Category: Encouragement

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The Peace Giver

Last night sleep eluded me. That happens sometimes and I don’t really know why. Maybe it was that way for you too.

I wasn’t worried about anything, nothing seemed wrong but still sleep didn’t come. My heart was at rest even though my body wasn’t.

I realized, again, how fortunate I am to have a peaceful heart. I don’t need to count sheep; I am able to count blessings. The peace of God rules and it brings amazing strength to my soul.

“ I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. 29 I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.” John 14:27-29 NLT

What a wonderful gift! Peace of mind and heart. Jesus was speaking to His apostles just hours before His crucifixion and His concern was for their peace, He wanted them free from fear.

That Apostle Paul put it this way.

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 NLT

There it is again – peace of mind and heart!

Our lives are bombarded with turmoil – we have an enemy who is out to steal, kill and destroy but we have One who is greater, and He is the giver of peace! We can either give in to fear or we can take heart and overcome.

“ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT

Take heart.

Yesterday I had my annual physical and yes, I’m fit. However, I have an issue when my blood pressure is taken. At home it’s normal, at the doctor’s office it’s high. The doctor kindly said, “Let’s do that again. Let your heart rest”. I did and it came down.

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

Today, let your heart rest. Embrace God’s peace of mind and heart. Then let Him use you to spread peace to others.

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Grateful for You

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.” Philippians 1:3-5 NLT

Last night was one of those times when I just lay awake praying. I started by telling the Father how thankful I was for my family, praying for each one of them by name. Lifting their concerns and needs in prayer and thanking Him for the joy of each relationship.

From there it led to our closest friends – with the same prayer – again praying for each one by name. Recalling the sweet times we’ve shared and those that were bathed in tears. I told the Fath” er for every name that came to mind I would pray.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians 6:18 NLT

With sixty-nine years of life, there were a lot of names, a lot of friends. There are friends who have lost their mates and parents in the last ten years. I prayed for them in a special way.

And then there are most of you. Since I don’t know most of you personally I prayed for you and the different states across the nation that you live in.

Friends who faithfully share your mornings with me. Friends that I have yet to meet face-to-face. If I were to meet you today I would hug your neck, squeeze your hand, look you in the eye and say thank you. I would pray with you and when our time together came to an end I would hug you again, kiss your cheek and tell you I love you. I really do.

I am grateful for you dear ones. You encourage me with your comments, with your “likes” and your “loves”. I’m praying for you!

The Apostle Paul said “you have been my partners” and you have. A number of you have told me that you share my blog with your family and friends because some days it’s just what “they” need to hear.

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Colossians 1:9 NLT

My desire, each morning, is to encourage you with God’s love and goodness. I pray that you find strength to face each day with strength and not fear. I want each of you to know the depth of God’s love for you.

“ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” II Peter 1:3-4 NLT

You aren’t insignificant. God loves you and I am grateful that I get to share that with you. I am truly grateful for you!

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Freely Forgiven

The Bible’s stories are not about perfect people, far from it. It is written about God’s forgiveness, His complete forgiveness.

Yesterday morning I was reading the words from Nehemiah expressing God’s mercy and forgiveness. For years they had lived their lives in captivity. They were strangers in a foreign land, Jerusalem had been destroyed but now they had been freed to go back and rebuild.

The Israelites were a stubborn, rebellious people. They had God’s promise constant protection and provision but that wasn’t good enough. They wanted to do things their own way, and when they did, they ignored God’s laws and stepped outside of His protection. They did this numerous times; each time was the same.

They would go their own way, get in to trouble and be overrun by other nations, they would call out to God in repentance, and He would deliver them and restore them.

“ But they, our fathers, acted with pride. They became strong-willed and would not listen to Your Words. 17 They would not listen, and did not remember Your powerful works which You had done among them. So they became strong-willed and chose a leader to return to their hard work in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God. You are kind and loving, slow to anger, and full of loving-kindness. You did not leave them…19 But You, in Your great loving-kindness, did not leave them in the desert…21 For forty years You kept them alive in the desert and gave them everything they needed. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not become sore.” Nehemiah 9:16-21 NLV

Before we get too critical of their actions, we need to recognize that we often follow the same pattern. Even Peter, who had followed Jesus for three years, denied he knew Christ on the night of trial and sentencing. Peter’s final words to Jesus were that he would never leave His side. But his last words about Jesus denied his association with the Savior.

But God, who is rich in mercy, is always ready to forgive. God is good!

“ But God had so much loving-kindness. He loved us with such a great love. 5 Even when we were dead because of our sins, He made us alive by what Christ did for us. You have been saved from the punishment of sin by His loving-favor.” Ephesians 2:4-5 NLV

Someone needs to hear this today. Is that someone you? You have been struggling in your walk with Christ, you feel God has given up on you. You’ve even asked, “can God forgive me, I’ve failed so many times?”.

The answer is a resounding YES!

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:12-13 NLT

“‘Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do.'” Acts 13:38 NLT

You and I are included in “everyone”. We are made right in God’s sight; we are freely forgiven, and I am very grateful for that.

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Grateful for The Name

Have you ever wondered why we pray “In Jesus Name”? It’s not a religious chant by any means. There is power in the name of Jesus and He has given us permission to use His name and invoke that power.

“You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” John 14:13-14 NLT

Jesus’ motives were pure. He only wanted one thing to be the center focus of His life, He always wanted to bring honor to the Father. He has given us the right to use the power in His name to do the same.

“After He became a man, He gave up His important place and obeyed by dying on a cross. 9 Because of this, God lifted Jesus high above everything else. He gave Him a name that is greater than any other name. 10 So when the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow down before Him. 11 And every tongue will say Jesus Christ is Lord. Everyone will give honor to God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11 NLV

A few days ago, a friend of mine put the lyrics to a song on her page. The song is a powerful one and I will put the lyrics here but I will also include the link to a YouTube video where the song is being sung. Read the lyrics and listen to the song, let it speak to your heart and bring power to your life. In Jesus Name, (God of Possible).

“I speak the name of Jesus over you
In your hurting, in your sorrow
I will ask my God to move
I speak the name ’cause it’s all that I can do
In desperation, I’ll seek Heaven
And pray this for you

I pray for your healing
That circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name, in Jesus name

I speak the name of all authority
Declaring blessings, every promise
He is faithful to keep
I speak the name no grave could ever hold
He is greater, He is stronger
He’s the God of possible

I pray for your healing
That circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name
In Jesus name

Come believe it
Come receive it
Oh, the power of His Spirit is now forever yours
Come believe it
Come receive it
In the mighty name of Jesus, all things are possible

I pray for your healing
That circumstances will change
I pray that the fear inside will flee in Jesus name
I pray that a breakthrough
Would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus name
I pray for revival
For restoration of faith
I pray that the dead will come alive in Jesus name
In Jesus name”

Songwriters: Jeff Pardo, Ethan Hulse, David Andrew Spencer, Katy Nichole. For non-commercial use only.

I will be grateful forever for the Name of Jesus!

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Grateful for Home

We sure enjoyed our time in California at our granddaughter’s wedding. Last night I was telling someone how good it was to see all seven of our grandkids and our great granddaughter. We treasure those times but it’s always good to be home.

Visiting friends and family is nice. The love, the laughter, the sweet memories shared. Away is good but home is better!

Jesus knew that feeling. When He said these words, He had been on earth thirty-three years and soon He would be going home!

“Jesus said, ‘Don’t be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.’

5 Thomas said, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’

6 Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.'” John 14:1-6 ERV

Imagine Jesus’ disappointment. He has lived and worked with these men side-by-side for 3 years and as He talks to them about His leaving, His home going, they act as if they have no understanding of who He really is and what He came to do.

Sometimes we act the same way. When we see what’s going on around us are we at peace or do our hearts have fear and anxiety? Jesus told his disciples – Do not worry and the Apostle Paul says the same thing.

 “Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 ERV

Life on earth may seem like days of wandering, like camping. There will come a day that the campout is over, and we will all arrive at our forever home. Since we belong to Christ, we have God’s promise of peace here and a home custom-built for us in heaven.

“Abraham lived in the country that God promised to give him. He lived there like a visitor who did not belong. He did this because he had faith. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who also received the same promise from God. 10 Abraham was waiting for the city that has real foundations. He was waiting for the city that is planned and built by God.” Hebrews 11:9-10 ERV

God is good! I am so grateful to know that someday I’ll be going home!

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Good To All

Here we are about ready to step into November. The month when kids look forward to a few extra days out of school, when Moms look forward to having family “home for the holidays”, and Dads await the football games.

It seems there is something for everyone to anticipate. But there is also something for everyone to experience. No, it’s not the joy of having too much turkey and pumpkin pie. It’s not the smell of fresh baked rolls or green bean casserole or mashed potatoes and gravy.

It’s a different kind of yummy goodness. It’s the goodness of God.

All year long I indulge in this goodness and never gain a pound. I have been reading this chapter in Psalms daily for over twenty thirty-five years. This one Psalm talks about God’s goodness for ALL. As you read it this morning, I want you to stop each time you read the word “all” and say that’s for me, because it is.

“The Lord is full of loving-favor and pity, slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all. And His loving-kindness is over all His works. 10 All Your works will give thanks to You, O Lord. And all those who belong to You will honor You. 11 They will speak of the shining-greatness of Your holy nation, and talk of Your power. 12 They will make Your powerful acts and the great power of Your holy nation known to the sons of men. 13 Your holy nation is a nation that lasts forever. And Your rule lasts for all time.

14 The Lord holds up all who fall. He raises up all who are brought down. 15 The eyes of all look to You. And You give them their food at the right time. 16 You open Your hand and fill the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 19 He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The Lord takes care of all who love Him. But He will destroy all the sinful. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord. And all flesh will honor His holy name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:8-21 NLV

That’s a whole lot of ALL! No one is left out; God’s love is all-inclusive. If you’re not sure of God’s love and goodness toward you, I encourage you to go back and read those verses again or maybe you will be like me and now begin to read them every day.

Now say with me, God is good to all and that means God is good to me!

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A Clean Slate

There are somethings from my growing up that today’s generation and future generations will never know about or understand.

Things like stick-shift standard transmissions, rotary dial phones, Mighty Mouse, Flipper and cleaning chalkboards. The last was a favorite of mine – getting to erase the boards, wipe it all clean but the best part was having the teacher hand me that big chamois eraser that not only removed the chalk writing but also the residue chalk dust. It took the board back to new, as if nothing had ever been written on it before.

All the handwriting had been blotted out.

Do you realize that’s what Jesus’ sacrifice does for us? It has completely blotted out all our sins, our faults and failures. All evidence of our past has been removed from God’s sight. He sees us completely cleansed. A whole new person.

“Our sins are washed away and we are made clean because Christ gave His own body as a gift to God. He did this once for all time.” Hebrews 10:10 NLV

There may be some of you, like me, who have lived with a guilty conscience for years. I was so ashamed of some of the things I have done and didn’t feel I would ever be good enough to really experience total forgiveness. Complete peace with God.

But one day I heard a preacher say, “If you’re battling with your past, quit! Jesus paid the price for your guilt. Forgiveness is a free gift. Your sins have been blotted out”.

“God raised us up from death when He raised up Christ Jesus. He has given us a place with Christ in the heavens. 7 He did this to show us through all the time to come the great riches of His loving-favor. He has shown us His kindness through Christ Jesus. 8 For by His loving-favor you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God.” Ephesians 2:6-8 NLV

That was a turning point for me. I didn’t have to look back any longer. I could look forward, with joy, for all that God had done and was going to do in my life.

“When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 MSG

 “I will not remember their sins and wrong-doings anymore.” Hebrews 10:17 NLV

The slate wiped cleaned. That was something I really had to let the Lord make a part of my thinking. He didn’t remember my past but I did. The more I focused on His word and the promises of forgiveness the less I thought about my past. Forever cleansed became a life-changing truth.

God has given me a clean slate. Completely forgiven. He has chosen to forget my sins and wrong-doings and He’s done the same for you.

Everyday I am thankful for a clean slate!

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Grateful for God’s Love

I hope you are looking forward to these morning blogs as we continue to focus on “God is Good”!

This morning I have a couple more verses I want us to learn from but before that let me tell you a story about our kids when they were little.

We didn’t want them growing up to be critical or judgmental. We tried to teach them that every person had value and purpose. After all, God is the giver of all life. We might not like what someone does but that doesn’t give us reason to become bitter, resentful or critical.

We told them they needed to look for something good or nice to say about everyone, even if all they could find to say was “they have clean fingernails”. And then we would laugh. Yes, that’s an obscure quality but at least it was something positive and it got them looking for the good in people.

“God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. 10 Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other. 12  No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is truly in our hearts.” I John 4:9-12 CEV

Each person we meet or deal with on a daily basis was created and loved by God. In God’s sight, they are no less lovable than you or I. As the verses above say real love, true love, isn’t our love for God but His love for us.

God’s love for us is unconditional. Even in our sin He loved us and made provision for our salvation. His desire is to have all people, everywhere reconciled to Himself. We may all be surprised when we get to heaven and see someone that we didn’t expect to see but no one will be there because of our efforts. We will all enter heaven because we accept the sacrifice of Jesus and receive the love and grace that He gives.

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son.” Romans 5:6-10 CEV

God’s love, His unconditional, never-ending love has brought us to a place of peace. I am grateful that He loves me!

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Busy Day Blessings

Those of you who have been a part of my daily blog for the last year know we have gone through some changes.

It was just a year ago we came home from the mountain, put our home up for sale, sold it, downsized, and moved into an RV fulltime. Yes, all that took place in less than two months. Then we moved to a little community called Queen Valley. It’s southeast of Phoenix, remote enough to be out of the metropolitan area and close enough to see our daughters and their families without a three-hour drive.

We feel we have the best of two worlds. The mountain in the summer months and the desert during the winter. Dave calls it chasing 70*.

We spent this weekend going through our little storage building and eliminating some more “stuff”. The additional need to purge was prompted by the scheduled delivery of my new washer and dryer today. Out with the old, make room for the new!

“ Brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.” II Thessalonians 3:19 ERV

We were grateful for the strength to do the work that needed to be done. Last night, with our weekend job complete, we sat. The Lord blessed us with this beautiful sunset. It was good!

This morning I was thinking about how much we cleaned out, threw out, gave away and sold just a year ago. It seems there are times like that in our spiritual lives as well. It’s important that we get rid of things that are unnecessary and add nothing of value to our lives – anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, lying, selfishness. If we let them go unchecked these old habits could fill a dumpster when we get serious about removing them. Then once purged, it often only requires a quick clean-up to remove any new debris.

“ Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.” Colossians 3:9-10 MSG

So, what’s all this got to do with gratitude and our focus on the goodness of God? Glad you asked.

Our Father wants nothing but the best for us, that’s why He asks us to put off the old and take on the new. He doesn’t condemn, although, He is quick to convict. Condemnation comes from the enemy. Condemnation tears down and seeks to destroy, like a building that has been condemned.

Conviction points out what needs to be corrected and changed for our betterment. The Holy Spirit becomes our cheerleader – you can do better, you can succeed because Christ has given you all you need to be victorious!

“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.” Romans 8:1-2 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

Our Father is a good father. I’m so grateful for His love and for the beauty He has created!

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Good Day for Gratitude

I woke up this morning singing a little chorus that we used to sing at church:

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord

and to sing praises to the Lord most High.”

It is a good day for gratitude. That little chorus came from the words of Psalm 92.

“It is good to praise the Lord.  God Most High, it is good to praise your name. 2 It is good to sing about your love in the morning and about your faithfulness at night. 3 It is good to play for you on the ten-stringed instrument and lyre and to add the soft sounds of the harp to my praise. 4 Lord, you make us very happy because of what you did. I gladly sing about it.
5 Lord, you did such great things. Your thoughts are too hard for us to understand.” Psalm 92:1-5 ERV

Some think there has to be a grandiose reason for being grateful to the Father. Things like being saved from a near death experience or a huge financial windfall but what about all the small things that add value to our daily lives.

There’s a brisk wind gusting this morning and I can enjoy the breeze coming through the windows but I’m grateful that I’m not in a tent, that would be less pleasurable. Of course, you always know that I’m grateful for a hot cup of coffee first thing each morning and the quiet time that I spend with the Father, enjoying His presence.

I’m especially thankful for technology advancements. Our granddaughter was married yesterday, and we were able to view the full ceremony last night because it had been saved to YouTube.

Those of you who are younger may think something like that is silly, but I remember the days when the only phone in the house was on the kitchen wall and the only time we talked to someone outside our local area was on Sunday afternoon/evening when the rates were low. There was no streaming, no cell phones, no texting – yes, it was the dark ages.

We have so much to be grateful for: grocery stores with stocked shelves, free schools (many countries still allow boys to go to school free but girls are charged tuition). Most of us live within a few miles of medical attention, we don’t have to drive hundreds of miles to a doctor or hospital. We have clean water to drink. The ability to travel from place to place without restriction. We are still free to worship God as we please.

“Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! 2 Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. 3 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.” Psalm 96:1-3 NLT

This is a good day to declare the news that Jesus saves!

“The Lord made this happen, and we think it is wonderful! 24 This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be happy today. 25 The people say, “Praise the Lord! The Lord saved us!” Psalm 118:23-25 ERV

There are so many things to be thankful for, as my good friend Winnie the Pooh says, “today’s my favorite day”!

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