Category: Isaiah

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Promise Keeper

Yesterday we had a birthday celebration for Dave and our youngest daughter at our oldest daughter’s home. It was a beautiful day to be in the swimming pool.

There was every pool toy imaginable, including an inflatable rubber duckie. Only one adult made the unsuccessful attempt to get on. It was definitely more suited for little bodies. All three of the littlest grandkids floated on it, across the pool and back. At first, there were tears, loud objections and much coaxing involved. Our grandson wanted nothing to do with it until we started cheering for his little sister and then he made his second attempt which was accompanied by big smiles and giggles.

When he finally got off I heard our oldest daughter tell him. “I want you to always remember, I will never have you do anything that will hurt you. It might be something new, something that makes you nervous and even a little scary but I will never have you do anything that will hurt you. I promise!”

Those words rang out in my heart. “I will never have you do something that will hurt you, I promise!”

Somebody needs to hear that this morning.

“All of God’s promises have their yes in him. That is why we say Amen through him to the glory of God.” II Corinthians 1:20

When God makes a promise, He keeps it because simply put, God cannot lie. Don’t be afraid. Our Father is a promise keeper, He won’t have us do anything that will hurt us

I will ask again, what promise has God made you?

“Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” Philippians 4:13 CEV

“My God will use his glorious riches to give you everything you need. He will do this through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 ERV

“I, the Lord, will teach your children, and they will have real peace.” Isaiah 54:13 ERV

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises up against you, you shall condemn for this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17 KJV

“With all my heart I praise the Lord! I will never forget how kind he has been.3 The Lord forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick,” Psalm 103:2-3 CeV

“ Jesus said to his disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me” John 14:1 CEV

“ A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully.” John 10:10 CEV

God will keep His word; He is faithful to a thousand generations. He hasn’t lied in the past and He’s not going to start now.

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! His answer is yes. Our Father is a promise keeper!

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Who Am I?

Have you ever made comments or had thoughts like this?

“I just don’t think God could ever love me, forgive me, use me, want me, like He does someone else. If people knew who I was or the things I have in my past they wouldn’t love me or want to be my friend?”

Ever had those thoughts? I have and guess what so did the Apostle Paul.

“But our Lord gave me a full measure of his grace. And with that grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a true statement that should be accepted without question: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them. 16 But I was given mercy so that in me Christ Jesus could show that he has patience without limit. Christ showed his patience with me, the worst of all sinners. He wanted me to be an example for those who would believe in him and have eternal life.” I Timothy 1:14-16 ERV

Paul felt that he was the worst sinner to have ever lived. But God used him and showed us all just what He is willing to do with a committed heart. Notice that Jesus forgave Zaccheaus, the woman in adultery, the thief on the cross, the soldiers and religious leaders that were crucifying Him. He forgave Paul. He has forgiven us too!

I saw this verse in the Amplified Version and it really made an impact on me. Take a hard look at the first part of verse one.

“But now [in spite of past judgments for Israel’s sins], thus says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob, and He Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you [ransomed you by paying a price instead of leaving you captives]; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…4 Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and because I love you,” Isaiah 41:1-4 AMP

In spite of past judgment for sins – God isn’t holding our past against us! Our past is that – past!

In Hebrews, it tells us that God doesn’t remember our sins and trespasses. He puts them as far as the East is from the West. If you are being held captive by your past, it isn’t God! He has ransomed you – He has redeemed you and even more than that He is walking through life’s hardships and with you and bringing you out. You are precious to Him!

Get a hold of that today. God isn’t mad at you. He hasn’t rejected or disqualified you. He loves you!

Thank you, Father, for your amazing love. Thank you that my past is past and thank you that I have been redeemed and that I am Yours!

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Making An Impact

I hope I never become complacent to the way the stories of the Bible touch my heart!

Each year at Easter I am drawn to the encounter of Mary and Jesus in the garden. It has such a powerful impact.

“Mary Magdalene stood crying outside the tomb. She was still weeping, when she stooped down 12 and saw two angels inside. They were dressed in white and were sitting where Jesus’ body had been. One was at the head and the other was at the foot. 13 The angels asked Mary, “Why are you crying?”

She answered, “They have taken away my Lord’s body! I don’t know where they have put him.”

As soon as Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know who he was. 15 Jesus asked her, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”

She thought he was the gardener and said, “Sir, if you have taken his body away, please tell me, so I can go and get him.”

16 Then Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned and said to him, “Rabboni.” The Aramaic word “Rabboni” means “Teacher.” John 20:14-16 CEV

Mary had been at the foot of the cross and I’m sure she saw Jesus take that last breath and utter those words “It is finished”. Her heart broken; she had probably thought of nothing else for the last few days. The Sabbath was over and now she was able to go to the tomb and prepare His body properly for burial.

Jesus was her friend, her teacher, no one had ever been as compassionate as He. She could complete this one last expression of love and loyalty to honor Him. But when she arrived at the tomb He was gone…

Her heart sunk and the tears began to flow. She had probably stuffed her emotions deep just to make it through this last act of service but finding the tomb empty she began to weep.

Turning away from the tomb I’m sure her mind was filled with confusion and hopelessness. With her eyes filled with tears she saw someone standing behind her in the garden. She didn’t recognize this man in the early morning light and with her sight blurred by her tears. She thought he was the gardener.

He spoke to her and she questioned him but then it became personal. He spoke her name, “Mary”.

No one had a voice like His! No one had ever spoken her name the way He did! This was a one-on-one exchange between Mary and her Lord.

Jesus cares about our grieving, our broken hearts, our troubled minds. He cared enough to give His life for our salvation, our wholeness – spirit, soul and body.

“For sure He took on Himself our troubles and carried our sorrows. Yet we thought of Him as being punished and hurt by God, and made to suffer. 5 But He was hurt for our wrong-doing. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so we would have peace. He was beaten so we would be healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5 NLV

In my darkest hours of overwhelming sorrow and in my moments of greatest joy I have heard Him speak my name. When you hear Him speak your name it makes a lasting impact.

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Time to Reset

If I say the words “manual override” do you know what I’m talking about?

We had a watering system in our previous home. Dave put it in and most of the time it worked without a hitch. But periodically I noticed the plants in the back yard would look a little wilted.

I would check the timer and find that it wasn’t working correctly. The plants hadn’t received their scheduled water. I would reset the clock on the timer, reset the watering schedule and then pushed the manual override, twice. The plants would show immediate signs of relief.

My morning quiet time was regularly interrupted by the sound of the watering system turning on and off. It was working correctly. However, there were those few times when the timer would malfunction. It needed replacing. It was time for a full reset.

I think sometimes we are like that. We have the clock set…going to accomplish this or that by the time I’m 30 or 40 or 60.

We schedule all the events to kick in at the right time…college, marriage, kids, retirement. We even schedule our spiritual lives…prayer time, Bible reading, church services, small group, Bible study.

Then without noticing our timer malfunctions and we begin to wilt – physically, emotionally, professionally, financially and spiritually. We get dry. Things heat up. We feel like we are dying. Stuck in a dead-end job, relationships begin to wither, emotionally we become hard and spiritually we are parched. Sometimes we need a manual override to refresh us and sometimes we need to reset the clock completely.

“Young men get tired and need to rest. Even young boys stumble and fall.31 But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.” Isaiah 40:30-31 ERV

One version of this Scripture says we are to “wait” on the Lord, expect, look for, and hope in Him.

A reset with the Lord, waiting on Him, renews us just like a manual override on the watering system renews the plants.

“Lord, you are the hope of Israel. You are like a spring of living water. Those who stop following the Lord will have a very short life. 14 Lord, if you heal me, I surely will be healed. Save me, and I surely will be saved. Lord, I praise you.” Jeremiah 17:13-14 ERV

If you’re feeling dry today check your timer. Is it functioning properly? It might be time for a reset!

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When Strength Is Low

I hope you will understand the blog being late today. I really slept in this morning! We arrived home late afternoon on Friday and then spent yesterday with family activities.

Our oldest daughter, her daughter and I spent a good portion of the day making jam. Strawberry. Blackberry. Dozens of little jars. It was a fun day. Jam making is generally something I do with our oldest grandson but yesterday the girls wanted to be involved.

It was one of those days of making memories!

But this morning it all caught up with me and I just needed a few more hours of sleep. You ever have one of those days? So, if you need a little extra encouragement like I did this morning here goes.

“We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up. 10 When we have the opportunity to do good to anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.” Galatians 6:9-10 ERV

“Young men get tired and need to rest. Even young boys stumble and fall.31 But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers.[a]They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.” Isaiah 40:30-31 ERV

“The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you.He celebrates and sings because of you,and he will refresh your life with his love.” Zephaniah 3:17 CEV

“Since the day we heard these things about you, we have continued praying for you. This is what we pray: that God will make you completely sure of what he wants by giving you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding you need; 10 that this will help you live in a way that brings honor to the Lord and pleases him in every way; that your life will produce good works of every kind and that you will grow in your knowledge of God; 11 that God will strengthen you with his own great power, so that you will be patient and not give up when troubles come. Then you will be happy 12 and give thanks to the Father. He has made you able to have what he has promised to give all his holy people, who live in the light.” Colossians 1:9-12 ERV

Now, I don’t know about you but I’m ready for the rest of the day. I’m going over in victory! AMEN.

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Beauty & Goodness

I just felt I needed to share with you about the goodness of the Lord and the beauty He brings to our lives.

We’re surrounded by so much that is the opposite. Sometimes we get distracted and lose hope.

Last night while putting one of our grandchildren to bed we had this conversation. “Sometimes the devil gives me bad thoughts and I can’t sleep.” We prayed for peaceful sleep and told the devil he couldn’t bother him in the night.

A little while later he called out and said he couldn’t sleep. He was bothered by bad (he means scarey) thoughts. I went in and asked him, “Who’s bigger? Who’s stronger? God or the devil? Every time God and the devil fight, God wins and God is here to fight for you”.

Simple, childlike trust. He went to sleep and slept peacefully through the night. Sometimes we adults forget that the battle isn’t ours, it’s the Lord’s and He has already won. Our job is to trust Him and not feel we have to do it on our own.

“Give honor and praise to the Lord, whose power and beauty fill his holy temple.” 7 Tell everyone of every nation, ‘Praise the glorious power of the Lord.8 He is wonderful! Praise him and bring an offering into his temple.'” Psalm 96:6-8 CEV

God, our Father, fills our lives with beauty and power. He does not leave us helpless. His goodness follows us all the days of our lives.

“The dry desert will rejoice. The desert will be glad and blossom. 2 It will be covered with flowers and dance with joy. It will be as beautiful as the forest of Lebanon, the hill of Carmel, and the Sharon Valley. This will happen because all people will see the Glory of the Lord. They will see the beauty of our God.

3 Make the weak arms strong again. Strengthen the weak knees. 4 People are afraid and confused. Say to them, ‘Be strong! Don’t be afraid!’ Look, your God will come and punish your enemies. He will come and give you your reward. He will save you.” Isaiah 35:1-4 ERV

We have God’s promise of His goodness all the days of life here on earth and when this life is over we have the promise of living in His house, in His presence.

“For sure, You will give me goodness and loving-kindness all the days of my life. Then I will live with You in Your house forever.” Psalm 23:6 NLV

We used to have a saying, “God is good all the time, all the time God is good”. He is! There is no God like our God, the creator of the heaven and the earth.

“How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. 20 You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them.
You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues.” Psalm 31:19-20 NLT

Take a look at the beauty around you, your Father created that for you to enjoy. It is to be a reminder of His goodness and power!

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Roaring Oceans

For the last couple of days, I have shared with you the Scriptures that keep me on a solid footing each day. In my 68, almost 69, years there have been days with roaring waves and those of calm seas. What I’ve learned in my relationship with the Father is He wants me to be at peace regardless of what I see around me.

“God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ERV

Sadly, I admit, I haven’t always enjoyed being alone with just my thoughts. My heart would become anxious. Maybe you’re like that. But it’s in this quiet that God reassures us of His presence.

“God is our protection and source of strength. He is always ready to help us in times of trouble. 2 So we are not afraid when the earth quakes and the mountains fall into the sea. 3 We are not afraid when the seas become rough and dark and the mountains tremble. Selah …He is there to help even before sunrise. 6 Nations will shake with fear and kingdoms will fall when God shouts and makes the earth move. 7 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety. Selah 8 Look at the powerful things the Lord has done. See the awesome things he has done on earth…10 God says, ‘Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.’ 11 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety. Selah” Psalm 46 ERV

The Psalmist recognizes that there will be earthquakes, raging seas and rough times but it also says God is there to help us even before the sun rises. We are told to stop fighting. I think that refers to fighting our own fears and anxiousness because it goes on to say, “I am the one who controls the world; I am the place of safety”. The Psalm ends with the word Selah which means to pause, reflect, and take time to let what you just heard sink in.

I used to hate being alone with my thoughts, focusing on the quiet of my own heart. It told me I was unworthy, I was alone, I wouldn’t amount to anything. It pointed out all my failures and my shortcomings. But that wasn’t really my heart talking that was my mind. I never measured up so why did I want a quiet time to reflect on all that was wrong with me?

It was in that quiet time of reading, learning and applying God’s word that I found peace, true peace. It provided me with my firm foundation.

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

When I come to the Father’s throne, in the quiet of the morning, I find grace, mercy, kindness and help. I find Jesus!

This time before the sun rises is where I find help for when the oceans roar!

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Not Today!

This morning’s blog came with great emphasis in my heart this morning – no fear, not today!

All through the night a song from Sunday’s worship service kept running through my mind. It was published by Bethel Music, just last year, (I must give credit where credit is due), “No Longer Slaves”.

From my mother’s womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again to a family
Your blood flows through my veins

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

Fear can be paralyzing; fear can be demoralizing; it robs the richness of life – an abundant life that Christ came to give us.

“ A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

“ God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7 CEV

Every day we are bombarded with fearful reports. “There’s a storm coming; the crime rate is up; the newest COVID cases; inflation; shortage on the grocery store shelves…and the list goes on.

NO!! Not today! I will not be a slave to fear, I am God’s child and He is my protector and my provision.

Not today! I am with the Shepherd and He uses His rod to beat back my enemies!

“I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe.” Psalm 23:4 CEV

Not today! God is with us; He will protect us!

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.” Isaiah 41:10 CEV

Not today! Christ is in control!

“Don’t be afraid! I am the first, the last, 18 and the living one. I died, but now I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys to death and the world of the dead.” Revelation 1:17-18 CEV

Not today, dear friend – you are God’s child and He has promised to never leave you!!

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Let’s Talk

Dave and I spend a lot of time talking. Good talking.

When we were making the plan to sell the house and move into an RV full-time, we did a lot of talking. So much to consider and it was going to be a life-changing move, we better have all the cards on the table and not hold anything back.

Apprehensions, reluctance, details, hopes and aspirations, everything had to be talked through.

Even before the house sold, we talked about what to keep and what needed to go. Family heirlooms, pictures, my wedding dress, special mementos. How much wall space did we have, how much artwork could we take? Everything had to be considered – his tools, my crafts, dishes, fishing poles, etc.

Neither one of us like clutter, really, neat and tidy is how things should be! Lived in and comfortable is good but not messy or unkept. Lots of discussion on this will go there, this will go where?

Yesterday we were having another one of those organization conversations. This time we were in the truck headed to Lowe’s to find a light-weight storage cabinet for cleaning supplies, the mop, broom and vacuum. We didn’t like anything we had seen on-line and hoped to find something locally. We talked the whole way and from the talking we decided we needed a gym locker – perfect!

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, talking is good. Sometimes it can seem ominous – those words “let’s talk”. Yikes! What does that mean? It simply means that communication is needed, and communication is healthy.

Did you know that God likes to talk?

He came and talked to Adam and Eve in the garden. He talked to Noah and told him how to build the ark. When he talked with Moses, He gave the Ten Commandments and the pattern for the tabernacle. He talked with the prophets and gave them hundreds of prophecies on the coming of Jesus.

Of course, we know He talked with Jesus but also with Peter, Philip, Paul and John. He desires to talk with us. Yes, you and I. We’re His children and He desires to be part of our lives. He wants to be included in our decision making. He wants to hear about our joys and our sorrows.

“I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool. 19 If you willingly obey me, the best crops in the land will be yours.” Isaiah 1:18-19 CEV

He wants us to know that we are forgiven. He chooses to cleanse us from our wrong doings, from our sins. He plans good things for us, not just good but the best things.

“Don’t keep worrying about having something to eat or drink. 30 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need. 31 But put God’s work first, and these things will be yours as well. 32 My little group of disciples, don’t be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:29-31 CEV

I would like to encourage you to open up an honest line of communication with the Father. Talk to Him each day while you do the dishes or work on the car, driving to work or sitting quietly with a cup of coffee.

Take time. He loves it when we say “Let’s Talk”!

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Stay Put

This morning I have spent a lot of time praying…so many people and things that came to mind and so I brought them to the Father.

Situations beyond my control; things I would like to see changed, things that concern me and those I love. And as I prayed, I did get the Lord’s peace and I also received His instruction.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3 NLT

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

Same verse – two different translations. Look at those two words that I put in bold type. Fixed. Stayed.

Last week we hung some pictures on the wall of our new RV. They were affixed to the wall with both nails and museum putty. We want to make sure they stay in place when we travel down the road. Some people say that RV’s go through the equivalent of an earthquake every time they are towed. Things have a tendency to move around and we didn’t want that happening with the pictures.

But this morning, that was the image the Lord gave me about my thoughts. If I’m going to be at peace my thoughts need to be fixed and stayed on my trust in the Lord and His word. Held tight in the earthquake of life’s circumstances.

And if that weren’t enough, the Lord reminded me of my teaching just a few days back about hope being our anchor. Again, an anchor is something that holds us in a “fixed” position, so we don’t drift off course. But here’s one more thought the Lord brought to mind. It’s regarding our confidence in His love.

“and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love.” Ephesians 3:17 CEV

A tree that is deeply rooted in the soil won’t blow over in the wind; it stays in place.

All through God’s word we have examples, word pictures, of the stability and strength that our lives have when we trust, have faith in, stay fixed upon, God’s love for us and the promises of His word!

If you’re having trouble holding on to your peace, then do what Dave and I did with those pictures. Nail them down and stick them in place.

Keep your heart fixed upon the Lord. Make it stay put!

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