Monday, November 28, 2011

The Season of Advent - Part 1

The word "Advent" means "coming" or "arrived". And the season of advent is focused on the coming of Jesus. Not only His first coming, but for His glorious second coming.


Jesus brings hope to all who will ask Him & it always amazes me how He works. In all honesty, i have been struggling with my blog today. And then a little bit ago, it hit me! First let me back track a little. I've been distracted today. A sweet lady that i know had a kidney transplant earlier today & the donor was one of her daughters. So, i have been distracted in prayer for them both. In the meantime, i've now sat here for over 2 hours, writing & writing, but nothing came together. I said my prayer asking God to give me His words & still i struggled. I just thankful right now, that they both came through the surgeries & everything went well. 




So, as i started over for the third or fourth time, i realized that God was giving me his message all day long...Hope in prayer. In everyday language, we might say "hope so". But when we take things to the Lord in prayer, hope is a part of faith. We have hope for all things through Him because we know that Jesus is always there for us.


And as i sit here wanting to share hope with you, i find that i'm very hopeful for this season. I can't tell you specifically for what or who. I just know that the Spirit is sending me hope & that's a wonderful, peaceful feeling!


"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)


So here's an advent challenge to you:
This week, make a list of your own hopes. Personally, at the top of my list is those who don't know Jesus & therefore, don't have hope. Then add hopes for yourselves, people you know, charities, your local area, national & world situations, etc. Pray your own prayers of hope for those on your list. Give it all to God. 


Jesus, You do bring hope into hopeless situations. Thank You for Your heavenly rescue missions. We offer up our prayers of hope, knowing that you care deeply about each & every one of these situations.
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Monday, November 21, 2011

Psalm 100 - A Psalm. For thanksgiving

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth." v.1

I give you all the praise & all the glory Lord. Hallelujah!

"Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs." v.2

Today Lord, i come to you with a humble heart full of thankfulness for the uncountable blessings you have given. You are so much more than amazing!

'Know that the Lord is God
It is He who made us & we are His.
We are His people, the sheep of His pasture." v.3

Father, thank You for making us in Your image. Thank You for being there for us 24/7. Help us to reflect Your image to all those we meet. You are our Shepherd. Lead us to do your work & to serve only You.

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise'
give thanks to Him & praise." v.4

You are such an awesome God! There is no way that i could ever say thank You enough for Your love, Your forgiveness, Your grace, Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

"For the Lord is good & His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations." v.5

Thank You Lord for the faith of my family who have instilled the roots in each generation. Help me to continue to keep those roots of faith. Help them to grow stronger with each passing day. So that they are even stronger for future generations.

Praying that you all have a safe & HAPPY THANKSGIVING!



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Monday, November 14, 2011

Just a note....

I just wanted to let you know that there wouldn't be a post today. I've been a little bit under the weather. But days like this, i just want to say how much i appreciate each & every one of you who read my writings. Thank you so much!!!
<><
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Monday, November 7, 2011

Forgiveness - It's not always simple, but always necessary.

This past weekend, i heard some disturbing news about someone that i have admired for more years that i could remember - or even if i could remember probably wouldn't admit. I have dealt with feelings or hurt, betrayal, disappointment, anger. You get the picture. I had been in a funk the majority of the weekend. I've prayed about this situation off & on all weekend, but this morning, i was able to turn it all over to God. I've quit having questions of "why" & "how could he". I still feel betrayed, but am peaceful about it now.

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to achieve without God's strength. It doesn't come easily for most of us. We have a natural instinct of self-protection. Protection from hurt feelings, anger, confusion, betrayal, etc. We aren't naturally full of mercy, grace, & forgiveness when we are disappointed or feel wronged. But God has commanded us:

"Forgive as the Lord forgave you"
Colossians 3:13a (NIV)


How do we forgive? Forgiveness is a choice we make that is motivated by obedience to God. We need to forgive by faith, out of obedience - whether we feel like it or not. We need to surrender our feelings to God, ask Him, & trust Him to do the work in us that needs to be done to forgive. 


"being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)


How do you know if you have really forgiven? Corrie ten Boom is quoted as saying, "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, & to realize the prisoner was you." I think that we know that forgiveness is complete when we experience freedom from the betrayal. That the betrayal really doesn't matter to us anymore.

I have found that prayer is the best way to breakdown the wall of unforgiveness. Before i started writing today, i prayed - again - about the situation that has been eating at me. God gave me new eyes to view this situation with. And a new heart to care for that person. I am not without sin & i know that God forgives me. And although it is perfectly normal to feel anger toward sin & injustice, it's not our job to judge.



"Do not judge, & you will not be judges. Do not condemn, & you will not be condemned. Forgive & you will be forgiven."
Luke 6:37 (NIV)


"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in Heaven may for give your sins."
Mark 11:25 (NIV)


Yesterday morning, on Facebook, a friend posted this:
"Forgiveness
Anyone can hold a grudge by it takes a person with character to forgive. When you forgive, you release yourself from a painful burden. Forgiveness doesn't mean what happened was ok & it doesn't mean that person should still be welcome in your life. It just means you have made peace with the pain & are ready to let go."


I'm ready to let go. I hope & pray that you are too.
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Monday, October 31, 2011

Are You Haunted?

Happy Halloween Everyone! I pray that you have a fun & safe Halloween AND i pray that you are HAUNTED!!! Yes. That's what i said & i'll repeat it. I pray that you are HAUNTED by THE GHOST!!! The Holy Ghost!!!


"Do you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (aka Holy Ghost), who is in you, whom you have received from God." 
I Corinthians 6:19a (NIV)

That's right my friends, you are haunted (inhabited, frequently visited) by a ghost. Cool! Huh? I think so. Personally i love the haunting of this Ghost & have learned so much from being haunted.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my (Jesus) name, will teach you all things & will remind you of every thing I have said to you."
John 14:26 (NIV)

So how do we know that we are being taught by the Holy Ghost? The things we learn from the Holy Ghost are reinforced by all the things that Jesus taught, which are written in the Bible - the written word of God - which is a work inspired AND directed by the Holy Ghost. These teachings promote righteousness & bring glory to Jesus. What an awesome "treat"!!!

But this Ghost can be "tricky" too! The Holy Ghost also convicts us of sin. And He won't leave you alone. He's there with you always - watching...listening. Are there times when you hear things? Especially things like "You know you shouldn't", "Tell them you are sorry", "Why did you do that", "You are only hurting yourself", etc. He's continually convicting you, reminding you. You can lie to yourself all you want. But you can't lie to the Holy Ghost. He is there all the time & knows the truth.

"Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it"
Hebrews 4:1 (NIV)

God's rest is the best "treat" ever!!! It is both present & future. It is the enjoyment of His spiritual blessings. Missing God's present rest means living a frustrated life of spiritual frenzy. Those who struggle to gain salvation through their own efforts have not found rest in Christ. Missing God's future rest means missing eternal salvation.

So today, i pray that you become receptive & sensitive to this Ghost. And through His haunting, your relationship with the Holy Ghost will grow stronger. That you will find God's rest in the present & in the future.




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Monday, October 24, 2011

Got Great Faith?

Have you ever watched people of great faith & wondered why they were given greater faith than you? Do you know the kind of people that i mean? The ones that any kind of adversity doesn't seem to affect them much at all. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to get to know someone like this. There was a lady in my church a few years ago whose faith i so admired. As our friendship developed, i learned that we had a lot more in common that i ever imagined. But one of the most important things that i learned was that people of great faith got it from their trials.....not from lack of trials. Trusting in God in one trial made it easier & gave them courage trust Him in another trial, & then another. This happened to me also & before i knew it, i had developed great faith in God. Faith doesn't happen overnight. It's a process. Faith - the size of a mustard seed - grows into great faith.


Through the growth process, we discover several things about faith. Faith leads to great undertakings when we face the trials &  challenges that are given to us. With faith we give those challenges & trials to God with believing that He will take care of them.


In Matthew 15, we find the story of a Gentile woman of faith. This woman came to Jesus crying out,


" 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.' Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came to Him & urged Him. 'Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.' "
vs. 22b-23 (NIV)

The disciples were annoyed by this woman. But to Jesus, she was an example of great faith. Who was determined to do whatever she had to do to get what she needed. Great faith also brings great expectations.  Have you ever prayed for something but didn't expect great results. That's lack of faith. But not this woman! Oh no! She expected Jesus to heal her daughter.

Great faith also brings about great earnestness. This woman didn't care what others thought about her actions. She came to Jesus, fell at His feet, crying. There have been times during a church service that i have been moved to tears. Some people fight these honest, Spirit filled emotions. But it's those earnest emotions that keep us persistent in our prayers & actions, no matter what others think of us.

Great faith also conquers great difficulties. As the woman continued to pursue 7 beg Jesus, He reminded her of her position. She was not a Jew. 

"He replied, 'It is not right to take the children's bread & toss it to their dogs.' "
v. 26 (NIV)
("dogs" was commonly used by Jews to describe Gentiles)

The woman agreed with Him & then threw herself on Jesus' mercy again, knowing that even one morsel of God's power was enough to heal her daughter.

" 'Yes, Lord' she said, 'but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.' "
v.27 (NIV)

Great faith achieves victories. Jesus rewarded the woman's faith by healing her daughter.

"Then Jesus answered, 'Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.'  And her daughter was healed from that very hour."
v.28 (NIV)

Great faith is not something that is given to just a few & not others. It's a choice. We need to make the choice to consistently trust & pursue God, even & especially when there seems to be no response. Don't ask God to provide for a need & then try to take care of it yourself. Instead, follow the example of the Gentile woman. You're faith will grow.

"Everything is possible for him who believes."
Mark 9:23b (NIV)








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Monday, October 17, 2011

Protects, Trusts, Hopes, Perseveres

"Love" is probably one of the most used word in the English language. You love your spouse. You love your kids. You love your family. You love your friends. You love your pets. You love your haircut. You love your new coat. You love pizza. You love the fall colors. See what i mean? And that's ok that you love all these & more. 


Today's blog is a bit different. But God has put it on my heart to ask you to read, reread, & really ponder on the Bible's definition of love from I Corinthians 13.


"Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices in the truth.

It always protects,
always trusts,
 always hopes,
always perseveres. 

Love never fails.

And now these three remain: faith, hope & love. But the greatest of these is love."
(vs. 4-8a,13 NIV)

Precious Heavenly Father,
I do not know why you've put this on my heart today, but You do. You know all of our questions, trials, frustrations. etc. I pray that i have heard You correctly & that You will use this scripture to answer questions & enhance not only our earthly relationships, but our relationship with You. In Jesus name, Amen.
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