I decided to start this blog (2010) because my son, John-Robert gave me a One Year Bible for Christmas, the New Living Translation... reading it has changed my life... I post a daily Bible verse on my Facebook page every day and it has been well received... I thought that this would be a wonderful way to share part of what I read each day!... I hope that you enjoy it.



This Year 2012 I am going to do things a little different... not much...just a little. I am again reading through my One Year Bible (for the 3rd time). But I am also using "The Secret Power of Speaking God's Word" by Joyce Meyer. This book is divided by putting scriptures under different categories so they can be used to speak over our life situations. Each day I will read a category of scripture and pick a scripture in that category to write about.



Hugs

Jeannie







Friday, September 30, 2011

9.30.11

Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

My Thoughts
Oh this is such a powerful, powerful verse!!..The more I know God the more I understand this verse!!  When we set our mind on God!!...When we spend time in God's word, when we talk to God, when we listen to God... God gets busy taking care of the rest of our life... God gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases him... We just have to start by making time for a relationship with God... We have to learn to feel our head with thoughts of God.  Any time we feel those random thoughts come to our head that is a time when we can be busy thinking on God.... in the process God give us the power to do what is right!!...Wow!!  Could it get any better than that!?

This is a verse to put in our remembrance.... so that anytime we think those thoughts like "I don't even know how to do what God wants me to do, I don't understand what it is I am suppose to do." We are suppose to love God...we are called to love God and to love each other... God gives us the desire and the power to do the rest... Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:36 to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. And to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus tells us that this is the law... and right her in Philippians we learn that God takes care of the rest.

I have found that the more I love God. The more I focus on God. The more I think about God and not about the world. The more I find myself doing for others. The more I find myself feeling joy, great joy! Waves of joy!!  The more I love God the better and better and better my life gets. Why, because God is giving me the desire and the power!!  I am constantly amazed!!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

9.29.11

Proverbs 24:10 If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.

My Thoughts
I have gone through life failing under pressure..... I would have always told you "I don't do stress!" .... Many of my friends, all of my family have heard me say those very words, "I don't do stress!" My strength is too small... when I depend on my strength... I am learning to believe what the Bible tells me about strength...and my world is changing!!..I am growing!  Here are some of the things I have learned...they are no longer things I have heard...they are things I am finally learning so that I can call on them and be strong.

Grace is God's power working within me to help me accomplish those things I could not possibly do on my own!

2 Corinthians 12:9 says Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”  From this I am beginning to understand that when I give it to God, his grace takes over.  But, I have to give it to God.   When I realize that I am not strong enough on my own, and I trust in God... then God's power does work best in my weakness.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! 
From this verse I am learning the importance of the word ALL... this verse says Christ will strengthen me in ALL things.  Now when I face something hard I know to replace the word all with what ever it is I face.... my hardships, big and small... are covered under the word ALL.  If I wake up in pain from Lupus and have something that I must do...I don't feel sorry for me....I say to myself  I can get this done through the pain with Jesus who gives me strength.  I say that enough then I find myself doing what I need to do... and realize often that I have not even noticed that I am not in pain any more.  If I don't let Jesus give me his strength on those days...I lay in bed and hurt all day...thinking only about the pain and it never goes away.  I have to give it to God...My part is giving it to God and moving forward... God does the rest.

Isiah 40:29 says,  He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.

Psalms 138:3 In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul.


John 5:7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.


The list goes on and on ... the list of how God will take care of me and make me strong!!  God's word tells me this... Proverbs 24:10 says If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small. I use to would have read this and thought DUH!!  Now I read this and I know.. when I fail under pressure...my faith that God would take care of me was not stroung...I know if I find myself failing that MY strength is never enough, and that I get my strength from enough faith in God that I give God my task at hand. 

I love how the Amplified Bible says it in 2 Corinthians 12:9 it says, But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and [a]show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may [b]pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!

Now when I find myself saying "I can't do this stress!" I remind myself that God can.... I give it to God...and yes sometime in the middle of great stress it takes me a while to remember to give it to God...but, eventually I do...and the more I read about God and all his grace...the better I get at turning my ALL over to him.  Now when I find myself thinking I can't do this.... I find myself knowing that God can. Oh man, that feels good!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

9.28.11

Isaiah 54:9-10 "Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you.  For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

My Thoughts
Wow!  Oh Wow!  How many times have you thought "God is so angry with me!!" How many times have you felt that you just could not make everything okay with God?  Right here God tells us "I will never again be angry with you and punish you!!!" God tells us this, these are God's words.  Listen ..."I will never again be angry with you or punish you." When the devil is filling our head with how angry God is with us...we can use these words from God to tell the devil different!!  God forgives us... God sent Jesus to die for our sins so we can be forgiven.  If God wasn't going to forgive us he would no have let Jesus suffer so much for the things we do to mess up!!

Reading this verse made me feel like God was sitting in front of me... with my face in his hands saying straight to me "Jeannie, I love you!...I love you so much...I am not angry with you, I am not here to punish you!!  I am here to love you.  To take you in my arms and protect you and just love you. You are going to mess up!  I know this... Jesus died for all your mess ups a long time ago...I forgive you of all of those.... pick yourself up and let me help you be the best person you can me....come with me and I will teach you how..... forgive yourself because I forgive you!!  When satin tries to make you feel bad you use my words... my words are your power against the devil...I give you my power to win out... most important remember just how much I love you... remember I am never angry with you... I am always here for you!"

God has those words for each and every one of us!! God's love for us is amazing! In Isaiah 55:9 God says "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts." God's thoughts are thoughts of love and forgiveness... God loves us higher and bigger than the most loving person we know on their very best day!!  Never doubt that God forgives you and loves you!!  When we have the knowledge of God's love for us we can do anything!!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

9.27.11

Ephesians 5:10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

My Thoughts
So often we go about our days...with only the day in mind... What do I need to do first, where do I have to be... who needs me for this ... who needs me for that... will I ever have time to get it all done?  Then there are the days that are our days...days that can be all ours... each person has their own way of treating those days... some of us love to just use it to be lazy, not worrying about anything that needs to be done, some of us cram all that we consider to be fun into them so they won't be wasted. So often a whole day passes by where we have lived the day without carefully determining anything.... How many of  us actually get up and "Carefully determine what pleases the Lord?" 

I know that I do my Bible reading  and say my prayers.  I do try to put God's word in my heart so that I can better please Him.  I try to be a good person.  I think that I may stop  at "hoping" that I please God. Hoping that what I learn settles in and makes a difference.  I have no doubt that learning about God, taking time to know God has changed me ... it has changed my life in amazing ways!  I think what I do is try to try. 

Right here in Ephesians it tells us to carefully determine what pleases God. Careful is defined as cautious in one's actions, taking pains in one's work, thorough, performed with accuracy, solicitously mindful of, about or in. Determine is defined as decided; settled; resolved. We need to decide, to be resolved to be cautious in our actions, mindful of others constantly aware of what we need to do to please God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:36 to love God with all our heart, our soul and our mind and to love our neighbor as our self.  We need to carefully determine how we can love God today, how we can love our neighbor today.  We need to stop several times a day to determine what we can do that will please God. 

We have all thought at some point, just before we open our mouth, "I shouldn't say this." Then we keep going and say it anyway...what if we applied carefully determining what pleases God and instead ask ourselves "Would these words please God?" I believe that if we learned to ask our self that instead, we would often keep so many of our words to our self. 

If we will determine to carefully determine to please God, we can start with changing our "Should I?" into "Would it please God if I?"  Then we can move on from there and be mindful that we need be carefully  to carefully determine in all that we choose, do and say, to please God.
 

Monday, September 26, 2011

9.26.11

Isaiah 48:17-18 This is what the Lord says -- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.  Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.

My Thoughts
I am constantly amazed by the peace of God....I am constantly amazed that God makes me right with Him again and again. I am saddened by all the years of wonderful peace that I missed out on because I didn't know how to know God...I am thrilled that I have so many years left on this earth with God so ever present in my life. I hope that God uses me to change the life of at least one person so that they can feel the peace I feel in my heart..... today I feel joy bubbling over in my soul....coming out of the pores of my skin.  I love that I read this verse today... because today I so feel the peace of God flowing over me like a gentle river.

Me getting to know God like I know God now.. feels a bit like an accident... what I know now that I didn't know when this journey started is that God's hand was in how I feel today all along.  My son, John-Robert just loved God... always somehow.... I read my children Bible stories every night for years... I tried to teach them that God loved them.... but, John-Robert seemed to know God, personally from a very young age. As he got older that didn't change. I was his mom, the one that was suppose to teach him...but I found myself asking him all the time, questions like "What do you say to God?".... and I would get answers like "I just tell God about my day."  I was saying to God... "Please forgive me." "Please help this person they are sick." "Please forgive me."   John-Robert he could quote the Bible.... he knew what God had said. I was constantly amazed and very much jealous.  God knew just how to change me.... John-Robert gave me a one year Bible for Christmas one year.... this Bible was divided up into 4 parts for each day, Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. There were about 3 to 5 pages to read each day. How could I not read this Bible! At least once through... it was all laid out for me...and John-Robert gave it to me.... I just could not disappoint him.  God knew!!

It didn't change me over night!!... Oh at first it seemed a bit like a chore.... a lot like a foreign language. But, I kept reading and reading...a little by little I began to see a difference in me. I began to understand more and more of what I was reading... Still in 5 pages I get so much for short passages... but each time I read I am amazed that I understand, that what I read no longer seems like a foreign language... the Bible tells us that if we seek wisdom we will find it. I find a bit of it everyday.  I have learned to look!

I have been at this amazing journey for almost 2 years now... this time around I think "How did I miss that last  year??!!" Along the way God has placed amazing people in my life to teach me what they know. Now I am able to hear what they say and learn. Now I can't get enough of God... I can't get enough of what He wants to teach me. I can't miss a day reading my Daily Bible Reading because I know I will miss a peace of God's instruction and miss out of some of God's amazing peace. Now I know what the Bible tells ME.  I am learning God's plan for my life not watching and wondering why God didn't give me somebody else's plan.

I just pray that God uses me for him... that he uses my life to touch a life. If my life could touch two lives that touched two lives that touched two lives then I will have made a difference in this world... I could have never made a difference without God working through me. Now I have such amazing hope and assurance, from God, that my life does matter. That alone changes  you in ways that are unimaginable.

Has the world around me changed? No... my days still go about pretty much the same... but my soul is different, the way I see things is different. I never feel lonely or alone. Like John-Robert I just tell God about my day. Sometimes I wake myself up singing songs of praise in my sleep...that makes me smile every time! To know that God is now so much a part of me that even in my sleep I want to praise Him!

I wish that I could take the face of every person I meet, in my hands and say "God loves you so much!" and know that they were feeling just what I feel this morning!!  God in all his splendor and glory, God in all his love... chooses to love each and every one of us. And that love is amazing! Our part is to listen to God to God's commands, to make the effort. When we make the effort God showers us with the power of His Grace and we can do anything!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

9.25.11

Isaiah 46:3-4 3 “Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you."

My Thoughts
We are descendants of Jesus who was a descendant of Jacob... all of God's promises are for us, all of them!  I love knowing that God carried us before we were born.... it makes me think of a mother's love.  She knows her child before it gets here, she has carried it even before it was born.  A mother loves her child before others even know that she is pregnant. She cares for her child the moment she knows that she has a child inside of her.

God says the he held us before we were born, that he has cared for us since we were born... from the moment he puts us on this earth he goes about caring for us. We all have seen this when our children when they were small...moments when they should have been hurt from a fall we could not protect them from... but  the were left unscratched... we knew in that moment that Angles had protected our child. God never stops loving us or caring about us...right here He tells us the he will be our God through our lifetime... He made us and he will always care for us and save us. 

As parents we can do such a good job of protecting our children when they depend on us... when they come to us with their problems, when they still let us help. We can protect them when they still want us to help.  But, somewhere along the way the stop wanting us to help.  As children growing into adults that can be a good thing but so often children quit wanting us to help long before they quit needing our help. Our children need to know how to live without us because one day they will have to live life without us.   As Children of God we never have to be without God.  So often we become like teenagers and we separate ourselves from God, we think we can do things on our own... we hold God at bay until we need him desperately. We always need God! We never outgrow needing God. God tells us here that He made us and he will care for us and carry us along and save us.  We need to always be like toddlers constantly reaching up taking the hand of the one who can protect us and carry us. We need to keep God there with us.  When we feel like God is not with us it is because we have push him back, it is because we have said by our actions that we want to do it on our own. God says the he loves us to the end...that he is always here, that he will always carry us and save us.  What we have to learn to do is never say to God ... Daddy put me down I want to do this on my own. ... we need to constantly be reaching out to God saying Daddy help me I can't do any of this without you.  What amazing thing we can accomplish with our Fathers help.

We need to learn to love that God wants to carry us even when we are grey!




Saturday, September 24, 2011

9.24.11

Ephesians 3:17-18 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.  Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

My Thoughts
I love this visual!... we start out as a little tree... and as we tend to and nourish our relationship with Jesus, as we learn and know more about Jesus the more we trust Jesus  the deeper our roots grow down into Gods love... Like mighty oaks the deeper our roots grow the more we can withstand, the more we can go through without having our faith shaken! Our goal should be to learn all we can about Jesus and his great love for us that our trust in him is so strong that our tiny trees with their shallow roots grow as strong as the giant trees in the Redwood Forrest of California.  Some of those trees are said to be maybe 3000 years old... imagine how deep their roots run.  Our aim should be that our roots grow so deep into God's love that we will never be shaken no matter what storms come our way. About.com tells us that "the trees in the Redwood Forrest are the  most massive living things, they can reach 280 feet tall and 23 feet across. The largest rise a little over 300 feet and spread almost 30 feet across. The oldest have been around over 3,000 years." Imagine how deep those roots must be. The sight of these trees would take our breath away.  We should make it our mission to know how wide, how long, how high and how deep God's love is for us...we should study, and learn and grow in God so much that the love he has for us shows enough to take people's breaths away.





Friday, September 23, 2011

9.23.11

Ephesians 2:1 For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

My Thoughts
Isiah 42:1 "Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations.  I love this...God was telling his people that he was sending Jesus, this chapter goes oh to tell us how Jesus will be kind...how Jesus will not lose heart...how distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.... it tells us that Jesus will demonstrate Gods righteousness...and how God will take the hand of Jesus and guard him....God gave us the promise of Jesus long before Jesus arrived here to save us... Jesus was in God's plans from the beginning. God knew how much he was going to love us before he even made us. 

Jesus left this world so that he could send us the Holy Spirit to guide us...In John 14 it says:

 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

God gave us a way to have a better life, Jesus left the earth so he could send the Holy Spirit to live in each of us. The Holy Spirit lives in us to guide our steps to help us be more like Jesus. The more we learn about Jesus the more we know how to be like him... the more we learn about Jesus the more we know the difference between the Holy Spirit leading us to be like Jesus or the devil tricking us into doing wrong. 

We are God's masterpiece... we all have, each and every one of us the ability for greatness!  Not what the world calls great, but what God calls great. Jesus walked always in the greatness that God created... Jesus always walked in love. The Bible tells us that God planned for us long ago so we could do good things. So  that we could love God with abandon and love one another. The more we learn to walk in God, to listen to the Holy Spirit, to be like Jesus, the more we have of God's promises.... When we listen to the Holy Spirit inside of us and do what he guides us to do that is when we get to experience the fruits of the spirit that God planed  for us .... those fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control.(Galatians 5:22-23).  There is no way not to have a wonderful life if we are filled with these fruits. Our part is to take the time to really, really know God. When we do that the rest will come.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

9.22.11

Psalms 66:10-12 You have tested us, O God;  you have purified us like silver. You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs. The you put a leader over us. We went through the fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

My Thoughts
We go through so much here on earth, so much. Some days it feels like we may not possibly make it. Then the devil throws so much in our path. God watches us and observes how we go through our trials. He watches to see if we remain faithful to him. Our trials often reveal what is deepest in our heart.  So often without our trials we would not even know there was something in our character that we needed to work on! When those things deep in our heart  come to the surface we get an opportunity to change and grow... God wants to purify us.... we need to know where we are weak.  So often God is waiting to rescue us. He is waiting so we can see where our faults and our weaknesses are.  I think when we do not face our troubles with grace, when our faults are revealed what we do next is important. We need then to turn to God and thank him for revealing to us the sin in our heart, we need to ask forgiveness for how we reacted and we need to learn and move forward. Then the next time we will know to ask for God's amazing grace.  When God sees that we have learned to trust in him, to have a purer heart he will then give us, as Joyce Meyer puts it "double for our trouble"  (Isiah 6:7).

When we go through hard times, and we learn and we grow toward God, when we shed what God has revealed to us Isiah 6:7 tells us this "Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land and everlasting joy will be yours." God tested the people of Israel...they often messed us.. just like we often messed up. God knew they would mess us, God knows that we will mess us.  God gives us the opportunity to see the wrong deep within us so that we can do better and when we learn and we grow God give us "double for our trouble."

We need to learn that God is not putting us on a guilt trip, God is refining us. God is pointing out our faults because he loves us and wants us to do better.  God wants us to thank him for point out where we are weak, ask for forgiveness, learn and move forward. We don't have to look back and condemn ourselves for messing us...we have been forgiven. We get to be forgiven and move forward in God, with God and be better next time.

God told me one morning, when I was entertaining the guilt the devil was putting in my head, he said to me.... "Jeannie when you spend time worrying about the person you didn't know how to be, you can't become the person you were meant to be."  God was telling me not to feel guilty, just to move forward and do better. God was telling me know you know, you can be better and stronger. 

God's goal is not punishment, it is refinement so that we can be our best, when we learn God showers us with blessings because he loves us so much! Wow what a wonderful God we have!!



Wednesday, September 21, 2011

9.21.11

Galatians 6:4-5 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.  For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

My Thoughts
Wow oh wow... would it not be interesting to watch a business where everybody did this for one day?! Can you imagine how much would be accomplished if everybody payed attention to what they were doing and doing it to the best of their ability! How much time do we loose judging other? Joyce Meyer said today "Judging people is a fruit of not loving people." If we could put into practice going about doing our best at what ever we do.  Doing our best at home, with our families, at work in our friendships. Just think of how much more we could get done if we didn't stop to see what and how other people were doing their thing!!  Most importantly we need to do our best at loving God and loving others the way God ask us to.  Can you imagine getting to heaven and God showing you a rerun of parts of your life.... how many times when God ask "Why weren't you doing your job here in this picture?" would we have to say, "I was busy judging somebody for not doing theirs." 

We all go about judging, it seems to make us feel better about what we do wrong and what we do right. If we would take time just to do our best at what ever we are doing we wouldn't feel the need judge others... Right here it tells us if we do our best we won't need to compare ourselves to anyone else.  We so need to learn that God gave each individual person his/her own individual personality and abilities.  God does not what us to be like others. God wants us to be the best person he made us to be! We need to embrace our abilities and our differences and do our best...and when it comes to other people we need to just love them!! Do our very best to show every family member, every friend, every acquaints, every stranger love. If we spend our time being the best "me" we can be.  If we spend our time loving others. We, each indiviual, each "me" can make a positive difference in the world.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

9.20.11

Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things.

My Thoughts
All we have to do to see if God is changing us, really changing us is to look at this list of amazing qualities.... if our life has more of these than it use to we are listening and acting on what the Holy Spirit is telling us.  If we don't see more of these things in our lives it is time to ask our self "What can I change in my life that will give me a closer walk with God?"

Don't forget that God waits to be invited into our lives.... If we want God to be a part of our days we have to ask him.... every day we need to ask.  When we ask God to be a part of our life we are aware of the things God does.  The more we talk to God the more the Holy Spirit talks to us... the more involved the Holy Spirit is in our life the more we will see the fruit of the spirit manifest itself in all that we do. When we spend time with God, when we take time to hear the Holy Spirit our lives are filled with more love, more joy, more peace, more patience, more kindness, more goodness, more faithfulness, more gentleness and more self-control!!.. We can all use more of these.... we never run out of the need for the fruit of the Spirit!!

Monday, September 19, 2011

9.19.11

Isaiah 30:18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show  you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blesses are those who wait for his help.

My Thoughts
When ever we feel we are missing out on something with God... when ever there is a part of our life where we feel God isn't present. We need to stop and ask ourselves, "Have I invited God into this part of my life?"  So many time we invite God into our Sundays and forgot to invite him into our Monday - Friday's. 

I have learned to invite God into my life daily.  I get up and read my Bible... I pray for some many things.  But I keep finding areas of my life where I have not given God access. For instance my daughter and I see the world so different, we come at thing really differently.  When either of us are stressed things can get tense between us because we are so different.  We always love each other...and we always know we love each other, but there can be stressful times.  I had ask God for many things for Madison, I have prayed for her marriage, her future, her job, her friendships.  Then one day I realized I had not invited God into the relationship that she and I have.  Now everyday in my prayers I ask God that Madison see my words and questions and actions as only loving. You would not believe how much our times together have changed...even when we are both stressed! Lately we have been more accepting of our differences and we find ourselves actually laughing at what the other person has done. We seem to be viewing our differences in a whole different light. God did that! He just had to be invited in.

I need to place this verse in my remembrance so that when I find things going wrong in an area of my life, I will remember to stop and ask myself, "Have I invited God here?"

It is kind of like this... there are some people that come to our house and we keep them on the front pourch.  There are some people that come that get to stay in the Living Room.... there are some people that come and they can follow you around the house as you handle little things... then there are some people that come that can even see your closets and in your frig.  So often we keep God in the safe areas of our life... in the places where we know he will aprove of.... God needs to be invited into our closets, our basements, our attics into all the boxes hidden in all those places.... God is such a gentleman that he waits go be invited. We need to invite God in... into every room, every closet, every cabinet, every box we need God in every place in our lives. We need to be aware of where God has not been invited so he can change our whole life, every little corner!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

9.18.11

Isaiah 28:26 The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.

My Thoughts
I love this!!  How many times have you know just how to do something?  I can loom knit, and crochet without a pattern I "just get it." I am not good at patterns...and there is lots that I haven't gotten yet... but so many, many things I can do with yarn just by looking at something.  I just know how. 

The thing is I don't just know how... God gave me the knowledge... God put it there in my head!  Even if I did read patterns... understanding those patterns is a gift. For me reading a pattern is like reading a foreign language... for some people reading a pattern comes easy and they are able to create beautiful, beautiful things, because reading and understanding the pattern is a gift to them from God. 

God gives us all different gifts...and each and every gift he gives to each and every person is important.  The world loves to give our gifts levels of importance. But to God  each a gift that he gives has an  important place in the world, each gift matters.  Our gift may be important because it saves a life, our gift may be important because it inspires a nation.  Then again our gift may be important to the cashier at Wal-Mart or the grocery store because it is a kind word that gives hope. Our gifts may be important to our neighbor. Our gifts may change a nation, or our gifts may change one person. Each and every person is important to God...and how we use the very gift God entrusted us with is important to God. God gives us our understanding for a reason.  We may think our gift is only a tiny pebble in the pond but, we may never know how far the ripples from our pebbles reach.  We should never under estimate the power of even the simplest gift. We should be aware that when we have an understanding of how to do something that others don't have God meant for that understanding to be used for his glory.

A farmer feeds a community, a doctor heals the sick,  an inventor forever changes how something is done, a singer inspires, a loom knitter touches one heart at a time...and each and every one of those things are important to God, and to the people around us.  How can you use the understanding, the gift, that God put in your heart.... to make a difference?

Saturday, September 17, 2011

9.17.11

Isaiah 26:12 Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you.

My Thoughts
I love, love this verse!!  Today it just jumped off the page straight into my heart! When we get this, really get it! That all we have accomplished, all that we have IS from God we are more able to relax and enjoy life! If all that I have and all that I could do was solely on my shoulders I would be in a constant state of terror! I would be immobilized by fear! If it was up to me to get all that I have and to keep all that I have, I would starve. Yet I never starve, or go hungry... and I have a house full of extras! So many extras that I couldn't name them all. God even gives me time to play!! To enjoy my extras. Oh how much he loves us!

The part about this verse that is so, so exciting is  if we truly know that all we have accomplished  IS from God, then when we have one of those seconds of fear about our future, or about getting old and incapable...we can just look back at all that we have, all that we have accomplished and know that if God took care of me so perfectly wonderful in the past. If God took such good care of uw when we were young and stupid. How much more God will take care of us now that we am older and wiser. How much more God will take care of us because we have learned to seek after him.

That thought just makes me smile! Just that thought give me peace that  can only come from God.

Friday, September 16, 2011

9.16.11

Proverbs 23:15-16 My Child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice! Everything in me will celebrate when you speak what is right.

My Thoughts
I know that yesterday alone I said so much that was unwise.... We talk so much of the time without even stopping to think about what is coming out of our mouth. Often we talk just to be heard, to been noticed.  God celebrates when we speak what is right. With out a doubt,  we should be much more mindful of our words.  We should be mindful of our thoughts because our thoughts become our words. If what goes in  through our ears or eyes   is what becomes our thoughts we need to be very mindful of what we watch, listen to and read. God tells us to meditate on his word day and night. Knowing God's word is what will make our hearts wise.... speaking God word, letting people know that they are loved... that is what makes God celebrate. We take a step forward... we make a step closer to God when we become mindful of the words that come our of our mouth.... we need to be aware that if God isn't celebrating our our words, if God's heart is not rejoicing over what in in our heart.... the devil must be having himself one big party.  Wisdom is a choice we make, what we speak our of our mouths is a choice we make. We need to make a conscious effort to be aware of the choices that we are making every time we open our mouths.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

9.15.11

Galatians 2:15-16 You and I are Jews by birth, not sinners' like the Gentiles.  Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law.

My Thoughts
I love this... this means that a person that is perfectly good and a person that is really bad both need Jesus... and it means that no matter how much we have messed up that we can be made right by Jesus. There is no sin too big... or no sins too many that Jesus didn't wash them all  away on the cross. All we have to do is ask Jesus into our heart, believe he is the son of God and confess our sins. Then we are as good as new! Then when the devil tires to make us feel all guilty, and unworthy we can just confess out loud for the Devil himself to hear "I am in right standing with God, I have been forgiven and I a whole in God's sight!"

I was busy folding laundry one morning, not long after my mother died.  I was thinking there was so much different I could have done, should have done. The devil was dealing me a guilt trip and I was taking it all in.  Then I started praying and God said to my soul "When you waste time worrying about the person you didn't know how to be, you can't become the person you are meant to be." It was at that moment that I truly understood that the devil stops us in our tracks with guilt. God throws our sins as far as the east is from the west never to be remembered. Maya Angelou said it best when she said "When we know better, we do better."  God knows that when we know better we do better. That is why he tells us to mediate on his word day and night, he wants us to know better so we can do better. God knows that we are always learning and growing and he smiles when we get it... and forgives us for when we didn't. God wants us to live in the moment doing our very best right now...the devil wants us to feel guilty about the past and worry about the future so much so that it limits our abilities.

Think about it...  we can be good right now in this minute. We can make the choice to do today right.  But if we look out at all the days stretched out before us that seems impossible. The devil tells us it is impossible. God tells us in Philippians 4:13 that all things are possible through Christ. God tells us in Matthew 6:34 that today is enough to worry about, not to think about tomorrow until it gets here.

Today we are in right standing with God through Jesus, today we are forgiven just by asking. The yesterdays are gone and all the tomorrows will be a "today" to get through when they get here. Today is good and when the devil dangles guilt and worry in front of you just tell him "Today I am in right standing with God."

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

9.14.11

Philippians 4:12 For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.

My Thoughts
This is one of those verses we are taught to remember as a child. Chances are most all of us have heard this verse. It is at the least one we recognize. It always seemed so broad to me so I really could not wrap my mind around it. The devil like to put in those "Really, all things? you can't sing!" type thoughts in my head anytime I would ponder this verse. After getting to know God and what he promises me I begin to be able to wrap my mind around this verse.  I can do all the things that God ask me to do. God's grace is sufficient. (2 Cor. 12:9).  I have learned not to go around and find the things I think I can't do... when I do that the devil is ready at hand to step in and add to the list.  I just need to know that anything God puts in my path is doable because I have the Grace of God, the Strength of Christ. As I grow in God the more able I become. That is because my faith grows stronger, when I believe gets broader.  I have learned that I CAN do all things through Christ, who give me strength.  And to wrap my mind around just what this means I have learned to replace "all things" with the task in front of me.  It works every time.  So if I am at the end of a long day, exhausted and the phone rings and a friend need a helping hand... I know this is something God would have me do... instead of getting up and saying I am just to tired to do this. I have learned to say "I can go pick up these prescriptions because Jesus gives me his strength." ...and each time I do this I find that when I return I am much less tired than I was before I got the phone call. 

Today when you are faced with a challenge... when the devil puts one of those energy draining thoughts in your head...  say out loud, so your mind hears it twice  "I can do _____________ with Christ who gives me His strength." 

God spoke the world into existence.  We should never under estimate the power of speaking God's word over our lives!! There is nothing more powerful!

Note to Devil:  God never ask me to sing, he just ask me to make a joyful noise to the Lord and that I CAN do!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

9.13.11

Psalms 57:5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth.

My Thoughts
I just wonder how much the world would change, how much a family would change if each and every morning we woke up with this prayer! Exalted is defined as "Placed at a high or powerful level; held in high regard." We need to tell God that we hold him in high regard... we need to place God at the highest level in our lives... to seek God and all his wisdom. If we would do this God's glory would shine over all the earth.  Can you imagine  how a day would change, how different the world would be if we would all do this... We can change each of our lives if we do this.. we can make a difference by putting God above all else in our lives. I know the days that I set out to do this on purpose I see a difference in my day!!  I see a difference in my life because I have taken time, to spend time with God. I need to get better at making God a part of every hour, every minute of my day.  When I exalt God his glory shines bright in my life.

There is always something on Face Book where people are setting aside a day and a time for this cause or that cause. For silly and for serious matters. I know that if we set aside a day to all wake up and exalt God above the highest heavens God would shine his glory on that day. God would love to show us that when we make him above all else in our lives, in our families, in our churches, in our cities in our country, that his glory can do amazing things in our lives and the lives of the people around us!!


Monday, September 12, 2011

9.12.11

Psalm 56:8 You keep track of all of my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in a bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

My Thoughts
What a timely verse for me today. We lost one of our fur babies, Mittins. She died suddenly this morning. I have cried, my heart hurts. The Bible tells me right here that God cares when I am sad, he cares about every single tear that I cry...God collects my tears. He has all the times I hurt in a book.  I imagine that when I get to heaven, when any of us get to heaven. God will hold us in his arms and say, here is complete healing for this tear and complete healing for that tear. I love you so much and I am so sorry that you suffered on earth. With each time he speaks healing over my sorrows my heavenly body will grow stronger, sorrow will disappear and joy will feel its place. God will smile at me with wonderful love in his eyes and say "There you are all better now."  Then I will be all better, completely healed of hurts, of losses Even today on earth as I dwell on God and think about just how much God loves me... I will begin to heal.  God cares about us in every way, he cares about our sorrow and our tears, and he know the desires of our hearts, he has the hairs on our head numbered. God loves us so much that he cares about every single tear that falls from our faces.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9.11.11

Psalms 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

My Thoughts
This one was hard for me... it still can be. Oh I can give those big things. like somebody that I love being sick. But it took me a while to know that I could give my grievances with other people to God. It took me a while to learn that anything I would run to my best friend with I should run to God with. When we run to our friends with those little problems they council us on their feelings. or on how they perceive us to feel about something or somebody. When we run to God with these things, and talk to God like we would our best friend, God will council us with exactly the right thing to do or say! God knows when the devil has twisted our thoughts. God knows the whole situation, not just our slanted side. God know every detail of every situation. What better place to get council from!!  God will not permit the godly to slip and fall.  When we seek God we get Godly council to act in a Godly way. God's answers will bring us true peace. God will give us grace and strength when we do what God tells us to do. When we go to God with our problems there is no one else involved to make things grow bigger than they really are. There is no one else involved to get in the middle of a place they don't belong.  There is only you and God and the other person. And God always, always gives us good council.

David went to God all the time with his problems. So many times David started out his conversation with his anger and frustration at others. By the time David finished talking to God he always knew that God will take care of him. David would get rid of his anger and frustration by giving it to God.  By taking his anger to God instead of to people David was able to remove anything that would get between him and God. In the end of Davids conversations with God, he was always, always able to send praises back up to God. I believe David always ended up with praises to God because when David went to God he always ended up with peace in his heart and strength to move foward.

We should take every part of our lives to God, we should never think they are too unimportant for God to care. After all God knows the number of hairs on our heads and he cares about the desires of our heart. He wants to do everything for us, He just waits to be invited.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

9.10.11

Psalms 54:7 For you have rescued me from my troubles, and helped me triumph over my enemies.

My Thoughts
Nothing is too big for God! Because we live on this earth we will have our share of troubles, we will be in the path of people who listen to what the devil says. But there is nothing we can't get through with God. God will always rescue us, God is stronger than any enemy we face! I can look back over my life and see that God rescued me so many times. Now that I have a closer walk with him, now that I make an effort to understand how to have a relationship with God. Now that I know how to talk to God and how to hear God's plan for me. I find that God always rescues me in one way or another from my troubles. God always comes to help me when I call, now I know how to call on him much sooner. Now when I am doing life right I call on God before I even have troubles. God is always there, to get me through or pull me out of any troubles the devil puts in my path.  What the devil uses for our destruction, God turns into his glory.  I read a quote recently, and I don't remember the exact words or who said it...but it said that we should not pray for the storm to go away but pray that we will not be afraid. When we know God, actually take time to spend time with God we can know he will take care of us during the storm. Our prayers can be "God, help me to not be afraid, because I know that you are right beside me. I know that you are bigger than any storm I face."  I get closer to that point all the time.  I still have my places where I am not so sure. But the more time I spend getting to really know God, and the more I learn just how much he loves me, and just how powerful he is. The more I know that all I have to do is call out to God, because God is always there for me.

Friday, September 9, 2011

9.9.11

Psalms 130:24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

My Thoughts
This is not an easy thing to say to God but, it is one of the most important things we can say to God.  The more we listen to God about what he wants us to do and what he wants us to stop doing the better off we will be. The more we know, the more we grow. When we are offending God we have obstacles in the way of our relationship with God. When we remove those obstacles it clears the path for better communication. We need to be able to hear God at all times so we can become as wonderful as God intends for us to be.  If there is ever anything between us and God is is something that we are doing, it isn't something God is doing. The wonderful thing is God doesn't make us guess what we have done to offend him, God will tell us if we ask. Then we can ask forgiveness and God grants that forgiveness. Unlike people God doesn't hold grudges or keep a list of how we have done wrong, God throws our sins as far as the east is from the west so that we can move forward and become better. God wants us to get our sins out of the way so we can be better. Facing what we have done is the hard part, getting past it is easy when we have the grace of God.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

9.8.11

Psalms 139:17 How precious are your thoughts about me, Oh God. They cannot be numbered!!

My Thoughts
OH OH OH I love this... God thinks so many thoughts about us they can't even be counted... like the stars in the sky!  And they are precious thoughts!!!  We need to learn to think of ourselves as precious God does.  God things millions of precious thoughts about us, each and every one of us!!  I have tears of joy in my eyes just thinking about this.  The devil loves to tell us "we can't," he loves to tell us all we are not good at, how bad we are, what we did wrong. But God goes about thinking about how good we are, what we are good at, how we were sweet and kind. God is thinking precious thoughts about us all the time.  So when we have a thought about ourselves that is good we need to know that it is from God!! If I think I was sweet to _______ and that was a good thing. That thought came from God. If I think oh I look pretty today, that thought came from God. If I think I am getting really good at knitting, that thought came from God.  We so easily believe it when the devil tells us something like "nobody here likes you." We need to start believing the thoughts like "Lisa loves me lots." God is always, always having precious thoughts about us!! Always! 

When ever you begin to get down, believing the thoughts the devil tries to tell you, all you have to do is walk outside look up in the sky at all the stars and know that God has that many precious thought about you!!  Every star in the sky could represent a good, sweet, kind thought that God has about you!! Knowing this just feels my heart with hope, and joy!! How special we must be to God!!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

8.7.11

Psalms 51:4 Against you (God), and you alone, have I sinned; I have down what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgement against me is just.

My Thoughts
These words just stood out when I read them "Against you, and you alone, have I sinned." We all  go about doing wrong... I think most of us try to do right...and then I think most of us have those "Oh, what the heck!" I am doing it anyway moments.  Then we all have those moments when somebody has wronged us and we in some way give it back...whether it is as simple as not speaking to them, or ignoring their "Good Morning" or something much bigger. In some way or another we we have all been hurt by another person and not reacted like Jesus would...we have all sinned knowingly. What we need to know, to be fully aware of is this: When we do something against others, we are doing something against God. When we sin and think it doesn't effect anybody else, it effects God. Would we knowingly sin against God if we could see him, actually see God standing by us, or by the person we are not so nice to? Would we tell a "white lie" if God were standing next to us, or would we tell one directly to God. The list could go on and on but you get the point.  If we could see God standing in the place of the person we have decided to not be so nice to, would we still react the same way? I don't think so. Yet when we choose to sin we choose to do something that is hurtful to God. I have heard it said that we never know when we are entertaining angles. We should treat each person like they may be one of God's angels. We should treat every action like God is standing right beside us. We should be constantly aware that all sin, any sin is a sin directly against God and live accordingly.

I just had a picture in my head, what if everything we did something to another person our husbands, or children, or mothers or fathers felt the result of that action.  So if we were ugly to the person that checked us out at Wal-Mart the people we loved most in the world felt the sting of those words. What it when we shouted at the car in front of us our loved ones felt the sting of being shouted at. What if when we hurt a co-workers feelings, the feelings or our loved ones were being hurt? I thing we would do our best not to hurt anybody for any reason, don't you? We hurt God anytime we do something to hurt somebody else, we even hurt God when we do something wrong that nobody will ever know about. We do wrong we are always being hurtful.  This picture makes any sin I do much clearer in my head. Does it change the way you see your actions?

Monday, September 5, 2011

9.5.11

Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

My Thoughts
The New Century Version says, Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.

My Bible reading today did not have this verse in it but this verse kept coming into my head. I like the New Century Version too...I think our heart determines what we keep in our thoughts and what we throw out of our thoughts. The devil loves to plant doubt in our heads, he loves to plant unkind thoughts of others in our head, he loves to deceive us by telling us what other people must be thinking. The devil loves to tell us that we are worthless, or not good at something. He tells us that people that don't even know us don't like us. He tells us that things that are wrong are fun but he never tells us that they may be fun today but they will bring misery for so many more hours than they brought fun.

What we have to do is guard our hearts above all else. We put good in our hearts... we put God's wisdom in our hearts. We put the things that God tells us about ourselves in our hearts. We put the good about others in our hearts. Then when the devil puts wrong minded thoughts in our heads we can choose to meditate on the good that we have stored up in our hearts instead. When we think good, we do good.  When we dwell on bad we eventually end up doing bad.

Is it as simple as that??  It is... a good example is if we keep thinking something negative about a person, eventually what we are thinking comes our of our mouth, often in the form of gossip. If I were to think "Mary" never dressed right for work over and over, eventually when somebody at work was talking about Mary, just to be a part of a conversation my negative thought of Mary would come out of my mouth. That thought would become words, those words get repeated and Mary gets her feelings hurt.  Those words chisel away at Mary's self esteem. If on the other hand when the devil whispered something bad in my head about Mary I took the time to notice something good, to replace that negative thought withs something from my heart, then when I felt the need to be a part of a conversation I would have something nice to say.  So if I said "What I love about Mary is that she always, always says good morning and starts my day off nice." I could be a part of the conversation, I would bring attention to Mary in a positive way. Then if Mary heard what I said about her it would make her smile, if would build her up.  Kind words reinforce our good behavior and make us want to repeat it. I would go home and not worry about what I said being repeated.  It would all be good.

Imagine what a day would be like if all we said was good, if all we heard was good. Imagine if all we did was good, and all that was done to us was good. What an amazing day we would have. We may not be able to change what others say or do, but we can put good into our hearts. We can make sure our words and actions effect others in positives ways. We can be the change we want to see in the world. We can do this by "guarding our hearts above all else" it will "determine the course of our lives."

Sunday, September 4, 2011

9.4.11

Ecclesiastes 8:1 How wonderful to be wise, to analyze and interpret things. Wisdom lights up a person's face, softening its harshness.

My Thoughts
I love this verse!!... I know I say that all the time... but, God's word is so full of wonderful tidbits of information that can just change us!! 

This verse reminds me of my grandmother, my maw-maw.  She loved God, she studied God's word all the time!!.. My Grandmother didn't graduate high school...I am not even sure of the grade she finished. But, that didn't matter, she was always studying upon what God wanted.  She was always asking questions of the pastors that came in and out or her life.  She knew all the Bible stories and told many of them to me as a child.  She lived a hard life, picking cotton up into her 40's I think. She worked at plants, she was the mother of 8 living children. You could look at her face and her hands and tell that she had lived a hard life. But she was always pretty to me. She had this softness about her, when she talked her eyes smiled. I could listen to her for hours on end. The wisdom she handed out, lovingly in the stories she would tell were priceless.  When she hugged me I felt loved to the bone. There was just something about my maw-maw, and I believe it was the wisdom she had in her heart, wisdom she got from loving and seeking after God.

We have all know people like that in our lives.  Those people that glow, those people that you want to be around because they are so gentle in spirit that their mere presence makes you feel loved. If wisdom can make me like my maw-maw then it is something well worth seeking after.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

9.3.11

2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.

My Thoughts
God, who encourages those who are discouraged!!  I love that!! God puts people in our paths to encourage us, God puts Bible verses in our remembrances to encourage us. God loves his children and cares if they feel discouraged! 

We need God on our side!  God knows what we need all the time. God always cares! God always loves!  God always forgives! God even makes sure that we are encouraged!! 

I am always amazed when God steps in on my bad days!!... I had so many where I didn't know how to call out to God, I would just end up going down a spiral of depression.  Bad things happening use to put me to bed for days on end, I have been know to cry in my sleep from being overwhelmed. The devil had me right where he wanted me, he could get me in such a state that all he had to do was say "Boo!" and I could loose all my ability to be productive. I could feel the energy drain from by body in an instance.

Now that I have learned to put my hope and trust in God that does not happen to me anymore.  The devil might get started, I may have that first moment of panic....I may even get lost in it for an hour or so. But, then I remember to call out to God!! I send up my prayers and God sends down his Word, God places somebody in my path, my phone rings, I get an email. Something happens to me now and I am able to say God here it is, I am giving this problem to you!  I know you can handle it! When I do that I have renewed energy!!  I have hope and hope is a powerful thing.  I have learned to tell the devil "He who is in me is greater than you!!"  I know from what God does for my life on a daily basis that he is the God of encouragement!

Just recently in the last few months since my mom died, we have had a lot of unexpected expense, her house has had to have 2 new heating and air systems just to be able to put her house on the market to sell. College tuition came up (not unexpected but still a big expense). John-Robert's car needed hundreds of dollars worth of repairs. We had to call a plumber.. lots of stuff.  I can tell you that money things for some reason can knock me way out of my comfort zone.  But I have been able to say "God, this is yours, I know you will take care of us!" When I do I have I have felt completely calm. Robby sat down the other day to figure out where all this was going to come from... and it was there, what we needed was there!... we don't even have to touch our emergency fund. God took care of us!!  I gave it to God, I felt my peace, I was able to enJOY my days and God took care of us. God said don't give up, I have you in my hands. If you start to fall I will put you back on your feet. Don't be discouraged, I know the desires of your heart! God keeps his promises!

What can you give to God today??  Nobody cares more about what you need than God does!!

Friday, September 2, 2011

9.2.11

Psalms 45:10a "Be still and know that I am God!"

My Thoughts
I wonder how many times we think God is not there and we just didn't stop long enough to see if God was there?  I know that I go about my day being busy, busy.  I spend time with God in the morning, reading my Bible, praying.  Sometimes I have places to be and I even do that in a hurry.  I send up quick prayers all through the day, sometimes more than others. But, how often am I really still, waiting, and listening, and paying close attention to what God is trying to say to me? I so needed this verse today, to be reminded not to hurry about so much. To know that when I ask God a question that I need to stop and listen for God's answer. I so often fell the Holy Spirit prompting me, but how often do I feel the prompt and decided for myself what the answer is?

God in all his wisdom, in all his glory cares about each and every one of us, we are more important than the birds and they always have food to eat (Matthew 6:26). God knows the numbers of the hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30). On my head that is a task in itself, it changes every second!!  God cares about the desires of our heart (Psalms 37:4). God sent his only son to die for our sins (John 3:16). God loves us this much! When somebody that loves us this much speaks to our heart we should always be still and listen. We will never enjoy the full extent of God's love or of God's plan for our lives if we don't take the time to stop and hear what God has to say that is especially meant just for us and us alone. We need to stop and be still so that we can be aware of all that God has planed for us. Sometimes we need to stop and be still just to know how much we are loved.  I sure don't want to miss our on a moment when God is simply saying "Jeannie, I love you so much."

Thursday, September 1, 2011

9.1.11

Job 42:10 When Job prayed for his friends the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!

My Thoughts
I love this!!  When Job did something for somebody else God blessed Job. God blesses us when we bless others, how special is that!  If God will do for us when we pray for our friends, just think what God will do for us when we pray for our enemies. In Matthew 5:44 we are instructed to love our enemies and to pray for them. That can sometimes seem so hard to do. If God took notice of Job praying for his friends, you know that God will notice when we pray for and love our enemies. 

I have learned when somebody hurts my feelings, or cuts in front of me in traffic.  If I feel like somebody doesn't like me and when people are rude to me when I am shopping..... I send up a little prayer for that person.  Sometimes I forget, but I try my best to use that as a time to pray instead of a time to fuss.  My immediate reward comes when frustration leaves my body and my head and heart are clear to enjoy my days journey.  I can't even imagine what else God may have in store for me!!

When I think of it, on the days I let the devil get a hold of me and use me to hurt somebody else, I sure would love it if they would stop and send up a prayer for me. 

We should be in constant prayer for others, God ask Job to pray for his friends, we are instructed in Matthew to pray for our enemies. Every face we come in contact with each day is an opportunity to do what God ask of us. A prayer only takes a second and prayer has the power to change the world.  We have the opportunity to be a part of that change one face, on prayer at a time!!