Hebrews 4:1-3 (New International Version)
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God 1.Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2.For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith 3.Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.
A promise of rest that still stands today! A day when we just forget about all the cares of this world, a day to reflect on the goodness of God. I love Sundays, of course first is church, then after lunch, it is a day of rest. I may read or sometimes take a nap, but whatever it is, my hubby and I do not discuss work, problems, or anything that steals our peace. I believe this is one reason why God set this day aside for us. He knew we would need this time to concentrate on Him, to pray, spend time with other believers, but mainly to build us up,and for our faith to be strengthened. Then we would be prepared for the coming week. The enemy of our souls is working overtime because he knows the time is short. If there ever was a time when we need victory over him, it is now. As you enjoy your day of rest, I pray you will be strengthened and empowered for the coming battles the week will bring. I pray you will be victorious and peace will dominate your heart and mind! Have a blessed Lords Day!
Hope in the Lord!
Isaiah 40:31 (New International Version)
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Those who hope in the Lord! That's us, you and me and anyone else who will believes that He is the Son of God, sent to save us from eternal damnation. What a tremendous promise for strength when we are overwhelmed by this life. A promise that tells us that when we look to Him, we will not be sitting by the side of the road, but running with renewed vigor or soaring like an eagle. Which ever, we have hope to go on. Life is very hard and no one is immune from the problems. They all come our way, but how we respond will determine what happens. It doesn't do any good to ask "why", rarely do we get an answer for that. What we need to ask is "what" and "how"! Lord, "what" are you trying to show me in this situation will help me to mature and be strong in You, and "how" will you use this to help my brothers and sisters. If you really believe that all things work together to them that love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose, then you must believe that He will keep us from being weary, He will give us hope, He will sustain us. I don't know what you are going through, I just want to encourage you to look to the only One who is capable of delivering us and giving us the victory. My prayer as you read this is that you will be obedient to cast all your cares on Him, that you will have peace in your heart and a new determination to live for Him!
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Those who hope in the Lord! That's us, you and me and anyone else who will believes that He is the Son of God, sent to save us from eternal damnation. What a tremendous promise for strength when we are overwhelmed by this life. A promise that tells us that when we look to Him, we will not be sitting by the side of the road, but running with renewed vigor or soaring like an eagle. Which ever, we have hope to go on. Life is very hard and no one is immune from the problems. They all come our way, but how we respond will determine what happens. It doesn't do any good to ask "why", rarely do we get an answer for that. What we need to ask is "what" and "how"! Lord, "what" are you trying to show me in this situation will help me to mature and be strong in You, and "how" will you use this to help my brothers and sisters. If you really believe that all things work together to them that love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose, then you must believe that He will keep us from being weary, He will give us hope, He will sustain us. I don't know what you are going through, I just want to encourage you to look to the only One who is capable of delivering us and giving us the victory. My prayer as you read this is that you will be obedient to cast all your cares on Him, that you will have peace in your heart and a new determination to live for Him!
The Last Visit!
Psalm 116:14-16 (New International Version)
14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
16 O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant you have freed me from my chains.
Death is a certain thing, the Word says it is appointed once for a man to die! We will all face this, of course if we have experienced salvation then death is not a scary thing to us anymore. We are just moving on to a better place. Now we know all these things, but when a loved one dies, we just feel the pain and loss. Depending on how close we are to them will determine our level of loss. We never want to deal with this issue unless we have to, so by now you have figured out that someone did pass away in our family. The sadness that I am dealing with is the fact I never got to know this person very well. The other thing I am so thankful for is a couple of months ago, we were coming back from Decoration Day (this is once a year we pay tribute to our families that have passed away by taking flowers to their graves) and I just felt like we should stop by their house and visit for just a bit. I had not seen them in in a long time, but he had been sick and was getting on up into years. Anyway, we did stop and I was so happy to see them, we caught up on the past, talked about his family and mine, then it was time to go. Oh, how upset at myself I would have been if we hadn't stopped, there won't be another time to visit with him on this earth. There are some things we just can't go back and fix, times when we will not have another opportunity. I just want to encourage you to call or go see someone if you feel like you should. I truly believe the Lord is so good and because He knows how we are, He just doesn't want us to live with regrets. I will always be so thankful for that brief visit, this kind gentlemen will be missed by many people, including me!
14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
16 O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant you have freed me from my chains.
Death is a certain thing, the Word says it is appointed once for a man to die! We will all face this, of course if we have experienced salvation then death is not a scary thing to us anymore. We are just moving on to a better place. Now we know all these things, but when a loved one dies, we just feel the pain and loss. Depending on how close we are to them will determine our level of loss. We never want to deal with this issue unless we have to, so by now you have figured out that someone did pass away in our family. The sadness that I am dealing with is the fact I never got to know this person very well. The other thing I am so thankful for is a couple of months ago, we were coming back from Decoration Day (this is once a year we pay tribute to our families that have passed away by taking flowers to their graves) and I just felt like we should stop by their house and visit for just a bit. I had not seen them in in a long time, but he had been sick and was getting on up into years. Anyway, we did stop and I was so happy to see them, we caught up on the past, talked about his family and mine, then it was time to go. Oh, how upset at myself I would have been if we hadn't stopped, there won't be another time to visit with him on this earth. There are some things we just can't go back and fix, times when we will not have another opportunity. I just want to encourage you to call or go see someone if you feel like you should. I truly believe the Lord is so good and because He knows how we are, He just doesn't want us to live with regrets. I will always be so thankful for that brief visit, this kind gentlemen will be missed by many people, including me!
Just an Update!
Just an update to let you know the Christian Counseling Courses are going great! I mailed the tests to AECC today, so should hear something in a few weeks. I have been so excited about this and other studies that relate to helping Gods people. I have such a burden for hurting people and have wanted to do something to make a difference. The way it came about is truly a miracle because I didn't have the credentials to even get into this school, but God made a way and I want to make sure He gets all the glory. You know when we are looking to Him for our direction, He makes a way when it seems impossible. So this is just to let you know what is in my heart, and the path I am on.
Blessings and Christ's Love to you!
Blessings and Christ's Love to you!
Leaving your Worries and Cares with God!
1 Peter 5:5-7 (New Living Translation)
5 In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble." 6. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
I know a lot about giving my worries and cares to the Lord, but I sure have a lot to learn about leaving them there! Why do I go back and get them? I couldn't do anything about them in the first place, and yet when something is going wrong or I don't see anything happening, there I am again, worrying and fretting over something that is entirely out of my hands. Being humble has something to do with it according to this scripture. Maybe it is those proud, impatient people (like me sometimes) that really doesn't believe God would do what He said. How many ways and how many times does our Lord have to reassure us of His mercy and goodness? Isn't it wonderful that He is so patient with us, that He loves us so much and that He is always there just waiting for us to ask Him to take all those things we are burdened with? We will never be able to understand just how much He loves us and that nothing will ever separate His love from us! I don't know about you but this is exciting to me, as well as deeply comforting. So why should we worry? lets really give it all to Him, and see what happens! He said He would lift us up at the right time. I believe Him, how about you?
5 In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble." 6. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
I know a lot about giving my worries and cares to the Lord, but I sure have a lot to learn about leaving them there! Why do I go back and get them? I couldn't do anything about them in the first place, and yet when something is going wrong or I don't see anything happening, there I am again, worrying and fretting over something that is entirely out of my hands. Being humble has something to do with it according to this scripture. Maybe it is those proud, impatient people (like me sometimes) that really doesn't believe God would do what He said. How many ways and how many times does our Lord have to reassure us of His mercy and goodness? Isn't it wonderful that He is so patient with us, that He loves us so much and that He is always there just waiting for us to ask Him to take all those things we are burdened with? We will never be able to understand just how much He loves us and that nothing will ever separate His love from us! I don't know about you but this is exciting to me, as well as deeply comforting. So why should we worry? lets really give it all to Him, and see what happens! He said He would lift us up at the right time. I believe Him, how about you?
Praying for You!
Hebrews 13:20,21 (New Living Translation)
20. Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— 21. may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
As we begin another week, this is my prayer for you that you will experience peace and joy in knowing you are in the will of God. We are going through times of testing in our country like we have never seen before. Everyone has an opinion, but no one has the answers, that is, except our Heavenly Father. He knows and is not surprised at what is taking place, that is why He tells us not to worry. He really does have everything under control. This is where our faith comes in, when no matter what we see with our eyes, we can still say to someone (and to ourselves) "Please don't be troubled, God loves you, He has a plan for your life, and He will take care of you." Read the prayer again, and then believe it is meant for you. He is more than able to bring us through victoriously! Have a Blessed week as you look to Him!
20. Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— 21. may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
As we begin another week, this is my prayer for you that you will experience peace and joy in knowing you are in the will of God. We are going through times of testing in our country like we have never seen before. Everyone has an opinion, but no one has the answers, that is, except our Heavenly Father. He knows and is not surprised at what is taking place, that is why He tells us not to worry. He really does have everything under control. This is where our faith comes in, when no matter what we see with our eyes, we can still say to someone (and to ourselves) "Please don't be troubled, God loves you, He has a plan for your life, and He will take care of you." Read the prayer again, and then believe it is meant for you. He is more than able to bring us through victoriously! Have a Blessed week as you look to Him!
Connected to Christ!
Colossians 2:18-21 (New Living Translation)
18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.
We know the church is the body of believers, and each member has a part in the body. I am pretty sure I am the little finger, so here is my question. Am I to understand that if the little finger (which is me) has been hurt that it is the body (members of the church) that can hold me together when my life is falling apart? I do believe this is the design from God! Church should not be just doing a variety of activities, but a place where if we will allow the resources that God gave to us, heal broken hearts, overcome the damage done from abusive backgrounds, encourage the depressed to move forward, restore families, and reach out to people that are hopeless, lost and undone. If this is what the church should be, then something is wrong! I have been criticized and judged more from people on the inside, than outside the church! So how can we get to the point where we love and reach out and do battle for that one that is hurting? Of course there is only one Way, and Jesus is the Way. Spending time in the Word, praying and then listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit. How many times have you had someone to share their struggles with you, and your mind is somewhere else, or you do say "Well, I will pray for you", and then you completely forget to pray. I am not picking on you, I am ashamed to say that I have done this. We must reach out and show people we do care about what they are going through. God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit so we can be his instrument in healing souls, we just have to release it. Please really listen to that one that needs help and let God use you! You will be blessed to!
18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.
We know the church is the body of believers, and each member has a part in the body. I am pretty sure I am the little finger, so here is my question. Am I to understand that if the little finger (which is me) has been hurt that it is the body (members of the church) that can hold me together when my life is falling apart? I do believe this is the design from God! Church should not be just doing a variety of activities, but a place where if we will allow the resources that God gave to us, heal broken hearts, overcome the damage done from abusive backgrounds, encourage the depressed to move forward, restore families, and reach out to people that are hopeless, lost and undone. If this is what the church should be, then something is wrong! I have been criticized and judged more from people on the inside, than outside the church! So how can we get to the point where we love and reach out and do battle for that one that is hurting? Of course there is only one Way, and Jesus is the Way. Spending time in the Word, praying and then listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit. How many times have you had someone to share their struggles with you, and your mind is somewhere else, or you do say "Well, I will pray for you", and then you completely forget to pray. I am not picking on you, I am ashamed to say that I have done this. We must reach out and show people we do care about what they are going through. God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit so we can be his instrument in healing souls, we just have to release it. Please really listen to that one that needs help and let God use you! You will be blessed to!
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