Blog

Posted on

Complete Trust

What an amazing truth!

I’m not sure I can say that I have complete trust – if that shocks some of you, I apologize but I am being honest. I know in my heart of hearts that God is always faithful and His love is unconditional and His Word never fails but I don’t always let that lead me.

“Lord, your rules are wonderful. That is why I follow them. 130 As people understand your word, it brings light to their lives. Your word makes even simple people wise. 131 My desire to hear your commands is so strong that I wait with open mouth, gasping for breath. 132 Look at me, and be kind to me, just as you always are to those who love your name. 133 Guide me, as you promised. Don’t let evil rule over me. 134 Save me from those who want to hurt me, and I will obey your instructions. 135 Accept your servant, and teach me your laws. 136 I have cried a river of tears because people don’t obey your teachings. 137 LORD, you do what is right, and your decisions are fair. 138 The rules you have given us are right. We can trust them completely.” Psalm 119:129-138

I read God’s word and it teaches me and gives me amazing insight. I know that God can’t and doesn’t lie – I know His love never fails – I know that He is faithful to a thousand generations! I know that He is my Savior, my healer, my provider, my counselor, my peace, my protection, my all-in-all!

Then why do I let fear or anxiety, frustration or anger, or self-will invade my world? It’s because, like Peter, I sometimes take my eyes off Jesus and look at the winds and the waves. I lose focus on the one thing that always provides the right answer. There are those things that left unattended will grow up and choke out God’s word.

Joshua and King David both said that we are to meditate on the law of the Lord, day and night and then we would prosper & have good success. The Apostle Paul said that we are to renew our minds and not be conformed to this world. Jesus went aside to pray and spend time with His Father on many occasions, renewing His mind and refreshing His spirit.

“But you must be strong and brave about obeying the commands my servant Moses gave you. If you follow his teachings exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9 Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9 ERV

Complete Trust!

It’s something we grow toward and grow in as we spend more time in God’s word and in prayer. There is only one thing that has always been right – God’s word. We can trust Him today.

Trust and Obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Posted on

Name Above All Names

Sometimes in the quiet of the morning I just sit here and whisper the names of the Lord.

Heavenly Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Comforter, God Almighty, Messiah, Advocate, Emmanuel – God with us…and the list could go on and on.

Why so many names for our God and Father, Savior and Lord, Advocate and Counsellor?

“Our Lord and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! You let your glory be seen in the heavens above. 2 With praises from children and from tiny infants, you have built a fortress. It makes your enemies silent, and all who turn against you are left speechless. 3 I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. 4 Then I ask, “Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?” 5 You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor.

6 You let us rule everything your hands have made. And you put all of it under our power—
7 the sheep and the cattle, and every wild animal, 8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and all ocean creatures. 9 Our Lord and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth!” Psalm 8 CEV

To the lost He said I am the Way; to the sick He is the Great Physician; for those in need He is El Shaddai (the provider); to the hungry He is the Bread of Life; to those living in darkness He is the Light of the World. For the soldier He is their defense and high tower; to those who are afraid He is the Prince of Peace.

When He asked the disciples who they thought He was they said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”!

To those who need forgiveness He is Savior; to everyone who needs deliverance He is Messiah; to the lonely He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother.

“Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others. 10 So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.
11 And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord!’” Philippians 2:9-11 CEV

To all of creation He is the Great I Am, Lord God Almighty, Lord of Hosts and Mighty God. God told Moses that He should be known as “I AM”. God is ever present and He is everything we need. He is I AM.

“…But what should I say, if they ask me your name?”14-15  God said to Moses: I am the eternal God. So tell them that the Lord, whose name is “I Am,” has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on.” Exodus 3:13-15 CEV

“I am,” means “I am the one who is” or “I will be what I will be” or “I am the one who brings into being.”

Jesus said when He left this earth the Heavenly Father would send us the Holy Spirit who remains with us forever.

“16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—” John 14:16 AMPC

If Jesus asked us today “who do you say I am”, what answer would we give? For me, I would say Savior, Lord and Friend.

Posted on

What to Share?

That’s the question I was asking this morning. The answer was loud and clear:

Share the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ!

“My friends, I want you to remember the message I preached and that you believed and trusted. 2 You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don’t, your faith was all for nothing.

3  I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. This part is:

Christ died for our sins,
    as the Scriptures say.
4 He was buried,
    and three days later
he was raised to life,
    as the Scriptures say.
5 Christ appeared to Peter,
    then to the twelve.
6 After this, he appeared
to more than five hundred
    other followers.
Most of them are still alive,
    but some have died.
7 He also appeared to James,
    then to all of the apostles.

8  Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time.

9  I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God’s church that I don’t even deserve to be called an apostle. 10 But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn’t wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God’s grace at work and not me. 11 But it doesn’t matter if I preached or if they preached. All of you believed the message just the same.” I Corinthians 15:1-11 CEV

The good news? Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead so that we could have new life in Him!

Salvation is nothing we earn but something we receive. It’s a gift from God, the expression of His grace.

“God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace. 8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.” Ephesians 2:7-9 ERV

We can’t boast or brag about our good works, intelligence, financial status or any other thing. It’s all about God and His unconditional love and forgiveness.

“I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely,
He did something that no other friend could do.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me,
O how much He cared for me.”

I am so thankful for my life with Christ. He is my all-in-all; my Lord, my Savior, my Friend!

Posted on

A True Reflection

There is a single verse in the Psalm 40 that I want us to look at this morning.

“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; no one can compare with You! If I should declare and speak of them, they are too many to be numbered.” Psalm 40:5 NKJV

Now look at this phrase “many are the wonderful works which You have done”. Think about that for a moment – what WONDERFUL works do you see that He has done? Was it last night’s sunset or this morning’s sunrise? Was it the love and compassion you felt for a stranger who was in need? Or was it the unpretentious love and acceptance of a child? What did you experience just yesterday that you can see was a wonderful work of God in your life?

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8 NJKV

“He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.” Psalm 111:4 NJKV

“O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” Isaiah 25:1 NKJV

I like the verse above – God’s counsellors are faithfulness and truth. The things that are wonder – full are the things that have the character of God woven through them. Things like faithfulness, truth, love, forgiveness, peace, gentleness, patience, joy…Oh wait, did I just list the fruit of the Spirit? When God’s love fills us, we begin to produce fruit.

In the natural a tree produces fruit for the kind of tree it is. Apples – apples, oranges – oranges, bananas – bananas and so on – you know what I’m saying. When we grow in Christ, we will begin to produce fruit that is consistent with the vine we are growing on – we will begin to produce godly character.

Now look at your life and see what Father-fruit is growing there. Do you know that He is wanting to use you to do wonderful things in the lives of those around you? Don’t think that everyone will be happy that we are an example of the Father? They won’t be. Jesus faced that opposition.

“Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant” Matthew 21:14-15 NKJV

People were indignant with Jesus for the wonderful things he did. Some people will become indignant with you as well but don’t be detoured just keep producing fruit.

Let the love of the Lord shine in your life and as you do, you will reflect it like the moon reflects the sun. The moon has no light of its own, but it does shine brightly in the night. As we reflect the Father’s love and His wonderful works, we will begin to shine brightly in the dark and it will bring joy to others.

We will be a true reflection!

Posted on

A Much Better Way

The word “better” kept going through my mind this morning. As I sipped my coffee, I kept thinking about better. Even the coffee I drink is called “Seattle’s Best”, but that’s not the better I am talking about.

The Apostle Paul teaches that each of us has a vital role to play in our Christian walk. He refers to us as a body with many parts; some are more attractive that others, some seem to have a greater impact but each cell in the body, each organ, muscle, bone, tendon, and tissue are important. Each of us are important but then he makes this statement:

“31 I want you to desire the best gifts. So I will show you a much better way…4 Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or 5 rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. 6 Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. 7 Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. 8 Love never fails!…12 Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. 13 For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.” I Corinthians 12:31, 13:4-8,12, 13 CEV

Paul is only repeating what was seen in the life of Christ. Love is the better way. All the commands of the Bible can be summed up by what Christ said to His disciples.

” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. 35 If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 CEV

Just as I have loved you!

No misunderstanding that – His love is unconditional, His love is intentional. He came because He loves us. He died because He loves us. He rose because He loves us and wants us to live victoriously in Him.

“If we believe Jesus is truly Christ, we are God’s children. Everyone who loves the Father will also love his children. 2 If we love and obey God, we know we will love his children. 3  We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow. 4 Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:1-5 CEV

The better way for life here on earth and in eternity is to follow what Jesus said:

“Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?” 37  Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39  The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.‘” Matthew 22:36-39 CEV

Now, go out and have a better day, a day filled with God’s love and a day of sharing that love with others.

Posted on

It Means So Much

The other day I received a text from a friend halfway across the country. This is what she said.

“Hello friend. How can I pray for you today?”

Little did she know but at that moment, that very hour I needed prayer. She didn’t know but God did! We should always be ready to pray.

How many times have you been driving down the road or going about your business when a name pops to memory and you ask, “I wonder how they are doing – haven’t seen or thought about them in forever.” What do you do with that thought? Do you smile at remembering an old friend and let it go at that?

I have found when people are brought to mind that God is bringing them to mind for a reason. Most of the time I stop to pray for them when the thought comes, praying in the Spirit, knowing that the Holy Spirit is leading me to intercede for them. The Apostle Paul said at the beginning of nearly every epistle he wrote

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” Philippians 1:3-4.

If Paul was faithful to pray for people upon every remembrance of them, it is a good example to follow.

Many years ago Dave & I lived on a remote ranch in AZ. No cell phones and we were way past the landlines. I had a few friends that would ask, if we need to get a hold of you what do we do. My answer was a simple one – pray. God will get us the message.

One morning I got up earlier than I normally do. My heart was heavy, and I began to pray. I knew I was praying for a friend and her daughter in Hawaii. I later learned that the daughter was in a life and death situation. Life won!!!!

“The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.” John 16:13 ERV

I believe that when we are open to the Holy Spirit, He will bring things to our remembrance and will show us what we need to do. Remember, when the saints were together praying for Peter’s release from prison as they were praying an angel went to the prison and released Peter. Spirit led prayer is effective.

“… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” James 5:16-18

I can hear someone saying, but how do you know it’s the Holy Spirit leading you and not just your own thoughts? If it’s your thoughts or God prompted, it can’t hurt to pray for someone, it can only benefit them. Right?

“Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. 17 The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don’t see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.” John 14:16-17

The Holy Spirit has been sent by the Father to help us and to always be with us, to live in us. So, when someone comes to mind, I trust that it’s the Holy Spirit bringing them to remembrance.

As you’ve read this, I’m sure that the Holy Spirit has brought someone to mind, maybe it’s me. Pray for them; they will feel it!

Posted on

The Love of God

Yes, the love of God – again! I know I spent several weeks at the beginning of the year teaching on the love of God but it’s a subject I can’t leave alone.

Years ago, when I realized that the Lord had given me an ability to teach and share His word, it became my goal to share about His unconditional love, His mercy, His grace and His gift of sonship to us who believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried and is risen as our living Savior.

I saw so many Christians who were like I was; reading the Bible but not really applying it to their everyday lives. We had grown up believing in a God that’s “going to get you for that” or “you never know what God’s going to do” relationship, fearing God and His retribution rather than living in His love. So, I accepted my calling to proclaim the “good news of the gospel” to Christians. It is and was my desire to see believers grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. It was my desire to see Christians walk in the full power of relationship with Christ and to receive fully from His blessings so that we truly are and were examples of Jesus, Christians, on the earth and that it would be the goodness of God that would draw men to repentance and not the condemnation of man.

There is nothing I find more fulfilling than to share God’s word whether through written communication, one on one personal interaction or teaching to a gathering. It’s my heart passion. These verses convey all that I desire to share with others.

“You, Lord God, have done many wonderful things, and you have planned marvelous things for us. No one is like you! I would never be able to tell all you have done. 6 Sacrifices and offerings are not what please you; gifts and payment for sin are not what you demand. But you made me willing to listen and obey. 7 And so, I said, “I am here to do what is written
about me in the book, where it says, 8 ‘I enjoy pleasing you.  Your Law is in my heart.’” 9 When your people worshiped, you know I told them, “Our Lord always helps!” 10 When all your people met, I did not keep silent. I said, “Our Lord is kind. He is faithful and caring, and he saves us.” 11 You, Lord, never fail to have pity on me; your love and faithfulness always keep me secure.” Psalm 40:5-11 CEV

Take time to read all of Psalm 40 today, it will be a blessing to you.

Probably some of you weren’t raised listening to and singing the old hymns so this morning as an added bonus I invite you to listen to a hymn entitled “The Love of God”.

Each day my goal is to share God’s love with others. I’m not always successful but that is my desire. Let me take the opportunity to declare again today – God is faithful, He is righteous, He is my salvation and His lovingkindness endures forever!

Posted on

Changing of the Guard

Have you ever seen the guards at Buckingham Palace? What about the sentry at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? I’ve only seen pictures or videos but those are amazing!

The concentration and determination on the faces of the guards in England is almost mind boggling. How many times a day do they have people getting in their faces trying to make them laugh or a least smile? A wink, a nod, even a twitch would prove that they recognize the existence of the passers-by but nothing. How long do they train for that?

Train they must – what kind of schooling do they go through to keep from reacting? But if they felt their gates were truly being threatened, I’m sure that they would fight to defend it.

I have to ask myself would I make a good guard? Would I be easily distracted by all of life’s little annoyances? Would I scream “enough is enough”? Would I refuse to show up for duty the next day?

“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. 21 Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, 22 for they bring life to those who find them,
and healing to their whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. 24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.” Proverbs 4:20-24 NLT

We need to know our enemy; know the subtle ways that he will use to break our concentration, the ways he will try to get inside our head and get us off track. James says he will use the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. That’s how he brought temptation against Jesus – “turn the stones to bread, throw yourself from the pinnacle of the Temple, if you worship me, I will give you the nations of the world”. (Matthew 4)

Each time Jesus defeated Satan’s temptation with the word – it is written!

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

The distractions, the attacks, the temptations will come but we can be like those guards at Buckingham Palace and while being ready for battle, we can ignore the distractions and the temptations. Like the sentries at the Tomb of the Unknown, we can be consistent in our duties regardless of the storms, the heat, the cold…we stay on task.

I know it’s hard. Sometimes it’s an hour by hour or minute by minute vigil. Guarding our hearts and our minds requires constant discipline.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10 NLT

It’s often easier to let self-pity stand guard over our hearts but it’s always more profitable, and more difficult, to let God’s peace be our guard!

Posted on

Take Action!

Last night was one of those nights of very little sleep and a lot of prayer. Over and over in my prayer I voiced, “Lord, I trust You”. And the truth of that is, I do trust the Lord; I trust Him for my health, my peace, my children, my decisions, my rest and my words.

So, when I picked up my Bible to read, I was not surprised that this was the next Psalm in my reading.

“Praise the Lord and pray in his name! Tell everyone what he has done. 2 Sing praises to the Lord! Tell about his miracles. 3 Celebrate and worship his holy name with all your heart. 4 Trust the Lord and his mighty power. 5 Remember his miracles and all his wonders and his fair decisions. 6 You belong to the family of Abraham, his servant; you are his chosen ones, the descendants of Jacob. 7 The Lord is our God, bringing justice everywhere on earth. 8 He will never forget his agreement or his promises, not in thousands of years.” Psalm 105:1-8 CEV

It’s a call to action!

Praise, pray, tell, sing, celebrate, worship, trust, remember. All are actions on our part but there’s also action on God’s part – He will never forget his agreement or his promises. God will never forget, nor will He break His word or alter it.

“God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

As I started to write this, I was reminded of four men in the Bible who took action. Their story is recorded in II Kings chapter 7. They were 4 lepers, their country was under siege and the people were starving. Because they were lepers they had to live outside the city’s gates.

” …They said to each other, ‘Why should we sit here, waiting to die? 4 There’s nothing to eat in the city, so we would starve if we went inside. But if we stay out here, we will die for sure. Let’s sneak over to the Syrian army camp and surrender. They might kill us, but they might not.'” II Kings 7:3-4 CEV

“When the four men with leprosy reached the edge of the Syrian camp, no one was there. They walked into one of the tents, where they ate and drank, before carrying off clothes, as well as silver and gold. They hid all this, then walked into another tent; they took what they wanted and hid it too.

9 They said to each other, ‘This isn’t right. Today is a day to celebrate, and we haven’t told anyone else what has happened. If we wait until morning, we will be punished. Let’s go to the king’s palace at once and tell the good news.’” II Kings 7:7-9 CEV

Is there something that has caused you to be immobilized? Ask yourself the same question the lepers did, “should we sit here, waiting to die”.

Take action! Praise, pray, trust, remember, celebrate and then go tell what God has done!!

Posted on

Stop and Listen

Early in the morning – this phrase is used over and over again in the Bible.

Early in the morning is a good time to start travel, fight an enemy, bring in the harvest, and it’s a good time to pray!

I have those mornings when I think I would really like to sleep a while longer, but I get up anyway. Why? Because I have learned over the years that sleeping in causes everything to get backed up.

I end up rushing to make up for the time spent sleeping. I miss the quiet, I must the sound of the meadowlarks and the cooing of the doves. I miss the beauty of the sunrise painted on the sky and I miss hearing the voice of the Father!

He meets me one-on-one, and I need to start my day in His presence. I can take in a deep breath and feel His calm fill my soul. I can look out and see the unspoiled beauty. It brings focus to my world; it brings peace.

“My God and King, listen to my prayer. 3 Every morning, Lord, I lay my gifts before you and look to you for help. And every morning you hear my prayers.” Psalm 5:2-3 ERV

When we camp hosted in the mountains, I would have to rise early each morning and we would drive to a parking area where the cell signal would be strong enough to upload my blog. Most mornings it was right at sunrise. The morning I took this particular picture was so quiet. We had seen a few deer and some elk grazing in the meadow. The only noise was coming from our truck.

When I looked at the image later I was surprised to see the “Stop” sign. I was so enthralled with the sunrise; I hadn’t paid attention to the sign. This morning, I encourage you to stop – stop and enjoy the Father’s presence. Stop and listen to the Holy Spirit as He ministers to your heart. Or as God said it, “Be still and know that I am God”.

“16 But I will sing about your strength. I will rejoice in your love every morning. You have been my place of safety, the place I can run to when troubles come. 17 I will sing praises to you, my source of strength. You, God, are my place of safety. You are the God who loves me!” Psalm 59:16-17 ERV

Don’t be in a hurry to get through your quiet time. It’s special and to be cherished. When I was little one of my favorite hymns was In the Garden. You know it still is.

“I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

[Chorus:]

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.” Charles A Miles

Have a wonderful day! I know I will.

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress