Category: Book

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ALWAYS

You’ve heard the old expression “Practice What You Preach”; well, I’ve had that opportunity many times. Sharing thoughts about peace and how keeping our minds STAYED on the Lord is the only real way to a life in peace.

To me, it is one of the most important seeds from God’s word that I can plant in my life.

Like many of you, I’ve had the invitation to attend a big old pity party. The guest list is small – me, myself and I plus my thoughts. When trying to figure out where all these thoughts come from, we should realize we need to take action against them. The source of these thoughts is our enemy and the one who would like to rob our peace.

The Apostle Paul gives us instruction on recognizing our enemy and he tells us how to fight him.

“Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks. 12 We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world.” Ephesians 6:10-12 CEV

“For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 CEV

I love the part in this verse that says “taking every thought captive to obey Christ”!

Those thoughts of self-pity aren’t in line with God’s kind of thinking and so they have to go. I’d love to say that victory is instantaneous, but it probably won’t be. However, each time those thoughts try to come back, we should shift our focus and keep our mind stayed on God and His amazing love. Peace will return. When we stay focused the peace stays…just like He said it would.

Years ago, our oldest granddaughter came to visit. It was just her and I for almost two weeks. We had a great time together. One Sunday morning we were watching a pastor on tv. He was preaching a message on victory in Christ.

“ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

Always leads us in victory!

Fear likes to hold us captive – there are so many what ifs and unknowns. But Christ leads us to victory and gives us peace. For many years my granddaughter and I have just written the word “Always” in some of our communications. We both know it describes the message we want to convey.

Today I share it with you, may you ALWAYS have victory and stay in the peace of God.

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Good News!

Welcome to March. I hope you found some seeds of hope and peace to plant in your heart’s garden yesterday.

“ For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT

God’s word is powerful! It is created to bring results of peace, joy, strength, forgiveness, healing, grace, and unconditional love. It represents the very heart of God to us, His children.

“The rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there without giving water to the earth. This makes plants grow on the earth, and gives seeds to the planter and bread to the eater. 11 So My Word which goes from My mouth will not return to Me empty. It will do what I want it to do, and will carry out My plan well. 12 You will go out with joy, and be led out in peace. The mountains and the hills will break out into sounds of joy before you. And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:10-12 NLV

God’s word is our good news, it brings joy and peace.

The last week or so I have been praying for several dear friends. The news they have received about circumstances in their lives has been less than encouraging. Fear has tried to get a foothold and replace their peace. That’s not from God.

“He will not be afraid of bad news. His heart is strong because he trusts in the Lord. 8 His heart will not be shaken. He will not be afraid and will watch those lose who fight against him.” Psalm 112:7-8 NLV

“Whom have I in heaven but You? I want nothing more on earth, but You. My body and my heart may grow weak, but God is the strength of my heart and all I need forever.” Psalm 73:25-26 NLV

“ We have a great Religious Leader Who has made the way for man to go to God. He is Jesus, the Son of God, Who has gone to heaven to be with God. Let us keep our trust in Jesus Christ. 15 Our Religious Leader understands how weak we are. Christ was tempted in every way we are tempted, but He did not sin. 16 Let us go with complete trust to the throne of God. We will receive His loving-kindness and have His loving-favor to help us whenever we need it.” Hebrews 4:14-16 NLV

There is nothing, NOTHING, that we can’t trust the Lord with. He promises to be our help whenever we need it, to strengthen our hearts, and to replace fear with peace.

Is it easy? No. It requires discipline, we need to stay focused on the promises of our Father instead of the bad report.

“Do not let your heart be troubled. You have put your trust in God, put your trust in Me also” John 14:1 NLV

“You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 NLV

Fear isn’t from God. Let the Good News of God’s word be your source of strength, your hope and your confidence. God is your help – He’s got this.

Good News!

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Seeds of Promise

Since the beginning of the year, I have been sharing on the importance of planting the seed of God’s word in our lives. Jesus, Himself, said our hearts are like soil – some hard, some stony, some has thorns, and some is good and rich.

Yesterday I told you about the way my love for God’s word began. I encouraged you to read just a few verses a day but make those verses relevant, life changing. The Apostle Peter made a bold statement to Jesus. He said, “You have the words of life”. Absolutely true!

Since God’s word is seed and our hearts are soil, I want to help you plant your spiritual garden. We’ll start with seeds of joy, peace, protection, healing, forgiveness, strength and wisdom. Seeds that will grow and bring a harvest for the rest of your days.

Just pretend we are opening those packets of seeds you see in the store each Spring and planting them in your garden.

Peace: “God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you. 4 So trust the Lord always, because in the Lord Yah you have a place of safety forever.” Isaiah 26:3-4 ERV

Joy: “You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.” Psalm 16:11 CEV

Protection: “Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful. 2 Then you will say to the Lord, ‘You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you.’ 3 The Lord will keep you safe from secret traps and deadly diseases. 4 He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall.” Psalm 91:1-4 CEV

Healing and Forgiveness: “My soul, praise the Lord! Every part of me, praise his holy name! 2 My soul, praise the Lord and never forget how kind he is! 3 He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses. 4 He saves us from the grave, and he gives us love and compassion. 5 He gives us plenty of good things. He makes us young again, like an eagle that grows new feathers.” Psalm 103:1-5 ERV

Strength: “Christ is the one who gives me the strength I need to do whatever I must do.” Philippians 4:13 ERV

Wisdom: “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. 6 But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. ” James 1:5-6 CEV

Help: “Praise the Lord! Every day he helps us with the loads we must carry. He is the God who saves us. Selah 20 He is our God, the God who saves us. My Lord God saves us from death.” Psalm 68:19-20 ERV

These few verses are the seeds of life. Tend them well, they will produce an amazing harvest.

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It’s All I Need

I have such a love for the word of God but it wasn’t always that way. When I was young, going to Sunday School, I was taught the Bible stories – the stories of David, Daniel, Peter, Paul and Silas, Zacchaeus. That’s all they were, stories to keep a child entertained, stories to tell us how God had been but there was no correlation to my daily life.

I learned to love Jesus from a very young age. I realized He died for my sins and that He was no longer dead, but he rose from the grave and went back to heaven. Someday He would return to earth and take those who love Him to heaven. This was exciting to know that someday Jesus would come back for me but what about today.

The answer I heard most often was “pray about it but we just never know what God’s going to do”. I knew the church’s list of rules, the do’s and don’ts. But what about my instruction for everyday life. I floundered.

I remember specifically when I embraced God’s word as the truth and guide for my life. It was like a light went on. I was in a chapel service at college and the chapel speaker made a comment similar to this. “If all you have in this life is a secure knowledge of God’s love for you and the promises of His word, you have everything you need”. Those words, that concept, changed my life. Like I said, I had Jesus as my Savior but I didn’t know that His word had been written for me. All of the promises were mine.

“ I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your feet go out from under you. He Who watches over you will not sleep. 4 Listen, He Who watches over Israel will not close his eyes or sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your safe cover at your right hand. 6 The sun will not hurt you during the day and the moon will not hurt you during the night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all that is sinful. He will watch over your soul. 8 The Lord will watch over your coming and going, now and forever.” Psalm 121 NLV

These are the words I read this morning. My eyes began to tear up and my heart filled with joy. Jesus said that heaven and earth will deteriorate and be demolished but God’s word will stand forever. He will watch over my comings and my goings, now and forever more.

Reading God’s word should be a joy, not a drudgery. You don’t need to read chapters at a time. When you come to a verse that strikes a chord in your heart, stop and read it again. Make it your theme for the day. It’s better to read two or three verses that impact your heart than reading chapters and not having it impact you at all.

“When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.” Jeremiah 15:16 NLT

It’s all you’ll ever need!

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Draw Me Close

Did you know that a mother hen has a built-in protective instinct when she feels her chicks are in danger? It’s quite interesting to watch. She clucks and fluffs her feathers as she calls her young ones to her side, then she spreads her wings over them and settles down, blocking them from harm with her body.

This morning I came across Jesus’ comments over Jerusalem. He used this analogy. For three years He had been preaching and teaching all throughout Judah. He had done miracles, loved the outcasts and done all that the Father had sent him to do. Now it was time for his final visit to Jerusalem. He knew this time He would encounter the wrath of the religious hierarchy – He knew His death was imminent.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.” Matthew 23:37-38 NLT

Facing His impending death, His heart was for those who had not yet believed that He was the Son of God. He wanted to protect them, provide for them and be their path to reconciliation with the Father but His words are clear, “you wouldn’t let me”.

In Psalm 91, we have the same example of the Father’s love and protection for us.

“This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;  he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” Psalm 91:2-4 NLT

God never intended for us to face danger without His protection. He is here to shelter us; His promises are our armor and our protection.

There’s a chorus we used to sing years ago – it reminds me of these verses. “Draw Me Close to You” by Michael W. Smith.

“Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I’m your friend

You are my desire
And no one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace

Help me find a way
Bring me back to you

You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know you are near”

I think one of the biggest lies that the enemy tells is “You are on your own. You have no one to trust. It’s all up to you – sink or swim. God doesn’t want to be bothered with you”.

There is nothing further from the truth!

Our Father is here, drawing us close, scooting us under His wings. He is our safety and our protection.

Thank you, Father, for drawing me close to you!

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Make A Difference

Yesterday afternoon Dave and I went to the movies. The second time in a month and it’s not something we do very often but I’m so glad we did.

Earlier in the month we saw a movie with Kim and Austin which was fun, spending time with our kids always is. It was then we saw the preview for “Jesus Revolution”. That’s what we saw yesterday.

It really hit home with me. In the fall of 1971, I attended Biola College. Coming from Yuma I had never heard of Calvary Chapel or Pastor Chuck Smith and I had only heard of the “Jesus People” on the news. Friends invited me to go with them to some of Pastor Chuck’s Sunday evening services and a couple of times to the baptisms at the beach.

What an experience!

Hippies and regular church people praising and worshipping the Lord together. No judgement or criticism, just heartfelt worship. It was a small glimpse of heaven.

“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39 NLT

Why am I sharing this with you? One, I think you would really enjoy the movie – it will stir your heart and two, it challenged me.

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” Romans 1:16 NLT

At the start of the movie there were older people attending Pastor Chuck’s church who were offended by the hippies who began coming. Sad to say, we have that with every generation. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees and religious leaders were offended by Jesus and His group of rough fishermen, tax collectors and women of dubious reputation.

“When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. ‘Zacchaeus!’ he said. ‘Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.’ 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. ‘He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,’ they grumbled.” Luke 19:5-7 NLT

I think we can all agree that our world needs more of the love of Jesus. The only way this will happen is for His love to flow through you and I. We are called to a purpose.

“Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.” Matthew 4:19-20 NLT

I pray that we will all start a Jesus Revolution, first in our hearts and then reach out to those around us.

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Oh What A Beautiful Morning

Do you dread early morning? I’ve had a good laugh many times with friends who have told me “I only thought 4 o’clock came once a day, I didn’t know it came in the morning too”.

Of course, they were kidding but I do understand that many people are not early risers. Dave and I always have been, it’s only now that we are enjoying sleeping a little later – by that I mean sleeping until 4:30 or 5.

There’s just something about the morning – the day is fresh and the first glow of dawn hitting the fields and the mountains is amazing. The musical Oklahoma has a song “O What A Beautiful Morning”. That’s the way I feel about the start of each day.

“There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow
There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow
The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye
And it looks like it’s climbing clear up to the sky
Oh, what a beautiful mornin’
Oh, what a beautiful day
I’ve got a beautiful feeling
Everything’s going my way”

To me, morning is the best time of day. It’s quiet and in that quiet I find peace in the Father’s presence. It’s time to hear from the heart of God and also a time to tell Him of my concerns and then thank Him for handling everything that concerns me.

Then I can go out into my day worry free with a heart filled with thanksgiving.

“It is wonderful to be grateful and to sing your praises, Lord Most High! 2 It is wonderful each morning to tell about your love and at night to announce how faithful you are. 3 I enjoy praising your name to the music of harps, 4 because everything you do makes me happy,  and I sing joyful songs.” Psalm 92:1-4 CEV

There are no harps playing in my living room but there is the song of the birds outside the window and most mornings there is a praise song or two running through my mind. God, our Father, is good and loving. There’s no place I would rather be than in His presence.

“Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me. 8 The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” Psalm 138:7-8 NLT

I hope you have enough time this morning to spend time in the Father’s presence. It truly is the best way to start the day…oh, what a beautiful morning!

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The Heart of Serving

Each morning it is my duty, a labor of love really, to remind myself to act like Jesus. The first conscious thought is to say, “Father, I love you. Jesus, I love you. Holy Spirit, I love you. Good morning!” and then next is to remind myself to think like Jesus and honor Him with my thoughts, my words and my actions.

“But Jesus called the disciples together and said: You know that foreign rulers like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over everyone they rule. 26 But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. 27 And if you want to be first, you must be the slave of the rest. 28 The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people…

30 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. And when they heard that Jesus was coming their way, they shouted, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!” 31 The crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted even louder, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!”

32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They answered, “Lord, we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Right away they could see, and they became his followers.” Matthew 20: 25-34

This is the verse that struck my heart. “The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.”

I remember the first time that verse had an impact on me – I had a house full of people, was preparing for some special meetings at a hotel conference room, had my family responsibilities and my “help” had been called away. I did what any self-respecting woman would do, I started to complain. Not outwardly but from my heart; I grumbled, I murmured and I wanted to kick the dog but that wasn’t acceptable. So, I just kept going and when I finally had a few minutes to myself, I picked up my Bible and this is what I read. WOW!!

If Jesus, the Son of God, creator of the universe, said that His role in life was to serve others and not be served, how selfish and self-centered was it of me to be grumbling over my lack of help. As quickly as I could, I said “Lord forgive me, let people see Jesus through me.”

Jesus touched the blind men, restoring their sight. He was moved with the compassion of the Father and served those men with love. I want that in my life.

Today, we will all have opportunity to be served and to serve others. In both cases we should think and act like Jesus. Being grateful and appreciative when we are served, not expecting it and then serving from a loving heart, not out of guilt or an act of responsibility. We know we’re doing it with the right motive when it brings us joy and not complaint.

Thank you Lord for a servant’s heart!

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Every Morning

The picture folders on my computer are filled with images of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. There’s just something about the handiwork of the Lord that puts me in awe!

In my almost seventy years of life there has never been a morning that the sun hasn’t risen or an evening when it hasn’t set. “Of course, it does”, you say. I think that all too often we take the routine for granted or ignore it completely.

This morning I was making my day’s list and I wrote call and postpone the appointment. That’s when my thoughts turned to the Father’s mercy and peace. He has never once postponed or canceled His daily goodness.

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him. He is good to those who look for him. 26 It is good to wait quietly for the Lord to save them.” Lamentations 3:22-26 ERV

We should be looking for signs of God’s love every morning. He has something new to show us.

In just the same way that we search out the Lord’s loving kindness we should be canceling tomorrow’s worries.

“ Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33 What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. 34 So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.” Matthew 6:31-34 ERV

Did you go to bed worrying last night?

We have instruction from Jesus not to focus in on the problems of tomorrow. He reminds us here that the Father knows everything we need, everything that concerns us. He has provided for all that would be worrisome. We are to let those worries go.

As surely as the sun set last night and will rise again this morning, we have the Father’s promise of faithfulness.

“Let the name of the Lord be praised now and forever. 3 From dawn until sunset the name of the Lord deserves to be praised. 4 The Lord is far above all of the nations; he is more glorious than the heavens.” Psalm 113:2-4 CEV

Embrace the sunrise and welcome a new day of God’s faithfulness. Celebrate the setting of the sun by praising Him for handling tomorrow’s problems.

Never postpone an opportunity to praise the Lord for His goodness!

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Begging or Believing

This morning I was reminded of a time, not so very long ago, when I was talking with the Lord about a situation that needed to be changed. Yes, I was complaining and even started to beg. It didn’t take me long to realize that the Lord was not impressed by either.

I had this thought come up – are you a beggar or a believer? What! A beggar or a believer? Show me how to stop begging because I really thought I was believing.

Jesus is the perfect example of a “believer”. He never doubted God’s word or His power. We need to follow his instruction. Jesus’ disciples asked for examples on how to increase their faith, their ability to believe, and this is what happened.

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Show us how to increase our faith.'” Luke 17:5 NLT

Jesus went on to tell the disciples about a man that had a slave who worked for him. He said that the master doesn’t compliment the slave for doing what he’s supposed to do. No, he expects the task to be done.

The way I read this is Jesus was telling them that they didn’t need to beg for faith, they simply needed to put it to work. And then Jesus gave them an example.

“As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.” Luke 17:12-14 NLT

The lepers “begged” Jesus for healing. Jesus put his faith to work and “believed” God and it was accomplished. Faith was working to bring about the will of God.

Another example is the lame man at the Gate Beautiful who had been there begging alms all his adult life. He saw Peter and John coming to the temple and began begging from them. Peter said “We don’t have any silver or gold to give you today but what we do have we’ll give to you. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk”. (Acts 4) Immediately he jumped up and began walking.

“You see this man, and you know him. He put his faith in the name of Jesus and was made strong. Faith in Jesus made this man completely well while everyone was watching.” Acts 4:16

Begging indicates a lack of faith, an uncertainty that what we are asking will get done. But faith is confident belief.

“ We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. 15 He listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us whatever we ask from him.” I John 5:14-15 ERV

That’s the way it is with our heavenly Father, we simply tell Him about the need and believe in faith that it will be taken care of. There’s no need to be a beggar, we are called to be believers.

Have faith in God!

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