Women With Gods Heartbeat

Until He Alone Is Glorified

2010-09-19T22:46:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9-20-10

Until He Alone Is Glorified

Matthew 5:16

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Oh there is a deep lump in my throat as I write this to you tonight. I have sat here praying and asking the Lord a very important question and one that until I know the answer, I cannot write another devotional. The question I am asking has to do with a powerful message I heard tonight by a guest pastor at my home church. It was a message that really hit me hard; because my heart’s desire is that in everything I do and say in my life, it all would glorify the Lord. Well, the message was about that very issue.

I don’t know how many times I have said, when someone complemented me for something, “to God be the glory,” or when I am writing these devotions, thinking that I want them to glorify the Lord and touch those who read them with His hope. I really want those things, yet, I still had to step back and do a little self examination of my deep down true desire to glorify only the Lord in all of my life. Let me explain.

When I began writing these devotions, I purposely kept my name off of them because I did not want to receive the glory for them. I want whoever reads them to be brought to the Lord and to see Him for who He is. However, if this is true and I (100%) wanted only God to receive the glory, than I would not be looking to see if anyone responded to what “I” wrote, even if I believe God wrote it. I would not be looking for any pats on the back, so to say. I would not even have the desire to be praised in any way. Yet, my old flesh, if I am truly honest, will get in the way and quietly long for someone to say, well done. God forgive me. Therefore, after the message I heard tonight, my soul quietly waits to hear what the Lord has to say to me and what He desires me to do about the devotions.

Listen, my dearly beloved, it is my prayer that we each come to a place where we are fully and completely honest with God and ourselves about why we read the Bible, these devotions, go to Bible studies, church etc. Why do we read God’s word when we are down or lonely? Are we seeking God’s glory through His spoken Word, Jesus, or are we just seeking a quick fix to our problems, expecting that God somehow owes us something? Everything about God is worthy to be praised. Everything God has made shouts of His praise and glorifies His greatness. Only man struggles with knowing the glory of God and giving Him the praise He so deserves.

I don’t know about you, but I want every detail of my life to bring God glory. I want to lift His name up and step back from the lime light. He wants me to see His glory and not take His glory for myself. The question I am asking Him now is, “How do I remove myself to the degree that in every detail of my life He alone is glorified?” Until He alone is glorified I must step aside. I am laying these devotions into His lap and asking Him to hand them back to me only when He knows I am ready to seek ONLY His glory through them.

Therefore, my beloved, let us pray together asking God the question, “How do I remove myself to the degree that in every detail of my life God alone is glorified?”

Remember, though we need His Word to comfort us, to direct us, to teach us, inspire us, and to give us life, God does all those things in our lives to reveal His glory. To God be the glory forever and ever Amen.

Who is God?

2010-09-17T11:14:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9-17-10

Who is God?

In this life, we are all often faced with mounting struggles, problems, trials, doubts, fears, frustrations, hurts, and the impatience to overcome them. Perhaps if we truly understood believed just who God really is we would not find ourselves so taken over by these feelings. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 40, we see a clear picture of who God is and just what He wants to do for us. Let’s take a look at it.

In verse one God is a God of comfort and He commands us to comfort one another just as He comforts us.

In verses 3-8 we see that God’s word is powerful and lasts forever.

Verses 9-11 show us that God is a God of might, He is the one who takes charge, and He is like a shepherd who protects, provides, leads in the right direction and watches over His flock.

In verses 12-22 the explanation of how He measures the waters in the hollow of His hand, marks off the heavens, calculates the dust of the earth, keeps the mountains in balance, and shows that He is anywhere and everywhere you look, He sees everywhere we go, He knows all about the foundations of the earth and they are but a piece of sand in His sight, so small in comparison to His greatness. There is no one like Him, no one can compare to Him, no gold or silver idol shaped by the most skillful craftsman can ever make a god that is living powerful, or can create life.

In verses 23-24 God reveals how He hates prideful dictators and godless authority. “He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the storm carries them away like stubble.”

Verses 25-26 shows us how we are ALWAYS in His presence and He knows every detail, even the stars each have names and not one of them are missing from His sight.

Verses 27 reveals that we cannot keep anything from God, there are no secrets we can keep from Him. Listen, inside each and every believer is the living God who knows all and sees all; He cares about us and will never tire of hearing from us or listening to our cries. He is full of comfort, grace and compassion for His children. So when we struggle, doubt, fear or become frustrated with our situations we are facing, have we forgotten who He is?

Who is this God? “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Verses 28-31

God wants us to know Him. To remember that He is God, powerful, mighty, and full of grace and mercy, like a shepherd who tends His flocks, provides for their needs, protects them from the enemy and will search for them when they go astray. He will not fail us; He will not tire of us or of taking care of us. It is we, ourselves, who weary, tire and wander off from Him. It is our minds that fail to remember who He is. It is our hearts that grow fait from emotional burdens because we feel we are alone. It is our pride that causes us to say things that hurt others. It is our sinful fleshly desires that get in the way of truly having a personal and intimate relationship with God. All this happens because we either fail to remember who God is or we frankly don’t truly know or believe who He is.

God loves us, all of us, no matter what we say or do. He loves us with all our faults and takes us just the way we are, but He wants to transform our hearts to be like His. He wants to love on us so much that we begin to love on others in the same way. Who is God? Do you know?

Let’s examine ourselves to see if we truly know who God is. Answer the questions below to find out just where you stand with understanding who God is.

Are you frustrated with someone in your family, at work or in the church? God will take care of it.

Do you feel like it is your place to make sure a wrong has been corrected? God will take care of it.

Do you dwell on the wrong that has been done to you? Forgive and dwell on the good God will take care of them.

Are you worrying about the bills that need to be paid? Do your best and know that God will provide.

Are you sick from pushing yourself so hard to provide for your family? It’s not in our power things will get better, it is in His power. God will provide.

Are you angry because someone who you thought was a Christian did something or said something that you don’t think Christians should say or do? God loves them like He loves us, He will handle them, we must focus on our own sins that need repented of.

Do you want to run away from a problem because you are tired of it or just don’t think things will ever change? A lack of faith will sink us into the pit of despair; God will work all things to the good to those who love Him.

Do you keep making the same mistake over and over again and can’t figure out how to stop? Not in our power but in His are we able to be transformed. Ask Him for help. Stay in His word.

Have you found yourself stuck in a rut of self-pity and feelings of worthlessness? God loves us the way we are, our worth isn’t from the view of the world. We must believe God loves us.

Did you answer yes to any of the questions? If you did, like most of us will, than perhaps we still have not come to understand who God is and what He is able to do in us and through us.

God is in control and every one of those questions has the possibility for us to say no to when we allow God to take charge of our lives in such a way that we are able to speak with confidence that we do not have to worry about a thing because our God has already taken care of it. “I trust my God completely.”

I know we are all human, but God would not have told us it were possible if it were not possible. We can do all things through Him who strengthens us, Phil 4:13.

Who is God? Who is He in your life? Will you allow Him to comfort you, provide for you, lead you, protect you, teach you, use us, and fill you with His grace, mercy, love and peace?

Who is God?

God is Able

2010-09-16T03:58:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9-16-10

By Josh McDowell

God is Able

Matthew 9:28

“And after He had come into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’”

This wasn’t written by me, except for the poem at the end.

I learned years ago that for something to be lived out in my life, I have got to bring it down to where I understand it in a simple way. So when I hear words like, God is omniscience, omnipotent, it does not say anything to me. That’s not part of my vocabulary. So I redefine it without losing the meaning to where it speaks to me, then I am able to live it out in my life. So every time I see the word, omnipotent, I think of this, “He can do it.” That’s what it means, He is all powerful. He can do it. So maybe the rest of your life, whenever you hear the phrase, God is omnipotent, you will immediately think, He can do it. And the scriptures point out that “He ruleth over all the kingdoms of the heathen and nothing is too great for God.” But often…Luther said once, Martin Luther, that our thoughts about God are too human. And I believe that’s true because we rationalize through the way we think God will be and not the way He has revealed Himself.

Let me illustrate that with a little humorous situation. Johnny was in Sunday school and he came home and his mom, over lunch, said, “Well Johnny, what did you learn in Sunday School?” He said, “We talked about Moses crossing the Red Sea.” “Really? Well, what happened, Johnny?” “Oh Mom, you would not believe it. They were in captivity with the Egyptians and he broke out all the rifles and everything else and pulled in the tanks, got into the troop carriers and they took off for Israel.” But he said, “They looked back and here came all the Egyptians in the Hummers, the military vehicles, and so they sped up a little more and they got to the Red Sea and they didn’t know what to do. So they called in the Core of Engineers, Mom. And they went and built a pontoon bridge all the way across the Red Sea. And they drove everything across and then they put dynamite explosives all over. And as soon as the Egyptians got half way across, Moses ordered that it be blown up and they pushed the lever and they blew up all the Egyptians and the Israelites were saved.” And the mother says, “Johnny is that really what they taught you?” “No Mom, but if I told it to you the way they told it to us, you’d never believe it.” And you know so often we try to do that. We try to rationalize away who God is and how powerful He is.

The Bible says that God is omnipotent. He can do it. He spoke to nothing and something came into existence. Now how does this affect us in our personal life and walk with Christ?

One, it allows me to pray for the impossible. It allows me to pray for things that I would never dream of praying for if I didn’t know He can do it. He is omnipotent. Second, when you are really tired, He gives strength to the weary. It was first brought home to my attention, a number of years ago I was speaking at a conference, a very large one, and I had had two solid weeks of heavy meetings and the week before a true revival broke out and I was exhausted. I sat there that Saturday morning and I started to cry. I just said, God, I can’t do it. I am so exhausted. I cannot, I don’t even have the energy to get up out of this chair and walk to that podium let alone give an hour talk. And I just said, “God, please help me.” This might be just some little thing to someone, it was big to me. They were introducing me and as they were going through the introduction, I just said, “I can’t do it.” Something happened when they started to applaud and they said, “Here’s Josh McDowell.” I cannot explain it, strength came into me, I stood up, and I walked to that podium and probably exerted almost more energy for one hour than I ever have in a talk. And I remember later, I said, “God, I can’t believe it. But you are able.” And I cannot tell you how many times in my life, I have had to call upon that strength. He is able. And then, I think because we know that He can do it, when we face what appear to be insurmountable problems we need the Holy Spirit to recall to our minds, He is omnipotent. He is able. He can do it. And I think it gives you a different attitude in facing what appear to be insurmountable problems. He is able.

Dear Father,

I pray that we will each remember that You are able to do anything!!! Build inside our spirits, our minds, and our hearts the unshakable kind of faith in You that gives us the strength, the power, and the faithfulness to trust You for every detail of our lives. You are able and when we are faced with insurmountable problems that look impossible to the world, help us to see them as an opportunity for Your mighty hand to work in our lives. You are able, I pray we remember this and recall it throughout our day. You are able, You are able, You are able. Thank You Father for Your provisions and for your promises to be faithful to Your word. I know with You being able to guide and direct our paths, we too are able to overcome anything that is set before us, because You live inside us.

Thank You, Father, for Your love

In Jesus name

Amen

No Time

2010-09-15T06:12:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9.14.10

No Time

2 Corinthians 6:2

“For He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is the ‘acceptable time,’ behold, Now is the ‘day of Salvation.’”

Dear Father,

As I am sitting here my mind is going to the thoughts of my loved ones and how quickly our lives seem to really pass by. So many people I know have already said their final words of love to members of their family. Some knew they were dying, some planned it, and still others had no idea at all that it was their last day on earth. Isn’t it really a reality that none of us truly know when we will take our last breath?

Father, I know that life and death are in Your hands. I am convinced that You alone are able to take the breath of life from man, even for those who seem to take their own lives; it could only happen if you allow it. This is hard for so many to understand, just like it is hard for most people to understand how You could allow abuse, murder, kidnappings, etc. I guess for me Father, it isn’t hard to understand why bad things happen, sin, it is an ugly and dark part of mankind and we all have it and must deal with it. But by Your grace we can overcome it.

What I don’t understand is how so many would rather live in sin than in the light and the love of God. Perhaps, seeing You as a light of hope in my life is easy for me, after all You have done so many amazing things in my life; Things I know that only You could have done. When I look at how I lived as a child, I am in awe of how You took me out of the pit and raised me up in hope of a better tomorrow. You gave me so much to look forward to and even in the darkest moments of my life You kept shinning that flicker of light for me to see. I took hold of that hope and it has brought me into a time of my life that is so full of wonder and beauty, so far from the darkness of abuse and loneliness. I wonder though, this light You have placed inside me, is it shinning bright enough to give light to someone else’s dark world so that they can see You? What if this was my last day on earth? What words would I speak to my loved ones and friends? What words could I speak that would awaken their souls and see the light of hope You have for them? Listen now my Father; this is what I hear You telling me to say.

My dear loved one; there will be many days of sadness, happiness and even confusion in your life. Perhaps right now you are in a time of pain and sorrow. Maybe you are struggling with a relationship or wanting to somehow fix every situation you run in to. Are you hungry and not sure where to get the money to buy food? Are you sick and wondering if you will ever get well? Do you look at the Bible and see just a story to make people follow a man to gain wealth? Do you believe in a heaven and hell? Do you struggle with the relationship of those in your family who call themselves Christian yet they seem to keep on sinning and you feel like they are hypocrites? Are you looking for something to hold on to that is scientific and makes since? Are all the trials in life pulling you down and causing you to question the very existence of God? What about you, the one who calls themselves Christian, are you too struggling with faith in God? Well let me share this with you. Let me tell you what I have learned being a Christian, a child of God, a sinner saved by grace.

I have learned that in every little detail of life, God is there waiting to help us and to keep His promises to us. I have learned that He (God) will always do what He says He will do in His time, and it is always for the best. I have watched Him work miracles and turn what seemed hopeless into an amazing blessing. There is nothing too small he does not care about and nothing too big He cannot handle. I want you to know that if I were to die today and you were left, you would feel hopeless without Christ. I want you to know that if you die today without the Lord as your Savior, you will be hopeless for all of eternity. You would be forever separated from God and from me. There is no time to wait to receive God’s gift of salvation, His son, Jesus. He is not a name to be used for personal gain or to be an escape goat for our weaknesses. He isn’t just a story or a good feeling. He isn’t slang or a cuss word. He is GOD! He is the creator of the world!!! You may not accept this, you may think you have all the evidence to prove He is just a figment of the imagination, but I tell you the truth today, you are wrong and you will come to find that out the day you die apart from Him, the day you find yourself in a place you can never leave, a place of eternal pain and suffering. Why take the chance? That is what many will ask you, but I will not. I instead tell you today that I love you so much that even as I take my last breath upon this earth I will be talking to God on your behalf, I am telling Him to show you mercy and to give you another chance. I am pleading with Him to do something big in your life so that you will know, without a doubt, that He is God and that you need Him. I love you that much my beloved. No more games, no time. No more talking about it, no time. No more debates, no time. No more ignoring your denial of God, no time. Because the moment is now that we must say good bye and I desperately want to see you again, I want to spend eternity with you in heaven. Oh my heart is breaking; I can feel my breath leaving me as I strive to compel you to hear my heart’s cry for you. The Father will be opening heaven’s door soon and I will have to go, so please, my precious loved one, please take my hand and allow the love of God to touch you through me. He loves you so much. Well, I have said all the words I can, I am tired, I can’t keep my eyes open, and it is time for me to sleep. Good night my love one. Please bend down and give me a farewell kiss, I love you with all my heart; I hope I see you in the morning, the morning in heaven.

Well Father, I am not sure that is what my last words on earth would be, but I do know that it could very well be, because I know so many who have yet to accept You as God, to accept Christ as their Savior. My heart hurts for them, Father, and I pray that this devotion story, this look into those last moments upon the earth will inspire all of us who call ourselves Christian to not wait until we are on our death bed to see the urgency of telling our loved ones they need Jesus now. I pray we all gain a heavy burden for the lost souls and look for opportunities to tell someone every day about Jesus. Oh the reality of our times and the reality for the need of a Savior!!! I am thankful I have found You and I am safe in Your faithfulness and love with an everlasting promise to live with You forever.

In Jesus name Amen

So beloved, are you ready, really? Are your loved ones ready to meet Jesus face to face?

You may think you can wait, they can wait, but there is NO TIME! Today is the day of salvation.

A Faithful God

2010-09-13T15:44:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9.13.10

A Faithful God

Mark 4:37-41

Living by faith seems like such an easy concept but yet we still find ourselves caught up in fear, doubt and anxiousness / worry. Well, this is not a new problem. Jesus spoke to His disciples about this very issue. In the storms of their lives, just like ours, they too struggled with total faith in a faithful God. Let’s look at the part of the history the disciples when they were faced with a fierce storm while at sea and what they felt and what Jesus said to them.

“And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still,’ and the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, ‘Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’” Mark 4:37-41

Let’s put ourselves in this situation, but let’s say the storm is not one made by the weather. The following is an example:

Maria had been working hard fixing up an old house with the hopes of selling it to pay off some debt and to be able to put her children in a Christian school the next year. The house looked great but the real estate market didn’t. The bank was becoming restless and had given Maria a deadline for getting the house sold. She had to sell it or buy herself and there was no way she could afford two house payments. She was beginning to get very anxious and starting praying asking God for help.

Maria’s mother called to see how things were going. Maria couldn’t hold back her frustration about the house not selling. “I have to have the house sold by next week mom or the bank wants their money back. We have had so many showings but no one is buying and we have even lowered the price below appraised value. I don’t know what we are going to do. I’ve been praying but God doesn’t seem to be helping.” As Maria’s mother listened she prayed for God’s wisdom to speak to her daughter and then she spoke. “Maria, God is not going to just let you fall. He loves you too much. He has promised you in Philippians 4:19 that He will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. You must believe that He is faithful to His promises. Do not be of little faith. He is in control sweetheart. Don’t focus on the situation, focus on Jesus. Read Philippians chapter 4 over and over again. Insert your name. Read it with boldness and as if you are motivating someone else. You will find power and peace in God’s word. Don’t let the enemy weaken your faith by believing that this is a problem. Nothing is too big for God. I promise you that He will sell the house or place understanding on the banker’s heart. The buyer is coming, God has provided, but you must believe this in order to see Him at work. When you start to feel the anxiousness coming, you must speak out His word and remind yourself of His promises. You will soon see the faithfulness of His word in your life.” Maria thanked her mom for the encouragement and after hanging up she went to her Bible to read Philippians 4. She prayed and told the Lord she wanted the kind of faith that would be unshakable and that she was going to trust Him with this situation.

As the days passed the deadline was upon her and she waited for God to do something. She kept trying to fight off the anxious feelings, the way her mother had told her, but she still felt the feelings of dread any way. The final day had come to an end and Maria lay on her bed wondering why God had not answered as her mother had promised. The next day her mom called to see how things were, Maria said, “Mom, your promise didn’t come true. The house didn’t sell and I have to call the banker.” Her mom could hear the fear in her daughter’s voice and quietly said a prayer. “I know You are faithful Lord I will not let this shake what I know to be true.” Then she said to Maria, “Look sweetheart it is not my promises you need to be holding on to, it is God’s. He is not finished with this yet. You need to keep the faith.” “I have had faith but look, mom, the house is not sold.” “Oh sweetheart, do not doubt now, that’s what the enemy wants you to do. God has your buyer. He has answered your prayers and provided for your needs, He just hasn’t revealed it to you yet. Have you talked to the banker?” “No” Maria replied, “he wasn’t in the office so I left him a message but he has not called me back.” “Wow that is amazing, perhaps God is distracting him for a time so your house will sell. He works in many different ways you know.” Maria just sat silent, trying to soak in some of the faith of her mother’s as she listened. “Maria, God is handling this situation. You must continue to believe. He knows how to calm the storm. Trust Him and let Him show you His faithfulness. Read Mark 4:32-41 and she what He can do. I will be praying for you. I love you.” With those words they hung up.

The weekend passed, Monday, Tuesday, no sale and no word from the banker. Maria was holding on to the rocking boat when suddenly the phone rang, it was the banker. She finished talking to the banker and called her mother right away. “Mom, I just talked to the banker and he said that he was going to give us another 90 days to sell the house.” “Praise the Lord! He is in control!” her mother replied. As they continued to talk Maria realized that perhaps this whole situation was better than she had thought. She was going to school to become a realtor and now she would have the time to finish and be able to list and sell her little house herself. She would double her profits and both of her boys would be able to go to Christian school.

You know we don’t always see the whole picture of what God has in store for us but we can be sure that whatever it is, it is better than we can plan for ourselves. Maria was much like the disciples in the boat. They were afraid of the storm and felt like Jesus didn’t care. But Jesus spoke to the storm and told it to shut up and sit down, (my translation) then he said to them very clearly, “Why are you timid (afraid), How is it that you have no faith?” This is a huge statement. The Lord wants us to trust Him and not to think that the storm is bigger than He is. You see when we walk around with a lack of faith in Jesus’ faithfulness we are not truly convinced of who He really is. This was true of the disciples as well because it said in verse 41, that they became afraid after Jesus calmed the storm because they saw that the wind and the sea obeyed Him. They asked, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” You see they didn’t truly understand or believe before the storm that Jesus is God.

The question we each need to ask ourselves is, Do I truly believe that Jesus is God and that He can and will do all He has said He will do? Our answer to that question is not revealed by a simple answer of yes or no but it is revealed in the storms of our lives when we are faced with the challenges of trusting Him completely to meet our needs, no matter how big or little they may be. So my dear beloved of God, how will you reply today?

Dear Father, I pray for each of my bothers and sisters in Christ, that they will come to a deep understanding and acceptance of Your faithfulness to keep Your promises to us. I pray they will study Your word and read about the promises You have made us so that they can recall them in times of the storms. I pray their faith will be unshakable as they walk with You and trust You, knowing without doubt that You are not only God but a faithful God.

In Jesus name

Amen

The Silent Mind

2010-09-09T16:08:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9.9.10

The Silent Mind

I Kings 3:9a

“So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil.”

Angel sat quietly as she listened to the room full of adults discussing her. They talked as if she wasn’t even in the room and argued about what was right or wrong for her. She wanted so desperately to shout out and tell them to stop but the words could not find their way to her lips. She had been born with the inability to communicate like a “so called” normal person and it made her life so full of frustration. She knew what she wanted to say. She knew what her needs were. But no one understood her. They just all thought they knew what she wanted or needed. As she sat listening, her ears began to ring from the sounds of their voices escalating into angry yells. They began pointing fingers and telling each other they were wrong and needed to do things their way. Round and round they went all the while Angel’s voice of reason remained locked in her silent mind.

“Oh if only I could tell them how silly they all look. If they could only see that their many words say less than the few words I would long to be able to speak. They argue and fight over what is wrong with me, what I need, or what I want. They think they know because I cannot tell them. My lack of ability to communicate with them is nothing compared to their lack of ability to communicate with each other. How sad it is. Their minds, their thoughts and ideas, their wants and desires, their joys and their pains, can all be expressed with words, words I cannot speak and yet they use those words to attack and hurt one another. Ah ha, they are not any better than I am. I cannot communicate because my mind is locked in silence, they cannot communicate because they choose to silence the voice of one another. Oh Lord, if only I could speak I would tell them this: Please be careful with the words you say. Don’t misuse your gift of being able to think and speak. It is such a precious gift. You have been given the ability to communicate; can you do so with an understanding heart for one another and for me? God will give you the discernment between good and evil so why do you fuss and fight? Please ask Him to give you an understanding about me, locked in a silent mind unable to tell you my thoughts, my feelings, my hopes and my dreams. Please do not lock yourselves in a false disability that silences your hearts. God has made each one of us special, with different abilities and gifts and together we can learn from one another, we can gain new understanding of each other and we can grow wiser because of it. Oh if only I could speak I would tell them to stop fussing and fighting and start listening and understanding. If only my silent mind was not silenced by lips unable to speak.” A tear fell from Angel’s eye as she placed her hands over her ears blocking out the sounds around her. But then a ray of hope shined on her face and her silent mind quieted as her mother walked into the room. Suddenly the loud noise of angry voices was lost in the soft and gentle sound of her mother’s voice.

“Angel is my child and I know what is best for her. She needs a sense of security, peace, and understanding, just like you and me. Something you have all failed to see.” With those words she walked over to Angle, embraced her and said, “Come my child, let’s go home.” Angel’s voice had been heard and God’s discernment had been revealed.

Our Heavenly Father stands in the room with us to quiet the angry sounds of the world that often surround us. He speaks for us and He knows our needs and our wants. He calls us His children and will defend us when no one else will.

So let us all pray to have understanding hearts that can rightly judge good and evil and not silence the voice of our God who has so much to tell us if we will only listen.

Path of Reflection

2010-09-08T05:45:00.001-05:00

Devotion

September 8, 2010

Path of Reflection

Philippians 4:19

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in

Christ Jesus.”

Have you ever sat back to look at your life and been able to see the many times God has answered your prayer? It dawned on me the other day as I was walking the path on our property and talking with a very special and dear sister in Christ, my daughter. As we talked about following our dreams and fulfilling our life long goals, I could see that the many things I had dreamed about doing, the prayers I had placed before the Lord had been answered. My life has been full and even though I am not still doing all those things now, I did them. Let me explain.

As a little 7 year old girl, the day I accepted Jesus and was baptized, I prayed and asked the Lord to let me have the center cup as the try of cups were passed for the Lord’s Supper, because it reminded me of Him on the center cross. It may not seem like a very big deal to others but for me it was the first of many answered prayers in my life. He used that simple request to teach me that He hears me and answers me.

As my life has gone on I have watched Him provide answers to some very important prayer request such as: to free me from the effects of childhood abuse; to travel the country teaching cheerleading professionally; to get married and have four children; for my husband to become a believer; for each of my children to accept Jesus and live their lives for Him; to serve as a missionary; to work for the Baptist Children’s Home; to be a Disaster Relief Chaplain; to write these devotions; to lead in worship; to teach; and for my children to grow to be young men and women who know who to turn to for guidance – the Lord; to know that if I were to die my husband and children’s faith would sustain them; and to somehow make an eternal difference in the lives of others. Each one of these requests has been answered in my life. I have been blessed beyond measure. I can say at the end of the day, I have followed His dreams that became my dreams.

Sometimes it may seem that you have not been able to do all the things you dreamed of doing, perhaps you are struggling with knowing if you will ever make a difference in your life or the lives of others. Well, my precious beloved, maybe it’s time to walk the path of reflection and see if the Lord has answered more of your prayers than you realize, just like I did. Take the time to look closely at your life, all the highs and lows and see if you can see how the Lord worked in your life at that time. I do believe you will be in awe of just what He has done for you. Walk the path of reflection, the path of Life, and rejoice in the amazing and wonderful work Jesus has done in you and for you.

I may not hold a college degree, I may not be known by the world, I may not be a millionair, I may not have a top job with top pay and top honors, but nevertheless I do believe my life has been and is a success. My success and yours dear beloved, comes from the Lord. He hears your prayers and He does answer them. It is in seeing those answers that you will find your greatest joy and contentment, it is in your relationship with Him and the way you pass it on to your children and grandchildren that you will achieve the greatest success of all. Are you following your dreams? Have you fulfilled your life long goals? Walk the path of reflection and ask the Lord to reveal His work in your life. You will be amazed at what He shows you.

A Good Word

2010-09-07T19:25:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9-7-10

A Good Word

Proverbs 12:25

“Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad.”

What is worrying you today? What are you facing that seems to overwhelmingly be consuming your every thought? Are you so broken hearted that your anxiousness to feel happy again is crushing your spirit of hope? Well, the Lord says it is in times like these that we are to share a good word to lighten your heart and make it glad again. So my dearly beloved, here are the good words I want to share with you today. They are God’s words, He is good and He loves you. So as you read the following scriptures know that they are just what you need, because it is the Lord, Himself, who has placed upon my heart the words I am to share with you today; a good word to take away your anxiety and to make your heard glad.

I Peter 5:7

“Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

Philippians 4:19

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

I Corinthians 15:57-58

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil in not in vain in the Lord.”

Matthew 10:19-20

“But when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

John 16:33

“Theses things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”

Father, I pray we receive Your good words today to encourage us and make our hearts glad again. In Jesus name, Amen

He Cares For You

2010-09-03T10:44:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9-3-10

He Cares For You

I Peter 5:7

“Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

Oh what a wonderful, wonderful Lord we have, He is faithful to take care of us and provide our every need.

When you’re weary and wondering how you’re going to face another day, remember that He cares for you.

When your heart is broken and the ache is so deep, remember that He cares for you.

When the darkness surrounds you and the road seems long, remember that He cares for you.

Fall upon your knees and bow before your God in heaven and know that He hears your cries and feels your pain. He will not forsake you. He is faithful to take care of you.

He longs for you to believe He is there for you and has everything under control.

With the faith of a mustard seed you can move a mountain, so perhaps faith with half mustard can change the situation you are facing. Just remember it is your faith in God that will strengthen you. It is your faith in our faithful Lord that will show you just how faithful He really is.

Open up your eyes and see the promises of God He has for you. Open your heart and feel the wonder of His love for you. Open your arms to embrace His arms of comfort around you. Open your ears to hear His words of truth for you. Open your mind to learn His principles, laws, and perfect way to guide you. Open your hands to take hold of His as He walks beside you. Open up your gift of faith to believe without doubt that He will take care of you.

You are loved! Remember this today.

You are loved! You are not alone.

You are loved! All is well.

You are loved! He will take care of you!

Father, I thank You for encouraging us with Your word, for loving us without condition, and for the promise that no matter what we have, are, or will face in our lives, You Will Take Care of Us!

In Jesus name, Amen

Thank You

2010-09-02T10:30:00.001-05:00

Devotion

9-2-10

Thank You

Psalm 118:1

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His loveingkindness is everlasting.”

There are days when everything seems bight and beautiful and days that seem dark and ugly. There are moments of laughter and joy and moments of heartache and sorrow. There are times when life is full and wonderful and times when life feels empty and terrible. We can get caught up in the busyness of life and forget how to live life to its fullest. The demands often become overwhelming and our eyes grow weary from the struggles. But I have good news for you. There is an answer to facing the challenges of this life and it is as simple as saying thank you.

Are you dealing with financial troubles? Tell the Lord Thank You for providing my needs.

Are you sick, run down, and tired? Tell the Lord thank You for giving me strength.

Are you worried about where your next meal is coming from? Tell the Lord thank You for feeding me.

Are you worried about a wayward child? Tell the Lord thank You for watching over my child.

Are you concerned for an unbelieving spouse, child, friend, etc? Tell the Lord thank You for their salvation.

Are you afraid of losing your job or do you need a job? Tell the Lord thank You for giving me work.

Are you on a timeline to sell your house? Tell the Lord thank You for bringing a buyer.

Have you studied hard for a test but are still worried about passing it? Tell the Lord thank You for giving me recall of the information as I take my test.

Are you abused, mistreated or hurting? Tell the Lord thank You for removing those who hurt you from your life, healing me from the effects and teaching me to forgive.

Are you suffering from an addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, food, or anything else that consumes you? Tell the Lord thank You for freeing you from the bondage.

Are you lonely? Tell the Lord thank You for being with me.

Are you sad? Tell the Lord thank You for restoring my joy.

Are you angry? Tell the Lord thank You for calming my spirit.

Are you grieving? Tell the Lord thank You for comforting me.

Are you struggling with your faith? Tell the Lord thank You for Your faithfulness to me and for the promises You give me.

Spend the day thanking the Lord; don’t ask for any thing from Him. Thank Him for the promises He has given you. Believe in advance that He will answer your prayers by thanking Him before He does it. This is called faith. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.

Thank You Father for loving me and for Your faithfulness to meet all my needs. In Jesus name Amen

Power in His Name

2010-09-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

Devotion

9-1-10

Power in His Name

Psalm 103:1-5

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

When I read Psalm 103:1-5 I am convinced that it is talking about my life. Why? Because throughout my life He has left His mark of power that has transformed my life and took me from the pit and gave me wings to soar like an eagle.

There is power in the name of Jesus. Do I tell you this because someone told me it was true or do I tell you this because I KNOW it is true? Well, I will let you decide the answer.

As a 7year old little girl the Lord called my name and I heard His voice. I asked Jesus to come into my heart and that day, Easter Sunday 1966; my life began a new journey, a journey of faith and transformation.

As a child I was poor, abused, rejected, lonely, and broken in my spirit. My peers didn’t except me, my family was dysfunctional, my clothes were few, my education was lacking, in fact when I graduated I was what I would call, a functioning illiterate, I had no skill other than cheerleading, I cried all the time, went to bed afraid, barrowed money to pay back barrowed money to eat after school. Though I was an outcast by my peers I felt safer at school than at home. I have felt worthless, no good, ugly, unloved, shame, guilt and pride. I have worn the mask of happiness when I was really miserable and lonely. I have tried to hide my pain as if it wasn’t there only to find the pain begin to make me into the very thing that hurt me. I have lied, stolen, coveted, envied, lusted, smoked, been a glutton, self-righteous, judgmental, and fallen into the trap of the world’s temptations. I have been beaten, lied to, denied, falsely accused, pushed around, stolen from, abandoned and forgotten. Yet, as I look back over my life I would have to tell you today that I would not change a thing about it. Why? Because it is through all of this life journey I have been on, all of my weakness, my failures, my pain, my sorrow and my sin that has shown me the power of God in my life and the need for my Savior.

Today, though I continue on the journey of growing closer to my Lord and knowing His heart, I can honestly tell you that He has taken all the junk of my past and thrown it away. He has hidden it under His blood. I am forgiven, healed, protected, provided for, washed clean, righteous, safe, joyful, blessed and free. I now have a true happiness that needs no mask. I have walked away from the temptations of the world and He continues to give me the power to recognize them and to stay away from them. He reminds me that He loves me, I am worthy as His child and it doesn’t matter what others may say or do to me, I am chosen by God to be His vessel of hope and joy. I am called to be His hands and feet to tell others that they too can be free from the pain of their past. None of us are sinless, but we do have a Savior who takes away our sin, who died for our sinful nature so that we could enter into the gates of heaven and live with Him forever. Oh yes, there is power in the name of Jesus. It is His name, His life, His death and resurrection that has taken my life from the pit of despair and given me hope and the wings to soar as the eagle.

Take a look back at your life; do you see the power of Jesus actively at work? Have you given Him the chance to show you how much He loves you? Do you trust Him with your life and the lives of those you love? Believe me, I tell you the truth, there is great power in the name of Jesus and He wants to make a difference in your life. He will not change you; He will transform you and make you new.

Father, I pray that if there is anyone who is reading this today that has never truly asked Jesus to be their Savior that today will be the day and this moment the moment when they call out to You. Father, thank You for the power of Your Son, Jesus, and the transforming power He brings to our lives. I for one know personally what He, You, can do. I pray that my fellow brothers and sisters will lay everything down before You and see Your mighty hand at work in their own lives and know for themselves that there is power in the name of Jesus.

In Jesus name, Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAPQygrKn5A&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Voice of Truth

2010-08-31T11:45:00.001-05:00

Devotion

8-31-10

The Voice of Truth

John 8:32

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

As I was thinking about you this morning I wondered how many of you are struggling with feelings of worthlessness. I wondered if you are facing some tough challenges right now that are making you feel tired, worried, and even withdrawn. I wondered if you have been told you are no good, that you will not amount to much, or that you have no purpose in this life.

For each of us there are times when our hearts have been broken, we have felt as if no one cares, we might recall the words of someone in our past that hurt us physically or emotionally and as those words come back into our minds we find ourselves dwelling on them and before we know it, we might even believe them. Well, my dear beloved sister and brother, they are all lies.

God’s word tells us that we are His children and that He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). He says that with Him all things are possible (Philippians 4:13) and He says that He will provide all we need (Philippians 4:19). He also wants us to remember that He loved us so much that He died for us (John 3:16). He says He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39).

So my beloved these are words of TRUTH. Do not believe the lies of the world and the enemy. God is for you and He will protect you, defend you, provide for you, and give you peace. Take His word of Truth and dwell on it, Philippians 4:8 tells us to dwell on the good, holy, and honorable and Jesus is all that so dwell on Him. Colossians 1:3 says: “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the HOPE laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously hear in the Word Of Truth, the Gospel, which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in Truth.”

Believe Him not the world. Take hold of His love for you today with these words I leave you from First John 4:4 “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

Father, I pray each one reading this today will know and listen to the voice of truth that will set them free. That they will understand that the Voice of truth is Love and Love’s name is Jesus. Thank You for the truth of Your love for me and for them that wipes away the lies of the world and the enemy and gives us hope. In Jesus name, Amen

A Living Hope

2010-08-30T10:03:00.001-05:00

Devotion

8-30-10

A Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready

to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

I Peter 1:3-9

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, You shall be Holy, for I am Holy.”

I Peter 1:13-16

Dear Father,

It is so easy for us to read Your word and not to take it seriously, so I pray that today we will not just read it but we will embrace it. You are our living Hope and I pray that for anyone reading this devotion today who may be feeling hopeless about a situation they are facing, about a relationship that is broken, or a need they are desperate for, that they will understand You are their hope and You are faithful to provide all their needs. In fact Father, You have already provided it, it is coming, You have already answered, You have it all under control. Thank You for Your faithfulness to me, my husband, my children and grandchildren, my extended family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ and to the stranger on the street.

You died for us all. In Your death You offer us life. In Your life we have hope. In Your hope we have a future of promise. In Your promises we have the assurance of our salvation, and in our salvation we have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with God. Wow, what a living Hope we have.

May we all remember this today and give You praise.

In Jesus name, Amen

Smile at Life

2010-08-27T10:28:00.001-05:00

Smile at Life

Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

As I woke up this morning my body felt as if it had been in the boxing ring. I ached all over. My feet seemed as if they were in a permanent bend in the shape of my hills I hand on yesterday from 7 in the morning until 9 in the evening. I laid in my bed stretching, rolling my feet in the air and trying to muster up the desire to get out of bed. Then I looked up at the light flickering as the fan spun around and around and it suddenly got my attention on something other than my self and all my aches and pains. I became still and looked at the light as if I was seeing the light of the Lord shining on me. I began to talk to the Father and smile, because as I talked to Him He reminded me of how wonderful LIFE really is. Philippians 4:8 came to my mind and I was compelled to praise the Lord

Dwell on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good, excellence, and worth of praise, I began to speak out loud. Think on these things, the Lord tells us, and He will give us peace even in the storms of life. Have you ever tried it? Well, let me tell you if you haven’t I want to encourage you to try it today. No matter what you are going through look up and see the promises of God to fill you with peace. Begin to find something good to think about. You can pick anything in your life, a memory, a person, a special situation, the beauty of creation, or the fact that you have been given Life through Christ. Now that is really something amazing to think about.

We are all born to be sinful, selfish, and really no good at all. That old sin flesh of ours likes to really challenge us and fight us as we strive to be a follower of Christ. It is a real problem we all have to deal with; the flesh at battle with the spirit. But Philippians give us a strategy to overcome the battle. The Lord promises us that when we think of the things He tells us to dwell on that He will give us peace. Read the entire 4^th chapter of Philippians and see what He says. We have a tool to guard our hearts and minds from falling into the pit. The question is, will we use it or just know its there? I hope we will all choose to use it.

Thinking of the good around us, in us and best of all, the good of our Lord, will develop within our spirits a joy that cannot be taken away from us. Sure there are lots of bad things we have to deal with and we will suffer often in ways that are so very painful, but truly, even in those times of our lives if well will begin to praise the Lord, speak positive words, remember the good things and believe God’s promises, than we will not just be able to look at life in a different light, we will begin to smile at life.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that our God loves us so much that He has given us such simple ways to overcome the battles we face? Give it a try today. Begin right now thinking about something that makes you feel happy, something that is truly good and right and pure and honorable. Before you know it you will be smiling and praising the Lord for the peace He brings you.

Father, I pray for each of my beloved brothers and sisters that are reading this devotion today. I pray they will step out in faith and speak and dwell on the things that are good, because all good comes from You and thus they will begin to dwell on You, the very source of their peace and joy. I pray they will smile at life because Life is what You have given to them. In Jesus name Amen.

The Little Blue Box

2010-08-26T06:21:00.001-05:00

The Little Blue Box

Philippians 4:19

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Several years back when my youngest daughter (now 26yrs old) was in Jr. High school she was right in the middle of a growing spurt and really needed some new dresses to wear to church. We were struggling financially and at the time my husband was NOT serving the Lord. One Sunday afternoon my husband was looking in the check book and noticed I had given money to the church. This made him angry. He wanted to know why I had given $52 dollars to the church. I told him it was a tithe. His reply, “Your daughter needs a new dress and you give fifty-two dollars to the church, what are you thinking?” I explained that God wants us to trust Him and even if we have a need, we must give back to the Lord. After all, God will provide the dress.” The look of disbelief in my husband’s eyes was clear as he said, “Sure God will provide, by me going to work more hours to bring home more money.” “No! “ I said. “God will provide without a single penny from you. Just you wait and see. He will provide a dress, before next Sunday.” Not accepting what I was saying, my husband spoke up one last time. “Yeah, you say He will provide but you will just go to church and tell everyone and then someone will give you a dress. That is not God providing as far as I am concerned.” I paused a moment and then spoke softly, “Look, I will not tell a single person about the need, not even my closest friend. I won’t even mention it in the form of a prayer request and you will see that God will still provide the dress. Just wait and see.” With that, the discussion was over. However, what I didn’t know was that my youngest daughter had been standing outside our door and heard everything that was said. But God was about to reveal Himself to each one of us in an amazing way.

As the week went by I prayed believing that God would provide. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. No money. No dress. Thursday, Friday still nothing and my husband was watching how I was responding to this waiting period. I had to keep going into my quiet place within my heart and talk to the Lord, reminding myself of His faithfulness. However, late Friday night I told the Lord, “Father, I hope I did not speak out of turn by telling my husband that You would provide by Sunday. I know it is not my place to set your timing for things to happen. But please, Father, reveal Your faithfulness to my husband.”

Saturday morning my three daughters and I were discussing what we should wear to the Mother Daughter banquet we were asked to sing at. Since my youngest daughter had no dress to wear we would wear black pants and white shirts. All through the discussion my thoughts drifted to the reality that it was Saturday and God still had not revealed where the money or a dress would be coming from. Tomorrow was Sunday and without the dress my husband was sure to be even more irritated about the $52 tithe I had given and even more convinced that God does not provide. That evening I went into my closet to change clothes for the banquet and fell on my knees, crying out to God. “Father, it is Saturday. I am struggling here. It is not that I do not trust You to provide, it is that I do not trust me to believe you will provide and if I show my family my struggle they will doubt You. Oh please help me have faith. Please Father, give me peace. In Jesus name, Amen.” I got up off my knees, wiped my eyes dry and got dressed. Without realizing it, when I came out of the closet I had forgotten all about the dress. My husband told me it was time to leave.

The banquet was wonderful. While my daughters and I sang, my husband and son helped to serve the meals. At the end, the pastor thanked everyone for coming and had the closing prayer. After he said “A men” he pointed to the ice machine. Sitting on top of it was a little blue box. He said. “It has been a wonderful evening and we want to show Bunny and her daughters how much we appreciate them coming and singing for us. So as you leave please drop a love offering in that little blue box for them.” I am not sure what he said after that. I was so excited because at that moment I knew God had just showed His faithfulness to provide. I sat up in my seat and pointed to my youngest daughter and said with a great big smile on my face, “Your dress, there it is, God has provided for your dress.” I couldn’t wait to get the box, count the money and then stop at the dress shop on the way home. That is just what we did.

It seemed as if my daughter tried on every dress in the store. While she was looking a lady that had seen us at the church stopped to talk to me. I knew it was a God appointment for sure as she spoke about her husband not serving the Lord. Time passed and my daughter couldn’t find a single dress to fit and it was now too late to go anywhere else. As we drove away I noticed my daughter was crying, “What’s wrong sweetheart?” I asked her. “Do you think God is mad at me?” she asked. “Why would He be made at you?” “Because I didn’t pick out a dress after He gave us the money for it?” She said through her tears. “Oh no sweetheart, God promised He would provide and He did, but He used the time you were looking for a dress for me to minister to the lady you saw me talking to. She was going through a hard time and I was able to encourage her and tell her about God’s faithfulness. You just wear pants to church tomorrow and then afterwards we’ll go get you a dress.” My husband looked and me and said, “Go get a dress and the shoes if she needs them, but then I want you to give any money left over back to the church.” I agreed.

Well, we did get my daughter’s dress and shoes. We were all in awe of God’s faithfulness. But God still wanted to give the whole story one last finishing touch.

When we returned home from shopping that Sunday afternoon, I took out the leftover money and gave it to my husband, so he could deposit it in our bank. Then he sat down and wrote a check to the church. The amount on the check was $52 dollars! The very amount that my husband was angry I had given to the church he was now giving back to the church. That little blue box event began a journey for my husband to trust in the Lord and He now is a faithful man of God serving and teaching God’s word. My daughter later told me she had been listening and thought I was crazy, but when God provided the money, well it became a reminder to her of His faithfulness as she grew up and it would give her the encouragement she needed through 7 years of college and even now, as she serves on the other side of the world in Bulgaria with the Peace Corps. She is trusting in His faithfulness to provide her needs and we trust Him to keep her safe and bring her home again.

Well, 12 years later and we still have that little blue box as a continual reminder that our God does provide our every need. He can and will provide yours as well.

Dear Father,

Thank You so much for showing us Your faithfulness and in so doing growing our faith in You. How blessed we are to be Your children and how honored I am to call You my Lord.

In Jesus name

Amen

The Weary Side of Good

2010-08-25T10:21:00.001-05:00

The Weary Side of Good

II Thessalonians 3:13

“But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.”

Is there a weary side of good? There can be if we allow it.

As I got on my knees to say good night to our Father last night, I wondered why I was feeling a bit down and out. The past week the Lord had been doing amazing things in my life and in the lives of my family. I was watching Him answer prayer after prayer and now for some reason I could feel myself being drawn into almost a depressed state. I asked the Lord, “What is this all about, Father? Why would I be feeling down when You have been doing so many amazing things in my life? I find myself beginning to think negative thoughts and allowing my emotions to get the best of me. Oh Father, this is when I need to draw on Your word in Philippians 4:8, think on these things, what is good, honorable, pure, just, holy, etc. and it will guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus. Yes Lord You are good and You are pure and You are holy and You have everything in perfect order for my life, I have nothing to be down about so I will praise You and thank You as You guard my heart and my mind from depression and discouragement. But I still would like to know, why now? Why when everything is going good would I suddenly feel down?”

After talking with the Father, I stayed on my knees in silence, waiting for an answer when suddenly He gave me a clear understanding of why I felt this way. The verse, “do not grow weary of doing good” came to my mind. I asked the Lord if this was His answer and if this is what He wanted me to share in the devotion today, I hadn’t been able to write it last night, so I said to the Father, “If this is why and if this is what You want me to write about than as I sleep tonight let it continually be on my mind and when I wake in the morning remind me again.”

Well, as you can see this was my answer and it is what He wanted me to share with you. After last night I received a new insight as to how we can become weary in doing good. I always thought it was only when I was doing good and would become overwhelmed or tired from the continual work of doing God’s will and service, but after yesterday I saw it in a new light. True we can become tired when we are serving all the time, but take a look at it this way as well. Sometimes we become weary when the Lord is doing good continually in our lives. When everything seems to be going good we can get caught up in the easiness of life and get lazy or become complacent in our Christian walk. We might not keep our eyes open for the enemy’s attack and thus become venerable to the lies of the world and the flesh.

Do not become weary in doing good, the good we do for and with the Lord and the good the Lord does for us. Either one of these situations can overwhelm us to the point of weariness if we do not stay focused on the God of strength, truth, wisdom, and peace. We must keep our eyes open and looking upward no matter how tired we may feel and no matter how good things may seem to be. Know His word and His promises so you can call them out when you begin to feel the weariness come over you. Watch for it, it will come, but we have a tool to help us overcome it before it overcomes us, God’s word.

It was a victory for me last night and it came because of the scriptures we have been studying together this week. Philippians chapter 4, I was able to recall it and in so doing it drew me away from the thoughts of discouragement and back into the promises of God. That my dearly beloved is where I want to stay, in the promises of my Lord and I want you right there with me. Together we can stay alert and watch out for the weary side of good.

Thank You Father, for bringing an understanding that even in the good times of life we can find ourselves drawn downward because of a lazy and complacent attitude, a weariness of the spirit as well as a weariness of the flesh. Thank You for giving us a way out of such a trap of the enemy. Thank You for Your word and Your promises that lift us up and out of a weary walk and back into a sprint of praise and worship that keeps us feeling confident and assured of our provisions and unconditional love from You.

In Jesus name, Amen

My Stream of Hope

2010-08-23T09:15:00.001-05:00

My Stream of Hope

Philippians 4:6-7

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Anxious= worry, concern

Nothing= not a single thing we are dealing with no matter how good or bad it may be

Everything= all of life and all of life’s journey and situations

Prayer= communication with God

Supplication= a plea for help and direction

Thanksgiving= knowing He will help, confident of His help

Request= what you want help with

Peace of God= perfect calm, without a single concern and a confidence all is well

Comprehension= beyond a human ability to understand

Guard= protects, keeps watch over

Christ Jesus= God the Son, our Redeemer, our Provider, our Protector, our Defender, our Assurance, our Healer, our Strength, our Wisdom, our Understanding, our Grace, our Mercy, our Forgiveness, our Future, our Hope, and our LIFE.

Ok, now read Philippian 4:6-7 again and this time insert the meaning of the words as you read it. See if you can get the fullness and the depth of the promise God is giving you. This is not a maybe but a confident assurance that God will do what He says He will do.

Jeremiah 17:8 says, “For he (you) will be like a tree planted by the water (Jesus) that extends its roots (your life) by a stream (God’s word) and will not fear when the heat (trials) come; but its (your) leaves (life) will be green (growing) and it (you) will not be anxious (worried, concerned) in a year of drought (death, trouble) nor cease (stop) to yield (produce) fruit (the evidence of God’s Spirit).

WOW! Plant yourself in His word, feed your soul on His promises, drink up the Living Water of Faith in Jesus and as you do He promises that He will give you a confidence that all is well, no matter how bad the situation may seem to be. He is faithful to His word because He is truth and He loves you.

Father, Thank You for being the Water to plant my life in Your Steam of hope which gives me the calm and confident assurance that all is well in my life and in the lives of my loved ones.

I love You and praise You

In Jesus name, Amen

It's Not What You Say

2010-06-27T22:21:00.001-05:00

Devotion

6-27-10

It’s Not What You Say

John 4:25-38

(Jesus has been talking to the woman at the well, a Samaritan woman, which according to Jewish law was not to be done. This encounter had two things that were looked down upon by the Jews, one, He was speaking to a Samaritan whom the Jews despised and two, He was talking to a woman which was not allowed for men to do. Yet, something amazing happens from this encounter, something bigger than all the laws and traditions of a religious sect of people. As you read the scriptures below see if you can spot the reason this devotion is titled, “It’s not what you say”. )

Before you begin, stop and ask the Father to reveal the message He is telling us in His word, ask Him to burden upon your heart the desire to do His will and allow His voice to be heard through you. Draw near to Him, you will know Him more, you will then become more like Him, your life will then reflect His likeness, and then my dear beloved, it will not be what you say that is heard.

John 4:25-38

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

At that point His disciples came, and they marveled that He had been speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?”

So the woman left here waterpot, and went into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

In the meanwhile the disciples were requesting Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to the, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” The disciples therefore were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?”

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

And from that city many Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all the things that I have done.’ So when the Samarians came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.’

Dear Father,

Draw me to You, reveal Your heart, I want to know You more. Let Your voice be heard from my lips, let it be Your words not mine. Show me how to build my relationship with You so that it will be so deep and we will be so close that no matter what comes my way I will feel Your arms holding me, Your love within me, Your comfort around me, Your light shinning from me, Your faith upholding me, Your wisdom guiding me, Your presence upon me and Your will before me. There is nothing I cannot do when I am close to You. Transform me by giving me a passion for Your word so that I will long to spend time with You and to read and know who You are personally. For I know Father, that as I come to Your word and read, listen, meditate and apply what You tell me, I will grow closer to You and as I become more personally involved in Your life than I will become more like You, and as I become more like You, I will respond like You would respond, I will overcome that which You have already overcome, I will be strong as You are strong, I will be free as You are freedom, I will have peace as You are peace, I will have courage through Your courage, I will be steadfast because You are steadfast, I will be filled with wisdom because You are wisdom, I will see good in my brothers and sisters and love unconditionally because that is how You see me and love me. I will not focus on the things of the world but upon the things of eternity. I will be about Kingdom work because it is Your kingdom I care about. I will not be filled with un-forgiveness, strife, bitterness, anger, pride, self-righteousness, or revenge because in You there is no place for these things. I want to empty out the shadows of my mind and heart, those hidden places that hold on to the past or sit quietly waiting to pull me down and keep me from being able to be closer to You. They take up too much space and lessen the room for You in my life. So teach me how to lay them down. Wash me clean of the filthiness of my flesh and make me whole in the purity of Your Spirit. Then, dear Father, I will be closer to Your heart and desire Your will not mine to be done. Then Father, it will not be my voice that is heard, but it will be the living Word, Your words of truth, hope and life that come from my heart and roll out upon my lips for a lost and dying world to hear. You know me like no one knows me, even better than I know myself. So here I am Lord, standing at the well ready to draw upon the Living Water and give a drink to any who are thirsty for life. For it is not what I say but what You say that will quench their thirst and fill their longings for acceptance and unconditional love through the heartbeat of Hope found only in Jesus.

I love You for loving me even when I have wronged You, hurt You, or turned from You. Thank You for the Water and the Food of Your Word that alone brings me sustainable and everlasting life.

In Jesus name

Amen

Done to Me

2010-06-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

Devotion

6-14-10

Done to Me

Matthew 25: 34-40

The following verses are very familiar to most of us and we often use them when we are in the process of raising money to help someone else. This is good and right, because by all means God wants us to use His word to confirm the truth that we are called to give. However, as you read the verses also keep in mind that when we are called to give it is not always money He is talking about. He is also talking about our time, attitudes, position, etc. What we do with the information God has given us, tells Him just how important He is to us as well.

So as you read God’s word today, open your heart and mind, set aside hurt feelings, broken hearts, disappointing situations, anger, bitterness, shame, fear, doubt and all the other things that bind us into the past and allow the Lord to speak clearly to your heart. Because whatever we give to others, the best of us or the worse of us, we are also giving it to the Lord.

Matthew 25:34-40

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and your clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”

There you have it, God’s word directly telling us that whatever we do to others we are doing it to Him.

Here are a few questions for us to reflect upon and ask the Lord to reveal the answers. Then write out your answer, be honest with yourself and God and then let Him free you from anything that binds you.

1. What have you done to help someone lately? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What have you done to encourage someone? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What have you done that hurt someone lately? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What have you done to encourage someone lately? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Do you feel justified in the decisions you made? ______________________________

Why? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. So looking at your answers, what have you done to God today?

Today, I Will Choose to be Happy

2010-05-27T22:59:00.001-05:00

Devotion 5-28-10

John 15:11

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

The Joyful Decision

Today, I Will Choose to be Happy.

Beginning this very moment, I am a happy person, for I now truly understand the concept of happiness. Few others before me have been able to grasp the truth of the physical law that enables one to live happily every day. I know now that happiness is not an emotional phantom floating in and out of my life. Happiness is a choice. Happiness is the end result of certain thoughts and activities, which actually bring about a chemical reaction in my body. This reaction results in a euphoria, which, while elusive to some, is totally under my control.

Today I will choose to be happy.

I will greet each day with laughter. Within moments of awakening, I will laugh for seven seconds. After even such a small period of time, excitement has begun to flow through my bloodstream. I feel different. I am different! I am enthusiastic about the day. I am alert to its possibilities. I am happy! Laughter is an outward expression of enthusiasm, and

I know that enthusiasm is the fuel that moves the world. I laugh throughout the day. I laugh while

I am alone, and I laugh in conversation with others. People are drawn to me because I have laughter in my heart. The world belongs to the enthusiastic for people will follow them anywhere!

Today I will choose to be happy.

I will smile at every person I meet. My smile has become my calling card. It is, after all, the most potent weapon I possess. My smile has the strength to forge bonds, break ice, and calm storms. I will use my smile constantly. Because of my smile, the people with whom I come in contact on a daily basis will choose to further my causes and follow my leadership. I will always smile first. That particular display of a good attitude will tell others what I expect in return. My smile is the key to my emotional make up. A wise man once said, “I do not sing because I am happy; I am happy because I sing!” When I choose to smile, I become the master of my emotions. Discouragement, despair, frustration, and fear will always wither when confronted by my smile. The power of who I am is displayed when I smile.

Today I will choose to be happy.

I am the possessor of a grateful spirit. In the past, I have found discouragement in particular situations, until I compared the condition of my life to others less fortunate. Just as a fresh breeze cleans smoke from the air, so does a grateful spirit remove the cloud of despair. It is impossible for the seeds of depression not to take root in a thankful heart. My God has bestowed upon me many gifts, and for these I will remember to be grateful. Too many times I have offered up the prayers of a beggar, always asking for more and forgetting my thanks. I do not wish to be seen as a greedy child, unappreciative, and disrespectful. I am grateful for sight and sound and breath. If ever in my life there is a pouring out of blessings beyond that, then I will be grateful for the miracle of abundance.

I will greet each day with laughter. I will smile at every person I meet. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit.

Today, I will choose to be happy.

I Have a Decided Heart

2010-05-26T22:52:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-27-10

Job 34:4

Let us choose for ourselves that which is right; let us know among ourselves what is good.

Joshua 24:15

“… Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The Certain Decision

I Have a Decided Heart

A wise man once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Knowing this to be true, I am taking my first step today. For too long my feet have been tentative, shuffling left and right, more backward than forward as my heart gauged the direction of the wind. Criticism, condemnation, and complaint are creatures of the wind. They come and go on the wasted breath of lesser beings and have no power over me. The power to control direction belongs to me. Today

I will begin to exercise that power. My course has been charted. My destiny is assured.

I have a decided heart.

I am passionate about my vision for the future. I will awaken every morning with an excitement about the new day and its opportunity for growth and change. My thoughts and actions will work in a forward motion, never sliding into the dark forest of doubt or the muddy quicksand of self-pity. I will freely give my vision for the future to others, and as they see the belief in my eyes, they will follow me.

I will lay my head on my pillow at night happily exhausted, knowing that I have done everything within my power to move the mountains in my path. As I sleep, the same dream that dominates my waking hours will be with me in the dark. Yes, I have a dream. It is a great dream, and I will never apologize for it. Neither will I ever let it go, for if I did, my life would be finished. My hopes, my passions, my vision for the future is my very existence. A person without a dream never had a dream come true.

I have a decided heart. I will not wait.

I know that the purpose of analysis is to come to a conclusion. I have tested the angles. I have measured the probabilities. And now I have made a decision with my heart. I am not timid. I will move now and not look back. What I put off until tomorrow, I will put off until the next day as well. I do not procrastinate. All my problems become smaller when I confront them. If I touch a thistle with caution, it will prick me, but if I grasp it boldly, its spines crumble into dust.

I will not wait. I am passionate about my vision for the future. My course has been charted. My destiny is assured.

I have a decided heart.

I Am a Person of Action

2010-05-25T22:27:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-26-10

1 Peter 1:13

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit; fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The Active Decision

I Am a Person of Action

Beginning today, I will create a new future by creating a new me. No longer will I dwell in a pit of despair, moaning over squandered time and lost opportunity. I can do nothing about the past.

My future is immediate. I will grasp it in both hands and carry it with running feet. When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act! I seize this moment. I choose now.

I am a person of action.

I am energetic. I move quickly. Knowing that laziness is a sin, I will create a habit of lively behavior. I will walk with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. The lifeblood rushing through my veins is urging me upward and forward into activity and accomplishment.

Wealth and prosperity hide from the sluggard, but rich rewards come to the person who moves quickly.

I am a person of action.

I inspire others with my activity. I am a leader. Leading is doing. To lead, I must move forward. Many people move out of the way for a person on the run; others are caught up in his wake. My activity will create a wave of success for the people who follow. My activity will be consistent. This will instill confidence in my leadership. As a leader, I have the ability to encourage and inspire others to greatness. It is true: An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep!

I am a person of action.

I can make a decision. I can make it now. A person who moves neither left nor right is destined for mediocrity. When faced with a decision, many people say they are waiting for God. But I understand, in most cases, God is waiting for me! He has given me a healthy mind to gather and sort information and the courage to come to a conclusion. I am not a quivering dog, indecisive and fearful. My constitution is strong and my pathway clear. Successful people make their decisions quickly and change their mind slowly. Failures make their decisions slowly and change their mind quickly. My decisions come quickly, and they lead to victory.

I am a person of action.

I am daring. I am courageous. Fear no longer has a place in my life. For too long, fear has outweighed my desire to make things better for my family. Never again! I have exposed fear as a vapor, an impostor who never had any power over me in the first place! I do not fear opinion, gossip, or the idle chatter of monkeys for all are the same to me. I do not fear failure, for in my life, failure is a myth. Failure only exists for the person who quits. I do not quit.

I am courageous. I am a leader. I seize this moment. I choose now.

I am a person of action.

I Will Seek Wisdom

2010-05-25T07:01:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-25-10

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

James 1:5

The Guided Decision

By Andy Andrews

I Will Seek Wisdom.

Knowing that wisdom waits to be gathered, I will actively search her out. My past can never be changed, but I can change the future by changing my actions today. I will change my actions today! I will train my eyes and ears to read and listen to books and recordings that bring about positive changes in my personal relationships and a greater understanding of my fellow man. No longer will I bombard my mind with materials that feed my doubts and fears. I will read and listen only to that which increases my belief in myself and my future.

I will seek wisdom.

I will choose my friends with care. I am who my friends are. I speak their language, and I wear their clothes. I share their opinions and their habits. From this moment forward, I will choose to associate with people whose lives and lifestyles I admire. If I associate with chickens, I will learn to scratch at the ground and squabble over crumbs. If I associate with eagles, I will learn to soar great heights. I am an eagle. It is my destiny to fly.

I will seek wisdom.

I will listen to the counsel of wise men. The words of a wise man are like raindrops on dry ground. They are precious and quickly used for immediate results. Only the blade of grass that catches a raindrop will prosper and grow. The person who ignores wise counsel is like the blade of grass untouched by the rain—soon to wither and die. When I counsel with myself, I can only make decisions according to what I already know. By counseling with a wise man, I add his knowledge and experience to my own and dramatically increase my success.

I will seek wisdom.

I will be a servant to others. A wise man will cultivate a servant’s spirit, for that particular attribute attracts people like no other. As I humbly serve others, their wisdom will be freely shared with me. Often, the person who develops a servant’s spirit becomes wealthy beyond measure. Many times, a servant has the ear of the king, and a humble servant becomes king for he is the popular choice of the people. He who serves the most grows the fastest.

I will become a humble servant. I will not look for someone to open my door—I will look to open the door for someone. I will not be distressed when no one is available to help me—I will be excited when I am available to help.

I will be a servant to others. I will listen to the counsel of wise men. I will choose my friends with care.

I will seek wisdom.

Responsible Decisions Made By How We Think

2010-05-23T21:51:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-24-10

Responsible Decisions Made By How We Think

Philippians 4:8

“…Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

The Buck Stops Here.

From this moment forward, I will accept responsibility for my past. I understand that the beginning of wisdom is to accept the responsibility for my own problems and that by accepting responsibility for my past, I free myself to move into a bigger, brighter future of my own choosing.

Never again will I blame my parents, my spouse, my boss, or employees for my present situation. Neither my education or lack of one, my genetics, or the circumstantial ebb and flow of everyday life will affect my future in a negative way. If I allow myself to blame these uncontrollable forces for my lack of success, I will be forever caught in a web of the past. I will look forward. I will not let my history control my destiny.

The buck stops here.

I accept responsibility for my past. I am responsible for my success. I am where I am today—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—because of decisions I have made. My decisions have always been governed by my thinking. Therefore, I am where I am today—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—because of how I think. Today I will begin the process of changing where I am—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—by changing the way I think.

My thoughts will be constructive, never destructive. My mind will live in the solutions of the future. It will not dwell in the problems of the past. I will seek the association of those who are working and striving to bring about positive changes in the world. I will never seek comfort by associating with those who have decided to be comfortable.

When faced with the opportunity to make a decision, I will make one. I understand that God did not put in me the ability to always make right decisions. He did, however, put in me the ability to make a decision and then make it right. The rise and fall of my emotional tide will not deter me from my course. When I make a decision, I will stand behind it. My energy will go into making the decision. I will waste none on second thoughts. My life will not be an apology. It will be a statement.

The buck stops here.

I control my thoughts. I control my emotions.

In the future, when I am tempted to ask the question “Why me?”, I will immediately counter with the answer: “Why not me?” Challenges are a gift, an opportunity to learn. Problems are the common thread running through the lives of great men and women. In times of adversity, I will not have a problem to deal with, I will have a choice to make. My thoughts will be clear. I will make the right choice. Adversity is preparation for greatness. I will accept the preparation. Why me? Why not me? I will be prepared for something great!

I accept responsibility for my past. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions. I am responsible

for my success. The buck stops here.

Stand Strong Regardless of Suffering

2010-05-21T06:30:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-21-10

Stand Strong Regardless of Suffering

I Peter 2:20-21

“For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

Read the verse again and this time, notice the yellow highlights. The first one is about us suffering for doing what’s right and it clearly states that if we endure the suffering with patience it will find favor with God.

Next notice the words that are not colored but are underlined. We see that Christ suffered but committed no sin. Therefore He was suffering for doing what was right.

Now look at the second yellow highlight, it reveals how Christ handled His suffering.

Finally, take a look at the two phrases that are highlighted in blue-green. The first one is what the Lord tells us to do, “you patiently endure” and the second one explains what that means, “entrusting yourself to Him”.

You see it isn’t that your suffering itself finds favor, but its entrusting your life, through the suffering, to Him who judges righteously, this finds favor with God. Patience means we know that the suffering we are going through will, in time, pass because we trust our God of heaven to judge those who wrong us as well as free us from our persecution. Patience, trusting God, finds favor with Him because He knows we depend on Him. This is however, not the only way to find favor with God, but it is one way we can know for sure whose we are.

Remember, Christ is our living example of how we are to live our lives. He suffered, and in our suffering we become like Him. He endured His suffering by entrusting Himself to the Father and when we endure and entrust our lives to the Father we become more like Him. So, whatever you are facing today, if you are suffering for doing what is right, rejoice, because our God in heaven has promised that He Himself will handle the situation and pour out His favor on you. In so doing you will gain a peace and a power to stand strong regardless of your suffering.

What an awesome God we serve who personally understands our suffering & needs, gives us hope & strength and empowers us to stand strong regardless of suffering.

Cry for the Lost

2010-05-18T22:22:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-19-10

Cry for the Lost

Luke 23: 27-28

“And there were following Him a great multitude of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

The road to suffering that Jesus took is often thought of, in our minds, as a great walk of pain for our Savior, and to our way of thinking and understanding, it was. Yet Jesus spoke some very interesting words on that journey to the cross, words that cause me to think deeper into the depth of the suffering He really boar for each of us.

In Luke 23:27-28 Jesus says to the women who are aching and mourning for His pain, that they should not cry for Him but for themselves. What could He have meant? Why would He tell them to cry for themselves and their children? Reading this I was captivated by it. It is a part of the walk to Calvary that I have never heard spoken about and yet it is there in His word for a reason. He wants us to understand something by His statement. I have pondered this, asking the Lord to clarify what He wants to tell us today through this.

“Stop weeping for Me”. “Stop weeping for Me”. Oh my goodness. He wants us to understand that the importance of His death is not to be focused on His pain, but upon the pain of our own lives and the lives of those we love who will not follow Him down the salvation road. Not that we must latterly go through what He went through, but that without accepting His walk, His life, His death and resurrection, we ourselves would face a suffering greater than what He endured. Greater!!! Do we understand what that means?

When we think of the painful beatings, the nails in His hands and feet, the sword in His side, and the suffocation on the cross; we ache that He suffered so terrible for us and yet He does not want us to cry for Him. “Stop”, He said, “Stop crying for Me.”

The Lord wants us to ache for the lost, not for Him. He wants us to mourn for the lost, not for Him. There is no reason to mourn for Him, He is alive! But those who are lost are dying and going to hell, separated from the love of God forever into eternal suffering. That is what He wants us to cry about.

We must stop focusing on the pain of the sacrifice and focus instead on the fact that He wants us to cry for the lost and tell them of the LIFE He has provided for them through His sacrifice. We must cry for those who need Jesus, cry out for them, and reach out to them to lead them to Christ.

To The End

2010-05-17T23:26:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-18-10

To The End

Psalm 119:11

Your word I have treasured in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

The door quietly closed as the nurse left the room. Finally alone, Joyce held her new born daughter in her arms. She couldn’t take her eyes off this precious little angel. Gently and slowly she lifted her baby girl up and placed her cheek next to hers. Oh the soft and pure feel of her baby’s skin next to hers. No words could express the deep feeling of awe and the unmistakable bound she so quickly felt. A simple tear fell from the side of Joyce’s eye. It was a tear of the deepest joy she had ever felt in her lifetime. She knew that the child she held in her arms was more precious than gold and she would now defend, protect, nurture, love and fight if need be, to the very end for her life.

Can you recall that moment in your life when you held your first born or any of your children in your arms for the first time? If you don’t have children, can you recall a moment when you have been held or when you held someone you loved? Oh there is nothing like it on the face of this earth. Those loved ones are special because they hold a very deep and dear place in our hearts. We cannot imagine our lives without them. We treasure their lives. They make our lives better, richer and fuller.

We would fight for their lives to the very end.

Can you recall that moment when you felt the love of the heavenly Father on the day you received Christ as your Savior? Do you recall the moment you read His words of promise and protection and knew they were for you? There is nothing like it in all eternity. I can often feel His loving arms wrapped around me through His word. It comforts me, guides me, and reveals His promises for me and my children. I cannot imagine my life without Him or His word. His word is more precious than gold. I desire to know and understand God’s word so that I will not sin against Him. It holds a very dear place within my life, my soul, and my heart. I will defend it, share it, and love it to the end.

This is what it means to treasure God’s word in your heart.

Come Now

2010-05-16T22:03:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-17-10

Come Now

Isaiah 1:18a

“Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord.”

As I am studying the book of Isaiah, I am taken back by the verse above; the Lord is asking us to come to Him so that we can reason together. When I think of reasoning with someone I think that we are coming to an agreement about something. Perhaps we saw an issue different from each other and we want to come together to talk it through until we can agree on a solution or answer to our situation. This is why I find this verse very interesting. God is telling us to come to Him so we can reason, or come to an agreement on an issue. So does this mean that God’s decisions are not set? Does it mean we can change His mind or that He will meet us in the middle? I don’t think so. I believe the Lord is telling us something through this verse much deeper than we think. But what is that something He is trying to tell us?

First of all let me explain that I am not a trained Bible scholar; however, I do love the Word and know that the Lord will talk to any of us through it with the teaching insight of the Holy Spirit to guide us. So with that understanding let’s dig a little deeper to understand what the Lord is saying. Think with me on this. The Lord is requesting of us to come to Him so we can reason with Him. He is letting us know that He wants to talk to us about our situations in life. He is telling us that He cares about our needs. He wants us to share with Him what we think, how we see a situation, and when we are to meet with Him.

The Lord tells us to come NOW, not later, not when we want to, not when it is most convenient for us, not when someone else says we should, but NOW, right now where we are, where you are, no matter what we are doing. We need to stop and place ourselves in position to talk to and hear what the Lord has to say to us. Before you go any further in reading this devotion, stop! Stop right now, pause for a moment and go to the Father and ask Him to discuss this devotion with you. Ask Him to give you understanding. Let Him reason with you about what He has to share with you today through His word. Are you ready? Ok, then stop! Listen to what He is saying to your heart. Ask Him how He wants to reason with you today.

I pray you stopped and talked with the Lord before going further. I pray you understand by doing so that you are telling Him you are willing to listen to His reason for why you need to do something, where you should be going, or what the next step in your life should be, etc. Reasoning with the Lord is taking time to listen to Him, sharing your heart with Him, and allowing Him to share His heart with you. When you stop, listen, talk, and reason with the Lord He will show you the many promises in His word, for once your sins were like scarlet, but now they will be white as snow, He says in Isaiah 1:18b. Come to Him not only to accept Him as your Savior, but come to Him every moment of every day to allow Him to be Lord of your life. He is listening; He loves you, Stop and come now to Him.

The Missing Puzzle of Spirit

2010-05-13T22:28:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-14-10

The Missing Puzzle of Spirit

Proverbs 15:3

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.”

Have you ever spent time with someone who has autism? It is amazing to look into their eyes and feel as if they are looking right through you. You may have known someone with autism and wondered how you could reach them. Did you ever ask the question, “Where are you, sweetheart? I know you’re in there somewhere” to an person with autism? Well every day I work with people in similar states of being. The challenges can be tough but oh the rewards for being a part of the increasing of their life’s quality.

These children need us to guide them, to direct them, to be firm with them and yet to be filled with compassion and understanding for them. I ache inside for the parents who love them so much. Oh what a struggle it must be to face such a challenge every single day of their lives. To have that longing for having a conversation with their child and to have a relationship that is fully understood. The Mother of a child with autism loves her little boy or girl so deeply and yet she may wonder if her child really knows how much she loves him/her or if he/she understands just who she is. Nevertheless, with all her heart she will give whatever it takes to get her child’s attention long enough to instruct him with words and actions to protect him and to express her love for him. Sometimes the child, while walking in public, will suddenly begin to run ahead. Mom has to catch him and calm him long enough to get him back on tract. He has no idea of the dangers that are all around him. He needs help to make it through the simple things and it makes all the difference in his little world to have someone who cares about his condition and to reach out and touch him.

We are much the same with the Lord. We wander around unaware just how much danger is lurking around every corner of our lives. We take off running, thinking we can handle everything ourselves yet we have no idea where we are going. The decisions we make are often absent from calling upon the Lord for His help. God looks down at us and wonders where we are and what He must do to get our attention so we will follow Him. We think we don’t need Him and push Him aside. But He just keeps standing beside us waiting for us to take His hand and let Him guide us to where we belong.

No matter where we go, He is there. No matter what we do, He is there. He sees our needs and has a deep love for us as His children, no matter our condition. He wants to have a relationship with us but knows it won’t happen until somehow we hear His voice calling and we answer. Autistic children are loved by the ones who gave them life, their parents, just as our heavenly Father loves us. He gives us life. He wants to reach our hearts and change our lives completely. He is looking at us and wondering where we are, where is the missing puzzle piece?

What is God saying to you today? What is He telling you to do? What dangers does He want to protect you from? Do you see Him looking deeply into your eyes and telling you He loves you? Don’t have an autistic like spirit unable to comprehend His words. Reach out, take His hand, trust His leading and let Him guide you safely to your destination. His eyes are upon you, staying alert, watching for your own good and waiting for you to understand He loves you. (This devotion is dedicated to the parents who have children with autism. You are in our prayers.)

2010-05-12T22:36:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-12-10

Not to Tell = Hate

Proverbs 19:18

“Discipline your son (or daughter) while there is hope, and do not desire his death.”

Wow those are some strong words in Proverbs 19:18. It implies that there is a time when there will be no hope for disciplining our children. What is that time the verse is referring to? Is it simply that our children can get to a point of hopelessness in being disciplined? What is discipline? And then the verse dares to say, “And do not desire his (or her) death.” Now what parent desires the death of their child? I sure don’t! In fact I would fight to the death for my child’s life as I am sure you would do as well. So what does the verse really mean to us as parents? God never puts anything in His word that does not have a deeper spiritual meaning than the fleshly meaning we so often attach to it. So let’s examine the verse more closely and see if we can glean the value and the depth of what God is saying to us.

When the Lord is speaking of discipline He is not only referring to physical discipline, but also to spiritual discipline; the training of our children in God’s word, sharing about the works of His hands in our lives and in the world, leading them to a saving knowledge of God’s mercy and showing them the gift of salvation through His Son. Preparing our children to live a life of service to our Lord, equipping them with the tools to be godly men and women, and giving them guidelines and boundaries, so they don’t step out of the plan of the Lord shows them we love them.

“While there is still hope” this phrase is to remind us that God will not strive with us forever. There will come a day when He will return and only those who have received Christ will be called to go with Him to heaven. As parents we have the hope that our Lord is merciful and desires that all come to repentance, but we also must accept the hard reality that the hope we have in Christ Jesus is not accepted by all. We as parents need to be praying, disciplining, training, preparing and leading our children to the Lord. It is a serious issue and the next phrase of the verse reveals just how serious it is. “And do not desire his death.” Now is this talking about a physical death? I believe it is talking about an eternal death, separated from Him forever. If we do not purposefully tell our own children about Jesus so they can live forever in Heaven, than we are pretty much stating that we hate our child and would be happy for them to go to hell. That’s right, I said hell.

We as believers must come to an understanding of the wandering lost souls in the world and perhaps within your own home. It could be a spouse, a child, a sibling or a parent. Nevertheless the Lord is reminding us that apart from His hope we are destine for death. His hope brings life! As a mother, my children’s salvation is the top desire of my heart.

I love them too much NOT TO TELL them about the hope of Jesus.

Mizpah

2010-05-07T11:21:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-7-10

This devotion is dedicated to my daughter, Semah, who will be leaving in three days to serve in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria for 27 months.

Mizpah

Genesis 31:49

“and Mizpah, for he said, ‘May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.”

Every parent knows how difficult it can be to send off a child to their first day of school, drive on their own for the first time, send them out on their first real date, leave for their first year at collage, watch them get married, move to another state, etc. There is an emotional bond that connects a mother’s heart with her child. For most moms that is. It is a bond different than a bond between father and child. We moms have carried them inside us, for those moms who went through an adoption process you had a bond of desire and longing to hold a child inside you and for both kinds of moms we have felt our hearts skip a beat as we held our precious children in our arms. We have sung to our babies, taught them to walk and talk, we have dressed them up like little dolls, cried when we couldn’t get them to sleep, stayed up endless hours nursing or bottle feeding them, disciplined and corrected them to mold them into productive adults, we have had days when we weren’t sure they were our children, moments of laughter and tears, dreams of what they would look like all grown up, daily prayers for their protection and wisdom, hopes for their future to be filled with love, joy, hope and peace, and that never ending desire for them to have a life committed to God. And though we go through all this to prepare them for their own life as an adult with a passion to spread their wings and fly into the path God calls them to, it is still difficult when they fly.

Laban understood this when Jacob was ready to leave with his daughters and make a life for themselves. (See Gen 31) Laban wanted to be sure Jacob would take care of his daughters and bring them no harm. So they made a covenant between each other and asked God to watch over them while they were apart from one another to keep that covenant. They had a Mizpah according to Jewish tradition. A Mizpah is a covenant, a promise between two parties.

As moms we have the opportunity to crate a Mizpah with our children. Making a covenant with them to each do our part in protecting the relationship and keeping it strong no matter the distance between us, and as we do we understand the meaning of the Mizpah as explain in Genesis 31:49 “and Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other.”

As a mom I long to be in the presents of my children and watch them interact, develop into adults and I am in awe of their passions and desires for life, love and God. I desire to see them able to stand on their own feet as dependable and committed adults who serve the Lord in every area of their lives. I have raised them to be able to know the source of their help in times of trouble (the Lord) and to go to Him first. I knew as their mom I was given them for a time and as a gift from God to raise them for Him. Nevertheless, as their mom, my heart still aches when we are separated. Though I do not fear for their lives, I have the confidence they will succeed at whatever they do, and they will be bold in their faith, I still find it not to be an easy task of letting go, just like Laban.

This Monday, May 6, 2010 I will let go in the biggest way yet as a mom. My youngest daughter will leave for her service with the Peace Corps in Bulgaria. I am so proud of her and would never dream of asking her not to go, yet the lump in my throat is hard to swallow. I know the Lord has gone before her to prepare the way. I know He is with her every step of the way. And I know He will be her rear guard to protect her in all her ways. I praise Him and thank Him for that.

My heart beats with joy and with tears. I will make this covenant with my daughter, a Mizpah that the Lord would watch between me and her while we are absent one from another. In that I can let go and let God do His work in her and through her as she takes His love, joy, peace, and hope with her to Bulgaria. What an awesome Mother’s Day gift I have been given from God. He has shown me that my little girl is His completely and ready to fly. He has answered my deepest prayer for her. Tears of joy and longing now become friends. So fly my little angle the Lord watch between us. Mizpah!

A Life Manifested and Shared

2010-05-05T22:27:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-6-10

A Life Manifested and Shared

I Corinthians 12:7

“A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial.”

There lying on the floor was a deflated beach ball, out of place in the big city apartment, yet useful just the same if only it would be picked up, breathed into, and taken to the place of its usefulness.

We are like that deflated beach ball without Christ in our lives. We are out of place in a body He created to be filled with His Spirit and His usefulness. But when we accept Christ as our Savior, the Lord picks us up and breathes His Life, His very Spirit into us so that we become filled with the very purpose we were created for.

Often the Holy Spirit is overlooked when we speak of God and yet without the Holy Spirit God would not be God. In Genesis God says, “Let US make man in OUR image after OUR likeness.” This is important to understand about who God truly is. God the Father is the mind of God, God the Son is the working body of God and God the Holy Spirit is the very essence of God. Take one of them away and we must then take one of those traits away from us as well. Take away my mind and I would be like the vegetables and not have the ability to think, reason, create, or have a beating heart. Take away my body and you would never believe I ever existed. Take away my spirit and I would have no character, personality or ability to love. All three are needed to make me a woman. This is how we are created in His image.

When we accept Christ we are asking God to breathe into us His Spirit so that He becomes the life of our emotions, decisions, character, and a manifestation or the very essence of who He is. He takes our lost and deflated sinful nature and fills it up with His Spirit to completely change our human form from a flat empty sinful soul to a fully formed, equipped, righteous and beautiful child of God.

The fullness of God’s Spirit fills us with perfect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

In His image we were crated, so that He could breathe into us the fullness of which He is, Mind, Body, and Spirit and become a life manifested in His righteousness able to live with Him for eternity and able to be used by Him while on this earth to share His glory and love with others.

(Thank You Father for manifesting Your righteousness in my daughter and for her willingness to share Your love in Bulgaria.)

Letting Go

2010-05-05T06:21:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-5-10

Letting Go

Matthew 16:21-24

“From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Reading this verse makes me realize how hard it is not to think about my own interests in life, the things of the flesh that can grip us so hard and drag us down before we know it or to cause someone else to stumble, yet it is so easy to happen. How do we let go of the things or the people in our lives we love so much? Do we really trust those we love in His care for His glory? Well, this is a test I am facing right now in my own life. As I walk this journey of letting go, I share it with you in hopes that it might help in some way with a journey you may be on too. Below is a letter I wrote to the Lord as I am preparing to let go of a very precious gift in my life for a time, my youngest daughter, Semah. She will leave next Monday morning, May 10^th at 6 a.m. to serve with the Peace Corps for 27 months in Bulgaria. My heart is heavy, but my faith holds me together. Pray with me today and allow my prayer to touch your own heart as you insert the name of someone or something you need to let go of. God bless you as we all are learning to let go.

Dear Father,

The days are going by so quickly now, the hours on the clock are ticking louder reminding me that the time will soon be at hand when my precious little girl, now a women, will hug me good bye and get on a plan to fly a very long way away from home. I know You have called her to this work and she is being obedient. Help me to let go in obedience as well. Help my heart to beat without a skip and to breathe without a lump in my throat. Help me to not fear or have anxious thoughts but to trust You completely as I know You are in control.

Go before her Father and be her rear guard. Place Your righteous hands of protection under the wings of the plan that she will have a safe journey. Wrap Your arms of love and comfort around her as she leaves home and must face the challenges of life, loneliness, missing the holidays and the family gathers. Keep her steadfast in Your faithful love, joy, peace and hope. Raise her up in all she does that she might raise You up. Use her to glorify Your name and open doors of opportunities to touch lives with Your Light, Love and Life.

Father, when I look around the room I see the many things that make me think of her. I open the kitchen cabinets and see the scriptures she has placed there. I hear a song she has sung before, look at a picture of her smiling face and though each of those things makes me cry, they bring my heart so much joy as well. Because I know she loves You and has committed her life to You. I am confident that in so doing she has a solid foundation of faith that will guide her, inspire her, encourage her, build her up and help her to keep going no matter what she might face. She will make a difference in the lives of the people she meets and You will enrich her life in a way she could never imagine. Wow, what an exciting time. Help me to remember this on Monday. Remind me not to be a stumbling block in Your plan.

I guess the one thing You are teaching me most from this challenge of letting her go is the lesson of sacrifice, the kind You made so many years ago. Father, You gave Your Son, You sent Him to earth for a sinner like me to give me hope and a future. We (Hassan and I) are sending our daughter so that she might bring hope and a better life to those in Bulgaria as You give her opportunities to share Your Love. Oh what a painful lesson to learn, but what an honor to share in Your pain.

I am trying Father, I am letting go. Strengthen me through Your word that I might be strong for my husband and other children through this change in our lives. We will take one day at a time and before we know it her 27 months will be up and she will be coming home. Therefore, I am letting go so she can come home soon.

In Jesus name

Amen

Do Not Despair

2010-05-03T22:31:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-4-10

Do Not Despair

Today’s devotion is for those of us who have felt the despair of daily troubles. I guess that means it is for all of us. We have all faced times when life seemed so overwhelming that we begin to find ourselves feeling despair. But the Lord wants us to be encouraged because He promises to help us overcome and to live in His hope, joy and peace. Below you will find just a few of the promises of God’s word to help us when we are feeling discouraged. He loves you and wants to remind you, do not despair.

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"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

"Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me.'" Hebrews 13:5-6

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-29

"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5

"To You, O LORD, I called, and to the Lord I made supplication: What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be my helper.

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever." Psalm 30:8-12

"He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:10-12

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil." Hebrews 6:19

"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners." Isaiah 61:1

"He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:29-31

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

Remember dearly beloved, you are loved so much that Jesus died for you and made it possible for you to face not only the trials of this life on earth, but He also provide for you a place in heaven with Him where all the troubles, pains, sorrows, and trials will be gone and we will spend eternity praising Him completely free from sin, completely whole, no more sickness, no more decease, no more fears, no more doubts, no more aches in your heart and no more anxious thoughts. His perfect peace awaits us all and we can embrace it even now as we embrace Jesus and the promises of His word. So hold on, do not despair, the Lord is with you and will never leave you alone.

Peace

2010-05-03T06:10:00.001-05:00

Devotion

5-3-10

Peace

Ecclesiastes 3:8

“A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.”

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let if be fearful.”

John 20:21

“Jesus therefore said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Romans 15:33

“Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen”

I Corinthians 7:15c

“God has called us to peace.”

Ephesians 2:14

“For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall…”

Philippians 4:7

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

II Thessalonians 3:16

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance, The Lord be with you all!”

Hebrews 12:14

“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

I Peter 5:14

“Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.”

II Peter 1:2

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

What is the common theme in each of these verses? __________ Do you have it today? ___

Let’s pray for each other today that His peace will fill us no matter what we are facing.

Heavy Battle, His Power

2010-04-30T06:27:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-27-10

Heavy Battle, His Power

Ephesians 6:10-20

Do you have a heavy battle you are fighting right now? Are you using His power to help you? It is a question I sit back and ask myself. I know I need His help.

Ephesians 6:10-20

“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For your struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God; that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf,(I will be praying on your behalf) that utterance may be given to me(you) in the opening of my (your) mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I (you) am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I(you) may speak boldly, as I (you) ought to speak.”

Take your battle to the Lord. Be honest with Him because He already knows any way. Tell the Lord what your concerns and needs are. He will answer and meet your needs. Be sure to put on His armor for His protection of your mind and spirit.

Be strong, hold on, speak truth and stand firm. The battle may be heavy but His power will give you victory.

Remind Those We Love

2010-04-29T06:15:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-27-10

Remind Those We Love

Ephesians 6:10-20

As I waved at my daughter driving away tonight, a lump filled my throat as I fought back the tears. I treasure my time with her more than ever right now because I know that in a very short time, 11 days, she will be boarding a plane to leave us for 27 months. My heart is so proud of her for the love she has for helping those in need, yet the mother part of my heart aches in knowing my baby girl will be so far away. She will be serving with the Peace Corps, helping to make life better for children in Bulgaria.

As I sat down to write this devotion, I read Ephesians 6:10-20 again and this time I realized that I was reading it as if I was reading it to my daughter, giving her God’s wisdom for her journey. It dawned on me that we must always pass on the truth of God’s word, we must remind those we love that God is always there for them and that His armor is very important for them to put on every day. It brought me comfort reading God’s word. Oh sure the pain of missing my little girl will be deep, there will be days I do not want to see or talk to any one but the Lord simply because I know He knows the depth of ache in my heart. Nevertheless, I have the confidence that my little girl, a grown woman now who will celebrate her 26^th birthday in Bulgaria this coming July, loves the Lord and will take with her God’s armor. (The nice thing is His armor weighs nothing and won’t cost her more to travel.)

So in today’s devotion I am inserting a little something special for my daughter, I am going to insert her name throughout the scripture and then pass it on to her.

Let me challenge you to copy and past this devotion, remove my daughter’s name and add your child’s name; then print it and give it to your child. Remember it is not only important to know the word, but we must share it, especially with our loved ones.

I would also like to ask you to remember my family in your prayers as we send off our youngest daughter on May 10^th at 6am. Mother’s Day, May 9^th will be filled with lots of emotions as the family comes together to celebrate life. For we are giving life, sharing with others through my daughter.

I praise the Lord because I know that Semah, my daughter, is in His hands and He is in control, even on the other side of the world. Tell some one you love today that they are loved and

Ephesians 6:10-20

“Finally, Semah, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For your struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, Semah, take up the full armor of God; that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; Semah, in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Semah, With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf,(I will be praying on your behalf) that utterance may be given to me(you) in the opening of my (your) mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I (you) am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I(you) may speak boldly, as I (you) ought to speak.”

Now it’s your turn my beloved. Insert your child or your husband’s name, and send it to them. It is so important to pray for our children but let’s not forget it is equally important for us to let them see and hear us pray for them. Remind those you love with God’s love, it will empower them as they leave and comfort you while they’re gone. (This is what I am hoping for and depending on.)

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Knowing the Battle is Won

2010-04-28T09:30:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-27-10

Knowing the Battle is Won

Ephesians 6:10-20

We can read God’s word and meditate upon it, but if we do not hide it in our hearts, (memorize it) than we don’t know how to recall it in the heat of the battle.

Therefore, let’s each take the time to memorize the armor of God as we continue to read through and study Ephesians 6:10-20

To begin our memorization, let’s start with verses 10 & 11. (They are underlined below.)

The easiest way to memorize the verses is by writing them down. Begin with writing the reference (Ephesians 6:10-11) and then write the verses. Write them several times a day for the rest of this week. By Sunday you should have one of God’s promises to you memorized. And then when you are feeling weak or weary just recall those verses to remind you that your strength comes from the Lord. It will remind you to put on God’s armor so that He will empower you to be able to stand firm against the devil.

Read through verses 10-20 and then begin writing.

Ephesians 6:10-20

“Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God; that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

As you memorize God’s word you will understand and know the battle is won.

The Victory Is Yours

2010-04-27T06:41:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-27-10

The Victory Is Yours

Ephesians 6:10-20

Yesterday, we began the process of reading about the armor of God and revealing that by putting it on each day, He will equip you to face the battle and fight the good fight of faith in your daily lives. You were challenged with reading Ephesians 6:10-20 every day this week. Now, the next challenge is not to just read it but to meditate on it. Ask the Lord to reveal to your heart, mind and spirit the depth of the meaning of these verses and how they are meant especially for you in your battles. As you read the verses insert your own name in it to personalize it and to remind you that His armor will protect you, empower you and equip you to stand firm for the cause of Christ and to overcome the struggles of life. Remember, with God’s armor the victory is yours.

(Example: Finally, Joyce, be strong in the Lord… I will put on the full armor of God, that I may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.)

Ephesians 6:10-20

What battles are you facing today? Who is causing you frustration? Give the battle and the person, or persons, to the Lord; put on His armor and allow Him to fight the battles for you. As you stand firm He will raise you up and personally give you victory.

The Armor of God

2010-04-26T05:17:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-25-10

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-20

Today’s devotion is a reminder of how we are to face each day of our lives. This week challenge yourself to read this devotion daily. It is God’s plan for dealing with the things of this world, the stresses of life, the heartaches, the worries, the doubts, the fears, the anger and bitterness of hurtful actions, and the common struggles we all must face every day of our lives. Take a look now at what the Lord has to say about winning the fight.

Ephesians 6:10-20

The battles are going to come, it is part of life, you may be in the midst of one right now, you may have just come out of one, or you may be about to go through one, nevertheless, you can be prepared and ready for them when you are equipped with the right tools to win the fight. Put on God’s armor and you will be victorious!

God's Provision in Christ Jesus

2010-04-22T22:43:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-23-10

God’s Provision in Christ Jesus

Matthew 6:5-13, 25-34

5-13

And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him. Pray then in this way:

Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

25-34

For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?

Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Know the Difference

2010-04-21T22:41:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-22-10

Know the Difference

One brisk fall afternoon, in a small town deep in the country, a little boy was walking in the woods with his daddy, talking about all the wonderful things they would like to do together during summer break.

As they walked passed the neighbor’s property, his son saw a great big pool in the yard and said, “That’s it dad, we need a big swinging pool. Than we can swim all summer long.” Walking on, the boy noticed a dirt hill road and said, “Dad, look at that, we need a four-wheeler to ride up and down that hill this summer; wouldn’t that be awesome?” Dad didn’t reply, he just continued to listen as they kept walking. Soon they came to an open field and the boy’s eyes became wide with excitement. “Dad, look over there, oh wow it is perfect, just what we need.” Dad saw nothing but an open field and had no idea what his son was talking about when suddenly the boy ran as fast as he could ahead of him. “Wait Johnny, slow down, what is it you see that you think we need?” his father asked. “Its right here dad, don’t you see it? It is a perfect spot to build us a soccer field. Oh dad we really need a soccer field. I could have all my friends over and we could play games and even have tournaments. See dad, don’t you see it? We need a soccer field. It would be the perfect way to spend our summer.” As the little boy shared his ideas something occurred to his father, his son had repeated a word in everything he talked about, it was a word that he realized his son did not understand and now it was time to teach him.

“Johnny, do you see this great big open field we are standing on?” “Of course I do dad. What about it?” “Well son I want to show you something about this field, come with me.” Johnny followed his dad as he walked to the other side of the field, then suddenly his dad turned around and walked back the other way. “Where are we going dad? Why did we turn around?” “Just follow me son, don’t ask questions, just follow me and go wherever I go.” So off they went back and forth from one side to the other. Over and over again they walked, then jogged, ran, walked, jogged, ran again, and so on. The boy was getting tired and he began to fuss at his dad. “Dad, what are we doing? You aren’t showing me anything. We are just walking and running on this field. Are you trying to see if the ground is good enough to play soccer on?” “No!” the father replied. “Just keep following me.”

Even though is was a brisk fall day, the sun was still shinning and the boy and his dad were getting sweaty and tired. As dad turned to see if his son was still following him, he noticed his son licking his lips. He was getting thirsty now and his steps were really slowing down. Then the words he wanted to hear came from his son’s dry and thirsty lips, “Daddy I am so thirsty, can we please stop walking this field? I really need a drink.” With his son’s question the dad turned and walked to him, put his arms around him and said, “Yes son, let’s go get a drink.” He put his son on his back and took him to the house. Inside, they each got a tall class of cold water. The boy drank as if he hadn’t had a drink in days. “Come on son, I want to tell you about that field now. Do you want to know why we walk and ran it so many times?” he asked. “I sure do, I am so tired of being on that field that I don’t think we need a soccer field. You might make me play all the time and I would get tired of it.” Dad smiled as he placed his son on his lap and began to explain.

“Son, as we were walking in the woods you told me we needed a swimming pool, and we needed and four-wheeler. Do you remember?” “Yes, I think we really do dad.” “Well son, what I want you to understand is that there are some things we need and some things we just want. Do you know the difference?” “Aren’t they the same?” Johnny asked. “No, my son, they are not. Let me explain. When you saw the big field you said that we needed a soccer field and so I took you out on the field to walk and run on it. After a while you began to get tired and thirsty and you said to me, “Dad I need a drink.” Your little body was tired and needed water so your lips got dry and you knew you needed to put water in it, right?” “That’s right, I was so thirsty.” “Ok, that is a need. You needed water to cool down your body. You wanted the water but because you needed it. The swimming pool, four-wheeler and soccer field are not needs, they are wants. Do you understand now?” “Oh I get it dad, I had to have water because my body needs it to stay alive. But I don’t need a soccer field to stay alive. Is that right dad?” “Yes son, that is right. I just want you to think about what you need and what you want for now on. When you come to me and want something, tell me you want it not need it. Ok?”

“Ok dad, I will. But how do I know the difference?” the boy asked. “Just ask me son, I will tell you.”

This story is much like our lives with God. One of the mistakes we make when praying is in not knowing the difference between a need and a want. Matthew 6:8 says, “Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him.” If you do not know the difference between a want and a need, than how will you ever see the fulfillment of His answer? God wants to prove to you that He will provide your needs, but you must understand your needs to see His provision. For example; you may be really frustrated with things at work and you think you need to go out and have a good time on the town to relax and get away from your problems. However, is that a need or a want? The Lord knows what you really need to be still with Him and allow Him to give you peace from the frustration, but you don’t see how sitting around reading your Bible or praying is really going to make you feel better.

Think about the story. When the boy got really thirsty it was then that he realized his body needed water. When we get frustrated enough and nothing else can seem to make us feel better, it too may be the time we realize we need the Living Water, Jesus to refresh us. We need Jesus; we don’t need a night on the town. See the difference?

Now, take time and be honest with God and yourself. What are your true needs in life? Make a list of them and ask the Lord to reveal your needs. The Father knows what you need before you ask. Trust Him to help you know the difference so you can pray honestly, and then you will see His answers as He provides your needs.

Needs Wants

God Does Answer

2010-04-21T06:44:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-21-10

God Does Answer

Philippians 4:19

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory

in Christ Jesus.”

Hello! Is any one listening? How can I be 100% sure that my prayers are not only heard but are also answered? How do I know that God really cares about my problems? Why does it seem to take Him so long to respond to my requests? I have been praying and praying and it seems that He isn’t listening because I am not getting any answers. I have done everything I’m suppose to do and yet I still don’t see Him providing. When is He going to open the doors for me to do what I know He wants me to do? Why would He give me this desire and not allow me to fulfill it? I don’t understand and I am beginning to feel like my life is just sitting still and I am wasting time. Why would He let so much time go by with nothing getting done? I don’t understand and I am so frustrated.

Have you ever said anything like the statements above? Have you felt as if your life was just wasting away and the desires of your heart were not being met? I am talking about desires to serve the Lord in some way. Perhaps you have a deep desire to take care of homeless people but you lack the time due to so much debt, so you have to work extra hours. Maybe you feel a deep desire to go on a mission trip but do not have the funds to do so. Perhaps you want to adopt but there are too many circumstances in your life right now that will not allow you to qualify. Maybe you want more children but for some reason you are unable to have any more. What if you have a desire to teach Sunday school but you have to work Sunday mornings? What if you have a desire to help others by donating your time to a needy cause and yet your spouse is not in agreement? What if you have made all the plans and kept a strict budget so you could get out of debt and yet for every bill you pay off some unexpected need comes up and you just can’t get the bills paid off? You may be facing a medical challenge that seems to keep you from being at church or serving in ministry. No matter what the issue may be. No matter what the desire is God is still in control and has a very good reason for the waiting time in your life. So what is the basis for God answering your prayers and fulfilling your heart’s desire? Let’s look at Philippians 4:19 and find the answers.

One of the first things we need to understand is the fourth word in the verse. Take a look at it, what is the fourth word? _______________________________________________________

Does it say, maybe? No! Does it say, can? No! It says, Shall! My God shall supply! So we have to pray understanding and believing that God does give to us what we need. God does keep His promises. If He has given you a desire to serve Him than He will make it possible! As God He not only promises to meet your needs and answer your prayers, but He has the ability to fulfill that promise and we must never forget that.

Next, let me ask you a question. Do you trust the word of someone that never follows through with their promises or commitments to you? I think most of us would say no. But what we need to understand about God is that He always keeps His word. No matter what His word is He will carry through with it. God has integrity and will not lie or falsely state anything. If He has said He will provide our needs than He will provide our needs. God will always follow through.

Let’s take another look at the verse above. This verse is quoted all the time no matter if the person is a believer or not. However, all too often it is not quoted completely and when it isn’t than we fail to see the entire picture of what the Lord is telling us. Look at the last three words of the verse. What are they? _________________________________________________________

These three words are often left out of the quote. We may have good intentions when we tell someone struggling that God will meet their needs, we might think we are encouraging them or even planting seeds of hope, but if that person does not understand the importance of a relationship with Jesus we are speaking the words out of context. When we do that we are not being honest with them nor are we pleasing to God. “In Christ Jesus” is the very basis of the verse. Without Christ Jesus none of it is possible.

So, as you pray and ask the Lord to answer, evaluate to see if you are praying in a manner that tells the Lord you truly believe He will answer.

Let’s recap:

1. When you pray you must believe God’s promises and that He has the ability to answer your prayers.

2. When you pray you must believe that God keeps His promises because He has the integrity to keep His word.

3. When you read His word, read it in context and focus on the part that must not and cannot be left out in order for the scripture to be accurate so you can believe it. In Christ Jesus ONLY can the answers you seek be possible.

God does hear your prayers, He does have promises for you, He will and can keep His promises to you, He does not lie and will follow through with His word – His promises to you, and it is all done in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. God does answer!

Write a letter to the Lord and share with Him what you have learned today. Ask Him to help you believe His promises and believe He can and will provide the answers to your prayers in Jesus’ name. God bless you as you seek God’s answers.

Tomorrow we will talk about the mistakes we often make when praying for answers to our needs.

Path of Reflection

2010-04-19T22:52:00.001-05:00

Devotion

April 19-20, 2010

Path of Reflection

Philippians 4:19

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in

Christ Jesus.”

As a little 7 year old girl, the day I accepted Jesus and was baptized, I prayed and asked the Lord to let me have the center cup as the try of cups were passed for the Lord’s Supper because it reminded me of Him on the center cross. It may not seem like a very big deal to others but for me it was the first of many answered prayers in my life. He used that simple request to teach me that He hears me and answers me.

As my life has gone on I have watched Him provide answers to some very important prayer request such as: to free me from the effects of childhood abuse; to travel the country teaching cheerleading professionally; to get married and have four children; for my husband to become a believer; for each of my children to accept Jesus and live their lives for Him; to serve as a missionary; to work for the BGCO; to be a Chaplain; to write; to lead in worship; to teach; for my children to grow to be young men and women who know whom to turn to for guidance – the Lord; to know that if I were to die my husband and children’s faith would sustain them; and to somehow make an eternal difference in the lives of others. Each one of these requests has been answered in my life. I have been blessed beyond measure. I can say at the end of the day, I have followed my dreams.

Sometimes it may seem that you have not been able to do all the things you dreamed of doing, perhaps you are struggling with knowing if you will ever make a difference in your life or the lives of others. Well, my precious beloved, maybe it’s time to walk the path of reflection and see if the Lord has answered more of your prayers than you realize, just like I did. Take the time to look closely at your life, all the highs and lows and see if you can see how the Lord worked in your life at that time. I do believe you will be in awe of just what He has done for you. Walk the path of reflection, the path of Life and rejoice in the amazing and wonderful work Jesus has done in you.

I may not hold a college degree, I may not be known by the world, I may not be a millionair, I may not have a top job with top pay and top honors, but nevertheless I do believe my life has been and is a success. My success and yours dear beloved comes from the Lord. He hears your prayers and He does answer them. It is in seeing those answers that you will find your greatest joy and contentment, it is in your relationship with Him and the way you pass it on to your children and grandchildren that you will achieve the greatest success of all. Are you following your dreams? Have you fulfilled your life long goals? Walk the path of reflection and ask the Lord to reveal His work in your life. You will be amazed at what He shows you.

Devotion News

2010-04-14T23:03:00.001-05:00

Beloved, just wanted to let you know that due to illness I will not be writing and sending a devotion Thursday and Friday. We will get back on track Monday.

Thank you for understanding.

God bless you

Pleading With God

2010-04-13T22:26:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-14-10

Pleading With God

Deuteronomy 3:23-29

I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, “O Lord God, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness and Thy strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Thine? Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.”

But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me: and the Lord said to me, “Enough! Speak to Me no more of this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west and north and south and east, and see it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan. But charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go across at the head of this people, and he shall give them as an inheritance the land which you will see.” So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

Has there ever been a time in your life when someone was so angry at you that the discipline they gave you seemed too hard in your mind yet they were not willing to relent of the discipline?

As parents, we are often faced with this in our children. They disobey and we set a punishment for it and then they begin to beg or plead with us not to carry through with that discipline. The more they beg / plead their case the more upset we get. We love them and hate having to discipline, however, we know that not carrying through would only build in their minds the thoughts of distrust. They have to trust our words wheater they are words of praise or of discipline. They must believe we mean what we say!

Do you believe it is important to carry through with the discipline you set into motion for your children?

If you are not a parent but deal with other people, do you believe it is important for those who break the law to pay the price for doing so?

God is setting the example, in the verses above, with Moses. Not obeying God when He told him to speak to the rock led him down a long path of dread because he so much wanted to enter the promise land, but God had already told him he would not. True Moses did many good things and obeyed God in most of his life, but the discipline for his actions still had to be carried out. After all God is good but He is also very just! He is faithful to His word, all of it, judgment and reward. Are you pleading with God about something? Stop begging and start praising Him, it will please Him and give you peace.

God's Holiness Provides

2010-04-12T23:01:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-13-10

God’s Holiness Provides

Numbers 27:12-23

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. And when you have seen it, you too shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was; for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”

So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation; and commission him in their sight. And you shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation.”

And Moses did just as the Lord commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

Take a closer look at these scriptures and see what is taking place here. Do you see what is happening?

What does the Lord say to Moses? ___________________________________________

What is Moses’ reply? _____________________________________________________

God let Moses look at the land but not enter it. Do you think there are times in your life when God tells you to do something and you don’t, that you lose out on a blessing because of it?

Give an example of a time you know you suffered the discipline of the Lord after disobeying Him. __________________________________________________________

Another point to look at is that after the Lord removed Moses from the congregation He also appointed a new shepherd. He did not leave His people without leadership.

If the Lord were standing in front of you right now, face to face, what would you say to Him if He questioned your faithfulness to believe in His holiness during a difficult situation in your life? Do you believe He is holy enough to fix your situation without your help? Write to Him and honestly express your heart about his now.

Moses struggled with the people and in so doing he allowed his frustration to dictate how he responded to God. Let this be a lesson to us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, He is in control, He is holy, He is just, He is faithful to handle our situations and to see us through them all. He always provides for His church and you are part of His church.

So don’t give in to frustration, believe Him and you will receive countless blessings.

Waters of Meribah

2010-04-12T02:03:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-12-10

Waters of Meribah

Numbers 20:1-13

Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed at Kadesh. Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

And there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. The people thus contended with Moses and spoke saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? And why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.”

Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them; and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.

There are two words in bold print, what do you think is so important about those two words? _________________________________________________________________

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How do those two actions relate to you? _______________________________________

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Why did Moses strike the rock instead of speaking to it? _________________________

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Do you ever do something different than God wants of you out of spite and frustration towards the people God has given to you to minister to because they don’t seem to respond the way you think they should? _______________________________________

Give an example:_________________________________________________________
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What did the Lord say was the reason for Moses not being able to take the assembly into the land which He game them? ______________________________________________

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So when we do not believe what the Lord tells us and we do things our way instead of His way, no matter the reason, what are our actions revealing to God? ________________________________________________________________________

Write a letter to God and honestly talk to Him about your concerns of doing His will when you really want to quit. Ask Him to help you and to fill your heart with His mercy and grace which is loaded with abundant forgiveness and love.

Prayer for the Saints

2010-04-09T23:42:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-9-10

Prayer for the Saints

Ephesians 1:15-23

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when he raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Gift of God

Ephesians 2:1-10

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Promises

2010-04-09T05:17:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-8-10

Promises

Every one of us are facing, will be facing, or have just finished facing tough times, challenges, troubles, fears, doubts, or painful situations in our lives. Therefore, the Lord wants to remind us of His promises He has for us and so today’s devotion is just that, God’s promises He gave us in His word. I pray His word will encourage you, strengthen you, comfort you, fill you with peace, and remind you just how much you are loved.

Lamentations 3:24-25

The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I have hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 45:2a

I will go before you and make the rough places smooth…

Isaiah 52:13

Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted.

Isaiah 55:6-12

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be which goes froth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Isaiah 56:1-2

Thus says the Lord, Preserve justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed. How blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who takes hold of it; who keeps from profaning the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

Ephesians 1:7-14

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intentions which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

My final scripture I would like to share with you is one that made me think of you as I read it. It is how I feel about you and what I do for you.

Ephesians 1:15-16

God bless you with an unshakable faith and undying love in Him.

All Things Loss to Gain Christ

2010-04-07T22:27:00.001-05:00

Devotion

4-8-10

All Things Loss to Gain Christ

Philippians 3:1-16

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more; circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Low, found blameless.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, fro whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is throughout faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.

God’s word speaks to each of our hearts just where we need it most. Write a letter to the Father and thank Him for speaking to your heart through His word. God bless you