Encouragement

Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV — Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I find encouragement in these words.

There is much about life and God’s Word I don’t know, but this I do understand.

This life is not all there is.

Jesus Christ has saved my soul from sin and death, and some blessed day, I’ll be with Him.

Thus, I can find great joy in these words which fuel my perspective to look up, look forward to the return of Christ or my release from this physical tent.

Do you have this same assurance?

Is your soul safe with the Lord?

If so:

Philippians 4:4 NKJV — Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

If not:

Acts 16:30-31 NKJV — And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

1 John 1:7-10 NKJV — But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Let us, this day, rejoice in the salvation of the Lord our God, sing praises to Him and bless His holy name!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You so much for salvation and the security of knowing my soul is safe with You. Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word of truth which is a lamp to my feet and bread to my soul. Lord, thank You for Your unending love and incredible mercy. Lord Jesus, please help me to live unto You alone this day, not walking in fear, not being tripped up by the enemy, not speaking words of worthlessness, but wholly leaning upon Your Word, Your truth, and walking in Your ways. Lord Jesus, please continue to touch those who need You so desperately, bringing comfort, peace, salvation, and healing to our broken world. Thank You. Amen.

(Please feel free to contact me if you would like prayer, have questions, or are interested in other scriptures.)

At the foot of the cross

Frequently, I experience very vivid dreams.

Since the Bible tells of more than one person having a dream God used in their life, I always try to pray about my dreams and ask the Lord if there’s anything to learn from them.

Last night I had a dream.

I was in church with many loved ones when a circumstance caused a part of the roof to give way and a fire suddenly erupted from another area.

Chaos ensued and I was very upset.

I wanted to help others, but couldn’t.

I’d been very close to the roof collapsing and had fallen, hurt.

Smoke from the building was making it difficult to breathe.

I rolled over, crying, trying to figure out what to do when I saw it.

I’d landed at the foot of the cross.

It was a very large wall decoration, the kind that are hollow on the inside with lights.

It was already lit, but as I looked at it, in the midst of the chaos, it grew brighter and brighter.

I remember thinking, “There’s a reason I’m at the foot of the cross.”

I stopped feeling scared and panicked.

I started praying.

And everything got better.

When I woke this morning I prayed.

Placing the people my heart has been burden for at the foot of the cross.

Today, I will continue to pray for those dear people around the world who are experiencing fear, devastation, and chaos.

That they too might find peace at the foot of the cross.

1 Peter 5:6-11 NKJV — Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word! Thank You for Your truth which makes clear the chaos. Lord, thank You for showing me that I can always find comfort at the foot of the cross, because death and suffering is not the end, You rose from the dead! You saved us from sin and death and You are preparing a place in heaven. Praise You, Jesus! Nothing on earth compares to that. Thank You that You give us exactly what we need to walk through each circumstance. Please continue to sustain and supply all the needs of our dear brothers and sisters around the world. Thank You, Jesus. I praise Your holy name! To You be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

… expecting to receive…

Acts 3:5 NKJV — So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

This lame man had asked for alms.

He’d begged for his livelihood all his days.

Acts 3:2 NKJV — And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;

So, it wasn’t a specific request to Peter and John out of understanding who they were and who they knew.

It was a plea he’d thrown out daily, to everyone, because his life depended upon what others would supply.

Acts 3:3 NKJV — who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.

He hadn’t even been looking at them.

Acts 3:4 NKJV — And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”

Acts 3:5 NKJV — So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

I’m sure he was expecting money.

But God had a far greater blessing instead.

Acts 3:6 NKJV — Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

He received life changing truth.

Acts 3:7-8 NKJV — And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

Not everyone gets those things they expect.

Sometimes, it’s due to a wrong motive.

James 4:3 NKJV — You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Sometimes, it’s just that God has something far better.

That was this man’s story.

When he woke that morning, he was a lame man, just concerned with getting enough to supply his need.

By bedtime, changed forever by the name of Jesus, he was a man full of praise and joy.

Acts 3:9 NKJV — And all the people saw him walking and praising God.

We all have expectations.

We can apply this man’s story to them.

Let us focus upon the Lord, and surrender our expectations before Him, realizing His gifts are far beyond what we can imagine.

Our view is from the dirt of sin and the helplessness of the lost, only through Jesus Christ can we be raised up and saved.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for this story. Thank You for saving us. Thank You for giving us far beyond our expectations. Only in You can we find life eternal. Only in You do we have peace for our souls. Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. You sustain us daily. Thank You! May all the earth be filled with the knowledge of Your glory. Amen.

What the Lord can do

Matthew 1:5 NKJV — Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,

This is the lineage of Jesus.

And in this one verse is such incredible redemption.

Salmon’s wife, mentioned by name, was not born a Jew.

She wasn’t raised to honor God Almighty, the Creator.

A childhood of idolatry brought her an adulthood marked with sin, she was a harlot.

Joshua 2:1 KJV — And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

Yet, she chose to be a friend of God’s children and in return her life became brand new.

She went from worshipping idols to worshipping the One true God.

She went from selling herself, to be a wife and mother.

She went from a future of annihilation, to being saved.

Joshua 6:25 KJV — And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

As if these things were not enough, she became a member of the lineage of Jesus Christ.

God doesn’t allow His children to choose to live in sin without consequences.

Yet, He is merciful and full of forgiveness for the lost heart who seeks to be cleansed from sin.

The past doesn’t have to chain any life into sinful destructive behavior.

Through Christ Jesus, any life can be redeemed, if they believe and call on the name of the Lord Jesus.

Romans 3:23-25 NKJV — for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Romans 10:9 KJV — That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rehab’s life was redeemed by God.

And so has mine.

What an incredible God He is!

Jonah 4:2b NKJV — “…for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.”

Psalm 117:2 KJV — For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 103:8 KJV — The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Nahum 1:3 NKJV — The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for all Your salvation! What an incredible thing to know that You are full of mercy and You want to redeem us. Your truth is life and the answer to all we need. Lord, help those who have yet to call on Your name and believe in Your gift of salvation to see the truth and turn to You. Lord, please do not allow those called by Your name to deceive themselves into thinking they can choose sin and still follow You. Instead, Lord, please help us to be quick to allow Your Word and Your Holy Spirit to convict us of sin, that we might walk in Your ways. Lord, shine Your light into our hearts and minds that we might reflect You. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Resurrection, not the end

It’s the greatest story ever.

Jesus’s birth was the fulfillment of many prophecies and a most incredible miracle.

It was the beginning of the story.

His death and resurrection are often seen as the end.

But it isn’t the end, it’s only another amazing part of the story.

Because Jesus paid for our sins and defeated spiritual death, one can get confused that is all there is.

Instead, the Bible tells us that Jesus is still working.

John 14:1-3 NKJV — “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Jesus will return!

He ascended into heaven, but the work on earth and in heaven is continuing.

Acts 1:7 NKJV — And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:9 NKJV — Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

Jesus gave specific instructions as to this work.

Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV — And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Not only was His resurrection a new beginning for the disciples, it was the beginning of the His truth being spread to the whole earth.

For those who have put their trust in Jesus, we can praise God both for His gift of salvation and for the faithful who have walked in Jesus’s instruction.

It’s also important to remember we too are called to share the truth of Jesus; His birth, His death, His resurrection, and His return!

Revelation 19:11-13 NKJV — Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for being our salvation and the hope we have. To know that Your promises are true, Your Word is good, and You are faithful, is such a comfort and blessing. Lord Jesus, I praise Your holy name! Thank You. Amen.

I wanted to share this Youtube link as it is one of my all time favorites:

That’s my king! https://youtu.be/upGCMl_b0n4

Time-out

It had been one of those days.

Beginning with me coughing a good deal (don’t worry it’s my asthma, nothing else).

Changes in weather can have an affect on my health and it’s turned cold here.

I’d gotten up late.

I told Anne I felt like I was moving in slow motion.

God carried me through the morning and afternoon, which I was very thankful for.

But I’d really been looking forward to just resting on the couch after dinner.

Life sometimes disappoints, due to our expectations.

That’s what I was feeling.

Of course, if I’d prayed about God’s plan for my evening, I wouldn’t have been disappointed.

So, as it became more and more evident I wasn’t going to be able to rest, I found myself falling into pity, self-pity.

A short phone call was the last straw for me.

I knew what needed to happen: time-out!

I picked up my crocheting and headed to my prayer closet.

“Lord, my attitude stinks. I’m a mess.”

Let it go.

“Lord, I don’t want to. I’m tired, I feel miserable, I just wanted to rest.”

Trust Me.

“Lord, it’s that I’m afraid. If I push it, I’ll be worse tomorrow and I have so much that needs to be done. I’m just scared…”

I know.

Sometimes the spoiled child within needs a severe spanking, because they just keep screaming, “I don’t want to!”.

I was determined not to leave time-out until my heart was completely surrendered to Jesus.

“Lord, please help me. I’m really struggling with letting go.”

Praise Me.

My coughing wouldn’t allow me to sing, but I knew that wasn’t required.

I found a YouTube video which always leads my heart into worship and hit play.

The spoiled child quieted.

Fear relinquished it’s hold, unable to withstand the truth of God’s goodness.

It was exactly what I needed.

Later, when my husband got home and had eaten the supper our son had cooked, he pulled out his guitar.

He played Christmas songs and we all enjoyed it so much.

Then I got on the piano and played a few Christmas songs.

Afterwards, our son got out the Christmas decorations and my husband set up the tree.

It turned out to be a wonderful evening, far better than my selfish plans of a Jane Austen movie and crocheting.

I’m so thankful to the Lord for His mercy and patience with me and my stubborn heart.

I’m so glad He showed me what was occurring inside me and took me to time-out.

I’m so very blessed, that He showed me not only the thing I was wrestling with, but also the way to let Jesus beat it.

How great and awesome is He!

How full of compassion and love and a desire for our good!

How wonderful is His unending care and tireless polishing of the heart!

Truly:

Psalm 48:1 KJV — A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your patience with me. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your truth. Lord, it is embarrassing to see my sin, but so freeing to see how You walked me away from it. Please continue to guide and hone my heart. Lord, I don’t want to sin against You. Please help me to see the warning, before I end up needing to go into time-out, but I thank You for time-out. Lord, thank You for correcting me and not allowing me to continue in sin. Lord Jesus, please do not allow my poor behavior to harm my family, they don’t deserve it. Instead, please help me to speak words of apology and to turn away from future temptation. Thank You, Lord for saving me. Thank You for loving me. I love You. Amen.

November 10

Today’s prayer:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for truth. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for salvation and Your amazing love. Lord, it is through Your Word I find hope, confident expectation. It is in You my faith grows daily, by knowing You and learning how to trust more and more. Lord, thank You for this journey of life. Thank You for the blessings and the trials, for all of it is used by You to hone my heart, to teach me Your ways that I might walk in them. Lord Jesus, You are incredible. The peace and comfort I find in You are beyond anything the world has to offer. The joy in daily placing my life in Your hand is beyond anything I could ever attain elsewhere. Lord, You are good. You are faithful. You are God Almighty. I trust You with all things. Lord Jesus, I humbly bring to You my family, please provide and protect them. Please bring them into a closer walk with You each day. Lord Jesus, I lift up my husband, please place Your hand upon him. Let his heart not grow faint in service to You and those You have called him to serve. Please give him ability and wisdom to do all he does to Your glory. Lord, the innocent, please protect them. Please return the prodigal and save those who have yet to know You. I know You are always seeking the lost, calling their names, offering them life eternal. Please let hearts be softened, ears unstopped, and eyes opened to Your truth. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

God’s love

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

God’s Word speaks for itself.

In order these are the verses you just read: Ephesians 2:4, I John 4:10, John 3:16‭-‬17,Ephesians 5:1‭-‬2, II Thessalonians 2:16‭-‬17,I John 4:11 NKJV.

He loves us.

He died for us.

Let us love Him.

Let us love one another.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your Word. I am overwhelmed by Your love, Your goodness, Your truth. Lord Jesus, only through You can I find the ability to love correctly. Only in Your example do I see what true love is. Lord Jesus, I want that kind of love. I want to share that kind of love. Please work in me today. Please love others through me today. Thank You. Amen.

October 4th

Today’s prayer:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for reminding us of this truth. It is easy to forget about the spiritual battle and get distracted with the things going on in front of us. Lord Jesus, we acknowledge there is a spiritual battle going on and we lift up to You praise, honor, and glory that You have defeated the enemy! We praise Your holy name, Jesus. You paid the price at Calvary! Thank You for the victory over sin and death! Thank You for Your sacrifice, which cleanses us! Thank You for Your love, which is everlasting! Lord Jesus, Your name is above all other names! You are great and greatly to be praised! You have made a way, when there seemed to be no way. You provided when there seemed to be nothing. Thank You! May take whole Earth be filled with the knowledge of You! Praise the Lord!