Category: Confidence

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Recipe for a Good Day

The thing I’m learning in my quest to make good sour dough bread is measurement. There’s the starter and then the flour and water that you use to feed it. Measurement is important to my success.

The correct measurement is important to so many things, especially to our success in our spiritual growth. This morning, I will share what I feel is the recipe for a good day.

Here are the ingredients required: praise, trust, prayer, dependence and contentment and the end result will be peace and joy.


“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1 KJV

“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalm 62:8 KJV

“Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:17

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7 Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” Philippians 4:6-7 CEV

“ I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. 13 Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” Philippians 4:11-13 CEV

and the final ingredient is joy

“You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness.  Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16:11 ERV

Being in the presence of the Lord we will have all we need to live right, to live successfully. Equal parts of praise, trust, dependence, prayer, peace, contentment and joy are the perfect recipe for a good day.

Mix up a big batch of it each day and enjoy the result!

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To the Rescue

For the last three mornings I have awaken with the these words filling my heart, “I will rescue you”.

The words come from a song I hear frequently on Pandora. It’s sung by Lauren Daigle, Rescue.

“I hear you whisper underneath your breath
I hear your SOS, your SOS

I will send out an army to find you
In the middle of the darkest night
It’s true, I will rescue you
I will never stop marching to reach you
In the middle of the hardest fight
It’s true, I will rescue you

I hear the whisper underneath your breath
I hear you whisper you have nothing left

I will send out an army to find you
In the middle of the darkest night
It’s true, I will rescue you
I will never stop marching to reach you
In the middle of the hardest fight
It’s true, I will rescue you

Oh, I will rescue you”

I have dear friends and family who are going through some very trying times. Their emotions are raw, their sleep has been stolen, anxiety is high, and they need to know that the Lord has not abandon them. He’s here saying, “I will rescue you”.

Yesterday I wrote about perspective. David facing Goliath was one of the examples that I used. The odds of success seemed insurmountable in the natural way of thinking. The entire army of Israel had been sidelined with fear.

But God.

” 36 I have killed both a lion and a bear; and as your servant I will kill this uncircumcised Philistine, too, since he has dared to taunt the armies of the living God. 37 The Eternal One, who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine… 45 You come to me carrying a sword and spear and javelin as your weapons, but I come armed with the name of the Eternal One, the Commander of heavenly armies, the True God of the armies of Israel, the One you have insulted. 46 This very day, the Eternal One will give you into my hands. I will strike you down and cut off your head, and I will feed the birds of the air and the wild animals of the fields with the flesh of your Philistine warriors. Then all the land will know the True God is with Israel,” I Samuel 17:35-46 VOICE

David’s enemy was huge, but God was greater. Goliath was an “uncircumcised Philistine”. This phrase is crucial to the story. You see, when God promised Abraham that He would be the God of Abraham’s descendants, the Israelites, the promise was sealed with a blood covenant of circumcision. That way, Israel would always be aware of the promise God had made them.

God has also made a promise to us.

“ 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 4:16 NLV

“I always look to you, because you rescue me from every trap. 16 I am lonely and troubled.
Show that you care and have pity on me.” Psalm 25:15-16 CEV

These are God’s promises. Listen to His words, “I will rescue you!”

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What Do You See?

Perspective! It’s important to keep a proper perspective when going through a tough time. If we begin to look to closely at the situation it will begin to seem overwhelming. It’s important to pull back and look at things the way God’s see them.

The children of Egypt saw a sea too big to cross; God saw a stream and damned it up. Saul’s soldiers saw a giant too big to conquer; David saw a man who was no match for God. Noah saw a world filled with corruption and a devastating flood; God saw a cruise ship of salvation.

What is your perspective? Do you see things as hopeless, do you see defeat?

“God, hear my cry for help. Listen to my prayer. 2 From a faraway land I call to you for help. I feel so weak and helpless! Carry me to a high rock where no one can reach me. 3 You are my place of safety, a strong tower that protects me from my enemies. 4 I want to live in your tent forever. I want to hide where you can protect me. Selah” Psalm 61:1-4 ERV

“I must calm down and turn to God; only he can rescue me. 2 He is my Rock, the only one who can save me. He is my high place of safety, where no army can defeat me.” Psalm 62:1-2 ERV

Satan saw Jesus as a dead man, buried in a tomb but God saw the resurrection!

Don’t be discouraged or disheartened. Put your hope in God!

“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 ERV

What do you see? Keep a godly perspective!

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Sunrise – Sunset

I hope you forgive me for being a little later with my blog this morning. Dave and I have been sitting on the patio, visiting and enjoying our morning coffee. You see, it’s a beautiful morning. 66 degrees, unusually cool for this time of year. The dove, quail, cardinals and sparrows have come to feed and are quite entertaining.

Did you have a good day with your friend, God, yesterday? I did. I’m so glad He’s in control and I’m not.

Every night the stars and the moon come out and every morning the sun comes up. To some that may seem like a monotonous repetition but to me that’s hope!

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

Hope that God is faithful to bring the end to one day and to bring new life to start the next. Without God’s presence we can be without direction and purpose or worse yet we try to become our own god and that means that we are responsible for making everything happen, making everything work out right and it’s simply not in our power to do so.

However, when we give up living for ourselves and find our life in Christ we can have rest from this vicious cycle of dependence on self. In Christ, we are promised a new and abundant life; life filled with joy, peace, love, forgiveness and grace.

“But we know that no one is made right with God by following the law. It is trusting in Jesus Christ that makes a person right with God. So we have put our faith in Christ Jesus, because we wanted to be made right with God. And we are right with him because we trusted in Christ—not because we followed the law. I can say this because no one can be made right with God by following the law…I died to the law so that I could live for God. I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. 20 So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me.” Galatians 2:16-20 ERV

Dave and I were talking about a friend we have who we know would do anything he possibly can for anyone of his friends if they had a need. He’s just that kind of person. If a human can have that kind of character then God definitely can and does.

We should never doubt the kindness and goodness of our heavenly Father. In Christ we have been made right with Him; in Christ we have new life and in Him we have the power to live a life of purpose.

Let the sunrise and the sunset serve as a daily reminder of His faithfulness and His unchanging character.

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Amazing Friend, Amazing Grace

Do you ever just sit and ponder how much God loves you?

At first it can be uncomfortable because your mind will tell you, “He can’t really love you. Look at all you’ve done. God loves people like the pastor, Franklin Graham, Mother Theresa but really, He just puts up with you. He loves you because He loves the world but really, it isn’t anything personal and specific to just you”.

Well, if you’ve ever heard those words or something like that, that’s a lie straight from the pit of hell!

God LOVES you. GOD loves you. God loves YOU! Yes, Jesus loves me – the Bible tells me so!!

As I sit here this morning, once again, soaking in God’s love I felt prompted to re-read one of my favorite chapters in Romans.

“Right With God

5 We have been made right with God because of our faith. So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are very happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory. 3 And we are also happy with the troubles we have. Why are we happy with troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. 4 And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us. We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us.

6 Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.

9 We have been made right with God by the blood sacrifice of Christ. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger. 10 I mean that while we were God’s enemies, he made friends with us through his Son’s death. And the fact that we are now God’s friends makes it even more certain that he will save us through his Son’s life. 11 And not only will we be saved, but we also rejoice right now in what God has done for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is because of Jesus that we are now God’s friends.” Romans 5:1-11 ERV

Right with God, peace with God, loved by God, friends with God. Soak that in! We were once His enemies but now we are His friends, by this God showed how much he loves us.

When I ponder how much the Father loves me I must also stop and consider how He wants me to love my enemies. He loves my enemies and He sees value in them because He created them the same as He did me. The same loving Christ that died for us, died for them.

Knowing God’s love for us will change our hearts to be more loving toward others.

I hope you have time to sit quietly after reading this. Sit quietly and hear our Father whisper in your heart, “I love you. You are my friend!”

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Stand Strong

Today I’m going to ask that you make this blog interactive. At the end of this writing I’m going to ask you to stand up – physically, stand up! Keep that thought in mind and read on.

The Bible is very specific in asking us to stand. We’re going to look at a few of those verses. Knowing where to stand is just as important as standing.

“To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks...13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:10-13 ERV

Life has its battles for sure. But God has given us His promises of strength and power to succeed in the battles and the storms. Jesus compares our lives to a house built on a firm foundation, a house that stands strong in the storms.

“Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. 25 Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it was built on solid rock, and so it did not fall.” Matthew 7:24-25 CEV

The book of Mark tells us about a physical storm that Jesus and the disciples were in. Look at what Jesus did.

“A very bad wind came up on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the boat, and it was almost full of water. 38 Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!”

39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.” Mark 4:37-39 CEV

Here we see physical winds and waves, like the ones that were beating against the house on the rock. Jesus STOOD UP and took control. The wind ceased and the waves subsided.

Now, I have one more set of verses to share with you before we take our stand.

“I pray that his Spirit will make you become strong followers 17 and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love.” Ephesians 3:16-17 CEV

We are never asked to stand in our own strength. We are to stand on God’s word, in the armor He provides and to stand firm in His love!

Our Father will never leave us to stand alone. Physical storms or spiritual attacks we can be victorious. Now, join me and Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus!

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Knock – The Door Will Open

I posted this picture on my Facebook page five years ago.

It’s the front gate of our home, at that time, in Rio Rico. It was a quaint and cozy home. Nothing fancy but it was home.

There was a latch on the gate, had to keep the javelina, snakes and coyotes out but it was never locked. Everyone was welcome.

When I posted the picture of friend of mine added her comment of “knock and the door will open”. That’s for sure!

“Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 8 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.” Matthew 7:7-8 ERV

These were Jesus’ words as he taught the multitude about prayer.

Our Father in heaven isn’t holding out on us as some think. No, on the contrary He is wanting to give us His very best.

“You people are so bad (or natural)*, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him” Matthew 7:11 ERV *explanation is mine

Prayer is not about begging – it’s asking in confidence because we know our Father’s character.

A few months back I shared with you the words to a song that meant a lot to me when I was in my teens. It’s appropriate to share it again. “Welcome to My World”

“Welcome to my world
Won’t you come on in?
Miracles, I guess
Still happen now and then

Step into my heart
Leave your cares behind
Welcome to my world
Built with you in mind

Knock and the door will open
Seek and you will find
Ask and you’ll be given
The key to this world of mine

I’ll be waiting here
With my arms unfurled
Waiting just for you
Welcome to my world (welcome to my world)”

A secular song with a Biblical message.

“ So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things.” Romans 8:31-32 ERV

I’m here to tell you when we knock the Father opens. He never leaves His children waiting on the outside. He’s there welcoming us. Welcoming us to His world!


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In A Nut Shell

Each day I am thankful that God has allowed me to share His word with you. I don’t know where I would be without the Father’s love or His wonderful love letter, His Word! In fact, I don’t even want to think about what my life would be like without Him.

In a nutshell – God’s Word has brought me forgiveness of sins, health to my body, peace to my soul, healing for my children. He has enriched my marriage, provided wisdom when my human intellect was lacking, protection in physical and emotional storms and safety in the face of danger. God’s promises let me know that He will always supply and He always has.

I saw in God’s word that He has made provision for more than just eternal life and that He wanted me to live victoriously while I was here on earth. That’s why I share with you.

“I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NLV

All of God’s promises are the same. His Word is for everyone but we don’t all see the same results. Why? We must appropriate what God has given us; simply put we must believe it regardless of how we feel or what circumstances tell us we should believe.

There have been days that I wake up and don’t feel very saved; but my salvation isn’t founded on my feelings, it’s based on God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice. There are days that I wake up and may not feel healed, but I am because it’s based on God’s promise and Jesus’ sacrifice.

“He forgives all my sins. He heals all my diseases.” Psalms 103:3 NLV

The circumstances said there wasn’t enough lunch to feed 5000 men with five loaves and two fish but the blessing of God flowed and there was more than enough. The medical world said nothing could be done for the woman with the issue of blood but just one touch brought healing to her body. Yes, the word of God changes our circumstances when we believe; it’s called faith! Not faith in ourselves, but faith in God’s unchanging, unfailing love.

Let the words of David’s Psalm be real in your life today.

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. 2 I say to the LORD, ‘You are my place of safety, my fortress, My God, I trust in you.‘ 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. 4 You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield...14 The Lord says, ‘If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help. 15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. 16 I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save.” Psalm 91 ERV

The Lord placed a capacity for faith in our hearts. Even when our faith is the size of a mustard seed, that’s smaller than a nutshell, it’s a powerful force.

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Freedom

Each morning I rise with gratitude in my heart.

Thankful for God’s love, the sacrifice of Jesus when He paid the price for my sins and the Holy Spirit who dwells in me, guiding my life.

I’m also thankful for the freedom we have in this nation. So much to be thankful for, so much to appreciate. God has blessed us so much in this country of ours…its great to have these days of Independence, reflecting on the sacrifice of so many and remembering that the fireworks are a symbol of cannon fire and rifle blasts. The sounds of freedom!

I am eternally grateful for the freedom from the wages of sin. I have this freedom because Jesus chose to die for me! Unconditional love and a gift of mercy!

” In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God. 2 Yes, in the past your lives were full of those sins. You lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil power] that are above the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God. 3 In the past all of us lived like that, trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. Like everyone else in the world, we deserved to suffer God’s anger just because of the way we were.

4 But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.)” Ephesians 2:1-5 ERV

Each day I am thankful for the “But God” that is in Scripture. “But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much”. God’s love is greater than our transgressions. His mercy and grace eliminate the penalty that we should have to pay for our sins. That freedom comes to us from Christ.

“ So if the Son makes you free, you are really free.” John 8:36 ERV

Free from a guilty conscience, free from past failures and shortcomings. Free from the power of sin and death.

“If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin.” Romans 8:1-3 CEV

There it is again…But God. He set us free!

As our nation is set to celebrate our independence as a country, make it a day to celebrate your freedom in Christ!

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Noises that Go Boom!

Last night was a night of very little sleep. Right before bed, I read a “Breaking Now” news story. Two firefighters were killed, and one was wounded by a sniper! This was in a town we used to call home, Couer d’Alene, Idaho.

I wondered if we knew these men and/or their families. I prayed for them, their families, the other first responders, and the community. It was hard to sleep and when I awaken at 1 p.m. I was prompted to pray more. I ask you to pray for that city and all involved today.

With that being said, this morning I recycled a blog from 8 or 9 years ago. It’s one on driving out the loud noise of fear…

“I was reminded of this experience that I had several years back while we were in Iowa watching the fireworks. It was a nice display – I had a perfect spot from the porch of our RV. But Glory, our Australian Shepherd, was not getting the same enjoyment I was.

As long as she sat in my lap and I was patting her, she was ok. She didn’t realize that there was nothing to harm her and that soon, very soon, it would all be over. Her perspective was skewed but she knew she would be ok because I would protect her.

It made me think of how unfounded my fears have been. Most things are only loud noises when put in perspective with God’s word and His goodness, grace, mercy and power (the true light). In a few short days I will be celebrating my 64th birthday. (Now to be 72.) The years have flown by, and I feel the best is still ahead – the best years with my husband, my children, my friends, and my God!

There’s an old song – The Longer I Serve Him the Sweeter He Grows! Yes, I can say God is always faithful! Always!

Me, on the other hand, I can use some work. So many times, I thought I knew best and had the perfect plan. I got out into a place of loud booming noises that frightened me. I was sure I would be destroyed. I would come back and cuddle in close and I would feel God’s reassuring hand and hear His voice telling me it would be ok, “I’m here”. And yes, it was soon over, and it was ok.

Moses was giving instruction to the Israelites and to Joshua right before they crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Moses told them that he would not be going with them; he had led them for 40 years and now it was time for someone new to take charge. They were to follow Joshua.

“ Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 30:6-8 KJV

Be of “Good” courage.

Good courage is God based, and it will drive out fear. John wrote in I John 4 that perfect love casts out fear.

When we are secure in God’s love for us, knowing that He will never leave us or abandon us, we will be strong with “good” courage even in the face of fierce battles and opponents that are big as giants.

Look at what Moses says in verse 8; He WILL be with thee, He WILL NOT fail or forsake thee, fear NOT!

I don’t know what loud noises you are facing today but when you are letting the Lord lead you can have “good courage”, and you’ll hear His voice telling you He’s there and you can trust Him to protect.

Let the light in your eyes be the light of His glorious presence and then there will be no reason to fear!

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