You Are Precious to God!

Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5



      My dear reader, do you realize how precious you are to God?   He made you, formed you, and before you were born put His stamp of approval upon you!   You are chosen of God, set apart to do a mighty work with your life for Him!   He made you specifically for that very thing!   Sure someone else could do it, but not as well as you because that plan and all the giftings it requires have been put by our Father God on the inside of YOU!!
     I told you I would be telling you some things in my life that some consider funny and this is one of them, and it relates to the way we view ourselves and the way God views us, which is according to this scripture!
     One Wednesday night I was at church.   I realized during the praise and worship part of the service I had forgotten my notebook I took notes in while my pastor ministered.   He said many good things, and I wanted to “chew” on them later and get them really good and solid in my heart!   My best friend was on my left and my husband was on my right.   I told her while everyone was standing, so that I would not be a distraction, I was going to slip out to the car and grab the notebook and would be right back.   I went as quickly as I possibly could and on my rush back in I was stopped by another lady of the church.   She had asked me for several days to look at a catalog of some products she was selling and was about to close an order.   I didn’t want to hurt her feelings so I grabbed it and began to flip through trying to find the cheapest thing possible because I knew I would never use it.
     There were two doors to the church with large windows on each door.   Since it was evening people could not see out, but people from the outside could see in.   I looked up and I saw the people of the church milling around.   The order of the service there was praise and worship (singing) took place first, then we shook hands with others, and then we sat down and the pastor would preach his message.   I told her we needed to hurry and get back in and I rushed for the doors.
     As I walked in one of our men approached me and said as he extended his hand to shake mine, “You are precious to God, Sister!”   I thought “Well, how nice!”   No sooner had the man passed me, my mother who attended my church, walked up to me and said, “You are so precious to God and I love you!”   I thought I was going to cry!   I told my mother how much I loved her and how touched I was that she would say that since church was trying to start and thanked her profusely!   Tears welled in my eyes as she smiled sweetly at me the walked on.   As she walked away another lady approached me and said, “I hope you know just how precious to God you are!”   I mean what are the odds???   I REALLY was precious to God!   I mean I know the Bible says it and I had heard it from the pulpit all of my life (I have been in church since I was a one week old baby and that is no exaggeration), but God was CONFIRMING IT!!   I felt so special!   All of a sudden I felt like I was walking on air!   I thought of the scripture that says God will confirm His word out of the mouth of two or three witnesses and three people had told me that!   I mean He REALLY wanted me to know that I was precious to Him!   I floated back to my seat, grabbed my best friend and said, “You will never guess what just happened to me!!!”   The look on her face went from a smile to concern, “What?”, she asked.   “Three people just walked up to me and told me I am PRECIOUS TO GOD!!!”   Her look went from concern to “are you daft??”   “What is the matter?” I asked her.   She replied, “He (the music minister) just told all of us to go to three people and tell them how precious to God they are.   It wasn’t just you, it was everyone.”
     I can’t tell you the feeling that came over me.   Sheer and utter disappointment that God had not orchestrated all those “words of knowledge” to let me know I was precious to Him.   As the cloud left my feet and I began to come back down to earth, the Lord spoke this to me. “Don’t you know from my word and the daily things I do for you that you are precious to Me? Did you need people to tell you for you to believe it?” Why do we need people to say, “Yes, that is right and that is what God wants you to know and believe!”   Does what people say have more of an effect on us than God Himself?   I realized something I NEEDED to realize. No matter what anybody else says, thinks, or does towards me, it does not change what God says, thinks, or does toward me! It does not and cannot change His amazing and rich love for me and the fact I am blessed beyond measure and I am on my way to Heaven!
     Today, dear reader, I want to tell you, YOU are PRECIOUS to God!   But, if I or no one else ever said that to you, it doesn’t change the FACT that you are!   Remember in my earlier post, God is FOR you!   You cannot lose with Him on your side no matter what people may or may not say!   Remember you are the blessed and according to Numbers 23:19, that blessing CANNOT be reversed because God cannot lie!   Glory to God, you can’t get better news than that!
     Thank you for stopping by, dear reader and go in the blessing of God and never forget how precious you are to Him!!

He Gave All He Had...Be a Giver, Not a Taker!

“Just as the Son of Man (Jesus) came not to be waited on but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many [the price paid to set them free].” Matthew 20:28



     I rarely watch the news but today I just happened to catch a story about a 17 year old American girl, that was kicked out of her school for truancy in Houston, Texas recently.   A judge then levied some type of fine and punishment against her. The reason this young lady, Diane, was truant is because she was working 3 jobs to support her 3 year old sibling and a brother who attends TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY.   She wasn’t out having a good time with friends until all hours of the night and sleeping in.  She was working to keep food in her family’s mouths and a roof over their head.   When this story went international after the news media caught wind of it, the judge in the case reversed his decision and now people have poured out donations to her in the amount of 100,000.00 to help her.   I can tell you from experience a 4 year education from TEXAS A&M cost at least 80,000.00.   Even so, she told the reporter she didn’t want the money she wanted to give it to another child that may need it more than she does.   This touched my heart beyond words! In a society that is all about “gimme” and “it is rightfully mine” to the point YOU have to sacrifice, instead of the ones holding out their hands who do little to nothing, this story is a breath of fresh air and so is Diane’s attitude!   It is so touching to me because this is exactly what Jesus did! He gave ALL for us, so that we could in turn live the good life under the blessing His blood was shed to give! Let us strive to be more like Diane, who truly reflects the generosity of Jesus Christ.
     I challenge you today, instead of looking for a blessing to be poured out on you, find someone to pour one out on!   It doesn’t have to be a house or a car.   It may be you pay for someone else’s coffee in a Starbucks line.   It may be sending flowers to someone who has been generous in your own life.   It may be visiting a nursing home and simply talking to an elderly person who never has visitors.   Ask God how you can bless someone with a deed and leave a comment letting me know what you did.   I could use some ideas myself and others will enjoy the blessing you were to someone as well and may even become inspired by it!
     I am excited to see what comments are left! Not only will you feel better by doing it, you will be an inspiration to others! Changing the world and the attitude of it begins with one person at at time. Let that person be you!
     Blessings to you! See you soon!

Stay With the Basics!

3 O you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated or bewitched or cast a spell over you, unto whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified?
² Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing its works, or was it by hearing [the message of the Gospel] and believing [it]? [Was it from observing a law of rituals or from a message of faith?]
³ Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh?
⁴ Have you suffered so many things and experienced so much all for nothing (to no purpose)—if it really is to no purpose and in vain?
⁵ Then does He Who supplies you with His marvelous [Holy] Spirit and works powerfully and miraculously among you do so on [the grounds of your doing] what the Law demands, or because of your believing in and adhering to and trusting in and relying on the message that you heard? Galations 3:1-5 Amplified Bible


     I retired from teaching school years ago.   While I taught public school there was something so called "higher educators" called a pendulum.   It meant that from year to year, education would take drastic swings on how to teach children more effectively.   One year they would want us to stick with "Teacher's Manuals" and then the next they wanted us to throw them out the window!   There was always some new fangled "revelation" coming up and we always had to "try" it!   One year we had to teach a new method where we incorporated reading, science, math, and social studies by doing the same "theme" all day long, even all YEAR long, I should say!   I became very uncomfortable with this new method and I noticed I could not keep the attention of my students as I had before when I taught the basics.   I noticed a drop in their grades and academic performance.   I decided to make up a test and give it to see where my students were in this new and "ingenious" method.   As I graded the tests, I felt my heart sink in my chest!   My children were FAILING!   They didn't know the most basic of the basics for the grade I taught.   Thank God, the "Mother of Education" taught in my same building and just so happened to be my "real life" mother!   I took the test scores to her room and I was in tears!   My philosophy of a good teacher is that when your students "fail" to learn it is because YOU have failed to teach!!   My dear mother listened to my sob story and heard the panic in my voice. When I was finished she simply said this, "Baby, get back to basics! God makes brains in people just like He always has and they have learned from the old methods this whole time.   We didn't have this problem until the "new" methods came on the scene!"   I felt peace flood my heart! I stopped comparing what I was doing with what the other teacher's were or were not doing and I got down to business with the "basics" and my old style and methods of teaching that had worked for years.   My students began to work as I had not ever seen them do that year!   They began to soak up everything I gave them.   I tested them again about two weeks later and they were at grade level and many were above, instead of lagging behind as they had before!    Staying with the basics worked and continues to work!
     This has happened in the church as well!   There are many out there that are bringing in so called "new revelations".   Let me tell you, dear reader, there is no such thing. You may have not heard it before, but the Bible has always said the same thing, and men and women of God who want to promote Him and not themselves have taught it for two thousand years!       I love Kenneth Hagin, Sr.. He has gone on to be with the Lord, but while he was still with us he taught on something called "Just Know God...Don't Major on the Minors".   In this teaching he said, "So many times, in so many ways, we have majored in the minors and spent our time on things of minor importance".   How true that is!   He goes on to say if we will just stick with four things, we will have victorious Christians and an unstoppable church! They are exactly what Paul wrote to the church of Galatia in our passage for the day. I will break them down for you so this isn't a book but a "post".

    1. Stay with the salvation teaching by the blood of Jesus! God will bless you for simply BELIEVING Him, not because of a list of do's and don'ts. 2 Corinthians 5:17 You are a new creature in Christ Jesus, not on what you have done, but what Jesus has done for you!

     2. You have "Son"ship priviledges. You are a joint heir with Jesus Christ, Himself. God loves you as much as He loves Jesus and what God gave to Jesus is yours, too! John 17:23 and 1 John 3:1

     3. Take up the teaching of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit literally makes His home in the believer! Greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world! 1 Corinthians 3:16 You are literally the temple of the Holy Spirit if you are born again! You cannot fail when you yield to the Holy Spirit, Who abides in you!

Remember God is for us! Romans 8:31 and 1 John 2:1

Remember God is with us! He will never leave us or forsake us! Hebrews 13:5

Remember God is IN us! Greater is He that is in us, than He that is in the world! 1 John 4:4
You are a conqueror and cannot fail because He is in you, leading and teaching you!!

     4. Prayer-Romans 8:26 The Holy Spirit prays the perfect prayer through us! Your prayer life has to come to pass as you pray things out in the Spirit!

     I got much of this from Kenneth Hagin's DVD, but it is directly from the word of God!   As you meditate on these things you will be grounded, sound and immovable by the circumstances of life!   In fact, you will be moving the circumstances through knowing just who you are and what you have in Christ Jesus!
     Get back to the basics of the word, dear reader! Peace will flood you and you WILL see results!   Never let people hungry for fame and glory get you off the word and onto "new revelations" that have been revealed, oddly, only to them! If it is the truth of God, believe me, He wants ALL to know it and to all who truly hunger and thirst for His truth and righteousness, they shall be filled with it!   He doesn't give it to "special" ones and not the rest of His children! He indwells us all and the Holy Spirit is the teacher of all who are His children and are willing to listen!   God will share His glory with no man and you don't want to be involved with those who practice such things!
     Thank you for stopping by, dear reader! Have a blessed day, all day!! I hope to see you soon!

The "Law of Reciprocity"

Field in Vermont.

⁶ [Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously [^[a]that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously and with blessings.
⁸ And God is able to make all grace (every favor and ^[c]earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need ^[d]be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].
⁹ As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever!
¹⁰ And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [^[e]which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity].
¹¹ Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God.
¹² For the service that the ministering of this fund renders does not only fully supply what is lacking to the saints (God’s people), but it also overflows in many [cries of] thanksgiving to God.  2 Corinthians 9:6-12 Amplified Bible

     This picture was taken in Vermont by my father when he and my mother retired over ten years ago. If you look closely, in the midst of all the produce of this garden is a man.   It is hard to see, but the man appears to be older. It amazes me, that an older man can still “bring in a garden” of such huge dimensions!   Gardening is hard work!   Where I live in Texas many have gardens such as this one and even larger.   Those who live in the city have them this size and somewhat smaller.   When they harvest their crop, there is always more than enough and they either take it to “Farmer’s Market” where people can go and buy the excess, or they simply give it away to whomever would like it.   The latter is what usually takes place!
     This is what our verse is talking about today. There is a law that is set in motion when you are a giver! It is the “Law of Reciprocity” which comes from the word ”reciprocate”.   To reciprocate is to simply “give back.”   The amount you give is what you receive, and when you give with a willing heart, God multiplies what you gave and brings back to you an even larger amount.   I learned about the “Law of Reciprocity” years ago from a pastor we had at the time.   He began to remind us of other scriptures such as to have friends you must show yourself friendly, if you want to be shown mercy when you have been wrong, you must show mercy to others when they have wronged you, etc..   I had never heard of this, but my pastor had a hard and fast rule and I have found it has been right throughout the years.   If you want to know if something is solid and sound doctrine you must be able to find it in at least three places in the Bible!   This proved to me, though I had never heard of this spiritual law, it was one and it would work for me!   It had to, it was a LAW!   Let me give you an example.   For a plane to fly, the law of “ lift and thrust” must be enforced.   When it is enforced by pilots, we all know, we fly! The law of gravity is another example.   You get on top of your house (please, don’t really do this!) and jump and you are going down! It doesn’t just happen to you! It happens to all who apply it! That is why the Bible says, “Whosoever will….”   You are a “whosoever” so it works for you just like it does for everyone else.   You put into effect the spiritual laws and they will work for you, just as physics laws that are put into effect are going to work for you! No matter who we are, what our childhoods may have been, what we have been through, what socio-economic background we may have come from, if a law is enforced it works for us just like everyone else!
     I am a giver.   I LOVE to give!   I would give my house away if my husband didn’t stop me!   My husband is a generous giver as well, he just isn’t extreme and he keeps me balanced.   As I thought of this, I thought of all the blessings God has so generously poured out on us through the years.   I have not always been such a joyful giver.   I literally had to DEVELOP being a JOYFUL giver.   When I learned about the “Law of Reciprocity” I began to start in small things and worked up to larger and larger because a harvest began to come in to where I could. I started tipping very generously at restaurants. I began to sow time into people who had needs, so when I had a need people were there for me.   I showed myself friendly and sowed love into them so that in turn I would have friends and not be lonely.   I sowed mercy because I KNEW I would also need mercy!   We began to support missionaries and upped our giving to our church so the gospel could be supported and go forth in greater measure.  Now this not only comes naturally to me, but it is something that thrills me to be able to do!
Sow generously, my dear reader and watch your harvest come in generously! Sow what you need to reap! Great joy will come just from the sowing because it is truly so much better to GIVE than to RECEIVE! Blessings to you today and all day, my dear reader! See you next time!

 

 

Seek the Lord While He May Be Found!

Isaiah 55:1- 13 Amplified Bible "Wait and listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy [priceless, spiritual] wine and milk without money and without price [simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing].
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness [the profuseness of spiritual joy].
³ Incline your ear [submit and consent to the divine will] and come to Me; hear, and your soul will revive; and I will make an everlasting covenant or league with you, even the sure mercy (kindness, goodwill, and compassion) promised to David.
⁴ Behold, I have appointed him (Him) [David, as a representative of the Messiah, or the Messiah Himself] to be a witness [one (One) who shall testify of salvation] to the nations, a prince (Prince) and commander (Commander) to the peoples.
⁵ Behold, you ^[a][Israel] shall call nations that you know not, and nations that do not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.
⁶ Seek, inquire for, and require the Lord while He may be found [claiming Him by necessity and by right]; call upon Him while He is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have love, pity, and mercy for him, and to our God, for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon.
⁸ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
¹² For you shall go out [from the spiritual exile caused by sin and evil into the homeland] with joy and be led forth [by your Leader, the Lord Himself, and His word] with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name of renown, for an everlasting sign [of jubilant exaltation] and memorial [to His praise], which shall not be cut off."

     Jesus IS Lord! Jesus IS coming soon! One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! Leave behind your hurt, bitterness, critical words! Run from skepticism and unbelief!! It only brings hurt and harm to you! You are forfeiting God's treasures, for what will one day burn up and no longer exist! You are forfeiting the very call to salvation for things that will not even matter and will no longer even be remembered! God is calling you. You have time, but it is not long. That day IS fast approaching! GET IT RIGHT! GET IT RIGHT! Look, even now the Lord is holding His hand out to you! Stop deceiving yourself!! God is not mocked!! Don't turn your face away from the cries of a good and righteous God. The God who sent His Son to die for you!! He loves you, but there is only one way to be reconciled to Him and that is through the blood of Jesus!! Put it off no longer! Accept Him while He may still be found....His return is sooner than you think!
     God gave this to me in prayer tonight! It is a cry from His heart, I promise you! If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, please pray this prayer with me....
Dear Lord, I confess to you that I have sinned. I ask that you forgive me. I make, Jesus, Your Son Lord of my life! According to Romans 10:9-10 which says, "Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
¹⁰ For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.
I confess this now with my mouth and receive the promise of Your salvation and I will from this day forward live my life to the best of my ability for You! Thank you Jesus for coming into my life and saving me! In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray...Amen!
     Find a Bible believing church, one that teaches Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation! Get rooted there and read and meditate on the Bible daily. Pray to God as though He is your best friend, because He is! You can now stand assured you are in the family of God and on your way to heaven, glory to God!! Tell others about Him! Always remember, Jesus loves you and He loves the ones that will be brought into your path to be given the same chance we have been given and that is to proclaim that JESUS IS LORD Of OUR LIVES!! God bless you as you grow in Him!!

Casting All Of Your Care On Him!

Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7


     God didn't miss anything in this verse. He literally covered it all!! I used to think, when I read this verse in the past as a young Christian, that God wanted me to know how much He loved me and felt compassion for me but there wasn't anything He could necessarily do about what was causing me so much worry! Thank God, as I began to grow in God and the knowledge of the Bible, I saw how wrong I was!
     Let us break this verse down. 1. Casting the whole of your care...Cast is a verb! It is something you do and it literally means "to throw something forcefully". When I think of casting I think of fishing. When you cast your line out you literally fling it in a particular direction with great force. What God is telling us here is FLING YOUR CARE AT HIM WITH GREAT FORCE! 2. "Once and for all" When you fling it as far away from yourself as you can get it, it makes it hard to go back to where you cast it so that you can take care of it yourself again. This is where the phrase in this verse "once and for all" comes in. God wants you to hand it all over to Him. Let Him take control of those worries! Yes, we do our part in praying, standing on the word, believing the word, but we rest in our confidence that once we have committed it to Him, and He will take care of it. We don't wade back out and take it all back on ourselves and "own" it again so to speak!
     Worry and anxiety is the opposite of faith. I remember one day while I was teaching public school, it was lunch time and I was spending this lunch praying. God spoke to me and said worry was putting faith in what satan could do, instead of putting my faith in what God will do. I was dumbfounded! I had ALWAYS been a worrier. I thought it made me productive, but to be honest, it only left me tormented with fear. I had no idea I was literally agreeing with the enemy's plan for my life (unknowingly, of course!) by letting worry and fear of the "what ifs" dominate my thought life!
    I was always planning how to avoid what I was worrying about. I would fret, then make a plan. Funny thing was, it never turned out the way I thought it would. Most of my worries never happened, and those that did happen, happened in a way "my plan" did not cover! Praise God for mercy. When things did pop up that either I had not planned on, or I HAD a plan for but it didn't work according to my method, the Holy Spirit showed me what to do and God ALWAYS worked EVERYTHING out! I would look back when all was said and done and would realize I had wasted so much time fretting and planning, when I could have just trusted God and enjoyed my life. Don't go looking for trouble, my friend! Trouble will show up all by itself! But fear not for God has told us what to do with it. It says in Matthew 6:31-32 says "³¹ Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?
³² For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.
³³ But seek (^[a]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (^[b]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things ^[c]taken together will be given you besides.
³⁴ So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble."

     What do you do with it? You trust God with it and continue to seek and focus on Him! God loves you and it is HIM that makes the crooked path straight, not you! It is HIM that CAUSES you to triumph in all that you do, not yourself! It is HIM that perfects EVERYTHING concerning you, not you. Notice, it is HIM every time and NOT YOU! God's word is POWERFUL, but the word says HE makes it to work and accomplishes all HE set forth for it to do! YOU don't make it work! You MUST know it, speak it, and believe it, but God ultimately brings it all to pass! It is our responsibility to give Him His word to work with and then rest in faith! There is that word again...REST!
     No matter how impossible your circumstance may look, my dear reader, remember NOTHING is impossible for God! Mark 11:23-25. Cast your care and don't go fishing for it again! God will do all He has promised.
      Just begin to praise Him and thank Him for your answers and listen for His direction! If you do this, you cannot go wrong!
     Thank you, dear reader for visiting the blog today! I pray it has blessed you! I appreciate you very much! Come see me again soon!

Are You Following or Forcing?

“ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; ² so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Genesis 16 1-2


     When my husband and I were first married, he was not the “handyman” he is now. Through many learning experiences, he and I both learned forcing something is not a good idea!
     We have a travel trailer and I dearly love to travel with it! Our lives had gotten very busy and one day we decided to pack up and just set out, just the two of us. We had not had any time at all together in literally several months! When my husband went to get his keys to the trailer he couldn’t remember which key fit which lock on the door. I went out with him, because I was going to begin to load the trailer as soon as he unlocked it. He put the key in and it wouldn’t turn. He decided he was going to force the key to turn. This was a very bad idea! As I began to say, “Don’t force it, you will break it!” that is exactly what he did. He forced it so hard he broke the key off in the door! All this did was make more work for him, since he had to figure out how to get the key out AND unlock it. All of us at one time or another have wanted something so badly, we try to force it to happen! If you think about it, it never turns out well.
    I knew a lady once that wanted her daughter to marry a certain young man. He was a young and practicing attorney and the woman felt her daughter would be happy with him and the lifestyle he could provide for her. The only problem was the couple did not love each other. The parents thought the match was a wonderful one and to please the parents, the couple married. The marriage was a disaster and much hurt came to many! Instead of the couple trusting God and listening to Him lead them to the one that was right for them, they forced a relationship!
     Some people do hear from God on situations in their lives. God has promised great things, but they get tired of the wait. Just like Sarah, if the promise they have been given doesn’t come in THEIR timing, they begin to “help God out” and make a bona-fide mess of it and postpone the promise in the process. If you will read the rest of the chapter our scripture is taken from, you will see Sarah only made things worse by FORCING God’s promise, instead of waiting and letting Him give her what He told her He would surely do! If she had just waited, so much disaster and heartache could have been avoided!
     God does not need our help, He needs our trust. Forcing things to happen will always just complicate them more! Follow God and He will bring it about! He will do it perfectly. You will find out that what you were trying to force to happen was probably one of the worst things that could have happened or you would have missed out on a great opportunity had you not waited for God to orchestrate what He had planned!
     God’s timing is perfect! He is never late, He is always right on time. Don’t get ahead of God, my dear reader! Follow Him and He will lead you into marvelous things!
     Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog! I appreciate you, dear reader!! May God richly bless you with ALL good things!!

Practice What You Preach!

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged” Matthew 7:1


     If this post is for anybody, it is for me!! Not more than two days ago I wrote on the negative power of anger. Little did I know I would be put to the test on this one in a such a short time later. It all began with my old computer crashing and the purchase of a brand new one. In two days I have had TWO computers! Needless to say, Damien (who sold me the first one) and I are no longer BFF…just kidding. I went right back and bought the second one from him, too!
     I downloaded the anti-virus that worked for Damien, but blew our computers out. I stayed on the phone with our router company for four hours, got everyone up and running BUT me! All is well though. I have learned a valuable lesson of never going with an anti-virus I have never heard of and that the number 1 product is number 1 for a reason!
By the end of it all, trying to get through a break down of communication and having to pay forty dollars to have it, staying on the phone for four hours when it should have been a relaxing afternoon, it taking my husband and me both since we had to have two companies at once on the phone at the same time, hungry in the process of it all and now exhausted, it was just too easy to be tempted to be short with everyone in the house including the barking dogs!
     I then thought of a thought I had had about a particular person. It went something like this, “They need to practice what they preach!” Whatever you judge, believe me you will eat! I have always said that, and today I almost experienced it. I have learned to be very careful of what I say, because as sure as I say it (or write it) I will be accountable for it!
     You never know what you are made of until you are pressured to extreme limits. Suddenly the “real you” comes out. It is one way to see what character traits you have and ones you NEED to have! It will make or break your witness and once broken sometimes it is gone forever! It can make you ineffective, and forever disrespected. It can also show you what great character you have developed. Proverbs 15:23 says, “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply — and how good is a timely word!” You can keep someone from making drastic mistakes or help promote them to greater things because you are respected due to that great character!
    Keep yourself in place when the pressure is on. The anointing, which is compared with oil, is what flows out of you when the pressure is on just like in an olive press! Maybe you are being put through the “olive press”, but remember how good olive oil is for everyone’s health!
     God bless you, my dear reader! Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate you very much!! Have a blessed week, all week!

Let the Peace of God Rule Your Thought Life!

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15


     I had my experience with this last night. After I had tried to “whip” my old computer into submission, and it decided to be stubborn and rebellious, I decided to declare it was over, done, could not be saved! I noticed flakes of something on the monitor and a burning smell. I also noticed they had gotten into my nose and God only knows how, but into my mouth as well. I asked my if he smelled anything and he smelled the burning smell, too. That really did it! It wasn’t my imagination and I had to face facts!
     As I turned it over to see if I could just throw it away or what it said on the bottom to do with it, I read this small sign. “Dispose of properly. Contains mercury.” I almost panicked. Had I inhaled mercury?? I call my daughter, the “Biomedical Scientist” into the room and began to ask her about mercury. Was it liquid? Could it turn to a solid? Did she think I had accidentally inhaled any of it? Thank God all of her answers were, “No”. I still was not satisfied. I grilled the computer guy, Damien. He made me feel better explaining there was a barrier where it could not leak out onto the consumer and it was burning dust I most likely smelled. That peace of mind lasted until I got home and got the new computer set up and then I began to “think” again!
     I call my mother, because my dad is in medicine. He knows NOTHING about mercury I find out! Oh, why did I go into elementary education?? Why didn’t I go into chemistry?? Why did I watch the documentary on the History channel years ago about the woman who worked with mercury, was poisoned by it and died??
     As the evening progressed I began to feel bad. I had a sore throat, body aches, fever. My stomach began to hurt and I felt nauseated. It probably did that since I had gotten so nervous wondering if I had accidentally poisoned myself. I declared to my family I was going to bed and off I went in search of a fever reducer, and mad because I had big plans for Memorial Day and I would be missing them! I then remembered there was a man in my church that had, had similar symptoms and they thought he had West Nile Virus. My symptoms were very similar! Thinking about that didn’t help anything, that is for sure!
Then I thought, “Wait a minute! I have authority over my body! I can plead the blood of Jesus! I can speak Isaiah 53 which says by the stripes of Jesus I AM HEALED!” I began to do just that! “Forget it, devil! I refuse fear that started this whole thing to begin with and I declare I am healed and whole in the name of Jesus! Psalm 16 in the Amplified Bible says He keeps my PHYSICAL BODY in SAFETY, and that is the way it is!!”
     I got into bed feeling somewhat better but still not feeling totally myself. Soon my husband came to check on me. “Baby, please pray for me.” When a husband and wife pray the prayer of agreement, things happen! Why? Because next to your covenant with God that came into effect when you became born again and is the most powerful covenant in the world, you have another covenant that is powerful, second only to this one, because it reflects what you have with God and that is the covenant you have with your spouse in marriage. Remember we are the “bride of Christ”. There are many types and shadows here. My husband prayed, but I continued to hurt. Remember we don’t go on feelings, we go on faith.
     He came to bed and I turned over trying to find comfort for all the aches. As I lay there I heard the Lord say, “Be at peace. Everything is alright. Don’t think about what it could be and what could happen in the night. I have you in My arms and everything is fine!” As soon as I heard that my body relaxed, all pain left and I began to thank God for His faithfulness toward me! I then fell asleep and woke up feeling almost back to totally normal! The sore throat is gone, the fever is gone, and I am only left with a very small headache, that is leaving in Jesus name!
     I had thought of this verse after God calmed me down, but I didn’t realize the last part. Be thankful! Oh, I have so much to be thankful for and I am! God touched me. He ministered His healing to me in the middle of my panic and upset. He didn’t condemn me for being faithless. He just wrapped me in His loving arms and “rocked me to sleep” as though I were a child who needed Daddy at that moment!
    I “thought” my way into trouble. God helped me “guard my thoughts” where His peace could come and nothing I thought could happen did happen in the night, just as He said they would not! If I had guarded my mind to begin with, I probably would not have opened the door through fear for symptoms to come in the first place! I am so glad, that even in my imperfection, He loves me and is merciful to me!
     Let peace rule in your mind today, my dear reader. You are wrapped in God’s loving embrace! Have a wonderful Memorial Day! Let it also be a remembrance of all the protection and love God has for you.
     If you are a veteran visiting my blog, I would like to say thank you! Your passion for this nation’s freedom has been felt by us all and you are greatly respected and appreciated, not only today, but everyday! Have a blessed day, one and all!!

Goodbye to the Old, Hello to the New!

     Well, it finally happened. My old laptop bit the dust! After pacing back and forth, thinking out loud and watching my husband’s face for reactions, I knew the new one was on the way. I loved my old computer! I was so sad to see it go. One thing I hate to do is go computer shopping because I never do well with multiple choices and they always have tons!
     I go to our local computer store and pray for the right computer person to find me, because I am truly clueless on this stuff! Suddenly, Damien comes around the corner, sees the lost look on my face and ask the great question, “Can I help you?” “I want to buy a computer!” Oh, my new best friend! We bonded instantly!! I told him exactly what I needed the computer for, what I would do with it and what I couldn’t care less to do with it. He begins to look and, voilà, there it is!
     I got it home, and it does everything and more the old one did. I didn’t want a new computer. I loved the old one. I knew it through and through! I had used it so much I had worn the “e” off the keypad! It was my buddy, my old pal! It was the one I started blogging with 2 months ago. We had memories!! It didn’t take long for me to get “over it”. This one has the bigger keys with bigger letters for my 51-year-old eyes! It has all kinds of goodies at the bottom my old one didn’t have. It is more transportable, and easier to use! Oh, I fell in love FAST!
     Why is it so hard to let go of the old and usher in the new things in our lives when the new is so much better? Why is familiarity so much more comfortable than the new and upgraded that brings so much more ease into our lives? Why do we fight change, when it is so good for us? I truly don’t know, but I know this, I have a dear friend that watches me everywhere I go and prepares the way before me. He perfects all things concerning me and in all my ways He causes me to TRIUMPH! I have nothing to fear because He never leaves nor forsakes me! He sticks closer than a brother! He is everything I need and my constant source of supply and never leaves me lacking. I don’t have to figure life out, because He already has and is going to walk me through it every step of the way. If you have read many of my posts you know His name is Jesus! No wonder He is called Healer, Prince of Peace, Almighty God, and Savior!
     I am so glad all that is required of me is to trust Him and go with the flow! Change is good! Especially when “I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me.” Even if it is something as simple as chosing the perfect computer for me!
     God bless you, my dear reader! Thank you for taking your valuable time to read my blog! I hope you come back very soon!!

The Law of Consequence

“Do not be deceived…A man reaps what he sows.” Galations 6:7 NIV




     “Your child says, “I didn’t meant to break the window.” You reply, “But you threw the rock that broke it, right? So you will have to pay for the repairing it.” And when your child pays, he or she learns a priniciple that could save them costlier consequences down the road. God, who is a loving heavenly Father, invented the law of consequence–for our benefit. Consider this: 1. Your decisions determine the kind of harvest you reap. Adam and Eve got their choice. “A man reaps what he sows.” You’re not the pawn of a punitive god, malevolent cosmic force, the devil, or luck. You have been given the power to choose right or wrong. 2. Your decisions impact others. Hurting them may have not been your intention, but often it’s collateral damage you can’t avoid. After conquering Jericho, Achan stole some of the spoils, causing Israel’s defeat at Ai. Later Joshua challenged him, saying, “Why have you brought this trouble on us?” (Joshua 7:25 NIV). Before you act, you need to consider who will get hurt by the fallout from your decision. Will it be your children, spouse, friends, church, etc.? 3. Forgiveness may not cancel the consequences of your decision. God hears your confession, freely forgives you and expunges your record, but the harvest law may still remain in effect. “David confessed….’I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you…(but) your chld will die.” (2 Samuel 12:13-14 NLT). So if you don’t want to reap, don’t sow.” –Bob Gass
     A man and his wife had a terrible fight one day. The man was so enraged, he stormed from the house and got into his car to speed away. As he reversed his car, he heard and felt a thud. He was so angry he did not stop to see what it was, but continued to back up. He then heard a second thud and then a potential nightmare unfolded before his eyes. His young son had left his tricycle in the driveway and, just seconds before, had gotten off to play with another toy nearby. The father had no idea the child was even outside. While the couple was fighting, the young boy had wandered out of the house and was playing behind the vehicle. This man, in his uncontrollable rage, had backed over the tricycle! Thank God the child was not on it, but what if he had been? Would this father be sorry? Oh, yes! Would God be willing to forgive something so horrible? Most certainly! But with all the regret, sorrow, and all the apologies this man could make, it would not have brought his son back. It would have been something he would have had to live with the rest of his life. Anger handled in a wrong manner can set the “Law of Consequence” in motion and then nothing can be done to stop it.
     Anger is a natural part of our emotional makeup. It shows us someone is going too far and violating our personal lives and boundaries that are put in place for our emotional health. We all experience anger at some point. Anger is not a sin unless you keep it and nurse it, or if you get out of control with it!
     Learn from the mistakes of others what anger can cost and do not make those mistakes yourself. It will save you from possible eternal regret later! No wonder the Bible tells us that anger lays in the heart of fools. It makes you do foolish things, if you allow it to have full reign and those things cannot always be done away with, with a simple apology!
     Obedience is a choice, but it pays high dividends! Do what God says, my dear reader, and peace will guard and sustain you!
     Thank you for dropping by! I hope you come back soon!

Attitude is Everything!

"Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits."   Romans 12:16


     I have a friend who moved away some time ago. We still talk on Facebook, but I have not seen her in years. I was so shocked and truly heartbroken when she told me she and her husband were moving to another state. I knew I would miss her terribly! Something she said when she told me about the big move has stuck with me all these years. She said, "Juliana, it isn't where your house is, it is where your heart is that is home!" She went on to tell me she could be happy anywhere, because her family was her heart and where they were it was home! What a great attitude! To this day, she is still moving and her husband is still climbing the corporate ladder! She loves every state she has lived in and I think the people in the towns she has lived in have been blessed to have her!
     I know of a young woman that left home to move to another state to go to school. She had a marvelous opportunity to begin her life anew. She had made wrong friends in her hometown and had gotten away from God. She returned to serving the Lord and when she did He opened a wonderful door for her to have a new life and be totally free of the old one that almost destroyed her. The first year she was away, she did very well. She had a roommate in college that she liked and got along very well with. Blessings were pouring in on her emotionally, spiritually, and financially! She was growing in God in leaps and bounds!
     The second year of school started and a new roommate came to live with her. This roommate was not mature, she had a shady past and had really only come to the college (which was a Christian one) because her parents were desperate for a move of God in her life! This young lady wanted only one thing and that was to get away from home and this was her avenue of doing it. She broke all the house rules and the young lady that was growing in Christ the year before began to become extremely peeved and perturbed with the new roommate! I do not blame her, but instead of taking the attitude, "I cannot control her but I can control my attitude", she let every little thing this girl did get under her skin and needle away at her! Because of that, this young lady did not attain all that God had planned for her. She did graduate, but in the end her attitude was not as excellent as it was when God was her focus. Time will tell if she will let that experience grow her or if she will always be a baby Christian and only allow God to mature her and change her attitude to the point she can be truly effective!
     We will not always be exactly where we want to be or with the people we want to be with. Paul had to choose to be happy when he was shipwrecked, snake bit, and imprisoned for the cause of Jesus Christ. He could have decided he didn't deserve what was happening, hated his circumstances, and pouted and turned from what God had called him to do to live a life of mediocrity and comfort, Instead, we see Paul over and over, praising God, writing letters under the anointing of the Holy Ghost while in stocks and chains! Those letters would eventually become three fourths of the New Testament!
     It isn't where you live, the house you live in, the people of your town or your workplace that makes you happy, joyful, or peaceful. It is your attitude where you are while you are there! Our verse says to live in harmony and be readily adjustable to PEOPLE AND THINGS! A little tweaking goes a long way in the spirit!  Where God has us, although it may not be ideal to us, He has us there to affect the environment and the people around us, not the other way around. Just like my friend, where my Heavenly Father is, it is home! Why? Because, He is the one I love most and cannot in any degree do without! I can adjust my attitude to people and things, because He is there to empower me to do it!
     Don't miss your blessing or being a blessing to others, my dear reader! Your decision to have the mind and nature of Christ abounding in you will effect those around you! You may not see it right away, but the word does not lie and it will come! I love the saying Joyce Meyer says, "Your attitude determines your ALTITUDE!" Let us not be our own downfall! Remember, attitude is everything!!
     Thank you, my precious reader, for stopping by! I appreciate you so very much!! Have a blessed day, and may promotion come to you in all that you do!

My Baby Knows How to Bring Home the Fish and Fry it Up in the Pan!

My husband and the 15 pound catfish he caught today!

                                                    

     Today, as I slept my husband was fishing.  He turned off the alarm at 5 a.m. and he was off within about ten minutes....I think.  I can never stay awake long enough to tell him goodbye.  At that time of day, believe me, he is on his own! 
     Normally at his "fishing hole"  he only catches what he calls "trash" fish.  I would name them all but I can't remember what he calls them.  I have seen him go fishing in the fall, winter, spring and summer. I have seen him fish in the rain and in the sunshine.   I have asked him many times why he goes when it is freezing or raining and he knows nothing is going to bite and he tells me that is his "think and relax time'.  I understand.  We all need space.  I need it daily!  That is when I blog. 
     Today was different.  I got a call while I was at the computer store trying to get first aide for my computer that acted like it was about to draw its last breath.  My husband's voice sounded different today. 

What are you doing?

I am at the computer store, I think the computer is about to go to computer heaven.  What are you doing?

About to clean my 15 pound Op!  (That is Texan for gynormous catfish).
    
     I could tell he was soooo excited!  I told him not to do one thing to it until I got home and could look at it.  When I arrived our 22 year old daughter was practically skipping around the ice chest and my husband's smile was as wide as the catfish was long!  His persistence and perserverance had paid off!  He showed me all the places a turtle had tried to "eat on it" and all the exciting things that happened while he reeled it in.  How the few people that were at the spot had to come take a look and how proud he was to show them! 
     Now my husband has snagged big ones in the past, but something always happens.  A line would break before he could get it to the surface, the fish would come off of his stringer, or snakes, loggerhead turtles, and gar (a fish with some bad teeth!) would decide they needed it more than he did!  Nevertheless, my husband kept on going and finally brought home the big one!
     It just so happened he had to run by the tire store in our small, friendly town today.  In many ways it can be like Mayberry on "The Andy Griffith Show".  People are excited to see you "make good"!  The man who owns the tire store looked my husband's fish over while they worked on his truck and then gave him a fish batter recipe to boot!  Tomorrow will be a good day for my husband, too as he eats "the fruit of his labor".  We will call and ask our pastor and his wife over, there will be "the big one" along with french fries fried up to perfect crispness, gallons of ketchup, and ice cream for dessert.  He will brag to the guys at church on Sunday on how he caught "the big one" and, thank God, that doesn't mean me this time!
     What a great weekend for my husband and all of us!  This is what family time and long weekends are all about.
     Thank you, my dear reader for stopping by!  I appreciate you taking your precious time to read my blog.  Come back and see me again very soon!

Seek Me and You Shall Find Me!

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7




     This morning my husband got up at 5 a.m. to go fishing. Our normal routine is when he gets up for work he takes Gracie (our chihuahua), who sleeps with us and is an early riser, and puts her in the kitchen so she can eat her breakfast and play until I am ready to get up. Then when I get up, I usually find her in our living room playing or in the dining room sunning herself in front of the glass door.
     I love Gracie, as my readers already know. Gracie is my baby and she adores me as well. Gracie is a little behind in her development as far as fetching and various other skills. She is about 4 months behind in cognitive brain development, but she is absolutely the sweetest puppy you would ever want to meet! I pray for her daily and I truly am seeing results! She actually fetched the other day and I know the rest is coming.
     One of the things I noticed she was not doing that my other puppies have done is she has never come to my bedroom door and stuck her nose beneath it and cried for me. I had a Pomeranian by the name of “Prissy” and she ALWAYS did this. When I got up, sure enough Prissy would be patiently waiting for me with her nose as far under my bedroom door as she could get it. It was an act of love because she was showing me that she wanted to be with me. Prissy was a wonderful dog! She was loyal and had total unconditional love for me. Prissy died suddenly one Sunday evening. One second she was fine, the next second she was dying before our very eyes. She had a heart attack. I was devastated! I could not even walk back into my house until the wee hours of the morning the next day because she always met us at the door to greet us. She was perfect! She never bit anyone nor did she even attempt to. My children moved away from home and she sensed my loneliness and pain and attached and bonded to me in a way I did not know a dog could do. She was my comfort and constant companion. She healed my heart!
     Gracie is wonderful, too. But I missed the attribute of that little black nose under the door just patiently waiting and wanting me to come out so she could love me and I could love her back. I mentioned this to my husband and hoped one day this would develop in Gracie as well.
Today as I awakened, I heard a whine at my door. I rolled over to my husband’s side of the bed and there was a little black nose accompanied with a little cry! I flew out of the bed and opened the door. There she was, my precious Gracie! She bounded in and was so happy to see me she danced so much I couldn’t grab her to put her on the bed. Finally, after many licks and jumps she settled down enough for me to get her. I climbed into bed with her and she kissed me some more. Then she crawled under the covers, found her place right by my stomach and fell fast asleep until I was ready to get up and get ready for the day.
     I immediately thought of our verse today. God waits patiently for us. The Bible says He sets Himself up and looks all over the earth for someone to bless! He is watching and waiting for us to “enter” His presence. He created us for fellowship with Him. God gets excited just like we do! He IS love, He doesn’t just have a degree of it! I heard Beth Moore say one time we are the gender we are. No matter what, I am not going to be anything but a woman. No matter where I go, who I see, what I do, what I say, I will still be a woman. It is WHAT I am! Love is WHAT God is! He cannot be anything else! Nothing you do, no place you go, nothing you say is going to change the fact God IS LOVE and His love for you is great!!
     More than anything, God desires relationship with you and with me! You were created specifically for that! There is not a thing in this world that is going to change that desire He has toward you. God doesn’t walk in “like” as people do. They like you, therefore they “love” you. If they don’t like you it is ”goodbye, I have no use for you!” and love is not only withheld, it is flat out not there! Don’t view God has humans who cannot ever be perfect. View Him as He truly is…loving you, watching for you to seek Him, to give you every perfect and good gift. You shall surely find Him! Take one step in prayer and see that God doesn’t take many more to meet you! You won’t even be halfway until you find yourself in His loving embrace!
     God bless you, my dear reader! I am so glad you stopped by! Thank you so much for reading my post…I greatly appreciate you! Have a blessed, filled with the presence of God day, all day!

"Be Nurturing"

“Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12 NIV



There is a devotional my mother gets from her church. She also gets a copy for me because I love reading it. Today I read an article out of it that touched me deeply. I am going to quote this devotional in its entirety. I don’t know who publishes this. All I can find is a phone number and this title on the back “wordforyou”. No authors are listed just this title. I say all of this to let you know it isn’t MY work but another author’s. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!


“When Jesus said, “Love each other,” He used the Greek word for ‘love’ which means to nurture. Think of a mother and her child: her love is constant and her greatest desire for that child is that they should thrive. You say, “But isn’t that the kind of love people should get somewhere else, like at home?” No, beneath the facade, some of the people in your life desperately need to be nurtured. And they’ll be influenced most by those who make them feel best about themselves. One leader writes: “Many people are very close to my heart because they believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. They listened to me without condemnation and loved me unconditionally, even when I wasn’t very lovable. Without them, I wouldn’t have possessed the hope I needed to keep pursuing my dream.” Now you can’t be like the little girl who came home from church and announced, “I want to be like the man who stood up in the pulpit today.” Delighted, her mom said, “You want to go into the ministry?” “No,” she replied, “I want to tell people what to do!” Hello! Some of us want to be authority figures so we can correct people and give them our so-called “constructive criticism.” Most folks don’t need a critic, they need a cheerleader. When you nurture them they will welcome you to speak into their life–and they will listen. Goethe said, “Correction does much, but encouragement does much more.” So think encouraging words and speak words of encouragement. “Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25 NKJV).”

Whoever this author is, and I will do my best to find who it is, what a beautiful word! I hope you enjoyed it and was encouraged by it as much as I was!

This is Only a Test

“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.] “ John 14:27 Amplified Bible




     When I was a little girl watching cartoons, suddenly on the screen a sign would come up that looked like a target. You would then hear an announcer say, “This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test, In the case of a real emergency….” I don’t remember the rest, I was just annoyed with it because it was delaying my program and there was NEVER a real emergency to begin with!
     Today, my baby, my daughter is taking one of the most important test of her life. She is taking the MCAT. I watch her wake up earlier than usual. I feel her tension and I would do anything in my power to erase it and give her ease! I want her happy, laughing, and to be her joy filled self! She has studied and prepared for months! Twelve hours a day she stays in front of a laptop, researching, learning, honing her skills from undergrad to get ready. Today I want to say, “This is just a little bump in the road, it is only a test and you are going to do great!!” I do say it, but it doesn’t reduce the pressure she is feeling.
I imagine what God must be feeling about all of this. If I love my daughter like this and feel this way, how much more so does the perfect Father? He is touched “with the feelings of our infirmities” the Bible tells us. HE GETS IT AND HE GETS US! He also said He triumphed over it all and gave to us the victory.
     God doesn’t PUT you through the tests, He brings you THROUGH the tests. We go through tests because that is just a part of this imperfect world. He brings us through an imperfect world and shields us in the process. We come out with our faith built and to a higher level IF we face it with the word and faith in Him.
     Today, my daughter MUST go through this test! The system of higher education into what she wants to do requires it. If it were me, I would go in and tell them how wonderful, compassionate, and brilliant she is! That the test is not necessary, I can vouch for what a great doctor she will be! That is it what she was born to do and the medical school she goes to is going to be very blessed to get her! If I had my way she wouldn’t have to take this test. God is that way with us, too. He knows what we are made of and are capable of. He gave those capabilities to us! Because of Adam’s sin he turned the authority of this world over to satan. This is why Jesus had to come and die to regain it and then He gave us back that authority to be used. If we don’t use it we can find ourselves stuck, so to speak, in tests and trials that could have been over long ago!
     Remember, dear reader, God can only do good! The good He is doing while we are going through something is He is causing His word to work on our behalf as we stand on it. He said not ONE word would return void but would ACCOMPLISH what He set forth for it to do! (Isaiah 55:11) That is a mighty promise, but just like any other tool you have to use it!
     My daughter will do well today. Much prayer is going before her, she has done her part to prepare, and she is standing on God’s word! Quit isn’t in my daughter! Quit is never an option for a leader and a winner!
     You, my dear reader, are a winner, too! You are in a fixed fight! The word says Jesus fought the battle for us and the fight we fight is the good fight of faith. Why is it good? Because we WIN! Go out and conquer today! This is only a test and won’t last forever. You have this!
     Thank you for taking your valuable time to read my blog. I will see you soon!

You Are Never Alone!

     I saw on Facebook today a photo that said, “God, thanks for being there when no one else was.” I think from time to time we have all felt this way. In truth, others were there. They may not have been there in the way we wanted them to be or thought they should be, but they were there in heart, their love for us, in their prayers for us, and probably in so many other ways that were silent and unseen by us we just didn’t realize it.
     Anytime I think about something like this I am reminded of the time when Elijah killed the false prophets of Baal ( this is all documented in 1 Kings chapters 18-19 and is very interesting). It wasn’t long until Jezebel sent word she had a contract out on his head basically. It says then Elijah fled into the wilderness and asked God to kill him. God then sent an angel who fed him for 2 days and it sustained him for forty days.
     Notice God fed Elijah while he was isolated. There are times when God will allow us to feel no one does understand but God. This very well may be the case, but usually we feel this way because we need time alone with God so that we can be fed of Him and get direction for the next thing that is coming in life! Elijah had done a mighty work by the hand of God, but his purpose in life wasn’t over yet! Elijah needed to hear from God for special instructions on the next great work of God that Elijah was going to be used mightily in. One of those things was to mentor Elisha, another mighty prophet of God!
     Sometimes we feel this way because we are just outright having a pity party. Elijah was having a pity party. He wasn’t alone at all, and he sure didn’t want to die or he would have stayed behind and let Jezebel kill him. What he did not know was there were 7,000 who had not turned from God, just as he had not. God had let him rest but now it was time to get up and get back out there. God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” In other words, God wanted to know why he was still in a cave hiding out and not going back to face what he was eventually going to have to face anyway! God had strengthened him for all those days to do that very thing. Time for being isolated and alone was over. It was time to brush off the self-pity and the excuses. It was time to face the world and watch God remove the barriers! There was still a work a work in progress for Elijah to do and there is a work for you to do!
     Thank God, He never leaves us alone! Take advantage of this time if this is how you are feeling, dear reader! This is the time to pray and seek God. This is the time to be still in that alone time and listen intently to what God is saying! This is a time to be built up in faith and in your spirit! This is the time to dive into the word of God! Always remember, when you encounter times like this something wonderful is on the way, but it is going to take following God’s directions to accomplish it!
     Thank you, dear reader, for taking your valuable time to stop by! I hope you stop by again very soon! Have a blessed day, all day!

Take The Authority God Has Given You And Use It!

     “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” Luke 10:19 Amplified Bible


     I was thinking earlier today about an incident that happened with my Malshi, Molly. I have told you about her before. She is my writing buddy. When I am up late at night, and God has inspired something for me to post about, she is right beside me on the couch watching as I type out the words.
     Molly is very good natured! She is loving, calm, patient (she has to be with these Chihuahuas!) and never meets anyone she doesn’t love immediately! In my dining room I have a glass door that faces east. All the puppies like to sit in front of that door and sun first thing in the morning.
     All will be peaceful, then suddenly you would think we were housing pit bulls! Barking and growling begins as you have never heard. You would think Attila the Hun was trying to break in! I go running to see what all the commotion is about and there, prancing back and forth with menacing eyes peering at my precious puppies is a raven black cat. Oh, she LOVES the reaction she is getting from them! She knows she can pester them to no end and there isn’t one thing they can do about it. The glass door prevents it. This happens daily. I don’t even get up anymore when the harried barking starts! I just sit and think about what a lesson that cat needs to be taught in ways to behave appropriately when at someone else’s home!
     One day we let the puppies out for some romp and play time. Guess who was sitting on the sidewalk of my home waiting to torment them? You got it…that cat! Usually the dogs would go out and just stare. They didn’t want any part of that creature! But this day, Molly must have gotten enough of her! She walked out, saw that cat and she “lit a shuck” for her (as we say in Texas)! It simply means she ran at her with all of her might! At first, the cat just sat there. She was used to them coming so far then backing up in caution and fear. Today was different! Molly was full speed! When that cat realized she wasn’t stopping, but was in mortal danger she moved and moved fast!! Molly chased her the perimeter of our yard and she was right on her tail! We began to scream and cheer Molly on, “Go, Molly! Get her! Teach her this is YOUR house!” We laughed in delight as Molly chased that cat not only into the bushes but to a tall wooden fence and watched that cat scramble over the wooden fence as fast as she could go to another neighbor’s yard!
     It is like that with the devil and us sometimes. He loves to just walk back and forth looking like, not actually having the power of a lion, but trying to make you think he can devour you and everything you care about and hold dear! We forget the partition has been removed! The veil has been rent and we can boldly enter the throne room and ask of God anything according to His word! We also forget before Jesus ascended into Heaven He gave US ALL AUTHORITY IN HIS NAME! He rendered the devil toothless for us! We can open the door and walk on with that authority and run the devil out of our thought life with that authority! Glory to God we are not helpless! We have to be like Molly and get enough of it!
     It has always amazed me the courage, strength and fortitude I get when I finally “get enough”. My son told a friend that was picking at him about something one time, “Man, you DO NOT want to get my mama stirred up and incur her wrath!!” I laugh about this now, but it is true. As Christians, we shouldn’t let the devil just keep on and on until we get enough of it! The Bible says to “resist him at his onset and he will flee!” In other words, stop whatever he is tormenting you with from the very start of the thing! Remember, NOTHING shall by any means hurt you IF you take your authority in the name of Jesus and USE it!
     Have a blessed and overcoming day, my dear reader! Take control of your world and thoughts today through the name of Jesus and have a victorious day! Thank you for stopping by! I will see you soon!