God

Immeasurable, Infinite and Ours

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Oh, how this lifted my spirits today…so much so that I decided to re-blog…I hope you are touched by it as well.

Bybrendat's avatarAmen and Ehmen!

January 3, 2015 6:35 AM

Dear Lord, thank you for waking me up this morning to draw me closer to dear godyou and to remind me just how wide, how long, how high and how deep your love is for me; for all of us. I have admittedly distanced myself off and on over these past few months as I have struggled quietly and internally with the changes in my world. I know that I am not immune to suffering, yet when I need you most, I sometimes do exactly what I have always reminded others not to do. I pull away. I don’t seek your face. I try to live in my own power. At times, I have been swallowed by doubt; not disbelief in you, but doubt that your promises are really for me; that your healing and comfort are for me; that I can really find joy in…

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He Is Working Behind The Scenes

/ Bybrendat

Having things up in the air in your life can be very stressful, especially if when you lose Giving up is Where Hope beginssight of the fact that God really is in control.

Over the last few weeks, I have sometimes done just that–lost sight amid the craziness and the many unknowns surrounding my work life.

But, in true Father fashion, God just keeps gently pulling me back to Himself and reminding me of all He has done for me. Why, I wonder, do we always forget Him when he never, ever forgets us?

His children have been doing it since the very beginning. Literally, since Genesis! Over the last couple of weeks (I am sure by His design), I have been studying Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers and have often found myself “judging” the Israelites for continuing to grumble to Moses and God. How could they do such when they had seen such miracles–strolling through the Red Sea; eating food from Heaven; drinking water from a rock; defeating enemies that outnumbered them; watching powerful nations fall while they remained safe; having God Himself lead them?

Then, I realized I do the very same thing. Oh, the miracles I have seen; the comfort and reassurance that God has given me, all of my needs met and, still, I grumble and worry.

All I can say is that it is a good thing that our Dad loves us unconditionally and is willing to keep reminding us to be still and know that He is God.

This morning, he reminded me of this special teaching moment that He and I shared back just a few months ago. I am reposting it today to remind myself and my co-workers and friends that our God is always, always working behind the scenes for the good of those of us who love Him! Amen and Ehmen!

Stopped In Their Tracks… 

As I rode along praying from the deepest reaches of my heart, I suddenly became overwhelmed with this feeling that I was in danger. Completely out of the blue, I sensed that there were deer in the …

Source: Stopped In Their Tracks

It’s NOT A Fairytale!

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If I learned one thing from my first newspaper editor, it was this:

Absolutelyhappily-ever-after

everybody has a story. To prove that to me, he’d often send me down to Main Street

in the small community where I worked and would tell me not to come back
until I had a story.
I never came back without one. In fact, I found some
pretty good ones just by talking to people who stopped into the post office to
drop something in the mail or by the shoe shop to have their shoes repaired by the old guy who had been repairing shoes for going on 50 years.
Indeed, I met many interesting people on Main Street and, to this day, feel indebted to that editor for teaching me this valuable lesson so early in my career.

 

After I became a Christian, I began to examine this pearl of wisdom a little closer. Christians, I found, just like everybody else in the world, have their own individual stories. The difference is that most start out the same…on a dark and stormy night. And ALL end exactly the same…happily ever after!

No fairy tale here, folks. That’s God promise to each and every one of us. If you ask Him into your heart, God Himself becomes your knight in shining armor; your prince; your superhero—absolutely more wonderful and more powerful than anything ever born of the human imagination.

And He and your happily ever after await you just beyond Heaven’s door. My place is saved. Is yours?

 

And The Word of God Says… 

John 3:16

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 1:12

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.

Revelation 3:20

Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. (NLT)

A Love Above

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flower

A Love Above

There is a Love

A Love above all others

That is even greater

Than that of a mother’s

* 

It is a most beautiful

And precious gift

But to receive it,

Your head and hands you must lift

*

Oh, dear child, don’t be down-trodden,

And never be afraid

For this is the promise

Our Lord, The Father has made.

–Brenda G. Gibson

www.amenandehmen.com

John 3:16  “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

 

The Crisis in Complaining

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My prayer today:

Lord, I thank You for leading me to this lesson in Exodus 17 today. I shall continue to studydear god it and ponder it as I go through the day. Please be with me and enlighten me to the things that YOU want me to know; the things You want me to understand so that I can pass them along to others, if that is what You desire. I don’t want to complain anymore, but I know that this is an area that my flesh is prone to.

Help me to learn to pray to You instead of complaining to the world around me. Help me to understand that complaints and negative words from my mouth become the tools of satan and that just brings more trouble on myself and those around me.

I believe in You, oh Lord, and I trust in You. Help me to trust in You more. Renew my faith and belief every day, for it is in my belief that I find peace and joy; it’s where I find You. I love You, Lord, with all my heart and soul; with all my strength; and I strive to love and honor You with every single thought through this fickle mind of mine.

Lord, please, please help me to line up my mind with my heart for You. Fill both with your wisdom and love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen and Ehmen.

And The Word of God says…

Exodus 17New International Version (NIV)

Water From the Rock

17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”

3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah[a] and Meribah[b] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

The Amalekites Defeated

8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[c] the throne of the Lord,[d] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

Ask. Act. Amen.

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Proverbs 2: 1-6:

“My child, listen to what I say and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”

God’s grace and offer of salvation is a free gift. All we hProverbs 2. 1-6ave to do is ask for it and it is ours. We have entered the land of hope eternal and staked claim to the promise of everlasting life in heaven. God comes to us, so to speak.

This scripture tells us, however, that the tools of wisdom, insight and understanding are set aside for those who not only ask, but who also seek wholeheartedly; those who take action by going to God and delving deep into His Word.

Imagine God’s Word as a literal toolbox. Would the toolbox be helpful if you never opened it? Would just knowing the tools are there do you any good? If a carpenter never took his tools out of his toolbox, would the nails drive themselves into the wood? Would your building supplies magically take the shape and form that you need?

Well, of course not! Yet, that is how we often treat the Bible.

God has given us all the answers. The complete instruction manual and every single tool needed. The rest, however, is up to us.

My prayer today is that we don’t stop at the “free gift” of salvation, but that we earnestly seek all the gifts that God has for us. I know I want more than anything to have wisdom, insight and understanding so that I can lead the best life possible and, as a result, others will follow me into the Kingdom of God. Please Lord, let it be so. Light a fire in all of us to seek, search and find all the hidden treasures you have planted for us in Your Word. Grant us wisdom, insight and understanding so that we may know You even more.

Amen and Ehmen.

Moseying Like Moses…

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My prayer today:

Good morning, God. Once again, slow to rise and then distracted. Satan loves to try and flowerkeep me from spending time with you, but I need not fear him. I only need to clothe myself in your full armor and turn and tune my heart to you.

So, in my routine distraction, I looked at the bible app on my phone and read the following daily verse:

Romans 15:4: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

The NIV version says:

“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”

What an encouraging scripture, oh Lord! It’s exactly what has been happening to me as I study the life and times of Moses. One of the most encouraging and affirming things is realizing how human Moses was and how human I am.

Moses was born to do great work for you and he saw miracle after miracle and yet he still doubted his ability to do his part. It took him 80 years to figure out that it was not in HIS power, but yours that all those things would be done! Hmmmm, I wonder if that is where the word “mosey” comes from? Eighty years to a destination/realization would definitely indicate a bit of moseying along the way.

God, I pray that it doesn’t take me 80 years to get to that point. I no longer want to mosey. I WANT to be ready now. But, I also know that it is in YOUR time. Just know, Lord, that my heart and desire is on go. My desire is ready when you are ready. I love you dear Lord, with all my heart, all my strength and all my soul. Be with me as I go through this day and let me be aware of your presence each passing moment. Help me to walk and talk and react like you would on this day. I need you. Without you, I am nothing. Amen and Ehmen.

It starts right where we are…

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Featured Image -- 351Ahhhh, Ephesians 6:19-20:

“And pray for me too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep in speaking boldly for him, as I should.”

Undiscouraged and undefeated, Paul wrote powerful letters of encouragement from prison. Paul did not ask the Ephesians to pray that his chains be removed, but that he would continue to speak fearlessly for Christ in spite of them. God, You can use us in any circumstance to do Your will. Even when we pray for a change in our circumstances, we should also pray that You will accomplish Your plan through us right where we are.

Lord, help us to know our eternal purpose and to learn how to let that knowledge help us through difficult times. Amen and Ehmen.