Category: Encouragement

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A Strong Heart

So many advertisements and commercials encourage us to be “heart smart”. I agree we should, but it won’t come from eating a certain cereal, taking a low grain aspirin every day, or any other thing that man can advertise.

To truly have a strong heart we must take a good dose of Scripture every day.

“Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.” I Kings 8:61

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

We should be trusting the Lord always and letting him direct our paths. He will keep us from accidentally running off course and colliding with discouragement, depression, anger and bitterness.

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

The Lord will strengthen our hearts when we feel emotionally drained and unable to go on. He came to heal the broken-hearted.

“ The Spirit of the Lord is on Me. He has put His hand on Me to preach the Good News to poor people. He has sent Me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent Me to tell those who are being held that they can go free. He has sent Me to make the blind to see and to free those who are held because of trouble. 19 He sent Me to tell of the time when men can receive favor with the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19 NLV

What we believe can either cause our hearts to fail or to be encouraged.

“If you openly say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from death, you will be saved. 10 Yes, we believe in Jesus deep in our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we openly say that we believe in him, and so we are saved. 11 Yes, the Scriptures say, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.'” Romans 10:9-11 ERV

Never disappointed – now that’s an amazing promise! I can honestly say I have not attained that, yet. I deal with disappointments some are just temporary, but others remain for a while and really increase my dependency on Jesus.

“ 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

Our Father desires to fill us with hope, joy and peace. He will as we trust Him, keep your heart strong.

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A Morning Prayer

So often as I read through Scripture, I find prayers that seem to be offered in the morning. For me, that’s the best way to start the day – in prayer!

Today, I found one that I don’t remember reading before.

“But Lord, be merciful to us,
    for we have waited for you.
Be our strong arm each day (morning)*
    and our salvation in times of trouble.
3 The enemy runs at the sound of your voice.
    When you stand up, the nations flee!
4 Just as caterpillars and locusts strip the fields and vines,
    so the fallen army of Assyria will be stripped!

5 Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven,
    he will make Jerusalem his home of justice and righteousness.
6 In that day he will be your sure foundation,
    providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
    The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.” Isaiah 33:2-6 NLT

*(day is translated morning in many other versions)

“Make us strong each morning, and come to save us when we are in trouble.” Is. 33:2 CEV

How many mornings do I wake up knowing I need strength for the day? More than I care to count.

Some days it’s physical strength and others it’s mental or emotional strength that I know I need.

This prayer paints an interesting word picture for us.

When the Lord speaks on our behalf our enemies run at the sound of His voice. Like caterpillars and locust strip a field the Lord strips the power and authority of those who try to cause us harm.

Amazing!

Have you ever seen the blight that locust cause to a field or the destruction that a hungry caterpillar makes in a garden? Locust strip every leaf from the stalk and caterpillars eat so many holes in the plant that they are unproductive.

Now imagine our Father, the Lord of hosts, sending out that kind of destruction against our enemy, the devil, with His words.

“In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.” Isaiah 33:6

In what day? In that day, the day the Lord lifts his voice against those things that are harassing and intimidating us, we will be on a sure foundation that provides us with salvation, wisdom and knowledge. Our commitment to the Lord will be our treasure.

It’s faith in God’s word that brings us victory, the victory that overcomes the world.

I think this would be a good prayer to start each morning, how about you?

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Needing Water?

Living in the desert I have learned to be observant of the cacti. They stress when they go too long without rain. Prickly Pear start to droop. Even the giant saguaros become thinner.

Heat! Dry heat!

Everything now is waiting for the summer monsoons to come so that they are refreshed. It’s amazing what a little water does to restore life in the desert.

Those of you in the mid-West and the East might have high temperatures but it is also accompanied with high humidity. I’ve been in Iowa when it was 95 degrees with 95% humidity. WOW! That will take your breath away but it’s great for growing corn and soy beans.

Growth requires both warmth and moisture.

We are a lot like that. Have you felt like you were going through a “desert summer” season in life? Everything around you seems to be drying up – scorched, dry, cracked. Is there any relief in sight?

There is!

“I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born. Israel, don’t be terrified. You are my chosen servant, my very favorite. 3 I will bless the thirsty land by sending streams of water; I will bless your descendants by giving them my Spirit. 4 They will spring up like grass or like willow trees near flowing streams. 5 They will worship me and become my people. They will write my name on the back of their hands. 6 I am the Lord All-Powerful, the first and the last, the one and only God. Israel, I have rescued you! I am your King.” Isaiah 44:2-6 CEV

Jesus made this comment:

“Those who are hungry and thirsty to be right with God are happy, because they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 NLV

When we are thirsty for the Father and all of His goodness, we will be filled, just like the desert landscape that drinks in the moisture after a rain. We are refreshed and we blossom.

“Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. 2 But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. 3 This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him.” Psalm 1:1-3 NLV

It’s amazing how often we can find references to dryness and be refreshed in Scripture if we look for it.

“He lets me rest in fields of green grass. He leads me beside the quiet waters.” Psalm 23:2 NLV

If you’re feeling dry and thirsty today ask the Lord to refresh you with the Living Water that only He can give!

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Sound the Alarm

What do a beeping smoke alarm and the early morning hours have in common? Nothing good!!!

Why is it that smoke detectors always seem to wait until the wee hours to chirp or in this case beep intermittently? Trying to tell us it’s time to change the battery but it’s unsettling to say the least…

Isn’t that the way it is with “warning” devices? They interrupt the normal flow – they come with annoying sounds that set us on edge and that is their purpose. A warning has to be something loud or out of the ordinary so that we stop, look and listen!

The same is true in spiritual things. God gives warnings.

He sent Moses to the pharaoh; Noah preached to the world before the flood; Daniel’s dream foretold the fall of the Medo-Persian empire; Jesus came preaching salvation and the end of the age!

“Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, ‘When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?’

4 Jesus answered: Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people. 6 You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. 7 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.

9 You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10 Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12 Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13 But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14 When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.” Matthew 24:3-14 ERV

“The Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe. They will obey spirits that tell lies. And they will follow the teachings of demons. 2 Those teachings come through people who tell lies and trick others. These evil people cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is like their conscience has been destroyed with a hot iron.” I Timothy 4:1-2 ERV

Things are happening all around us; things around the world and even in our own country and states are alarming. However, we have no need to fear or be in distress.

“Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up tall and don’t be afraid. Know that it is almost time for God to free you!” Luke 21:27-28 ERV

The good news is this. The warning signs are given so we won’t lose hope, so we won’t give up. The alarms are sounding. It’s time to look up, the day of His coming is soon!

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Positive Affirmation

Lately we have ordered quite a bit of stuff on line and each day after I receive my delivery confirmation I receive an email asking for my feedback. It seems the whole country needs positive affirmation.

We read the warnings on how hard social media can be for our young people. Not enough friends, not enough likes, too many bad comments and their worlds fall apart. But we adults fall prey to that thinking as well.

We wondered why we didn’t have more people like a picture or comment on something we’ve posted. When the numbers aren’t what we think they should be we wonder if anyone is even interested in us anymore.

Each morning when I open the app for writing my blog the first page it opens too is the stat page. This page tells me how many people read or clicked through on my blog from the day before. Let me tell you, some days the numbers aren’t great. In fact, there has been an occasion or two when I’ve wondered if I should keep writing each day.

Now before you think I’m seeking positive affirmation, let me stop you. The moment that thought comes into my mind I replace it with this:

“ Whatever you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3:17 NLV

His is the only positive affirmation I need!

I know the Lord called me to do this blog and I will keep doing it until He tells me to stop. Readership doesn’t matter, presenting you with the life-changing, positive, confidence building, encouraging, correcting, love of God is my soul goal and purpose.

“The Lord came to us from far away, saying, “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 NLV

When we put our faith and trust in Christ, receiving Him as our Savior, we have all the positive affirmation we need. He will not leave us, He gives us strength, He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death fearlessly.

There is no one, no number of likes, no amount of hearts to our comments that can ever outweigh the love of the One who gave His life for us!

Now this comes from a reformed people pleaser. I used to need all the affirmation and kind words and acceptance I could get. It was a death sentence to my soul. Then I found that in Christ I had been accepted and that’s all I needed.

“God already planned to have us as His own children. This was done by Jesus Christ. In His plan God wanted this done. 6 We thank God for His loving-favor to us. He gave this loving-favor to us through His much-loved Son. 7 Because of the blood of Christ, we are bought and made free from the punishment of sin. And because of His blood, our sins are forgiven. His loving-favor to us is so rich.” Ephesians 1:507 NLV

You have been affirmed! God loves you and has chosen you as His own. That’s more than enough!

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Without A Limp

A few days ago, while working outside, I tripped and fell. When Dave helped me up, I could see and feel that my right knee took the brunt of the impact.

For the last week and a half we have been working outside in the cool of the morning. We were almost done and in the process of some clean up. We had laid a ladder down on the patio, it needed to be washed and put away.

I had walked around it several times but this time I forgot it was there. Distracted with something else, it caught the toe of my shoe, I lost my balance and fell forward. I landed hard with my knee hitting the ladder and then the concrete. I was less than graceful.

My knee began swelling immediately – the body’s way of providing protection to the injured part. I pushed myself to finish a couple of small chores and then came in to ice and elevate it. My body was sore and so was my ego. How could I have been so unaware?

Each step the last couple of days, my body has reminded me that I needed to go slow and not overdo. I have done so and this morning when I woke 95% of the pain and stiffness is gone and only a little bruising is left.

It was nice to walk around without a limp and feel back to normal. God has designed our bodies with the amazing ability to heal and regenerate itself.

But it’s not just this physical body, the ability to heal also applies to the spiritual body, the Body of Christ.

“Our own body has many parts. When all these many parts are put together, they are only one body. The body of Christ is like this…14 The body is not one part, but many parts. 15 If the foot should say, ‘I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,’ that would not stop it from being a part of the body. 16 If the ear should say, ‘I am not a part of the body because I am not an eye,’ that would not stop it from being a part of the body…18 But God has put all the parts into the body just as He wants to have them. 19 If all the parts were the same, it could not be a body. 20 But now there are many parts, but one body…24 The parts that can be seen do not need as much care. God has made the body so more care is given to the parts that need it most. 25 This is so the body will not be divided into parts. All the parts care for each other. 26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. If one part is given special care, the other parts are happy. 27 You are all a part of the body of Christ.” I Corinthians 12:13-17 NLV

If one part of the body hurts the other parts hurt with it.

As Christians we are all a part of the body of Christ and when you hurt, I should feel your pain and come to your aide. That’s what it means to be part of His body. We all share in the process of healing.

If you hurt and hide it, I can’t come to your assistance. If I am self-centered I may be judgmental and unwilling to help. Neither condition is of Christ’s choosing.

Let’s all take an active part in seeing that the Body of Christ stays healthy and whole!

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Light in the Darkness

What do you do on an Arizona afternoon when it’s too hot to go outside and work on anything?

Well, if you’re retired, like Dave and I, you have a nice lunch and watch a movie. Yesterday’s movie is titled, Unbroken. It’s based on the true story of a young man who excelled in long distance running, qualified for the Olympics, enlisted in the Army in WWII, was a bombardier, spent over a month in a life raft in the Pacific, was rescued by Japanese and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner.

It wasn’t a light-hearted Hallmark movie.

At one point, he was imprisoned in a cell that had no light. I don’t know how many days he was there, but the movie showed him screaming out in the darkness. It was almost more than he could handle. This is what I was thinking about this morning when I woke up.

The darkness. Fighting the darkness.

“You save those who are suffering, but You bring low those who have pride in their eyes. 28 You make my lamp bright. The Lord my God lights my darkness.” Psalm 18:27-28 NLV

“The Lord is my light and the One Who saves me. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom should I be afraid? 2 When sinful men, and all who hated me, came against me to destroy my flesh, they tripped and fell. 3 Even if an army gathers against me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if war rises against me, I will be sure of You.” Psalm 27:1-3 NLV

I don’t believe I will ever experience that type of darkness but, in life, we all face circumstantial darkness. For some its prejudice while others face the death of a loved one. Some face the relational darkness of loneliness and depression, many fall into the dark place of long-term illness and pain. And then there is the dark prison cell of financial destruction.

No matter the darkness, each one of us has the promise of God that He will be our light in the darkness! Amen and amen.

Going over all this I heard the words of a song I sang as a child: I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.

1 I don’t know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Refrain:
Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.

3 I don’t know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I’m covered with His blood. [Refrain]

I pray these words bring light to your dark places. Remember Jesus said, “I AM the light of the world”.

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Under the Circumstances

Too many times people become overwhelmed by the circumstances that surround them. I remember once I taught a ladies Bible Study on “Are You Under the Circumstances or A World Overcomer?”

This was a six week study so suffice it to say that I won’t be doing the full teaching here…

The enemy tries to get us to focus on the circumstances. Daniel had to face lions, David went up against a giant, Peter was in a small boat on a stormy sea, Paul was shipwrecked, beaten, bitten by a poisonous snake, stoned and imprisoned.

However, I continually find myself going back to these verses and principles, putting myself in remembrance of what God says my life should be. The Father wants us to look up, above the circumstances, to His promises, power and peace.

“I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4 NKJV

“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 5:4-5 CEV

So when you are feeling overwhelmed or under the circumstances do what King David said.

“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.” Psalm 61:1-3 ERV

I can almost hear someone say, “that’s fine and good for you but my lifestyle isn’t close to God. He probably doesn’t want anything to do with me and wouldn’t help me if I asked.”

Let me remind you of a young man who felt that way about his father. He had squandered his money – lived with prostitutes, gamblers and didn’t care about anyone but himself. Then when he got to the bottom, he thought he would try to go home and work as a hired hand.

The Father had other plans. He saw his son coming from a long way, ran to him, hugged and kissed him and restored him to right standing. And so, He WILL do it for you too.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the world instead overcome it in Jesus!

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Time Away

We just returned home after being gone for 5 days. What a good trip!

The last couple of days we were back on the mountain. For two years we had been camp hosts at Rainbow Campground on Big Lake in the Arizona White Mountains. This year we made a tough decision and were not able to return.

We miss the serenity of mountain life and the dear friends we have there. Everything we do is dependent upon God’s times and seasons.

“Everything on earth
has its own time
    and its own season.
2 There is a time
for birth and death,
    planting and reaping,
3 for killing and healing,
    destroying and building,
4 for crying and laughing,
    weeping and dancing,
5 for throwing stones
and gathering stones,
    embracing and parting.
6 There is a time
for finding and losing,
    keeping and giving,
7 for tearing and sewing,
    listening and speaking.
8 There is also a time
for love and hate,
    for war and peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 CEV

The embracing and parting are hard. We spent time with some friends we have known for many years and also with some who we only been acquainted with for a few years. It was a time of refreshing and catching up. There were tears and laughter, promises to meet again and always – always – an expression of gratitude for the Lord bringing our lives together.

What a joy it is to know that the Lord cares about our associations and friendships.

“Jonathan liked David so much that they promised to always be loyal friends.” I Samuel 18:3 CEV

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Psalm 37:23-24 NLT

Last night after we returned home Dave and I began to call out names of so many who have been a part of our lives and we know how truly rich we are in the area of relationships.

I am truly grateful for each of you who read this blog. I feel the Lord has blessed me in such a tremendous way, being able to share with you my walk with the Lord and to encourage you in your walk with Him as well.

Thank you for being faithful readers and precious friends, some we know and some we have yet to meet.

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How Soon We Forget

It’s good to reminisce. It brings special memories to the forefront of our minds. Some things we should never forget. God’s faithfulness comes to the top of my list.

The wonderful things the Lord has done for us in the past sometimes get lost in our memory when we focus on the problems of the present. It’s a form of spiritual amnesia.

The Israelites had lived in slavery to the Egyptians for four hundred years. The Lord sent Moses to lead them from captivity. The power of God was seen in the ten plagues that fell on the land of Egypt. Finally, Pharoah let God’s people go.

But it didn’t take long for him to reconsider his decision.

“When the Israelites saw the king coming with his army, they were frightened and begged the Lord for help. 11 They also complained to Moses, ‘Wasn’t there enough room in Egypt to bury us? Is that why you brought us out here to die in the desert? Why did you bring us out of Egypt anyway? 12 While we were there, didn’t we tell you to leave us alone? We’d rather be slaves in Egypt than die in this desert!’

13 But Moses answered, ‘Don’t be afraid! Be brave, and you will see the Lord save you today. These Egyptians will never bother you again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t have to do a thing.’” Exodus 14:10-14 CEV

They forgot that God was defending and protecting them but thank God, He didn’t. He told Moses to keep moving forward. Then Moses was to stretch out his rod and the Red Sea would part so they could walk across on dry ground. And the rest is history. This miracle was something Moses would remind them of for the next forty years.

For a number of years, I worked in an animal hospital. Each year we would see the same dogs for porcupine quill removal. The first year I assisted with the quill removal I was amazed at how the dog’s chest, mouth, and muzzle was filled with quills. Some cases were so severe that we would have to sedate the dog to get them all. Then Doc said an interesting thing, “we’ll see this dog back again next year for the same thing”, and sure enough we did. You see there was a partial memory loss, amnesia. The dogs remembered the porcupine but forgot the horrible experience of the quills.

Pharaoh quickly forgot the pain of the plagues and only saw that his work force of slaves was fleeing. The Israelites forgot their 400 years of slavery and God’s deliverance and could only see the trouble of the pursuing Egyptians.

But, Moses remembered GOD! Today I encourage you to remember God.

“God gave his Law to Jacob’s descendants, the people of Israel. And he told our ancestors to teach their children, 6 so that each new generation would know his Law and tell it to the next. 7 Then they would trust God and obey his teachings, without forgetting anything God had done.” Psalm 78:5-7 CEV

Let’s not forget those big and small things God has done for us in the past. They are the foundation of faith we stand on for our present and our future.

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