Scripture

It’s a God Thing!

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Read 1 Corinthians, Chapter 3, this morning before I headed off to work. Verses 16 and 17 hopped off the page.

“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy and you are that temple.”

God lives in me! Why in the world do I worry about such trivial things? Perhaps that phrase, “in the world,” is a clue. I must quit thinking so small and acting as if it is all up to me or the people around me. It is a God thing. I am a God thing. I have nothing to fear. Thank You, Jesus. Amen and Ehmen.

Message Received: Back to Work!

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Work at it with all your heart scripture
Since the moment I embarked on this self-employment journey over a year ago, I have felt that this is exactly what the Lord wants for me as it requires me to fully depend on Him.
Still, if I am completely transparent, not knowing where or when my next paycheck will come can be more than a little unnerving at times.
This morning was one of those times, but instead of spending precious time worrying, I turned to God in prayer. As I prayed, I felt a nudge to open the daily bible app on my phone and this is what jumped off the screen.
Oh, sweet Jesus!
The Lord has used this verse many times in my career life and it always seems to be when I am at a crossroads or in challenging times. Needless to say His timing is always perfect. Message received.
Back to work!
Amen and Ehmen!

 

Breadcrumbs to Heaven…

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Writer’s Note: This was penned into my Dear God journals during my personal “Me and Thee” time Easter Sunday 2014. I post it today as God has been nudging me to revisit this verse and teaching. Don’t you just love how He works? May He never stop speaking to our hearts. Amen and Ehmen!

Walking the Talk

Good Morning, God.

You are risen! You are risen indeed! Thank you, Lord, for doing what you did for me. For dying on that cross. For enduring such great emotional, spiritual and physical pain so that I might share in your inheritance with the Father; that I might live forever in the presence of the Almighty God. Today, Lord, in our time together, I’d like to know more about the verse above. Words are very important to the writing craft and being creative is an important part of the writing process. Lord, you lead me to this verse this morning, and I ask you, with humble heart and a desire for obedience, to show me what you mean and help me to not get caught up in trying to write for the sake of writing and impressing others, but writing with a pen dipped in Your power and then walking in that power. I love you, Lord. With all my heart and soul. Lead me. Guide me. Teach me. I am yours today and forever. And you are mine. Thank you for that! Thank you, Jesus!

Dear, dear child of mine,

I love you, too. I gave you this chapter and verse this morning, because I want to make sure that you fully understand your calling. Yes, it is to write, but it is to write in my power and then to go into the world and live those words. When you do this, your pen strokes will flow off the page and into the heavenly realms leaving a clear-cut path to me. Like a trail of bread crumbs that both nourishes and leads the hungry. But, child, do not get caught up so much in the words. Don’t worry and fret. Who can add a single moment to their life by worrying? Don’t worry about what you will say. Just stay in my presence at all times and I will give you the words to say, when words are what is needed. God back and read 1 Corinthians 4:20. Read it three times, out loud. Each time pausing on a different word and then come back to me and this page. Listen, child. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by My Power. My Word is the fuel of My Power and it is important that you top off your tank every day. Listen to My voice every day, every moment child and I will never lead you astray. My will for you, my purpose for you, the things that you most desire are within your reach as long as I am within your reach; as long as you remain within the sound of My voice. Hear Me, child, and join me in Walking the Talk. I love you, child. And, yes indeed, I AM RISEN! I AM ALIVE and I AM LIVING IN YOU!

It’s All About Perspective…

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amenandehmen eagle

It’s all about perspective and perseverance…

Proper perspective solves many problems. Before I chose the will of God over my own, life was so much harder. I cried a lot. I felt unsettled. I lamented about my conditions and worried about my future. I struggled to control things that were never mine to control. I had no true purpose and my passion was misplaced. Don’t get me wrong, I still hurt sometimes. I still have problems. I grow impatient. I cry. But I can also quickly turn it around and crawl right back into the lap of Jesus. I no longer wander thirsty, because Jesus makes hope spring forth even in the deserts. When you know Jesus, your past becomes a building block instead of a stumbling block and your present becomes an opportunity to soar high as if on the wings of eagles. Thank you, Jesus! Amen and Ehmen.

A Personal Conversation About Purpose…

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Writer’s Note: My brother, Gary, passed away this week and after writing his eulogy, I have had little emotional energy to write anything else. So, today, I post something from my personal Dear God Journals. It’s a personal conversation on purpose, a dialog, if you will, between me and Thee. May we all find peace and purpose today and in the coming days. Amen and Ehmen.

Today, while looking for the scripture that said “Praise God from who all blessings dear godflow,” I realized that, while based on biblical truths, it is not a verbatim scripture from the Bible at all; but is instead from a song written in 1551. Then, I realized that God did not stop when he completed the 1,189 chapters, 31,173 verses, or 807,361 words in …the Bible.  Nor did He stop with the parables of the Gospels or when He inspired that old gospel hymn. God still, today, has things to say and as long as we keep our eyes, ears and hearts tuned to Him, we will still see His words and teachings all around us; a continuous flow of comfort, restoration and salvation for those yet wandering in the desert on the fringe of the Promised Land.

From there, my mind wandered to purpose. Probably because that is the topic of study coming up at my church and is something that has been pounding me personally over the head for the past several weeks. I began to ponder how God hasn’t stopped utilizing plain ol’ everyday sinners for His purposes and that I, like all of us, have been purposed and given the gifts to fulfill that purpose. About three years ago, when God opened my eyes to my own purpose., it was like seeing Jesus standing on the water, calling to me, my purpose in His hand. But, while relieved to finally know what my purpose was, I must admit that I did not fully embrace it and have allowed fear and life’s everyday obstacles to get in the way. It has been an on-again, off-again affair, to say the least.

I desperately want to be like Peter who trusts Him enough to step out of the boat. Sure, Peter sank, but I know in my heart of hearts that just proves that it’s ok to be human and that God’s grace and hand will always be there to save us. Not being able to do something on our own does not make us a failure at all, but instead it is this realization through which we gain eternal life. Truly, we have nothing to lose, but everything to gain by keeping our eyes locked on Jesus and for repeatedly stepping out of that boat, our purpose in hand.

And, just as I punctuated that last thought, I heard that small, still voice whispering softly to my spirit:

“Don’t you get it, My child? You know in  your heart that I want you to write; that is My purpose for you. Need an aha moment? Here it is. That poor memory I gave you was never intended as an obstacle. Instead it has taught you the habit of writing things down; things that were not meant just for you. Keep writing, my child. Words are powerful. I used them to create the world and I still use them to reach my many lost and wandering children who, like you, tend to forget that I am here to save them. You, My daughter, are like a pen through which My ink wants to flow. As long as you allow Me to be the one that clicks the button that locks the ink reservoir in place, My everlasting ink will flow through you so that you can do your part to fulfill My purposes. Keep writing, my child, and leave the rest to Me.”

Enough said. Thank you for choosing me, Lord. Please help me to be one of the most used, most reliable pens in your arsenal.  Forever and ever. Amen and Ehmen,

Inviting the Enemy Out to Play

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image

We live in a fallen world. The enemy prowls and surrounds us on all sides. He is shrewd. He is cunning. He is devious. He twists the facts and distorts the truth. He comes to you wearing sheep’s clothing and, if you are not suited up in the full armor of God, you will be deceived.

Then, just like that, before you even know it, you are dancing with the devil. What started out as a little flirting has ended in you inviting him into your home, your job and all the places you hold dear. You invite him out to play where he is more than happy to go to work, spreading evil from corner to corner of your life. You give him an all-access pass to your life and then wonder where in the world you went wrong.

Good news! We are never too far away to be reached by God. He is always near, but you must reach for Him. God is a giver. Realize he gave you what you have. He doesn’t need anything from us…he gives us breath….we are in the place god always meant for us to be….puts us in circumstances…so that men will seek him and find him….God is God…always in charge!

He is a sovereign God….a sovereign guard….he guards and guides us….

Prayer for Today:

Dear Lord, you know the needs of this day. I will do my part and clothe myself in the armor that You designed. The belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness. The Gospel of Peace. The Shield of Faith. The Helmet of Salvation. And, the only offensive weapon, the Sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word. Please open the eyes of the spiritually naïve, Lord, so that they may suit up and STAND as well, at all times, but especially today when it seems the enemy is being called out to play. Amen and ehmen!

And The Word of God Says:

Ephesians 6:10-18New International Version (NIV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

God is Real!

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Writer’s Note: I just love these little reminders of how much our God loves us and is ALWAYS in ALL WAYS there for us. This was a little praise report I posted on my FB page on August 3, 2012 as my only child headed off to college and I prepared myself for an empty nest. Oh, and by the way, my nest is far from empty. My daughter is back at home, at least until next year when she gets married, and my beautiful mom has just moved in. God is good. All heart isaiah 46.4the time.

Oh, my, how great is our God! I have to share this with you, but please bear with me as I try to convey this before completely processing it all. It’s just so incredible to me, I can’t wait. As I was struggling a bit tonight with my impending empty nesthood, I did a little google search for an article that might help. The one I chose was about single parents struggling to find their purpose when the kids they focused on for so long were now leaving the nest. Towards the end was a scripture that really caught my eye. Isaiah 46:4 “I will be your God throughout your lifetime — until your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” Oh, how I needed to hear that! So much so, in fact, that I got up and went in the other room to get my bible so that I could read it in context; really study it. As I sat back down and opened the bible to begin my search, my eyes rested on a scripture. I noticed it was 46:4. No way, I thought! Then I looked up and saw the Chapter Title. Isaiah!!! Oh my! Out of 2600-plus pages in my bible, 31,000-plus verses, my bible opens to that page and my eyes fall on that verse. Coincidence? No way. Thank you, God!!! I asked you earlier today for sure signs. Thank you, God, for being so patient and thank you for making yourself known to us in such undeniable ways. Can I just say, you rock! Amen and Ehmen!

Isaiah 46:4: New International Version
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Prayer to the Almighty Puzzle Master

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Writer’s Note: This is an excerpt from my personal God Journals written several years ago as I was going through a particularly rough patch. Things were changing in my life, some painful, some confusing and all of which would turn out to be the beginning of a whole new journey for me, an exciting journey that has brought me to this place at this time, a place in which I live and breath closer to God than I ever imagined was possible. Never give up on God, my friends, because He never gives up on you! This I can promise.

Hey, God, it’s me again.puzzle pieces heart

It’s 5:11 in the morning and though I’m concerned about not getting enough sleep, I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit that I should go get my computer and write a little this early morn. I had prayed last night for the Holy Spirit to come upon me and inspire my writing so that I am writing what you need me to write. So here I am.

When I look back on my life at the difficult times, I can always find positive things that came out of the hardships I faced. All believers can do this, if they truly have faith and trust in You. That faith and trust is what allows us to give up dwelling on the negative and firmly grasp the positive. It has been my faith and trust in You that has gotten me through this most difficult year. And, though, I am still in the midst of trials and tribulations, I can actually see Your masterful and powerful hand moving throughout my life, shifting the puzzle pieces around, snapping them in place, one at the time. It’s my faith—my  ability to see the puzzle picture of my life slowly coming together—that keeps me going.

I’m finally learning that we can’t just grab puzzle pieces from anywhere and try to force fit them into our lives, because if You didn’t put those pieces in our puzzle box, they’re simply never going to fit. And, who wants a puzzle that doesn’t fit together? No, I don’t want to create my own picture anymore. I want You, the Creator of the universe,  to be my artist, because I know that Your picture for my life is better than anything I can possibly come up with on my own. Indeed, the sooner I give You full reign and complete creative license over my life, the sooner my picture will emerge as the true work of art, the truly purposeful life I was created for.

God, I wholeheartedly, give it all to you. Right now. Take me and take my talent, work through me. I only want to write your words, words that please you, words everlasting.

Thank you for giving me these gifts. I commit them all to you.

I love you, God.

Amen and Ehmen

And our Almighty Savior says:

Isaiah 14:24: The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.

Jeremiah 29:11:  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Isaiah 55:8:

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything your could imagine.”