The LORD is faithful
And He will strengthen you
And set you on a firm foundation
And guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:5
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Go in this strength
The Angel of the Lord called Gideon, who considered himself unqualified for the job at hand, a "might man of valor" and told him, "Go in this strength that is yours." Judges 6
I heard Bill Johnson of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, preaching on Gideon (on GOD-TV). He was saying that in a footnote in his Bible, it said that the correct translation would paint a picture of the Spirit of God clothing Himself with Gideon.
Isn't that an exciting thought!!
We are not limited to what we can do in our own strength.
When I yield to Him completely, I am the sock and Holy Spirit is the foot. I am the glove and He is the hand.
I heard Bill Johnson of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, preaching on Gideon (on GOD-TV). He was saying that in a footnote in his Bible, it said that the correct translation would paint a picture of the Spirit of God clothing Himself with Gideon.
Isn't that an exciting thought!!
We are not limited to what we can do in our own strength.
When I yield to Him completely, I am the sock and Holy Spirit is the foot. I am the glove and He is the hand.
For with God, nothing is impossible.
Luke 1:37
Sunday, October 28, 2012
No Mistakes!
This past week there was a political debate in our state where one man expressed his view that every person is created by God for His purpose no matter what the circumstances of their conception. As you can imagine, that started a storm of debate and criticism of his "extreme" views on the right to life vs. abortion.
I remembered walking into our local hair salon shortly after my son Caleb was born. One of the ladies rushed up to have a look at him, and when she saw that he had Down syndrome, she blurted out for all to hear: "Well, he was obviously a mistake!"
I usually am at a loss at a time like that, but I believe the Holy Spirit put these words on my lips. "No, God had a plan for Caleb from before the foundation of the world."
I sat in the back row at a Christian conference last week, where there was a little girl in a wheelchair siting in front of me who could not even hold her own head up. She had a little 2 year old sister next to her who would periodically check on big sister, patting her hand or giving her butterfly kisses on the cheek. I thought to myself: This scene paints a picture of what God thinks of each one of us, no matter what our circumstances or challenges may be.
I remembered walking into our local hair salon shortly after my son Caleb was born. One of the ladies rushed up to have a look at him, and when she saw that he had Down syndrome, she blurted out for all to hear: "Well, he was obviously a mistake!"
I usually am at a loss at a time like that, but I believe the Holy Spirit put these words on my lips. "No, God had a plan for Caleb from before the foundation of the world."
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Psalm 90:1-2I sat in the back row at a Christian conference last week, where there was a little girl in a wheelchair siting in front of me who could not even hold her own head up. She had a little 2 year old sister next to her who would periodically check on big sister, patting her hand or giving her butterfly kisses on the cheek. I thought to myself: This scene paints a picture of what God thinks of each one of us, no matter what our circumstances or challenges may be.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Great Harvest
"I believe that 2013 will begin the greatest harvest of all time, which will continue to increase. By 2017 I believe there will be a harvest so awesome that man has no idea how to comprehend what it will be." Bob Jones
Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth as Your possession (Psalm 2:8).
Praying for people around the world to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth as Your possession (Psalm 2:8).
Praying for people around the world to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Thank You God for Your Love
Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Faithful Father
My faithful Father, enduring friend,
Your tender mercy is like a river with no end.
It overwhelms me; covers my sin.
Each time I come into your presence,
I stand in wonder once again.
Your grace still amazes me
Your love is still a mystery.
Each day I fall on my knees ,
'cause your grace still amazes me.
Phillips, Craig and Dean
Monday, October 15, 2012
Let Me Never Forget
Lord,
Let me never forget Your testimony. The testimony of Jesus: the covenant the Father made through His Son. Remind me of my own testimony: the many times you have come to my rescue and arranged divine appointments. Help me never again, when faced with an "impossible" situation, to give satan "top billing". Instead, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You. May I tell THE REASON that I have a hope and a future.
God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
1 John 4:9-10
Let me never forget Your testimony. The testimony of Jesus: the covenant the Father made through His Son. Remind me of my own testimony: the many times you have come to my rescue and arranged divine appointments. Help me never again, when faced with an "impossible" situation, to give satan "top billing". Instead, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You. May I tell THE REASON that I have a hope and a future.
God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
1 John 4:9-10
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Your Love, Oh Lord
YOUR LOVE OH LORD
Your love oh Lord reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountain
Your justice flows like the ocean's tides
And I will lift my voice to worship You my King
And I will find my strength
in the shadow of Your wings
written by David Carr, Mark Lee, Mac Powell, Brad Avery
Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
Your love oh Lord reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountain
Your justice flows like the ocean's tides
And I will lift my voice to worship You my King
And I will find my strength
in the shadow of Your wings
written by David Carr, Mark Lee, Mac Powell, Brad Avery
Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust
Therefore the children of men put their trust
under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied
with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink
And You give them drink
from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
In Your light we see light.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Barnacles
Who do you know that glues his head to a rock and stays there for the rest of his life?
I remember seeing barnacles years ago when we had a boat at Lake Lanier. Only this week, when I was teaching fourth grade, did I realize that they are live animals. Barnacles are crustaceans that attach themselves to a stationary object and stay stuck there for life. Barnacles spend their youth swimming around, but then they settle down to adulthood, held permanently by one of the strongest known natural adhesives
This reminded me of the saying, "Build your house upon a rock."
After Jesus had done many miracles, and had drawn great throngs of people, He began to explain that He would die as a sacrifice for their sins. Many were offended and no longer followed Him. Then Jesus turned to His twelve disciples. "Will you also go away?"
"To whom would we go, Lord?" Peter implored. "You have the words of life."
Jesus is the ROCK, the WORD OF LIFE, that I want to "glue my head to".
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63
I remember seeing barnacles years ago when we had a boat at Lake Lanier. Only this week, when I was teaching fourth grade, did I realize that they are live animals. Barnacles are crustaceans that attach themselves to a stationary object and stay stuck there for life. Barnacles spend their youth swimming around, but then they settle down to adulthood, held permanently by one of the strongest known natural adhesives
This reminded me of the saying, "Build your house upon a rock."
After Jesus had done many miracles, and had drawn great throngs of people, He began to explain that He would die as a sacrifice for their sins. Many were offended and no longer followed Him. Then Jesus turned to His twelve disciples. "Will you also go away?"
"To whom would we go, Lord?" Peter implored. "You have the words of life."
Jesus is the ROCK, the WORD OF LIFE, that I want to "glue my head to".
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
My Soul Longs for God
At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:9 NASB
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:9 NASB
Monday, October 8, 2012
Stupid Lies
I am so thankful that God is showing me more and more how I have believed satan's lies. And they are stupid lies at that!
One example is that whenever I try to cook a meal for someone, I constantly compare myself with my Grandmother's cooking and think that I am not as good. Well, she was an excellent cook, but the thing is: the people I cook for never ate at Grandma's! They are coming over because they love ME! Hallelujah! And if the truth be told, I would have only eaten biscuits and jelly at Grandma's and I would have just licked the icing off the cake if I could have gotten away with it.
Isn't it crazy how we fail to see our own value in the eyes of our Loving Heavenly Father.
I confess Lord, that each of us special for a reason.
I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.
Psalm 139:14 CEV
One example is that whenever I try to cook a meal for someone, I constantly compare myself with my Grandmother's cooking and think that I am not as good. Well, she was an excellent cook, but the thing is: the people I cook for never ate at Grandma's! They are coming over because they love ME! Hallelujah! And if the truth be told, I would have only eaten biscuits and jelly at Grandma's and I would have just licked the icing off the cake if I could have gotten away with it.
Isn't it crazy how we fail to see our own value in the eyes of our Loving Heavenly Father.
I confess Lord, that each of us special for a reason.
I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.
Psalm 139:14 CEV
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Good, Better or Best?
I was reading a story about a modern-day real-life treasure hunter
who put his life savings into looking for a sunken cargo ship. He had
done a lot of research and was sure he had figured out where the ship
had sunk so many years ago.
A distraction occurred when he stumbled upon a few bars of silver seven miles away from where he was originally headed. He then went into debt and spent fruitless years scouring that area but finding nothing else.
At length, he decided to go to his original destination, and there he found the sunken ship with millions of dollars in gold and silver still in the original treasure chests.
This story got me to thinking about coming short of what God has planned for my life, or settling for good instead of best.
Father, You have called me to love You and love the "treasures" you place right in front of me every day. I pray that I don't detour from any plan other than Your original Treasure Map!
A distraction occurred when he stumbled upon a few bars of silver seven miles away from where he was originally headed. He then went into debt and spent fruitless years scouring that area but finding nothing else.
At length, he decided to go to his original destination, and there he found the sunken ship with millions of dollars in gold and silver still in the original treasure chests.
This story got me to thinking about coming short of what God has planned for my life, or settling for good instead of best.
Father, You have called me to love You and love the "treasures" you place right in front of me every day. I pray that I don't detour from any plan other than Your original Treasure Map!
God of the Valley
In 1996, I was dealing with grieving the death of my son, recent divorce, and no job. The verse, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are safe," struck a chord with me. I was familiar with the covenant names: Jehovah Nissi, The Lord is our banner, and Jehovah Jireh, Our provider, Jehovah Shalom, our peace, and others. Then God put it on someone's heart to give me Kay Arthur's book, Lord, I Want to Know You. There I read the name: Jehovah Sabaoth, Captain of the Lord's Hosts (mentioned in 1 Samuel 17). God is the one who fights for us in our battles! This gave me great assurance that God was with me and for me in this valley.
My favorite Bible story as a child was from 1 Samuel 17, David and Goliath. I begged Daddy read it again and again. Now, years later, I am still seeing ways to apply the truths of that story in my life. This particular valley where Goliath stood to taunt God's people belonged not to the Philistines, but to the tribe of Judah (which means PRAISE).
Goliath stood in a valley that belonged to the children of God, and day after day denied the power of God. Morning and evening the enemy filled the minds of the Israelites with his accusations, curses, and threats. "If you can send a man who defeats me, this valley will be yours, and we will be your servants. But if I defeat you, this valley belongs to me and you must serve us."
Only young David had the confidence in the living God to face the giant. David essentially became the winner when he made this proclamation recorded in 1 Samuel 17:45. "You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel's armies— you have defied Him. (47)... and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD's. He will hand you over to us."
As Christians, we are not promised that we will never experience troubles, sickness and heartache. But we can shout the enemy down by praising God even in the valley.
Because of Your adversaries,
You have established a stronghold [of praise]
from the mouths of children and nursing infants,
to silence the enemy and the avenger. Ps. 8:2
My favorite Bible story as a child was from 1 Samuel 17, David and Goliath. I begged Daddy read it again and again. Now, years later, I am still seeing ways to apply the truths of that story in my life. This particular valley where Goliath stood to taunt God's people belonged not to the Philistines, but to the tribe of Judah (which means PRAISE).
Goliath stood in a valley that belonged to the children of God, and day after day denied the power of God. Morning and evening the enemy filled the minds of the Israelites with his accusations, curses, and threats. "If you can send a man who defeats me, this valley will be yours, and we will be your servants. But if I defeat you, this valley belongs to me and you must serve us."
Only young David had the confidence in the living God to face the giant. David essentially became the winner when he made this proclamation recorded in 1 Samuel 17:45. "You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel's armies— you have defied Him. (47)... and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD's. He will hand you over to us."
As Christians, we are not promised that we will never experience troubles, sickness and heartache. But we can shout the enemy down by praising God even in the valley.
Because of Your adversaries,
You have established a stronghold [of praise]
from the mouths of children and nursing infants,
to silence the enemy and the avenger. Ps. 8:2
Saturday, October 6, 2012
We Want to See Jesus
You will open their eyes
and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s control to God’s.
Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and a share among
God’s people who are made holy by believing in me.
Acts 26:18 God's Word
Again and again I hear testimonies of people from countries that are closed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. People are being reached by the millions through courageous Christian witnesses, missionaries, Christian media, and angelic visitations and dreams.
Lord,
I pray for those who share the good news of redemption through faith in Jesus in spite of persecution and imprisonment. I thank you for the abundant harvest of souls for the kingdom of Christ.
Acts 26:18 God's Word
Again and again I hear testimonies of people from countries that are closed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. People are being reached by the millions through courageous Christian witnesses, missionaries, Christian media, and angelic visitations and dreams.
Lord,
I pray for those who share the good news of redemption through faith in Jesus in spite of persecution and imprisonment. I thank you for the abundant harvest of souls for the kingdom of Christ.
Friday, October 5, 2012
El Roi - God Who Sees Me
These lyrics from "I Know That You are For Me" by Kari Jobe blessed my heart today:
So faithful
So constant
So loving and so true
So powerful in all you do
You fill me
You SEE me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to you
I know that You are for me
I know that You will never
Forsake me in my weaknesses
And I know that You have come down
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me Who You are.
EL ROI
Hagar answered God by name,
praying to the God who spoke to her,
“YOU'RE THE GOD WHO SEES ME!"
“Yes! He saw me; and then I saw him!”
Genesis 16:13 Message
EBBY-BODY SING!
My friend has two beautiful granddaughters who were adopted. When we were traveling to meet the second baby, we had the two year old with us. Sitting in her car seat singing praise songs, she would interrupt the adult's conversation with a hearty, "EBBY-BODY SING!!"
Psalm 126 is one of the songs that the worshipers sang as they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feasts of the Lord. In our day of planes, trains and automobiles, it is hard to imagine walking for days with our children in tow, but they went joyfully, with a song on their lips.
Psalm 126 is one of the songs that the worshipers sang as they made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feasts of the Lord. In our day of planes, trains and automobiles, it is hard to imagine walking for days with our children in tow, but they went joyfully, with a song on their lips.
It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when God returned Zion's exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn't believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
"God was wonderful to them!"
God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing,
with armloads of blessing.
Psalm 126 Message
when God returned Zion's exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn't believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
"God was wonderful to them!"
God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing,
with armloads of blessing.
Psalm 126 Message
Monday, October 1, 2012
Filled With His Spirit
The prophet Elisha asked the widow, "What do you have in your house?"
She replied, "NOTHING - but a jar of oil!"Elisha told the woman to gather empty jars from her neighbors - as many as she could get. (2 Kings 4) He told her to pour out what she had into those empty jars. Her container of oil did not run dry until every jar was filled.
Sometimes I also focus on what I can't do rather than what I've been given. In the Bible, oil often represents the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send the Spirit to live in the hearts of those who believe in Him. I have the Holy Spirit living in me!
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