Category: God’s Promises

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Learning How To

We watch a lot of YouTube “How To” videos. When Dave needed to know something about the boat motor, replacing the filters on the truck, etc. he would find a video. I watch instruction on cooking something new, tutorials on my new camera and computer and travelogues on places we want to visit.

The thing is we don’t watch them just once. No, we sit down, watch, take in as much information we can and then start our project with cell phone in hand, video queued up, so we always have instruction at our fingertips.

That’s what I feel this prayer of the Apostle Paul’s does for us. Step by step it gives us instruction on “how to” know the power and blessings God has for us in Christ. It’s something we need to read again and again. Words we need to digest for life enriching, life changing growth. I hope you took the time to read it through again yesterday.

“I pray that the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the wisdom of His Spirit. Then you will be able to understand the secrets about Him as you know Him better. 18 I pray that your hearts will be able to understand. I pray that you will know about the hope given by God’s call. I pray that you will see how great the things are that He has promised to those who belong to Him. 19 I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him. 20 It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This same power put Christ at God’s right side in heaven. 21 This place was given to Christ. It is much greater than any king or leader can have. No one else can have this place of honor and power. No one in this world or in the world to come can have such honor and power. 22 God has put all things under Christ’s power and has made Him to be the head leader over all things of the church. 23 The church is the body of Christ. It is filled by Him Who fills all things everywhere with Himself.” Ephesians 1:17-23 NLV

We’re going to look at a couple items of major importance in this prayer:

  • promised great things to His children
  • know His great power

The Father has promised us great things; joy, peace, forgiveness, healing, salvation, strength, wisdom, protection, provision – great things! One translation records verse 18 this way, “the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),”. The Father gives us these things, great things, as our inheritance. We are His children and as such He has an inheritance for us.

The next thing Paul prays for us is that we will “know His great power”. Now, this is something that amazes me – the Father’s power is working for me and not against me.

This is the power that He put into practice when He raised Christ from the dead! It’s the same power which transported Jesus from earth back to heaven while His disciples watched his ascension.

This power, this great power of God, is for us who put our trust in Him!!

When we feel powerless in life’s situations His power is available to us, that same power which He used on Christ’s behalf.

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” Romans 8:11 NLT

Paul prayed this prayer so that we, those of us in Christ, will learn how to know our Father’s great promises and great power. Amen and amen!!

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Protected

Some of you live in areas where the ground has been snowed covered for quite some time but that’s not how it is here. We get colder weather but not for extended periods of time and snow is a rarity.

Before we sold the house and moved into the RV, I had many plants in our yard. Most of them were resilient to the cold but others had to be covered, protected. I loved working with my flowers and plants but had to leave most of them behind. I was only able to bring a few of them with me – our space is limited.

This last week we had freeze warnings and I brought a few of them in and covered the larger, stronger ones. The weather forecast has predicted warmer days this week and night before last was above freezing so yesterday I pruned a few frost-bitten leaves and placed the plants which had been inside back out on the patio.

Much to my chagrin when I got up this morning our thermometer had a reading of 30*. That’s upsetting because I didn’t cover any of them last night. It’s one of those should have, would have, could have situations and frankly, I’m praying that they were protected even though I was neglectful.

I am very grateful that our heavenly Father isn’t caught off guard by anything and He has given us His promise of 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 city wall. 5 You won’t need to worry about dangers at night or arrows during the day. 6 And you won’t fear diseases that strike in the dark or sudden disaster at noon.” Psalm 91:1-6 CEV

He cares for us like we would care for a young and tender plant. This is the Lord’s promise for our protection and safety. We can put our hope, our faith and trust in Him; He keeps His word, God does not lie!

“If you honor the Lord, his angel will protect you. 8 Discover for yourself that the Lord is kind. Come to him for protection, and you will be glad.” Psalm 34:7-8 CEV

We must not let fear rob us of those things that the Father has promised. His faithfulness is our shield, our covering, our protection!

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Stay Put

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Stay Anchored

A few weeks back we were at our oldest daughter, and I shared with her and Dave something I had written in my prayer journal early in 2020.

Plans for 2020/2021: Sell house, sell 5th wheel, sell Cadillac. Buy newer 5th wheel, pay off any bills, find a place to live full time.

Now here we are just a few days from the end of 2021 and each of those things has come to pass. WOW!!

However, there were times over the past two years that we waivered and even doubted that this would be possible. But we had our hope!

The longest we had ever lived in an RV was 10 weeks in the summer and we had been busy working so had very little extended time in our small place. Could we do it? Well, this last summer our 2-week camping trip turned into four months of camp hosting – yes, we could do it.

What about selling our home and most of our earthly possessions? Could we do it? The kids were great in encouraging us to “go for it” and they took many of the things we didn’t want to lose. Two huge garage sales and yes, we were ready for a minimalist lifestyle.

We spent two years researching RV’s on the internet. Which one would work best for us? We settled in on one brand but were divided between two different models. The Lord worked all that out – amazing! (but that will be a whole story all of its own)

The house sold six days after listing it and while we thought we needed to sell the Cadillac the Lord had other plans. He had us give it to a wonderful young couple – a blessing to them and to us.

But you may be wondering why I used a picture of a harbor and lighted boats and titled the blog this morning “Stay Anchored”. Glad you asked.

“God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19 This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place. 20 Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever…”Hebrews 6:18-20 CEV

When you know that the Lord has put a dream in your heart storms of doubt, fear and circumstances will come to try and shipwreck you and your dream. That’s when you drop anchor and hold fast to the promises of God!

“Do what the Lord wants, and he will give you your heart’s desire.” Psalm 37:4 CEV

We gave the Lord our dream. We asked Him to change it, if needed, to mold it and to refine it so that we could give Him all the glory. He did just that. The way He refined it is so much greater than what we dreamed possible.

Maybe you’re wondering if your dream will ever come to pass. Let God’s promises be the anchor that holds your soul secure. When waves of doubt and fear come, being anchored to the solid rock of God’s word will keep us from being capsized or blown off course.

My advice for upcoming 2022, “Stay Anchored”! God is bigger than the waves.

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A Bit of Sweetness

A Christmas tradition that my Mom started was the making of peanut butter balls. It’s a favorite of everyone who visits. After all who doesn’t like chocolate, peanut butter, rice crispies and powdered sugar?

This year there has been no time to get into the kitchen to make them. My daughter has said she made some for us and we are looking forward to having a sweet treat!

I’m not sure how the tradition of having sweet cakes, cookies, breads and candy became a part of Christmas but I’m glad it did. Must have been a Scandanavian influence – my Mom had to have “just a little something sweet” after every meal, including breakfast.

Maybe you are a lot like her and don’t feel the day is complete without a little sweetness. I have just the thing for you.

“You have been my teacher, and I won’t reject your instructions. 103 Your teachings are sweeter than honey. 104They give me understanding and make me hate all lies.” Psalm 119:102-104 CEV

In one translation the word “teachings” is interchanged for the “word”. Your word is sweeter than honey…When Jesus came to earth John the apostle wrote:

“In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God…The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.” John 1:1,2,14 CEV

Jesus is the living word of God. His influence makes our lives sweeter than we could possibly imagine.

If you’re like my Mom and need a “little something sweet” after each meal I invite you to indulge in God’s word. No need to count calories or carbs – the Word of God is nourishment to our souls.

We should all have a regular diet of this kind of sweetness!

Sorry for the late post – technical difficulties.

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Copy/Paste Christmas Style

This morning I opened a tab and input the words “copy paste Christmas image” and what popped up was a catalog of images that were available to copy and paste of all things Christmas.

But that wasn’t quite what I was looking for. You know the concept was God’s idea.

“26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:25-27 KJV

God created us to be like Him – to be His representative, His counterpart on the earth. But when Adam sinned our nature was changed. God had to work to restore what He had intended for man to be. Enter Jesus.

“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people. 20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. 21 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin[b] so that in Christ we could be right with God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 ERV

Jesus restored us to the position that we had before Adam sinned. In Christ we are a NEW CREATION – a new creature – like the one that God created in the Garden of Eden. Jesus restored us to our original likeness.

He copies and pastes the origin blueprint that God used for man into our hearts when we receive the gift of salvation.

“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 2:4-5 ERV

In Christ we have been made new.

It’s not something we work to earn but something we receive freely by grace. Just as Adam was God’s idea and he did nothing to deserve or even request his creation so is our salvation and our restoration to a living and loving relationship with the Father God.

“Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.” Romans 5:19 CEV

Copy/paste Christmas style! The gift of new life in Christ, the gift of being restored to the Father’s likeness.

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The Gift of Trust

Up earlier than usual this morning. Couldn’t sleep, lots on my mind. Made my way to the sofa to read and pray…for family, friends, our nation, personal circumstances and things that had to be prayed through by the Holy Spirit.

As I read, the word “trust” repeatedly came from the pages and from my heart. Really, that’s what Christmas is all about – trusting that the gift of His Son would bring us all the salvation that the Father had planned. Trusting in His goodness and love; his mercy and grace.

Trusting that the Father is always faithful!

“ Then the Lord came down to him in a cloud, stood there with Moses, and spoke his own name. 6 That is, the Lord passed in front of Moses and said, “Yahweh, the Lord, is a kind and merciful God. He is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He can be trusted.” Exodus 34:5-6 ERV

“So remember that the Lord your God is the only God, and you can trust him! He keeps his agreement. He shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and obey his commands. He continues to show his love and kindness through a thousand generations,” Deuteronomy 7:9 ERV

The Father knows we have a tendency to forget things and He never wants us to forget His love and faithfulness so He repeatedly reminds of it through His word.

“God’s way is perfect. The Lord’s promise always proves to be true. He protects those who trust in him. 32 There is no God except the Lord. There is no Rock except our God.” II Samuel 20:31-32 ERV

What a precious gift we have been given! We have the Father’s promise and He is completely worthy of trust – there is no God except our Lord.

“So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ. 23 We must hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people about it. We can trust God to do what he promised.” Hebrews 10:22b-23 ERV

This morning I needed to be reminded to trust! I found myself wavering, on the verge of worry and that’s when I heard in my heart “I trust You”. May you need to hear those same words today – “I trust You”. The Lord is faithful; His word never fails, He always keeps His promises.

A few days back I told you about my favorite Christmas CD, The Gift, by Kenny Rogers. I want to share just a few lyrics from one of the songs on that album.

“God said, Mary pure and holy
With this baby, I trust you
She said, surely I’m not worthy
And it scares me, but I trust you.

Underneith a shining star
In a manger stall
Mary held the gift of love
God gave to us all.

Precious baby pure and holy
I’m not worthy, but I trust you

Precious baby pure and holy
Will you save me, I trust you
Son of Mary, I trust you…*

Receive this wonderful gift that the Father has given us – open your heart and say “Son of Mary, Son of God, I trust you”!

*I Trust You written by Skip Ewing and Don Schlitz

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Scattered

Many of you know that we spent the summer in the mountains. For two weeks we were in an “evacuation ready” status. The grass and the trees were dry, we’d had no rain and the conditions were right for lightning strikes.

One thing we were told to watch for were smoke plumes. If we saw smoke in an area where we hadn’t seen it before we were to notify our managers who would in turn relay the information to the Forest Service.

We were always on alert.

Oftentimes we experience the same conditions in our everyday life. We are emotionally dry, adverse circumstances come and we begin to smolder. The smoke plume is evidence that we may begin to burn. This isn’t a good sign but it’s something the Father knows how to correct. We alert Him to the danger we are experiencing.

“God, get up and scatter your enemies! May all your enemies run from you. 2 May your enemies be scattered like smoke blown away by the wind. May your enemies be destroyed
like wax melting in a fire. 3 But let good people be happy. Let them gather before God and enjoy themselves together.” Psalm 68:1-3 ERV

God scatters His enemies like smoke blown by the wind, scattered like the seeds of a dandelion, scattered like dust across the prairie. The Lord scatters our enemies, putting out the fire of contention and destruction and brings us to a place of joy.

One of the names the prophet Isaiah used when foretelling the coming of Christ was “Powerful God”, Mighty God.

“This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ERV

Our powerful and mighty God is victorious in battle, able to defeat His enemies and also those who seek to do us harm. He has given us victory, He has scattered our enemies.

“ Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us, 4 because everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. 5 It is our faith that has won the victory against the world. So who wins against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” I John 1:3-5 ERV

Our faith in Jesus and who He is and what He has done for us is what brings us to a place of victory. Our Mighty God, our loving Father stands with us against our enemies, (physical, emotional and spiritual). As we stand with Him, we can boldly proclaim “Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!

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Heavenly Peace

Last night’s sleep was heavenly! That’s why I am posting later this morning.

We had a wonderful couple of days with family but I have to be honest and say that I’m not as energetic at 68 as I was at 44. Just sayin’…

I loved playing and keeping up with our 6-, 4- and 2-year-old grandchildren. I wouldn’t have changed a minute of it but my body was tired when they left and the Lord blessed me with a wonderful night’s sleep.

“I can lie down and sleep soundly because you, Lord will keep me safe.” Psalm 8:4 CEV

The Lord made our bodies to replenish and refresh themselves with sleep and many times we forget to comply. We push to the point of exhaustion and that can cause physical and emotional problems. It’s ok to say, “I need to take a break, I need a rest”.

“Without the help of the Lord it is useless to build a home or to guard a city. 2 It is useless to get up early and stay up late in order to earn a living. God takes care of his own, even while they sleep.” Psalm 127:1-2 CEV

As we continue into the Christmas season, we need to make sure we take time to rest – time to replenish and refresh.

“A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler. His names will be Wonderful Advisor and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 CEV

“So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, 23 “A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” Matthew 1:22-23 CEV

Two of the names that refer to Jesus are “Prince of Peace” and “Immanuel (God with us)”. Take time to rest, slow down. Enjoy God’s presence. Let the peace of God, dwelling in us, bring us to a place where we can sleep in heavenly peace!

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So Good!

I spent a good portion of yesterday in busy work. So much to be done…so little time but the words that I shared with you from Philippians kept going through my heart.

“Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. ”

Those words kept my heart centered and my thoughts focused. Most of my day was spent cleaning out clutter, separating the mundane from the important. With the cleaning, I began purging things from my bookcase. Some books I had read many times and others I have had for years and never read. On the bottom shelf I found my journals and some notebooks of teachings I have done through the years. Next to those were a number of Bibles that I have used over the years, one dated back to 1967.

I took time to read some of the comments I had made in the margins. There were outlines of sermons that were especially meaningful during those years. Most of those Bibles were worn and pages were loose and falling out but the words on the pages were so sweet – as the psalmist says “sweeter than honey in the honeycomb”.

The sweetness of God’s word is even better than a plate of pumpkin pie.

Oh yes, even in my cleaning, my mind was focused on what was truly worthwhile and worthy of praise!

This morning as I woke, the words of a song we sang Sunday in worship, by Bethel Music, was filling my heart and my head.

“You reign above it all, You reign above it all
Over the universe and over every heart
There is no higher name
Jesus, You reign above it all”

Is there anything more praise worthy than that? Jesus reigns in my heart and over the entire universe – nothing is more worthwhile to focus on! Those thoughts are SO GOOD!

“God made heaven and earth; he created the sea  and everything else. God always keeps his word. 7 He gives justice to the poor and food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free
8  and heals blind eyes. He gives a helping hand  to everyone who falls. The Lord loves good people 9 and looks after strangers. He defends the rights of orphans and widows, but destroys the wicked. 10 The Lord God of Zion will rule forever!  Shout praises to the Lord!” Psalm 146:6-10 CEV

The Lord will rule forever! That is such a refreshing promise. Our God, our Father is SO GOOD!

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