Consumer Reports How-To's
Praying over your home:  http://psalm121.ca/protect.html  (This one I just stumbled upon recently--looked pretty good!)
I hope some of these websites are helpful to you.  Of course, with the last one linked to a ministry page, please do your homework Biblically.  Look up the scriptures anyone references and be sure of their meanings.

We can all have safe homes when we lift them up in prayer each day. God is our ultimate protector and He wants us to rely on Him.  He created all of this--He can and WILL protect us!  Praise God.  We thank you, Lord.
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Check out these other blogs as well about 10 Days of Proverbs 31.  Good times!  Great information. Blessings all around.

Photobucket
13 Bloggers, 13 topics, one Great God.
A series on the different aspects of Proverbs 31. Here is a list of the bloggers and their topics.
Hope you all enjoy!! Feel free to explore the blogs. We have some very talented women participating.
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Day 1 Keeping an Eye on Home

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."  Proverbs 31:27

The "Proverbs 31 Woman."  What can I say?  I read of this woman and I think to myself:

"Is this an attainable goal for me?  This woman seems PERFECT.  I could never live up to these standards."

Does God expect us to be perfect?  I don't think so.  Nobody is perfect.  (Whew!  What a relief!)

So, does that let us off the hook?  No way!

The Bible is full of practical ways to live our life in abundance---like God would want for us.  Proverbs chapter 31 is such a place for practical advice.

Verse 27 speaks of such an amazing woman watching over the affairs of her household and not being idle.  So, does that mean that us ladies have to work ourselves to death at home and never rest?   Absolutely not!  I do think that we need to be smart about what goes on in our household and not be lazy.  How else will our kids learn?

For the next 9 days, I will talk about specific aspects of  "watching over your household."  I'll take a light-hearted approach to everyday living and keeping and eye on all things "home."  I will also include links to websites that I or others have found helpful in keeping home well,......home-y.  I hope you find these blog posts helpful and that they bless your life in some way.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out the other blogs below on Proverbs 31, as well!

Photobucket
13 Bloggers, 13 topics, one Great God.
A series on the different aspects of Proverbs 31. Here is a list of the bloggers and their topics.
Hope you all enjoy!! Feel free to explore the blogs. We have some very talented women participating.

5 comments:
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Upcoming Blog Event!

Starting January 18th I will be participating in a series called 10 days of Proverbs 31. Many bloggers will be participating. Each blogger will have a topic that they will blog about for the 10 days. Soon I will have a list of all of the bloggers to share with you. Our hope is that we are all blessed by the writings of many women on the verse found in Proverbs 31. If you are unfamiliar with Proverbs 31 I encourage you to look it up in your Bible. Go to Proverbs 31:10-31. I pray that you are blessed by what you read.

The previous paragraph comes from Jeannie @ 2 Are Better Than 1 .  Jeannie is hosting and came up with the idea for this blog series.  Thanks Jeannie!

I am very excited and honored to get to participate as one of the bloggers in this series.  I hope that you will follow along each day and tell all your friends.  I think it will be a blessing to all of us!
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