Iceberg

Iceberg

For the past few months, our church has been having "Encounter Services" every Wednesday evening.  These have been amazing times of coming together in prayer, seeking God, and asking for Him to do great things in our lives and the lives of those in the city of Salem.  

Here are the four main points of prayer we've continued to pray for:

1. Boldness in speaking the Word
2. Healings
3. Signs and Wonders (Miracles)
4. Move of God, the lost saved

These points are found in the lives of the new testament church in Acts 4:29-31

29 "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly."

I am so excited about what God is doing already, but even more excited about what He is going to do! As I've spent time praying and studying God's Word, over and over again, I've come across scriptures that speak so clearly on the power of prayer.  Here is just one example:

Psalm 6:8-10
"Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; 

For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my supplication; 

The Lord will receive my prayer.
Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; 

Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly."

In my study bible, the commentary at the bottom of the page, says this about these verses...

"Vs 7, 8 - As vultures gather around a wounded prey, so enemies gather to rejoice over the calamities of the struggling and take advantage of any weakness.
Vs 9, 10 - Prayer is seen as the prescription that not only heals the body, but strengthens the weakened soul, so that the villains are the ones who become greatly troubled and must flee."

Isn't that incredible!?!?!  When we pray, it not only brings about healing in a physical way, but also heals our mental and emotional pains and issues.  Then to top it off, after bringing about healing, prayer has the power to make those who oppress us - our enemies -  cower and run.

Promises, like the one from Psalms 6:8-10, are great reminders of just how great God is and how important prayer is in our lives.  I had this thought the other day, while reflecting on our "Encounter Services" and it was just so powerful!! 

 "Even though I know that God has done some great things, I fully expect that we have only begun to touch the tip of the iceberg" 

and then the Holy Spirit corrected my thought, 

"No, you can only see the iceberg in the distance, you aren't even touching the tip of it yet!!" 

I am so excited about what God has in store...let's keep pressing in, praying and seeking God...

God is so good! 

The Not-so-Super-Mom

The Not-so-Super-Mom

Last night I was laying in bed trying to sleep, but I was so wide a wake.  My mind was running 100 miles per hour...thinking of all the stuff I did, or didn't do, and what I should have gotten done, during the day.  In the the midst of my mind's running through the day, I started to think about what type of parent I am, and what my girls will turn out like.  I know how I want them to turn out, but I also know that I in and of myself am in no way able to get them to the place where I want to see them.  I make mistakes, huge ones, over and over again.  How am I, in the craziness of this world, supposed to somehow keep my girls on the right path, and protect them from all the evil that surrounds us?  As I lay there pondering all these things, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and I'd like to share it with you today.

Daughter, you aren't good enough, you can't protect them from the evil in this world.  You are not all knowing, ever-present, or all powerful.  You, daughter, are not perfect, you are human, you make mistakes.

But, I know your limits, I know your heart and your love for your children; and I love them more than you are even capable of, and I love you.  Don't fret that you can't be with them everyday to protect them and guide them, because I Am!   I Am able!  I Am all knowing! I Am ever-present! I Am all powerful!  I will uphold you and help you to be the best parent you can be, and when you can't go any further, where you stop, I will make up the distance.  In your weakness I Am strong...trust your little children to Me.  I will be with them, I will guide them and protect them.   Trust them to Me!

As I laid there and these words washed over me, I felt a sweet sense of peace and hope.  

The pressure is off. 

I don't have to be super-mom! 

I can just trust in the Lord...He has got this.  

Let these words sink in... 

Think about it for a few minutes... 

God. has. got. this.

You don't have to do it on your own, in fact it is pretty much impossible to do it on your own...

Trust Him. 

God is so good! 

5 Promises To Look Forward To In 2014

5 Promises To Look Forward To In 2014

The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save; 

He will rejoice over you with gladness, 

He will quiet you with His love, 

He will rejoice over you with singing. 

Zephaniah 3:17

1. God will be in with you, in your midst!

  

2. God (the Mighty One) will save you!

  

3. God will rejoice over you with gladness!

  

4. God will bring you peace, He will quiet you with His amazing, never changing, all encompassing, love!

  

5. God will rejoice over you with singing! Some versions say "with loud singing" just imagine that - God singing loudly, His heart full of gladness and love all over YOU! 

I hope no matter the circumstances you are faced with in the coming year, you will lift your cries, your songs, your heart, your everything, up to God.  Welcome Him into your life; to be your Savior, Redeemer, friend, comforter, help, guide, and joy...He is waiting for you to simply ask Him to come! 

God is good!!! I am so thankful for all He's done in 2013, and can't wait to see all He has planned for us in 2014!!  

Be abundantly blessed my friends!!

Happy New Years!  

The Desires of the Heart

The Desires of the Heart

As I was talking to the Lord about a situation we are dealing with, where plans just aren't going the way we'd hoped, the Holy Spirit showed me some things that just really hit me right where I needed it. So I thought I'd share them with you...

When we delight ourselves in the Lord...not only does He give us the desires of our heart, but the desires of our heart come from our delight in the Lord. Or to say it another way... When we delight in the Lord, God creates in us the "desires of our heart" - the very desires of our heart stem from our delight in HIM...then God grants us the desire of our heart, because they not only are our desires, they are God's desires...they align with His heart!!  

"Delight yourself also in the Lord,

 And He shall give you the desires of your heart."  

(Psalm 36:4) 

The desires of our hearts, guides us as we make plans for the future (these are big picture plans).  However, it is required that we truly lean on and depend on the Lord, staying close to God...because not only do our desires come from our delight in Him, but we can't be lead by Him (in the fine details) if we are far from Him. We must delight in Him and then continually remain close to Him to allow Him to lead us in each and every step we take.  

"A man’s heart plans his way, 

But the Lord directs his steps"

(Proverbs 16:9)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct[ your paths."

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Our God is more than able.  There is nothing impossible with God. But He requires that we are dependent on Him.  Sometimes things look impossible for one reason,  that reason is that God wants to step in and do the impossible,  so that we will see how great and powerful He truly is.  

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,

 according to the power that works in us," 

(Ephesians 3:20)

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 

'With men this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible.'”

(Matthew 19:26)

When things look impossible...that is when God says, 

"With man, this is impossible, but for the great I AM, all things are possible!"   

 GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!

Blown Away!!

Blown Away!

Have you ever just been blown away with how God orchestrates things?  Here is my latest mind blowing experience with the goodness of God...

• I started the Chronological Bible reading plan from www.youversion.com at the beginning of the year. 
•  Approximately 8 weeks ago I joined a small group ladies Bible study, working through the Beth Moore Bible Study entitled, "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place".  
• And just 17 days ago, I decided to start another Bible reading plan from www.youversion.com called "Psalms and Proverbs in 31 days".  

So to sum it up...

A year long bible reading plan, a 31 day bible reading plan, and a 10 week workbook bible study...all started at different times and all focused on different goals.

Here is the awesome part...today the ladies bible study referenced at least 3 scriptures that I just read in my other bible reading plans!  God orchestrated all these Bible studies to all work hand in hand, there is no way I could have planned it out any better! 

It is incredible to me that God would desire to, or even take the time to, orchestrate and coordinate the timing of three different studies, so that I could see His goodness in just one more way?    

So humbled and blessed by God's continual goodness...I am totally in awe right now!! 

Sweet Dreams!

Sweet Dreams!

There are times when my dear hubby has to travel for work.  I do not, DO NOT do well when he is gone.  Last time he was gone for just one night, I ended up sleeping in the recliner, with a couple lights on throughout the house.  I've always struggled with fear, and it seems to quadruple when JC is gone.  I have many stories of times when JC was gone (I'll save them for another post!), and how God settled my fears and showed me that my protection and shelter is in Him and Him alone.  Every time, God has been faithful, but in my human weakness, I tend to fear over and over again.  Here in the next couple months my hubby will be traveling once again for just a few nights, and once again God has shown Himself to be so faithful!!  As I've been spending time in my daily devotions, over last few days, reading the Word and praying...God has lead me to read many different scriptures that all speak of our safety and shelter being in God and God alone, but more than that, He has lead me to scriptures that specifically speak of sleeping in peace and protection, without fear.  

I wrote down a list of these scriptures for me to reference when those fears try to come in...and I thought I'd share it with you. I am so thankful for these scriptures, that give us promises of peace, protection, and safety.

Psalm 3:5

I lay down and slept,

yet I woke up in safety,

for the Lord was watching over me.

Psalm 4:8

In peace I will lie down and sleep,

for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Psalm 34:7

For the angel of the Lord is a guard;

he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

Proverbs 3:24

When you lie down, you will not be afraid; 

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

God is sooooo good!! 

Hidden By His Hand

Hidden By His Hand

Over the last few weeks I've been walking through a great Bible Study with a small group of ladies from my church.  While there has been many things I've thought of sharing, from this study, on here with you...I've struggled with what to write.  Then this morning, Beth Moore said something that just blew me away, it was so powerful!  And I knew I had to share it, today!   

The study title is "A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place" By Beth Moore, this study requires a lot of studying/homework and then has an hour video to watch each week...but it is so worth the time and investment!  

Anyway, today's study was out of Exodus 33 and the whole lesson was great! But the part I want to share was almost the last line Beth said in the video.  In chapter 33, Moses is meeting with God.  God tells Moses that He (God) would fulfill His promise to the Israelites and let them go into the promised land, with an angel that would go before them, they could enjoy all the milk and honey they desired, BUT God would not go in with them, His presence would not be a part of their lives any longer because of the sins (mistakes) the Israelites had made.  Moses realizes that to go on without God would be a huge mistake and loss...so he pleads with God to go with them or not send them into the land at all.  God agrees, to go into the promise land with them, because Moses found grace in God's sight.  Now we are to vs 18, read with me please! 

18 And he (Moses) said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
19 Then He (God) said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.
23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

God showed Moses His glory, but to protect Moses from being killed by the full glory of seeing God's face, God hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand.  Here is the point Beth made that was so powerful!!

Darkness may not always be evil - it could be the Lord's hand covering us in the cleft of the rock and soon He will remove His hand and we will see His glory!! 

I don't know about you, but I had never thought of darkness in this way...Psalms 91:1 says, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."  Shadows can be dark...shadows can be scary...what a reassuring thought that sometimes the shadow or darkness is God's protection!!  

God is so good!!!

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

Today as I was listening to worship music, the old song Amazing Grace came on...as I sang along suddenly verse three stuck out, as if suddenly someone directed a spot light at it.  These words are so incredibly powerful!! 

"Through many dangers, toils and snares 

I have already come; 

'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far 

And grace will lead me home."

As I sang these words, suddenly I could see how God through His "amazing grace" had brought me through everything up till now.  Some of the "dangers, toils and snares" I know about...I can recall them like they just happened yesterday, some of them were yesterday!  But there are even more "dangers, toils and snares" I don't have a clue about.  Those things that Satan tried to use to bring about harm, only to have God shield me and protect me, without me even knowing about it.  Or those time when Satan set traps to make me fall, and God saw them and redirected my steps.  Times when maybe I didn't understand why I had to go the long way about an issue, but God knew the long way was the best way.  And just as God has been faithful to lead, guide and protect me for the last 30 years, I know without a doubt that He will be faithful to lead, guide and protect me until I finally walk those streets of gold and see my Jesus face to face!! 

God is so good!!

Keep The Faith!!

Habakkuk 3:17-19

A Hymn of Faith

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls-

18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The LORD God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer's feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

As we go through life we all go through rough places or times...Habakkuk was going through one of those rough times, when he wrote these verses.  Israel was under attack...and when he cried out to the Lord for help, God informed him that the Chaldeans, "A bitter and hasty nation" would come and overtake Israel.  As you might imagine, this was not what Habakkuk was wanting to hear...but the Lord told him to write out the vision and wait for it's fulfillment, for "the just shall live by his faith".  In other words, God is saying, though it may be a long time before you see these things come about, keep watching, keep believing, keep your faith, because "the just shall live by his faith" - If you lose your faith, you surely won't make it!!    

Habakkuk's was afraid when he heard all that God was telling him.  Chapter 3:2 "O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;"  But in the following verses Habakkuk reminds himself of the glory and power of God.  After 15 verses of remembering the greatness and fullness of God...Habakkuk suddenly is filled with "A Hymn of Faith" And wrote out verses 17-19.   

What can we learn from this? 

God always has a plan, and though we may not always like it, God will get us through the rough places if we keep our faith!!

When the circumstances around us cause fear to rise in our hearts, we need to remind ourselves, of the God we serve, and turn fear into faith.

When we turn fear into faith...we will find the Joy of the Lord, and God will be our strength to get us through the rough spots in life.  

I am so glad we serve a living, powerful, merciful and loving God!!

God is good!! 

Life Lessons

Life Lessons

Here I am about to turn the big 3 0 in a few months, and though I realize I still have much to learn, and many things left in my to do list...I also realize that there are so many lessons I have already learned.  

So here is a list:

• Banging your head on the counter from a hard sneeze, hurts really bad.
• Breaking your toe while doing the chicken dance, also hurts really bad.
• Being made fun of, hurts worse than either of the previous two things.
• The pain of loss, never quite goes away.
• Life is hard!
• When we hurt, God brings us comfort.
• When we are broken, God is our healer.
• When we are down and out, God lifts us up and draws us close.
• When we deal with loss, God becomes our strength, carrying us when we can't walk.
• When life is hard, God is our shield, our protection in every storm.
• God is good! 
• God's love is so amazing, unfathomable, bigger and better than anything we know. 
• God is the creator of the universe, He holds everything together; Yet He also knows the very number of hairs on our heads. 
• God wants to have an everyday, every situation, walking together, personal relationship - with us.
• We were created to love and praise God.
• When we put God first in our lives, everything else will fall into place.
• No matter where we are, what we've done, how good or bad life seems...We all need Jesus!  

I am sure I could put many more things down on this list, however, you don't really want to read that long of a post, and I think I've covered most of the important things already!  :) 

God Is So Good!!

"Help Me Find It"

"Help Me Find It"

There are times in life when you know what you want, you have an idea of how things will probably go, but you don't know the whens, wheres, whats, and hows, of it all.  It is in times like these when we tend to try to figure things out and make things happen on our own.  

I have trouble with this! Especially when I know what the end goal is, but do not know how everything is going to go. More often than not, it is because half of the things that need to take place for the goal to happen, are completely out of my hands.  

But one thing I've come to know, is that the best thing we can do, when we don't know what to do, is call on Jesus! 

God has a plan for us! 

God will work everything out for our good if we are loving and serving Him. 

That is a promise, and God is always faithful to uphold His end of the deal, when we uphold ours! 

So where does that leave us?  

It leaves us with one important job.  

Loving, serving, trusting, and leaning on Jesus.   

As I was driving down the road the other day, praying for guidance and wisdom, I heard this song.  While I am sure I've heard it before, I'm not sure that I've paid much attention to the lyrics.  But I found that this song echoed the cry of my heart, giving me words for the thoughts and feeling I held inside.  

If you find yourself searching, trying to figure things out, I hope you will listen to these words, and make them  a prayer over your life for today, tomorrow and everyday to come! 

Standing In The Threshold!

Standing In The Threshold

Over the past month I've been trying to not only read my daily portion of scripture, but to adjust my schedule, and truly spend time with the Lord...waiting on Him, praising Him, and allowing Him to speak to me.  I've found that life gets crazy.  We all tend to be way too busy!! And all too often, we let the stuff on the to do list crowd out our time with God.  It easily becomes just another thing on the list, something we mark off and feel good about.  

As I've taken more time to spend with the Lord, I've come to realize that every minute spent with Him is so precious. Even just a few moments in God's presence will have a huge impact on your life.   The sons of Korah, wrote a Psalm that says it so well!!

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather be a doorkeeper and stand at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.

Psalm 84:10

Time with God, is time well spent!  You may feel like it isn't making a huge difference at the moment.  However, when you take time to get into His presence (into His courts), The power and glory of the Lord will make a huge difference in your life.  Your life will be changed even with the smallest touch of God's presence...the glory and all encompassing power of God, is still so amazing even if you're only standing in the threshold.

Part of my inspiration to start placing more of a priority on spending time with the Lord, is from a great book called, "Secrets of The Secret Place", written by Bob Sorge.  Bob makes a statement about our time with the Lord, that I find so inspiring and true: 

"I never consider time invested in the secret place to be wasteful;

and even if it is, I gladly waste it upon my Lord!"  -Bob Sorge

Even when there seems to be a thousand other things pulling at us, needing our attention...spending time with the Lord is always a great investment, with huge rewards!! 

Today I encourage you to find time, make time, do whatever you have to do...to spend time with Jesus!

Creator, Redeemer, Lover, and Friend...God is good!!

Creator, Redeemer, Lover, and Friend...God is so good!!

God is faithful! 

God always follows through.

God's love never changes!

There is nothing we can do to make Him love us less.  

There is nothing we can do to make Him love us more.

His love for us is constant!! 

All of God's promise (and there are a lot of them) are sure! 

He never fails, He will never give up on us! 

God is bigger than anything we can imagine. 

Greater than anything we can ever comprehend. 

And yet He loves each of us with a love that is so powerful...He sent His son to die for us. 

 So that we could walk with Him and have a personal relationship with Him everyday. 

The God who holds the universe in His hands, wants to walk through each and everyday with us! 

Every circumstance.

Every trial. 

Through the valley and up on the hill top. 

Wherever we find ourselves, we can know that God is right there with us. 

God is waiting for us to turn to Him and include Him in all we do.

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!

When God Shows Up

When God Shows Up

2 Chronicles 5:11-14

Amplified Bible (AMP)

11 And when the priests had come out of the Holy Place—for all the priests present had sanctified themselves, separating themselves from everything that defiles, without regard to their divisions;

12 And all the Levites who were singers—all of those of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, with their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, having cymbals, harps, and lyres—stood at the east end of the altar, and with them 120 priests blowing trumpets;

13 And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud,

14 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

 Here is the story leading up to these verses.. After years of working to build the temple, it was finally finished.  The temple was made of the finest craftsmanship, hand carved, and covered in gold. Everything was finally ready, so they brought in all of the articles made of gold, silver and bronze and the Levites took up the Ark of the Covenant to place it in the inner sanctuary, the most Holy Place.   

Then we come to verse 11 -14  and we find the Levite singers, musicians, and 120 trumpeters, all praising God in unity, singing, "

For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever" 

and then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud of God's presence, so strong that the singers and musicians could not continue to stand and praise God...they were literally knocked off their feet, by the presence of God.

Sounds quite a bit like Acts chapter 2:1-4 - the day of Pentecost, when the 120 disciples in the upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit.  They were all praising God in unity, and then the presence of God comes in, in a powerful way, changing lives, and empowering the disciples to go out and spread the gospel with a new boldness. 

What an amazing experience, both the Israelites in the days of King Solomon and the Disciples in the New Testament had.  

Here are a few things I see as I look at these stories:

1. The people were in Unity - They were all of one mind, all praising God together without any divisions.

2. Their hearts were set to Praise God...they weren't concerned with their appearances, how others viewed them or how others thought about them.  They were just there to give glory and honor and praise to God. 

3. God loves it when we come together in unity, praising and loving on Him.  When we do this, God shows up. He comes in and knocks us off our feet with His outrageous love and power. It is here, in His glorious presence, that we find ourselves resting and leaning on Him.  When His power and glory are so real and present in our lives, it becomes easy to trust and rely on Him as He works out His great and mighty plan in our lives.  

Life is not always easy, and we don't always have all the answers, or understand all the reasons for everything that happens.  Storms blow in and try to knock us down, and that is when we must dig our roots down into the flow of God's love and mercy, and allow Him to be our source and strength.  

Stop in the middle of your circumstances, whatever they are, and praise God... For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever!!

Psalms 91

Psalms 91

Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

I love this chapter! God is mighty to save us, protect us, and provide for us.  Not only is He more than able, He wants to do all of this for us.  

Today, I am so thankful that when we place our trust, and hope in God, choosing to take refuge in Him and Him alone, dwelling daily in His presence...all of the promises in this chapter become ours!  

God is so good!! 

If God Is For Us, Who Can Stand Against???

If God Is For Us, Who Can Stand Against???

Exodus 14

The Red Sea Crossing

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea.3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 

So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, 

and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. 

So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 

11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

13 And 

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.

For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the 

Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 Now it came to pass,

in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty;

and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 

Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh 

that came into the sea after them. 

Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.

I absolutely love this chapter!! I have read this story of the great exodus out of Egypt many times, but as I've read through it this last week or so, I could not help but focus on this chapter!  

I can't get past how God lead them to a place where they couldn't continue without His help. And then God used the situation to not only show the Israelites His might, power, and authority...but He also brought down the Egyptian armies and all their chariots and horses in one fell swoop.  

Most of the time when you hear this story the focus in on the parting waters and walking across on dry ground...but there is a lot more that God did, than just part the waters...He shielded the Israelites from the Egyptians with the pillar of fire and the cloud...so that the Israelites had light, and the Egyptians had only darkness.  God cause confusion in the armies of the Egyptians, and He took the wheels off of their chariots.

God in His great goodness, worked such an amazing miracle here, I just can't even comprehend what it must have been like for the Israelites.  It is clear in this passage that they were fearful, and not sure that God would come through.  But that didn't stop God from working on their behalf.  I believe the same is true for us today...God will guide us in the path that is best for us, even when we question why, and don't see how it could work out for good.  God has a plan, and when we can't continue on our own, when we are stuck with no way to go back and  no way forward...The Lord says that same thing to us today as He did to the Israelites, through Moses,  "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today....Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."  

God will make a way, and I believe with my whole heart, when He does, His power and glory, His mighty hand in our lives will be so clearly evident, no one will be able to deny it!! 

So thankful to be a child of God!

What a joy and a privilege to be counted among the sons and daughters of the Most High God!

He Will Rejoice Over You With Singing!

"The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.” 

Zephaniah 3:17


As I read this scripture this morning, this promise stands out to me.  I cannot fully describe all the feelings and thoughts that I have as I read it, but I can tell you that it is as if I heard singing...not quite audible, and from a far off...but it was beautiful, deep, robust, like the sound of a thousand different men singing in harmony, only this was one voice.  The song I heard was brief, but left me longing to hear more.  And suddenly, I am overwhelmed with the thought that God rejoices over me.  God rejoices over me with singing!  When He looks at me, He is so filled with joy, that he can't help but sing over me!  The love of God is so amazing! I am so unworthy, and yet He loves me anyway!  

2 Peter 1:5-11

2 Peter 1:5-11

Fruitful Growth in the Faith 

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Faith - Virtue - Knowledge - Self-control - Perseverance - Godliness - Brotherly Kindness - Love

What a list! I believe that today the church as a whole needs to take this scripture to heart.  If we start out with just enough faith to accept Christ's gift of salvation, and we end there and do not add to it all these other things I believe we are fooling ourselves.  Peter says to give all diligence (perseverance in carrying out action) as we add these things to our faith.  These things do not come easy...it will take much time, discipline, work.  We must actively work at it, it will not happen on it's own.

So how do we add these things to our faith?  Let's look at what each item means, and what we need to do to make it a daily part of our lives.

Faith - Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  Faith is something God gives us, when we lack faith, God will help us to grow and develop stronger faith in Him. Prayer and Bible reading and daily spending time in God's presence is required if we want our faith to grow.

Virtue - The definition is "honor, integrity" - So how do we go about adding virtue, we must work to be honorable, to have integrity in all we do.  What we say and do should be honest, and good.  People should be able to trust that when we speak, or make promises, that we will follow through, that we are good on our word.  We will only be able to truly do this with God's help...the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us so that the things we say and do align with God's Word.

Knowledge - mean's "a person's understanding; information".  In 2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP) it says it like this... "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth"
So how do we add knowledge to our faith? By studying God's Word.

Self-control - the definition of self-control is "willpower over one's actions".  This is not an easy one.  Many of us today lack self-control, and the only way to add it to your faith, is by daily asking God for His help, working daily to control your actions and words. We will one day give an account of the things we've said and done.  God does not take this lightly.  We must work to control ourselves - and following the Holy Spirit's leading is the best way to get started on developing this skill.

Perseverance - Paul said it like this in 2 Timothy 4:7(NKJV) "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Now that is perseverance! Through the good times and bad times, continuing to push forward, never giving up, never turning around, always continuing on toward the goal! It is hard work and may be painful at times, but in the end when you stand before God and you are able to say as Paul said, "Lord, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." and God's reply is, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."  It will all be worth it!!

Godliness - by definition is "Holiness".  On our own we will never be holy, righteous or Godly.  The bible says in Isaiah 64:6 that "all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags".  So how do we become Godly? By once again allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us. If we have not accepted Christ gift of  forgiveness of sins, God looks at us and sees someone He loves dearly, but also he sees our sin, and He cannot have anything to do with sin (thus the reason we need salvation).  But when we've accepted Christ's gift and have been cleansed from our sins, the Holy Spirit comes and fills our lives, and when God looks at us He see someone He loves dearly, but instead of all our sins, He see's Christ blood washing us and making us new, clean, white as snow.  And In God's eyes we are perfect, righteous and Godly! Not because of what we've done, but because of Christ in us!

Brotherly Kindness - Luke 6:31"And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  Brotherly Kindness, is so important! When we love other people, treat them the way we always want to be treated, and put their needs above our own needs, what a wonderful way to show the people around you the love of God. Jesus said in John 13:35 (NKJV) "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Brotherly Kindness should be the Christian trade mark!

Love -  Here is what love is...
1 Corinthians 13:1-8(NKJV)
The Greatest Gift

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift ofprophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

I did a study called "Loving Well" written by Beth Moore way back when I first started this blog.  And one of the things I remember most from that study is this...We cannot love others with God's Love, if we ourselves do not have God's Love filling our lives.  We cannot give out something that is lacking in ourselves...it is only when we are filled up with God's love, that we can truly give it away.  If we try to do it on our own, we will fail, our love is limited and conditional.  But God's love is unlimited and unconditional...we need to allow God to so fill us with his love that it overflows and spills out into the lives of those around us!


What an incredible scripture...I am so glad for this reminder, to add all of these things to my life.  God is gracious, loving and so good.  He will help us to do it, if we will just ask.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for Your love, and for Your Word, for Your Son who gave His life so we could be called Your sons and daughters, and for the Holy Spirit - who teaches, guides, protects, and teaches us in all things.  You have given us everything we need in order to add Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Self-control, Perseverance, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, and Love to our lives. And we ask today that you will help us to grow in each of these areas.  Thank you for working in our hearts and lives changing us from glory to glory! We love you so much!

In Jesus Name, AMEN

Heavenly Wisdom and A Controlled Tongue!

Heavenly Wisdom and A Controlled Tongue!

This week I have truly enjoyed reading from the book of James!  Today, I'd like to focus on James chapter 3.  What great words of wisdom and instruction...I love how James doesn't beat about the bush...He just says it like it is and gives great insight as he instructs us in how we should control our tongue as well as make sure we are lead by heavenly wisdom, not demonic wisdom.  

I think many times we say things without thinking about the effect our words have.  I am reminded that we have the power of life or death in our tongue.  The words we say can help someone to become who God wants them to be, or they can cause a person to get discouraged, and give up.  

We don't always, in fact I dare say, we rarely know what another person has been through and all that is going on in their life.  We may not understand why they are doing things the way they are or why they think the way they think.  I truly believe that the only way we can control our tongue is to use the heavenly wisdom James talks about in this chapter.  I don't believe he was addressing these two things as separate issues, but instead I think he was stating a problem, and then giving the solution.

How do we learn to control our tongues, and make sure we are speaking words of life and not death? The only way we possibly could do this, is through the help and leading of the Holy Spirit.  It is only when we are tuned into the Spirit, listening and leaning on Him to lead us, that we will have the heavenly wisdom and the self-control to control our tongues.  

Lets look at this section from 2 Corinthians...

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 

casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 

and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

This verse starts out stating that "we walk in the flesh but we do not war according to the flesh"...in other words...we may be dealing with a real down to earth issue with someone or something, but we cannot go about fixing it in our own way.  We cannot depend on our own wisdom or start speaking about the situation without first letting the Holy Spirit lead us. With His leading we will say what God wants us to say, words based on heavenly wisdom not on our own fleshly desires.  We must rely on God, for our weapons are "Mighty in God", not mighty in man, mighty in finances, or mighty in anything else we may try to rely on or fix the issue with...they are only mighty in God!  When we do things God's way, and let Him lead us, even in the little things we say...can have a powerful effect on the final outcome.  Paul goes on to say that the weapons that are mighty in God will "pull down strongholds, cast down arguments, as well as everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God". What is the purpose of all of this? The purpose is to "bring every thought into obedience to Christ"...If every thought is brought to the place of obedience to Christ, then every word will also be spoken in accordance with God's will and God's plan.  Once we have used our Mighty in God weapons to pull down and cast down the things that don't align with God's Word, we will the be ready to help discipline or punish all disobedience, but only after our obedience is fulfilled.  We cannot try to tell other's what they are doing wrong if we ourselves are making the same mistakes. If we want our words to be full of life, to encourage others and to have a positive effect, then we must work to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, in all things.  It also requires that we be willing to let go of pride and admit where we have failed, and ask God to help us to do better next time. We must ask for heavenly wisdom. James says it this way: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." James 3:17

I don't know about you, but I know that deep down, somewhere is the center of my being, is the desire to always speak out of Heavenly Wisdom, and to allow God to use my words to uplift, encourage, and build up  other people.  I know that I will fall and fail, but I also know that God's grace is enough, and with His help, I can make a difference in the lives of those around me.

Let's Pray!

Heavenly Father, I am so grateful and thankful that you didn't give us a whole bunch of rules and regulation and then leave us on our own to falter and fail.  No, you gave us the law to help us see our need for a Savior, and then you provided that Savior, by sending Your only Son to die in our place.  We are so unworthy of your love, mercy, forgiveness.  But you love us so much, that it doesn't matter.  Your love makes up for our lack.  And You have given us the ability to lean on Your Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance, to help us as we walk this earth.  We can walk daily in the wisdom and grace that can only come from You! What a marvelous gift!! Lord, I pray today that you will daily remind us how much we need to lean on You.  Help us to tap into that Heavenly Wisdom, and speak words of love and life.  Use our lives to show Your love to a lost and hurting world. 

In Jesus Name we pray, AMEN

Doers of the Word!

James 1 - Doers of the Word!

As I was reading the first chapter of James this morning I had many thoughts come to me about what it is saying and what it means to us as believers, followers of Christ, as Christians.  

James has a lot to say in this chapter about being doers of the Word and not hearers only.  And I found myself wondering what would happen if we as Christians would rise up and do what the Word says, not just hear it and be unaffected by it.  What if, when we read about faith, we make the decision to step out in faith in a new way? or when we read  

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."  

What would happen if Christians around the globe took this scripture to heart and started thinking and meditating on the good things the Lord has done, and the promises He has given us, in stead of all the evil happening around the world?  

God's Word is so powerful and has so much to say about our lives and how we should live them.  God has given us His Word as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105), it will help us to make right choices and decisions. God's Word will give us strength to face the hard times.  God's Word will build up our faith, and encourage us when life gets rough.  God's Word is living and active and sharper than a double edged sword! (Hebrews 4:12) It cuts all the garbage and junk out and helps us to see the path clearly.  We need to start acting on God's Word...not just hearing it, and walking away unchanged.

I want to be a Doer of the Word!! 

Lord, thank you for giving us Your Word! Your Word is so important in our lives.  Many times we forget, we get busy, and we allow other things to crowd in. Today we ask for forgiveness and we ask that you help us to make Your Word a priority in our lives.  Make us doers of the Word!  Lord, We don't want to be just hears.  We don't want to go through life missing out on all you have for us, we want to open our hearts and lives up to You, and allow Your Word to lead and guide us. Thank You for Your love and mercy! Thank You for all the promises You've given us! You are indescribable, amazing, wonderful! You are good, and we thank you! 

In Jesus Name, AMEN.