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







Monday, October 31, 2011

10.21.11

Psalms 103:8-13
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

My Thoughts
I love this!! Love it!!  God does not constantly accuse us!!!  That voice reminding us all the time of the things we have done wrong that is the devil trying to trip us up, trying to stop us in our tracks.  If we are dwelling on the past we can move forward... God had removed our sins as far as the east is from the west!!  God loves us he is compassionate and merciful!!!  God does not punish us for all our sins... God sent Jesus (John 3:16) to die for our sins.... we just have to run to him, not hide.. run straight to God and say "I messed up God, please forgive me and help me do better!" God's love for us is as high as the heavens is above the earth!! We can't even see where that is...where heaven starts...we can't even comprehend that kind of love!!  But, we can trust that kind of love.  The fear of God is defined as  reverential awe, especially toward God: .... God is tender and compassionate to those who fear him...

I always think of King David...how many, many times he messed up... but God called King David a man after His own heart!!...David was always in awe of God, always.... David trusted God to forgive him, David went to God with all his feelings... David always turned to God.   David messed up, but aways loved God always trusted God... that love and trust ...David's awe of God keep him in good standing with God.

Our part is to love God with all our heart, to develop a relationship with God.  To go to God with everything...all our thoughts!  Then when our thoughts are all twisted up with emotion, and flesh... God can talk us through them... calm us down... put us back on a path that makes him happy, a path that changes our lives only for the Good.

God wants to make our lives better!!  God loves us as much as the distance of  the earth is from the heavens and wants to make our crooked paths straight (Isaiah 45:2). God wants to forgive us of our sins... and spend his time just loving us!!  God wants our lives to be the best they can be!!  I love these verses because they feel me with comfort, the comfort of knowing that God loves me so much... that God throws my sins as far as the east is from the west... that I can rebuke the devil when he tries to remind me of how much I have messed up in the past... I can tell him that God has forgiven me and that God loves me ... I can tell the devil that I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 130:14). Then I can go about my day being better and better because God is with me... showering me with his grace and love, making my crooked paths straight!! 

Saturday, October 29, 2011

10.28.11

Philemon 1:7 Your love has given me much joy and comfort,  my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God's people.

My Thoughts
I love this!!  Kindness refreshes hearts!!  It so does!!  We have all had a bad day where somebody took a minute to be nice and completely turned our day around.  A moment of kindness can restore a person's faith in mankind.  Kindness has the power to save lives!!  We never know when some-body's days have been so bad that they may be considering taking their own lives... our kind words may be just the thing that gives them hope.

In the same way our unkindness, or even our indifference can still some-body's joy. We never know when our kindness is "the straw that breaks the camels back," of a person suffering an injustice that no one knows about. The stranger, with the grouchy face, that stands in our way at Wal-Mart...the one we don't want to even make eye contact with, that may be the very person that needs a smile the most. That needs a "Hi, how are you?"  The person that needs a bit of hope! We read about, and see so many of the injustices of the world... and that is only the tip of the iceberg. We like to believe they happen to other people... people in other towns. But, those injustices are happening to the people we see when we go about our days. Those people need hope, kindness gives hope... a simple smile from a stranger can give a person the hope to get through yet another day. A smile can give a person that lives all alone a connection to the world.  We need to never, ever underestimate the power of kindness.

Kindness is energizing!!  I know when I have had a bad day... then I am at the grocery store...on the last few isles, feeling exhausted, then somebody takes the time to smile at me... it makes me feel good, gives me the energy to finish what I have started. Kindness refreshes the hearts of people. Kindness stirs hope deep within our souls.

Jesus always met people with kindness. Jesus was love and it showed, always.  We are called to be like Jesus. To reach the world, to reach one person we have to start with kindness.  A smile opens ears and hearts... our kindness can start with a smile, there is no telling where that smile might lead. Your smile, your hello, you offer to let somebody go ahead of you in like... may be the thing that saves a life today. We have the power to make a day better, we just have to make the choice to exercise that power.

Friday, October 28, 2011

10.28.11

Titus 3:1 Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. 

My Thoughts
God judges us on what we do...not what others do... not the choices others make but, on the choices we make.  We are told here to submit to our government, to be obedient, always ready to do what is good.  We in America have to right to make a difference, we get a vote.  We need to exercise that right, to study what our candidates stand for. We need to know if they truly love God.  We need to get out and vote.  Then our part is to support our government, whether or not we disagree. Then be in prayer everyday for the choices our government makes.  Even if we have a president, or Senate or Congress that know God when we are in prayer, God takes control.  I know that things could be better in our country now, there could be more job... less spending ... etc,. etc,. Our part is not to grumble and complain, our job is to pray!  Our job is to submit to our government, be obedient and always ready to do good.  We need to be busy taking care of our neighbors that have lost jobs.  Our neighbors that are working less hours.  We need to be in prayer always in prayer for the choices our leaders are making.  I have noticed that everywhere I go people are complaining about our government and the choices they are making. I mean I don't get out much and I hear it all the time!!  People complaining... I know that we need to take a stand to change what is not good... but, complaining is not taking a stand.. the people I hear complaining about our government still just go about their days... not taking a stand but complaining, complaining, complaining. Our part is not to complain, our part is to be supportive and to pray to God to make the difference.  God is the one who is in control and has all the power. We need to activate that power over our government with prayer. I believe with all my heart that if we as a nation  were to pray every time we were even tempted to complain about our government we would see changes that were unimaginable. We would no doubt be amazed at the power of God to make a difference in our country.

The other day I was at Bible Study and heard this true story.  A woman at Bible Study told of how she knew a couple.  The husbands job had not been going good at all... every one's hours were cut back, the company was struggling bad.  They were all worried!  Then they started meeting each morning and praying for the company, praying for a turn around... in one week, just one week the company got this big contract... and everybody there was working 12 hours day!!  Not long after the husband ask his wife what she was doing, she said "praying." He replied, "please don't pray for my work!!  I don't need more hours!!"  Prayer works. When we earnestly go to God in prayer, he hears our prayers. 

Our country could turn around as fast as that mans company did.  We just need to be thankful for the country we live in, we need to do as we are instructed and submit to our government and we need to be in prayer. Complaining changes nothing but our moods, and how we treat others... Prayer, prayer changes people, lives, even governments.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

10.27.11

Titus 2:14 He (Jesus) gave us life to free us from every kind of sin, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

My Thoughts
We have to make a conscious decision to be "committed" to doing good... Jesus died to free us from sin, to make us his own, totally committed to doing good deeds. We have to make the the choice to do good.  Does this mean we need to go out everyday feeding the  poor, building houses... oh that would be great if we could. Oh  if we were all able to go about doing that kind of good.   But, the truth is for the world to keep working...for us to keep even feeding our own families most of us have other things that have to be done. What we have to do is to make a commitment to doing good in our everyday lives. No good deed no matter how small it seems to us is unimportant. A smile is a good deed, a compliment is a good deed, taking somebody to lunch is a good deed, calling to check on someone is a good deed, sending a card is a good deed. Letting somebody in in traffic is a good deed.  Anything that makes somebody else's day better in any way is a good deed. Joyce Meyer said that when something good happens to us it is always from God.  If somebody says that we are pretty, that is from God.  If somebody notices that we did a good job, God noticed it is a compliment from God.  If somebody buys us lunch, that is from God.  When we go about doing good, smiling at people, complimenting people... helping people in small ways and large...we are allowing ourselves to be used by God to improve the lives of others around us. 

We need to never, ever underestimate the power of  the "little things."  Think about it...so often when we have a bad day it is the little things that went wrong.  The more little things that go wrong in a day the worse our day gets.  The same is true with the "little things" that go right in a day, we just don't stop to really notice them. Whether we notice them or not they are so important to our well being. Which means that our smiles, our hugs, our compliments are important.  Taking somebody to lunch is important.  Helping somebody with their groceries bags is important. Holding the door for somebody is important. Taking time to ask about some-body's day is important! Doing good deeds is always important. It is what Jesus calls us to do.

Luke 16:10 says that if we are faithful in the little things we will be faithful in the larger ones.  When we go about doing good in the little things... God will put bigger things in our path to trust us with... When we are in the habit of,  when we are committed to doing good in the small things...when we are so committed it becomes second nature to do good...when something bigger comes along we will just know the "good" thing to do.  It will be a part of our heart.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

10.26.11

Psalms 97:11 Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right.

My Thoughts
Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. When our hearts are right we have joy!!  It is funny how much time we spend searching for things that will make us happy. We have all done it...we all do it. Media is always telling us having this... or having that will make us happy.  "Priceless" moments that we can't afford will make us happy. A face lift will make us feel better about ourselves and we will be happy. The next new gadget will make us happy. We want our children to be happy so we work hard at making sure they have the "things" they need to be happy.  We spend countless hours searching for happiness.  When all along happiness if found when our hearts are right with God... yet in all our timely endeavors we fail to stop and make time for God.  Our joy is found in God, who loves us so much!  When we spend time with God, God puts it in our heart to do right. Philippians 2:13 tells us  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." When we seek after God, God will give us the desire and ability to do what is right... our hearts will be right...then the joy, the happiness will come! We make the simple so complicated, because we listen to what the world says about being happy.  And Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength...We go about searching for happiness in earthy things... exhausting ourselves.... running out of energy... wearing ourselves down to the point of being no good for anybody all the while looking for happiness.  When we take time for God not only does he fill us with joy...that joy becomes our strength. God's great love for us has the ability to change our lives in amazing ways and all the while giving us that happiness we all keep searching for...and the strength we need to get through all that we have to face.  Our part is really easy, seek after God, seek to know God... happiness and strength follow.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

10.25.11

Psalms 96:11-13 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!  Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise  before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.

My Thoughts
I love this...I love the thought of the earth rejoicing!  Every since I read this the very first time...the part about the forest rustling with praise I never see a tree in the wind the same.  I see it singing praises to God!  I see gardens growing for God...then we are lucky enough to eat from them.  I see the ocean waves as shouts of praise... and the ocean makes such a beautiful sound!  We as people have been given the earth, a creation of God, the earth, that lives for God, to use for our pleasure... If the trees make a joyful noise, if the ocean makes a joyful noise... if gardens grow to glorify God, what as people should we be doing?  We have so much yet we get in the habit of grumbling, and complaining about what we want that we don't have... we call our wants "needs." We have roads that speed us from one place to the other and we grumble when we can't move fast enough. I think we as people must make God so sad with all our grumbling and complaining.  We must make God sad when we use our spare time wanting more, more, more, without remembering to say thank you for all that we have.  We need to take a lesson from the trees, from the ocean and praise God  in all that we do!!  Praise God in the car, praise God when we cook our dinner we don't even have to grow ourselves any more. We need to remember each time a bird sings that it is praising God and we should join in. When the wind blows and rustles the leaves we need to be so totally aware that the earth is praising God.  The wind claps together and makes a thunderous sound praising God.  Electricity in the air puts on a light show for God. If we could put this verse in our remembrance, we would be so much more likely to remember that we ourselves need to praise God. We need to praise him for our mornings...and our nights..and all the in between. We should never have mindless moments...those moments that we are not busy thinking the thoughts that have to be thought... we need to be busy, excited, praising God. It has been a long time since I have been to the ocean... now I can't wait to see it again!!  I can't wait to stand there in awe and listen as the earth sings it's praises to God.  Just the thought makes my heart excited!!

Monday, October 24, 2011

10.24.11

2 Timothy 3 16-17 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

My Thoughts
The more I read God's word and mediate on it, the more I truly know how true this passage of scripture is!  The more I study God's word the simpler my life gets.  You would think with all those pages and all those scripture that it would get harder... be almost impossible to do.... but for me it has simplified my life in amazing ways.  All for the good. My life just gets better every day.  The joy in my life is more every day. I am amazed each time as I put what I am learning into practice how much my life improves. Making a choice is so much easier now because God's word is becoming so much a  part of my heart that often something that use to would have been a decision between many choices is now narrowed down quickly. What I ask myself what would God want me to do instead of what should I do... the answer is so often just there. No choices to make at all. Instead of wondering over what would be the right thing to do...I know what is right, because I now know what God has told me is right.  Do I always make the right choice? No... but do I make more right choices? Absolutely!!  I find when I choose to do what God would have me do I never worry later...I don't loose sleep, I feel content and comfortable.  Instead of asking myself "Would this make ____________ happy?" I can ask myself "Would this make God happy?" ... people don't have a book of instruction to help us out... our answer, no matter how hard we try to please people can always be wrong.  But when we ask "Would this make God happy?" we have a book to go to, the Bible, that tells us what God does want from us.  Have I though I was hearing from God when I wasn't" Sure I have!!...But, the more I read and learn the better I get at knowing what God would want, or at hearing what God is telling me. The more I recognize God's words when they are spoken in my heart.  God is preparing and equipping me to do good work.  Good work is never wrong!!  God's word can only teach me if I pick it up and read it, learn it, make it a part of me.  I have to do my part, and as always God does the rest. I have heard  God's grace  defined as God's ability working in us to help us do what we could not do otherwise.  I am learning that God's grace is powerful, amazing, and produces only good things...even on the worst of day.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

10.23.11

2 Timothy 2:16-17a Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer.

My Thoughts
We so often talk to be heard... just to be heard.  All of us have been guilty of thinking about what we can add to a conversation instead of really, actually listening to the conversation.  We all want to be heard... we all need to be heard. But, we don't always need to be talking.  Oh, and I do love to talk!! I am learning to listen, to stop and think "Do I really need to be adding to 'this' conversation?" If the conversation is about somebody, or about how people act I am learning to keep my mouth shut. To just be a listener. If the conversation is complaining, complaining about anything and everything I am learning to keep my mouth shut.

In my quite I have noticed how conversations of complaining just spread like wildfire.  People jump on those conversations like they are a new roller coaster at the amusement park.  Before you know a happy room full of people have traveled down the tracks at a breakneck speed and before you know it they are at the end of the ride with a changed attitude.

When the talk is about people the ride seems to take a turn into dark places ... a lot like haunted houses getting worse with each turn of the ride.  Before you know it somebody that was having a bad day and didn't speak to somebody, has become somebody too stuck up to ever speak to anybody. 

Now that I am learning to keep my mouth shut when I see that a conversation is going in a direction that would make God shake his head I hear so much of what happens to to those kind of conversations.  It is amazing to watch and listen when you are not intent on being heard. Now I am not saying it is always easy!!  But in the end I am finding it so worth it. I am learning when I don't add to conversation about people I feel better about me!! When I don't add to conversation about how lousy our government is... I feel better about me.  I have also noticed how my thought pattern has changed when I know I am just going to keep my mouth shut.  So often I see how I can improve.  For instance the other night I was at a place where people just keep talking bad about our government.  Mind you our government could use some improvement... but this conversation just lead to unhappiness and grumbling and complaining. Then a room full of women who were having a good time up until this point lost all their joy and people started going home.  They were having fun!! I thought as I sat there about how the Bible says that we are not to talk about our leaders ( Ecclesiastes 10:20).  I also though about how the Bible says that we are to pray for our government. Jeremiah 29:7 says  "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” I knew that I would never change what I didn't like about our government by sitting there complaining... in fact I could add to the destruction of our nation by compiling and speaking destruction over our country.  Instead of complaining about our government I needed to be in prayer about our government. Right then and there I knew that each time I heard people complain that my job was to say a prayer, to ask God for help.

Our words have the power to destroy peoplem lives and cities. Or our words have the power to build each other up.  To compliment, to encourage to teach. Our prayers have the power of God behind them... and there is nothing more powerful than God. I am learning that I want my words to add strength to the people around me...I want my words to make my country stronger... I want my words to make people feel loved.  I must avoid worthless, foolish talk, God tells me to avoid worthless, foolish talk. God wants only good for us!!  When we learn to be quite and listen he tells us so much!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

10.22.11

Psalms 91:14-16  The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

My Thoughts
I love this...it just brings me comfort... it makes me want to be better at loving, trusting and knowing God.  God keeps his promises!!  Always!  Here he tells us he will rescue us if we love him, he will protect us if we trust him... he will answer when we call (we have to do the calling). He will be with us in trouble.. God will rescue and honor us!!!  he will reward us with a long life and salvation!  Wow what a promise.

The more I know God the more I am aware of all God does for me, for us! These verses of what God will do for us they just get me all excited and make me want to do better and better!!  They remind me that God is always there for me... I just have to call out and ask and he will answer me.  The more I know God the more I run to God when I need him. The more I run to him when I mess up.

Jesus said we are to be like little children (Matthew 18:3). The more I know God the more I truly get this!!  Think of a 2 or 3 year old child...they run to Daddy for anything and every thing... they are not afraid of their daddy... daddy will fix it and make it better. Even when they do something wrong the still run straight to daddy.  We need to feel that way about God... running to him...never ever from him.  He will tell us many times "Yes you did mess up!! Now you have to live with what you have done...but I will get  you through this and I will help teach you as you go through the consequences of your actions... because you trust in me, because you came to me when you messed up... we will make this better, better than before...we will do it together." God wants to make our lives right.. God wants to rescue and protect us... God even wants to honor us.  Our part is to love and trust in God. 

The part that takes effort is the relationship... once we know God the rest, the loving and trusting... truly loving God, truly trusting God...well that just comes easy. The more we truly know God the more we know, that we know, that we know, that God keeps all, ALL of his promises...and those promises are amazing.

I love knowing that God will rescue me, God will protect me, God will answer me... God will be with me when there is trouble... then God will honor and reward me! My part is loving him, trusting him and calling on him. The more I know God, the more time I spend with God the more automatic my part becomes. I so love God, he is such an awsome God...every day I am more amazed!





Friday, October 21, 2011

10.21.11

Proverbs 25:28 A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.

My Thoughts
I kept trying to write on something else today... but then I kept coming right back to this verse... for some reason I kept reading it... God just kept pulling me back until I read it enough to really, really "get it."  So I did stop and think about it... all its words... The walls of a city are to protect the city from the enemy. If any part of the wall is broken down the city is at risk.  Our enemy is satin who is always looking for a way into our lives through the cracks, through the places that are broken down. Satin is always, always looking for the places where we lack self-control. We think of a lack of self-control when we first read this as someone who flies off the handle easily, or I did.  Someone who has no self-control over their temper.  But, actually we can lack self-control in so many areas in our lives.  Some people lack self control over alcohol or drugs, some over their temper.  Some people lack self-control over their money, their spending habits.  Some people lack self-control over how much time they spend on the computer.  Some people lack self-control over sweets or other foods.  I have a  bit  of  a self-control issue over how much time I can spend knitting, or crocheting. Some people even lack self-control over, over analyzing every part of every day the are actually obcessed with taking something and thinking it to death. Turning something simple into something huge. 

The devil loves those "broken down walls" in our lives.  It is his way of getting in.  I think of old city walls or something uniformed... all in balance when you see them from a distance... perfectly spaced watch towers... clean crisp corners... look outs in the front and on the sides and in the back.  We need to be that way about our lives... we need to keep lookout for the places where we lack self-control... If we tend to overspend we need to make ourselves a check list of questions that help us make wise purchase, instead of impulsive one.  If we get lost in playing (with yarn, me) we need to make us a " you can play when you get this done" list. We just need to be totally aware of the places where we lack self-control and work on those areas of our lives so that we can better serve God. So that we can better serve the people around us... so that we can have a balanced life. We need some more well done's in our lives and less "should have" dones.  Satin loves to use the "should have dones" to trip us up. He loves to tempt us where we lack self-control and then tell us how bad we were because we listened to him.

God on the other hand loves to tell us how to do life better.  How to have balance. God even tell us that we don't have to do it alone. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  This verse doesn't say some things.. it says "all things." That means Jesus will help us in the areas where self-control is a problem, all we have to do is ask.  We can use this very scripture to tell the devil "I can" when the devils tells us we can't. I have learned to say it out loud...so the devil hears it...and so I know it three times.. once in my thoughts, once from my mouth and then back into my ears.  God give us what we need to be balanced people. We have to "fix" our thoughts, our mind on self-control. A wall broken down is so much easier to completely than a wall in balance, a wall with all its parts in tact. 

Today I will make a choice to exercise self-control over something new.  It all starts with a step, a little life change here, a little life change there.. God wants us to have life in abundance... He just gives us free will to make the choices that make life wonderful.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

10.20.11

1 Timothy 5:25 In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.

My Thoughts
2 Thessalonians 3:13 tells us "As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good." We all get that point sometimes, when everybody around us seems to not be doing good and we keep trying to do what is right. We go about doing good sometimes and feel like nobody even cares or notices anyway. God always knows when we do good... when we are being good. And even if we think nobody sees what we do... somebody sees. Our reputation is being built one good deed, one good action, one good choice at a time. God always knows.  It is always worth choosing to do the right thing. Never give up!!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

10.19.11

1 Timothy 4:8 Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.

My Thoughts
I love this!!!... love it!  I am finding it to be so so true in my life.  Look at this verse it says training for godliness promises benefits in this life.  Our life here on earth will be better when we train to be godly!!  It will also bring us benefits in the life to come!!  Train is defined as : to direct the growth of (a plant) usually by bending, pruning, and tying  : to form by instruction, discipline, or drill... we have to work at being godly...we have to learn and grow... we have to use what we have learned... we have to first make an effort to use what we have learned... a very conscious effort... then use it over and over again until it becomes what we do automatically.  We have to train our bodies, our hands, our feet, our mouths, our minds to do what Jesus would do.  But first we have to learn what it is that Jesus would do. 

When a solider goes into basic training they do the drills over and over and over again.  They practice what they will do before the shot a gun... they do it so much that when they have to make the decision to do the first step...and the shot comes naturally.  They don't actually make the decision to make the shot... they make the decision to take the first step in making the shot... so they will shoot without hesitation when the times comes to save their lives or the lives of a fellow officer.  They have trained for this.. their mind, their hands, their whole bodies have been conditioned to follow through.. Once the drill is set into motion their reaction is automatic.

That is how we should be with the word of God...we should read it and learn it... make it a part of our heart.  Then we should put it into practice over and over and over again... so when the time comes that we are in a position to make a quick decision... or when the time comes when we are too exhausted to even think...  or when the time comes that we are too stressed to think our automatic response will be a godly one. Our minds, our hands our body, our mouths will do the right thing because it has been trained to do what God would want.  We should never underestimate the power of that training.  Just as the benefits of  a soldiers training can save his life... or the lives of the people around him, godly training can save our lives. Godly training can save the lives of the people around us.  Godly training promises, PROMISES to benefit our life now...and our life in heaven. 

I have often wondered if I would make a difference in the life of anybody here on earth... I think we all have.  We have so much to do just to get through a day.. to pay the bills.. to get people where they need to be.  What I am learning is that when we do what God ask of us people notice.  Being godly changes us and the people around us. There is a dear, dear lady in my church, her name is Kay.  She is one of the most godly women I have ever know.  She is always kind, always.  She is always willing to say a prayer for others. She is always encouraging. When I needed her most I called her and she got dressed and met me at the hospital the day my mom died. She did this without any hesitation. When she opens her mouth we all listen, there will for sure be a wonderful nugget of information that will change me if I follow it.  Ms Kay makes me want to be a better person.  Ms Kay makes my daughter want to be a better person.  Ms Kay makes my friends that know her want to be a better person.  Ms Kay has trained herself for godliness and it shows in all that she says and all that she does. Ms Kay is changing the lives of all the people around her... she is leaving such a beautiful footprint on our earth...and making such a wonderful home for herself in heaven.  Ms Kay is always in training.

We spend our days doing so much that matters and then we spend our days doing so much that doesn't seem to matter much at all. There are opportunities everywhere to get a bit of training in. Nothing can change our lives more than to learn to live our lives in constant pursuit of godly wisdom. It is never to late to learn and grow.  We can start with just one decision to do one thing that will set us on the path of godliness.. God will honor our effort and change our world.  What do you want your footprint to say about you?

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

10.18.11

Jeremiah 31:34b For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already," says the Lord. "And I will forgive them their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins."

My Thoughts
I love that God tells us several times in the Bible that he will never again remember our sins.  Psalms 103:12 tells us that God moves our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.  Micah 7:19 tells us that God cast our sins into the depths of the sea. If God chooses to forget our sins I believe that he wants us to forget our sins and move forward. The devil loves to tells us how we have sinned and how we can't do better... he loves to  put those thoughts in our heads "You did this or that, what makes you think you are worthy!?!?" What God tells us is that we are made right with Him through Jesus (Romans 3:22).  All we have to do is ask forgiveness and God makes us right with Him again..and remembers our sins no more.  Our part is to strive to be like Jesus... we are to learn and grow...and do better and better and better.  We are to work at being better at doing what God ask... no where in the Bible does it tell us to woller in our sins, constantly remembering them..... to the point that we can't function.  If we are living in our past sins, condemning ourselves daily for the mistakes we made in the past, we can't be our best in God.  God wants us to do our best to be our best for us. God wants  us to be our best so that we can have good lives.  Jesus came so that we could have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Abundance is not in our sins, or in the remembering or revisiting of them... abundance is in God and the plans that he has for our lives.  When we use the scripture to fight the thoughts the devil puts in our head it is like throwing flaming arrows at him.  God's word is stronger that Satin!! God's word is there for our use.  When the devil brings up my past sins... I have learned to tell him... The Bible tells me that I am made right with God...I am in right standing with God. I say this over and over until the urge to "woller" goes away.  Then I get the chance to experience more joy in my day.  Remember "The thief comes to still, kill and destroy" our days our joy, our happiness. Jesus came so that we can "have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Each time the devil tries to remind us of our past, of our sins he is stilling, killing or destroying our sense of self, our joy, he is trying to take a day away from us.  God forgets our sins!!... Jesus came to make us right with God... he came so that we could have joy and peace. He came so we could feel love. What we have to learn to do is make the choice to believe God and his word... and move forward into being good, better, best.

Monday, October 17, 2011

10.17.11

1 Timothy 2:1 I [Paul] urge you [Timothy], first of all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

My Thoughts
We each come in contact with so many people.... when we buy groceries, when we work... driving down the road... being out and about.... we even come in contact with people sitting at home...thanks to modern technology.  We each have a thought about most the people we come in contact with.  Even if its fleeting... we use our energy to have somewhat random thoughts about people all the time.... even people we see across the room we tend to have a thought or two about them. Simple thoughts like she was nice, I like her hair.  Could he have been more rude! What pretty eyes he had. I wish they would move out of my way!!  Do you really have to take up the whole isle!!  We have thoughts that don't change a thing except  our mood. 

What if we made it our habit to fill our head with simple prayers for people instead of random thoughts. This would for sure take some effort... we would have to fix our mind on doing it.  But, one thing we know from God's word is that prayer changes things... prayer changes people.... prayer changes us!!  We need to maybe use those random thoughts to be a reminder to pray... we can pray simple prayers for people like... "Thank you God for this sweet lady that checked me out today... her smile is wonderful.   Please give her more reasons to smile."  When somebody is so intent on blocking the isle when they shop we can pray, "Dear God you know the needs in this person's life... I myself can see they are so busy they are lost in their own world... please supply their needs God, please make their life less stressful." If a car pulls out in front of us we can pray, "Please God, keep this person safe and help them get to where they need to be on time."  Our prayers can change peoples lives, our prayers open doors.  We may never see what our prayers do for somebody... but they will make a difference in the lives of others... we can go about being productive by putting our thoughts into constructive prayer.  Not only will we be doing others good...we will be doing ourselves good, by being in constant contact with God.  Imagine if we spent our time in prayer for others instead of in thoughts of how people could have been nicer to us, how our moods would changes. We all know how important a good mood is for a good day!  When we do what God ask of us... he takes care of the rest... God in return will take care of our moods if we take care to pray for others. 

I was in Wal-Mart just yesterday buying groceries.... with at least 3 chances on each isle to send a prayer up for somebody....15 isles x 3 prayers... that is a good 45 opportunities to make a difference in a one hour shopping trip.  Instead I chose to have random thoughts ... I made a choice yesterday not to be productive in my thoughts. When I think of it that way ... it makes me sad!  Our thoughts change our lives for good or for bad... our prayers change everything, our prayers make a difference! How many prayers will you say today?

Sunday, October 16, 2011

10.16.11

Jeremiah 29:7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare."

My Thoughts
No matter where God puts us he expects us to do our best.... He expects us to pray to him for the good of the place that we are in.  If we are in a bad work situation, we need to pray and work hard.  If we are in a bad relationship we need to pray for it and work hard at doing what is right.  No matter where God places we are suppose to do our best, to be our best... we are suppose to bring good to where God has put us.  We are suppose to work for peace and prosperity...   When we do this ... God can trust us with more.

If we are in a job we don't like... that is not suited for us... or the management isn't good... we are to work like we are working for God.... Colossians 3:23-24 tells us Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

God even ask the Israelites to work for their masters, while they were slaves. They were to work in  a way that would bring peace in prosperity to the city.  God told the Iseralites to pray for the city.  God knew when when the city did good they would be better off.  If we do good at  our jobs... our employers will be better off... the better off he is the better off we will be.  If we work like we are working for God.. do what God ask of us... then even if our employer doesn't make sure we prosper from doing good... God will.

When we are diligent in working hard, working without complaint... when we do our best to prosper at the place we have been put...then God sees that he can entrust us with more. We are to bloom where we are planted... we are to be peaceful and loving ...we are to work hard... and be in prayer with God all the time.  When we do our part... God takes over and does the rest. 




Saturday, October 15, 2011

10.15.11

2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

My Thoughts
This is beautiful... I wish that somebody had prayed this prayer over me years and years ago.. I love it.  This is what I wish for everybody, everybody. If you are reading this... if your best friend isn't I pray for you both '"May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.' In Jesus Precious Name" I love how God is changing me as I read His word...I love how much more I understand now than I did when I started.  I love how now that I know God better I can truly feel his love....I feel how much God loves ME... I know how much God loves YOU!!  I love that I now know that I can endure anything because Christ is with me ALL the time. I pray that each and every person, every person could feel what I feel now.  I can feel sad that I have spent so many years not knowing... but get so excited, so, so excited that I have so many years left to feel wrapped in God's love.. I have so many years left to be strong enough to endure anything that comes my way.  If I was given just one wish... any wish that I wanted.... I would not ask for money... or a new house... or a new car.... now I wouldn't have to ask for happiness or to feel loved.... I would ask that each and every person on this earth would pick up their Bible each morning and make time to really get to know God... I know that if this wish was granted... not only would it change each person... it could and would change the world in amazing ways!!  God is amazing!! God's love is amazing! God has great plans for each of us and Jeremiah 29:11 tells us this... For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." God wants amazing things for us!!  Amazing things! Take time to learn all that God has to give!!  His love and his hopes for us are far beyond anything we might think to imagine. (Ephesians 3:20).

Friday, October 14, 2011

10.14.11

Psalms 84:11 For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.  He gives us grace and glory.  The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

My Thoughts
One definition of grace is a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior.... one definition of glory is a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity. This verse says that God gives us favor.. great splendor, and prosperity.  God gives us these things!!  One definition of grace is undeserved merit... even tho we don't deserve it God gives us favor... great splendor and prosperity.  This verse goes on to say that the Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. Just because God loves us,  he wants to give us good things.. God wants to withhold nothing from us!!  We limit our gifts from God... God wants to give us all that we could hope to imagine.  We just have to take the time to learn what God sees as right... that takes time and effort...that takes spending time with God... that takes taking to God... listening  to the Holy Spirit.  God knows our steps before we step them... our thoughts before we think them.   God knows when giving us too much, too fast will send us down a wrong path.  We have to learn to do what is right... we have to know right from wrong deep down in our soul.... the more we learn and grow in good... the more God puts the desire in our heart do do what pleases him (Philippians 2:13). We just have to keep on seeking after God, then God will put it in us to do good... then God will shower us with good things... because he loves us so very much. When we keep our eyes on God, our focus on God, our hearts on God... God does the rest!!   Matthew 6:33 puts is as simply as this, Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."  We so have to go from wanting God when we think we need God to seeking after God in all that we do.  Starting our days with God, ending our days with God...and talking to God all through out the day inbetween.  The more we keep our eye on God, the more we seek after God the better and better our lives get.  God wants to hold no good thing from us... God has so much to give to us, so much... much more than we can even think to imagine... our part...is to seek after God.... seeking after God is the always the right thing to do.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

10.13.11

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 11 So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

My Thoughts
What a beautiful prayer!  "Please God enable my friends to life a life worthy of your call. Give them the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do."  I love that this ends with "This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.  I love how this goes with Philippians 4:13 that says all things are possible through Christ who strengthens  you.  I love that God gives us the power to accomplish all good things!! 

We need to seek out the good to do in a day.  We need to never ever underestimate the power of something good no matter how small it might seem to us. Sometimes that small moment of goodness is huge in somebody else's life...it can turn their day around... and we never know when it turns a life around completely. When we see a moment to help we need to remind ourselves that all acts of goodness and kindness, whether it is a simple smile, or a kind word... or something huge like paying a persons bills or buying someone a car.... all acts of kindness honor God.  God will give us the power for that smile, that kind word, that hand up... God gives us, puts in us what we need to be good.

Each time we think that "we should" do something nice for somebody...then we feel too tired .. or out of time... we should remember this verse... because God will give us the strength, the time... the ability. Then when we honor God... God blesses us in return.

Wow when we honor God, God even echos back honor into our lives.

What will you echo today?

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

10.12.11

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to  Christ Jesus.

My Thoughts
We have all heard that saying "Happiness is a choice." Here in Thessalonians it is actually a command. Always be joyful.  To be joyful we have to be mindful of all the good around us.  We have to make a conscious effort to think on the good... to see the good in others... to love others, to give to others. Not just money or material gifts.. but give our attention, our time... our smiles our acceptance. When we hand out joy it echos back into our lives more times than it is handed out.  If you shout to the mountains " You are beautiful" you hear it back 3 or 4 times for your one shout.  So to be able to feel such joy we must first give it...then it will be echoed back into our lives. Joy is a choice...we are commanded to be joyful always.  That means in the morning... in the lull of the day...and at night when the day has been long.  There is always something to be joyful about, always. We just have to make the effort to look for it...sometime, often we have to be the joy we want to see. We have to fix our hearts on joy!

We are also commanded to be in constant prayer... that means that we are always talking to God...about anything and everything. Taking, talking, talking to God.  If we are constantly praying.. if we never stop..we fill up the cracks of empty space where the devil likes to get.  We keep God with us every moment when we stay in constant prayer.  In those prayers we need to be mindful to be thankful always, always!! 

I often wondered how to be thankful when something bad was going on... it is doable.. and it will change the bad much more quickly than dwelling on the bad... blowing the bad up in our heads so it is so much bigger than it actually is.  We have to make God bigger than our problem... God is bigger than any problem we have.  So when the moment or the day is not going good we can thank God... for good yesterdays... for new days... new beginnings... we can thank God for any lessons we are suppose to be learning.  When we get busy thanking God in all circumstances it draws God near... we remember to invite God in to take over... we can thank God that he is bigger than any bad day we have...and we will see the changes. Sometimes the changes come in the things around us...sometime it comes in our own hearts...and our ability to deal with a difficult situation...but when we invite God in there is always a change.

God give us free will to be joyful. God give us free will to be prayerful God give us free will to be thankful. In all of these areas we have the choice.  The amazing things is that God gives us the answers... God tells us here is the right answers, we need to choose them so our life can be abundant!! 

What will your echo be today?

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

10.11.11

Jermiah 17:7-8 "But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.  They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heart or worried by long months of droubt.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."

My Thoughts
I love this.... love it... I used to not quite get it... how it applied to my spiritual life.  I could have put it into words... but feeling it...well that is a whole nother story.  The more I read God's word...the more it stick in my heart and head....it is just there.... like the water is there for the roots of a tree by the riverbank... The more I take time for God's word the more God plants it in my heart the deeper my roots are in His power. Then when times get tough... or a I face a situation where I feel lost about what to do.... I remember God's word.... Me I don't remember that it is in Mark, or Luke.... or Jeremiah...(I use the Internet for that) but I know what God's world has told me... it is there deep in me and I can call upon it and use it all the time... no matter how far from the Bible my physical body is.  It amazes me each time a scripture comes to my remembrance.... I can now wake up in the middle of the night with scripture on my mind!!  When the devil tells me I am afraid...I can tell him that God is with me... that "He who is with me is stronger than he that is in the world." .... when I do that I feel stronger...use to I listened to the devil and got more and more afraid.  When the devil tells me I can't... I tell the devil "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"... when the devil tells me that I have no right to be happy... I tell the devil "Jesus came that I could have life and have it in abundance." If the devil tries to tell me that I am no good... I say "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." When the devil reminds me of my past sins I say "Those sins are forgive by the blood of Jesus!" then when he says "God remembers them ." I say... "You may remember them but God has thrown the knowledge of my sins as far as the east is from the west, he wants me to do the same and to move forward and do better." I love what my roots have done for my life!.. I am learning the more I read God's word... the stronger and stronger I get...there seems to be less storms...but actually ... there are always storms here on earth... with God's word I weather them so much better... use to a breeze could feel like a storm in my life...now storms pass right over and I stand strong in God's word.

If I could encourage just one person to read their Bible daily...commit to it for one year...I would be so excited that I might just explode!!  My commitment was to get through my One Year Bible once...now I have almost read it the second time.... my plans now are to read it daily for the rest of my life... if my life has changed this much in that amount of time what will I be like in 20 years!  I can't wait to find out!

If every you find me in the hospital...and want to know what to do for me.... just sit beside my bed, read to me from the Bible and grow my roots!  God's word is a powerful thing.  God's word spoke the world into being...just a word from God and there was the sun, the moon and the stars.  Imagine what it can do spoken into our lives on a daily basis!!

Monday, October 10, 2011

10.10.11

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for your overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.
My Thoughts
Love is what makes us blameless...this is what I get from this verse. We must love one another with our whole hearts. Each person we come in contact each day we must love. We must be love. This will make our hearts strong!!
Today's world tells us all that time to think about ME!! ME!! ME!! ... God tells us to think about others.. to love others. Over my lifetime I have seen many people that love themselves... that are worried, all the time if people love them, what people are going to do for them. They are the people that I have seen give up on love... because they were so busy worried about being loved that they were unable to love in return. When I look back at my own life.. the times I felt least loved were the times I was most worried about me being loved by others... the times I have felt most loved is when I was loving towards others.
When we make it our goal to love others... when we do what God ask of us and we love others, we fix our minds on love... God takes care of the rest. If God knows we need to love others, God also knows that we need others to love us!
A good example of this is those people that you love to see coming! You know the ones..they light up a room when they walk in... you can feel their love so much that you love to see them from across the room... they make it their mission to love others and it shows... we have all know that kind of person! Well think about it... they walk into a room...your heart feels so happy because they are there that your own face lights up!... the room didn't just brighten because the were bright...the room brightened because you were bright too. They were showing love...and in return God made sure they felt loved.

It is like God set it up for us to feel what we send out. Like an echo... you shout out to the mountains I love you...and you hear I love you back... you shout out to the mountains I love me... you hear I love me back.... God wants us to echo love, acceptance, kindness... God wants us to give .... then God takes care of the echo....

Today, each day before we speak, before we act we need to stop and think ... "Do I want want I am giving out?" Each time before we act we need so say to ourselves "Would I want somebody to act this way toward me?" ... even our body language should be what we would want in return. We need to be mindful to fix our thoughts on what is good. Philippians 4:8 tells us "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things" ... we do what we think about... we get back what we give.
If your day is going right today... or if your day is going wrong... stop and ask yourself "Is that my echo?".... we need to be constantly aware of what we shout out to the mountains.We need to actually plan our echos... to fix our mind on what our echo will be!! What will your echo be today?

Sunday, October 9, 2011

10.9.11

1 Thessalonians 2:4 For we speak as messangers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.

My Thoughts
Our purpose is to please God, not people.  I am a people pleaser.... I always have been.  I don't just want people to like me .... I want everybody to LOVE me!! I have done many things wrong in my life to have somebody like me. I have often had such trouble making decisions because I was having to weight who, what I did, would please. It was exhausting.... the more I got to truly know God and what he wants from me the more my world changed in this area. 

First, as sweet as I could be I got even sweeter.  I am sweet to people now because I want them to feel loved, not so they love me.... but so they will feel loved.  So they will know that God loves them.  Even when I feel my worse and I am out in the world I make a conscious effort to be sweet and kind and loving.  I don't want anybody that I come across to in any way feel unloved.  Now if they don't accept my kindness I go about me day... and my day is not changed in any way.... I myself feel loved by God...I feel God's approval in my life.  Before if I had tried my best and got shot down it would hurt my feelings so much.  Now I am trying for God.  If the person on the other end of my smile, my kind words does not respond... it is sad for them, I think... but I am okay because I know that God knows I was doing what He called me to do, love others.

Another way this has changed my world is it reduced the choices I have when I have to make a decision.  So if I have 6 options... I can narrow it down in a hurry to about three by asking which of these choices would please God.  If somebody ask me to do something....I think would this be something that would please God...if the answer is no... I can now say no without any guilt or worry.  I then go the next step and ask myself if I say yes to this, will I wish I hadn't later and be resentful in my heart while I am preforming this task... if it is going to give me a negative heart I decline the task. My to do list has been cut in half! When God gives me something to do now that I am not sure I will like or be successful at.... I get to work praying each day that I will be good at the task at hand...I ask God to give me a heart for what He has give me.  When I ask, God answers.

As I get to know God more, and more, and more the choices I make each day change more and more... as they change my life changes. And each time that God changes my life it gets better.  I have seen so much change in my life since I begin to take time to know God, truly know God. I can get so excited about the changes in my future, just by looking at the changes in my past.  The thing is God can take something the devil means for bad and turn it into a blessing.  There is nothing that God ask of us that is not good for us and for others. When we choose to please God and not man we will be making the right choices.  Even if man gets upset with our choices, God is still the one in control of our lives. God can fix anything that man messes up. Today I want to make God pleased with me, I want to make God like me, I want to make God smile... in the process I have found that more people like me, more people LOVE me! God cares about the desires of my heart!!  When I do what God ask, God always takes care of the rest.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

10.8.11

Colossians 4:5-6 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

My Thoughts
I remember times when I believed in God, but just didn't understand how to be close to God, people that were "believers" that were so harsh in their words. Hurtful... harmful actually. Putting things in a way that kept me from Church instead if drawing me to Church.  We once ate dinner with a couple, I had been gambling that week and mentioned it early in the night. From that moment on I was a "sinner!" I was not considered a child of God in any sense of the word.  I could not say a word without being shot down by scripture...I was constantly interrupted and never allowed to finish anything I said.  I felt like these people had doomed me straight to hell.  At the time I was at a Church I was not so comfortable at... I told my husband that if that is what "Church people" were like I didn't want to go to church...and I didn't for years after that dinner.  Godly people had kept me from Church.  At that time in my life I could have been loved into Church..then taught how to have a closer relationship with God and God would have took care of what I was doing wrong. Instead I was condemned by people that had sinned themselves...in their past but in that moment also,  by judging me without getting to know me....there was no way they could know me they didn't take the time to listen to my words, or learn where I was at in my growth or lack of growth as a Christian.
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We are told here in God's word to be very careful of our conversations... that they should be gracious and attractive... We should make sure that people know the love and forgiveness of God. Most people want to do better they just don't know how.  To do better we have to first know God, then God takes care of our heart when we make an effort.  I love Philippians 2:13... God tells us that he will give us the desire and the power to do what pleases him.... those are powerful verses! Colossians 4:5-6 should be put deep into our remembrance as Christians so that we are always mindful of how we treat people...it is our job to win souls to God and his love ... not to make them feel like they could never, ever be good enough.  None of us could ever be good enough on our own... we all need the grace of God to get better, and better.

That weekend when I had gone gambling...I had taken $40 with me... when that was gone I had not spent another dime... to me, at the time I was playing games carefully...with a limit...and I was sticking to that limit.  One day on the way to spend another $40 we passed a pawn shop, then another, and another... the closer we got to the Casino the more pawn shops I saw... God spoke to my heart that day.  What I saw that day was me adding to the destruction of the lives of people that couldn't stop at $40.  I have never been back. Not because a person condemned me... but because a God that I was getting to know better spoke to my heart.  I would have heard his voice sooner if I had not been pushed away, treated like I was so bad that I had no chance.

We need to be mindful of others. We don't know what they have been taught in their lives, we don't know what they have been through.  I think most people are doing their best to be their best... they are doing what they know how to do.  We need to draw them in with love, with kindness. We need our words to be gracious and attractive. We need to be the kind of person they want to be like not the kind of person they want to run from.

I have forgiven my "attackers"... but I have kept that memory of that night in my head. Careful, hoping and praying that I never push people from God.  Learning from that experience that we need to love people, we need to make sure that people see the amazing love of God in  us.  Knowing that each person grows in God at different paces.  I never assume that somebody doesn't know God.... I try never to accuse any body of any thing... after all I could not ever cast the first stone.  I just hope that I live my life in such a way that people want what I have because they see the Joy of the Lord in my face...and they feel the love of God from my words and actions.  I don't always do it right.... but I know that as long as I look to God...as long as I talk to God... as long as I make my effort God will help me do the rest.

What I understand now is that couple we had dinner with were growing in God too....they were trying to be good...they were loving God....and trying to do their best as Christians...they were learning and growing and finding their place. They were trying their best to be a witness for God. They had no idea what they did to me that night...they were doing their best at the time to be a good witness.  I know that God knew their heart even if I didn't know their heart on that night.

I know that life is amazing when we love God.  I know that God's love is amazing and it changed my world.

Friday, October 7, 2011

10.7.11

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

My Thoughts
We are called to "live in peace and always be thankful."  The best way to live in peace is to think only good thoughts about others.  To look past their faults and to see their good.  If we have a thought about somebody else that is questionable... all we have to do is ask ourselves "Would I want somebody to have that thought about me."  Anger and upset comes from our thoughts. We like to believe it comes from other people actions...but in reality it comes from what we think about another persons actions. We often become angry an hour later, a day later... because we dwell on a bad thought about somebody else. We always loose the peace in our own hearts and mind before we start taking away the peace of the people around us.  God calls us to be better than that... we can be better than that if we fix our thoughts on what is  is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). We have to make an effort to fix our thoughts.

We are called to be thankful....not sometimes ... not in the morning or at night but to always be thankful.  When we go around looking for things to be thankful for.. we are too busy to harbor bad thoughts.  I use to think how can I be thankful all day long... because I fixed my thoughts on what was wrong in my day instead of what was right in my day. There is so much to be thankful for in my life...so much!  I read once that because of all our modern conveniences, today we live life like people that years and years ago had 100 servants.  Think about it...we just flip a switch and have heat and air... yes we have to go to work to pay for it...but we don't have to come home and then chop the wood. We get to come home and watch TV. We don't have to dig a well.  We don't have to hang our our rugs and beat them and beat them... there is so much that we have to be thankful for simple because of the time we live in and the country that we live in. Those are just the tip of the iceberg.. that is the things we can visibly see. What about the things we feel, like love, friendships, peace and joy? Those are amazing things to be thankful for. Forgiveness. Wow all the blessings in just one hour.  So often we can stop the devil in his tracks when he tries to steal our joy... just by being thankful!  When the devil reminds us of something we did wrong, we can look to heaven and say "Thank you God for forgiving me and teaching me better."  If we use the devils words as a reminder of  how wonderful God is... he is sure to leave us alone and quit reminding us of our past if we use it for good instead of letting him get away with robbing our joy.  Then if somebody does something that hurts our feelings or makes us upset... what if we used that moment to stop and think about whatever is noble and right and lovely and admirable about that person? What if we stopped a minute and was thankful that that person was in our lives?  Then the devil would surely stop using them against us.  Most important we need to be so totally aware of ALL that God has done for us...and all that God does for us each day.  When we become acutely aware of all the gifts that we have been given we can't help but have a good day... Yes, bad days will come along but when we have spent time knowing and being aware of all that God has done for us... we will better know, we will be better aware of how God has helped us in the past and how God will help us in our most difficult moments.  Thankfulness is for us, when we learn to be thankful, we learn not to look over all that we have.  All that God ask of us is ask of us for our good.  Thankfulness puts our mind on good... when our  mind is on good we are stronger and better equipped to handle the world. 

If it takes setting our alarms on our phones or our watches at 30 minute intervals to remind ourselves to stop and be thankful, that is just what we should do.  Thankfulness alone will change our world in amazing ways.  When we fix dinner we take time, we make an effort, we think about and do.  Fix-ing dinner takes awareness and effort. Fix-ing our thoughts on thankfulness...well that is way worth the awareness and effort.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

10.6.11

Psalms 78:1-3 Oh my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying for I will speak to you in a parable.  I will teach you hidden lessons from our past -- stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.

My  Thoughts
Bible stories are so important ... there is so much to learn from them.  I love that we learn from the whole stories and from each individual verse. Our Bibles are packed with useful information. Information that will change the way we think and the way we live. We just have to get them off the book shelves and in our hands. 

 I read the Romona books to my daughter when she was about 5... then again when when she was 6...at age 7 or 8 she read them for herself. When I read then she identified with Ramonna...when she was "older" she identified with Romonna's big sister Beezus.  The Bible is like that ...as we grown we identify with different passages, different stories from the Bible. It doens't matter how old we get there is always  more to learn.  God is an amazing author!!  Our Bibles meant to be read, they were left for us, they  have stood the test of time because we were meant to learn and grow. The more I read the Bible the more I see God's amazing love. The more  the stories and verses stick in my heart.  I remember seeing my children doing things that they learned from books... as children of God we need to see ourselves doing the things we learn from the Bible.  We tell our kids all the time how important it is to study and learn, how important their homework is.  We know that they need to make time to learn if they are to have a good life.  We need to make time to learn. Just as learning changes our kids and makes them able to have a better life, learning God's word will change us and make us have a better life. We can chance one verse at a time. We can change one chapter at at time.. It doens't matter how we decide to do it....it just matters that we do decide to do it. To move foward always growing in God. God's word is our armor aginst evil...the more words we have stored in our hearts the better we are prepared for victory.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

10.5.11

Colossians 2:6-7 And now, just as you accepted Jesus Christ as your lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down in to him, and let your lives be built on him.  Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you  will overflow with thankfulness.

My Thoughts
This is the Bible verse we need to teach to new Christians.... it is something I missed out on somehow for years and years.  Somewhere there is a disconnect between asking Jesus into your heart and learning to follow him...learning how to get your roots to grow deep down into God. I know lots of people that have been saved, that are going to heaven... but there are few I know that really get this part. I didn't get this part. Even when I went to Sunday School regular...somewhere I missed out on how to have a relationship with God.  Being saved saves our soul, we get to go to heaven...having a relationship with God saves our lives here on earth.  What it can do for you is amazing!!

Let me tell you the difference in my life... between being saved and growing in Jesus...  I was saved when I was 9... and over the years I would drift in and out of Church....I would re-dedicate my life to God...and each time I missed out on the part of  how to grow...I am sure preachers preach it... but nobody in my life, nobody ever sat me down and said "Now if you read and study your Bible every day that will change you. That is how you get to know, truly know God." Nobody told me that I now had the Holy Spirit living inside me to guide me, to let me know when I was doing right and to let me know when I was doing wrong. Most important I didn't understand just how much God loves me!..Little ol, make a million mistakes me! I just didn't get it.  I prayed... forgive me of my sins... I prayed be with my children...I prayed please be with the sick.  I prayed those things I was suppose to pray... but I prayed at God not exactly to God... I surly didn't talk with God. All along I was trying to do my best, and I was often giving up. I read Bible stories to my children and told them what I understood about God. But there was just so much I didn't know!!!! I suffered depression and anxiety for years... I have a wonderful husband, and  wonderful kids, all in my life was good. But still I suffered...something was missing from my life.  God was there all along I just didn't know how to access him.

Then my son, who "got God" somehow...who know how to talk to God...my son who could quote Bible verses from a pretty young age, put a One Year Bible in my hands. I love this Bible ...it has a bit of Old Testament, a bit of New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs for every day of the year.  When your son gives you a Bible that is all laid out so you can read it thought  you commit yourself to doing so.  That is what I did... on January 1st just after Christmas I picked up my Bible and started to read, each day I read.  At first I was utterly confused..then I begin to understand and my prayers changed... then God put somebody in my path that invited me to a weekly Bible study... I was liking this Bible reading, my prayers were changing and some days I was actually understanding what I was reading. Somewhere along the way I started writing about just a little part of what I read each day.  Then God started speaking to me about my thoughts about those verses. I can start out to write one thing and end up with something totally different that what my beginning thoughts were.  I began to see changes in my prayer, I was talking to God not at God...and I was beginning to feel the Holy Spirit inside me leading me and guiding me. At first it was a faint whisper...now I hear!! The more I read, the more I understood the more I called on God... the more I noticed when he answered.  The more faith I had to call on God. The more I read the more I understood.  The Bible tells us all the time to seek wisdom..and it tells  us when we seek wisdom we will understand.  The more I read and pray the more I understand!  It is amazing! Truly amazing how it has changed my life. Today's verse tells us that we will overflow with thankfulness.  I actually find myself waking up in the middle of the night thanking God for all he has done for me!!... Joy!!... I use to have moments of joy...like when you get married, or have a baby...when your child learns something new.  Now I have days full of joy!  Amazing joy.  The more I understand God and his great plan for my life the more my heart grows!!!.. I am free of panic and depression..and when I get anxious I am able to use God's word against that anxiety and have it gone in minutes... it use to last for days.  I love the world...I love people.... I am not afraid.  I understand what it means to hide God word in my heart so that I won't sin. God's word changes you!! You have to stick with it...and do it daily... even if it is just a verse or two... but it will change you in amazing ways. 

My dream is to tell people how to grow roots in God.  How to change their life once they choose to be saved.  I have been preached at by people, well meaning but very condemning in my life.  I have been pushed away by people that "Love God." My dream is to show people how much God loves them... how much God wants them to have a wonderful life...and tell them how to go about doing it.  I was told once that I must not know God if I had anxiety... it was said to me like I was a bad person. How could I go to God with my anxiety if that meant I was a bad person.   What I want people to know is that God cares about their troubles, and their anxiety. I want people to know that God will teach you how to be a better person...you don't have to be good to know God... you just have to know God... God will then put the desire in your heart to be good.... God tells us how... God gives us strength... it is all there for the taking... we just have to learn how to ask for it... we have to learn how to know God.  My experience is pick up your Bible and read and read and read...surround yourself with people that love God...learn from what they know.... your life will change in amazing ways! 

Today my heart fells often like it will explode with love!! Just explode.  I pick up my Bible each day with excitement at what I will learn.  Each day I learn something...each day I find more to put into practice.  I am not always good at it... some things I have to keep working at...and keep asking God to help me...but I get a little better at being the person God wants me to be each day.  Each day my joy, my peace grows.... when I mess up instead of hiding from God I run to God and say "God I messed up!!, Please forgive me, please help me do better next time." Then God helps me do better. God hugs my heart and tells me he is proud I am growing.  God's love is only limited to the places I place the limits... I have l am learning every day to remove the stop signs I put in the way of God and my life.

If you were here with me and ask me if God loves you? I would take your face in my hands and tell you with tears in my eyes. "God loves you so much, more than you can even imagine!" ... "God forgives you... God wants to help you love him!" ...I would beg you to promise me and mean it ... to read your Bible every day...I would say "This is God's word, it lives!!  It has great power... the power in this book is mean for you to use for good. This will grow your roots so deep in God and so deep in God's love that you will never ever want to be without it."  "This Book will make you understand just how much God loves you and he loves you so much!!" "I love you too...and I want you to feel what I feel today!"

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

10.4.11

Jeremiah 3:22 “My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts." “Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the Lord our God.

My Thoughts
We can never get so far from God that he can't reach us when we call out. The Children of Israel strayed from God over and over and over again. God always loved them!!  God took them back.... God said to them and he says to us "come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts." We all mess up...even when we are trying to do our very best and especially when we are not trying at all. God loves us still... all we have to do is confess our sins, tell God that we are sorry...and God says right here in his word that he will "heal our wayward hearts!" I love this!  God loves us so much... I love that I can say to God "I want to have great faith, I want to do what you ask of me... but, God sometimes I have such a hard time... I need your help!" and God helps me, he helps me every single time.

It is so important for us to know that we can always call out to God, always! God loves us so much and is there, ever present, for us! Always! So often we attribute human qualities to God.  So often people don't forgive and we feel like God can never forgive us. Think of the person you love most in the world...how often have you forgiven that person, even when you thought that you couldn't. God forgives more than we can even think to forgive, God loves more than we can imagine loving. God can heal more than we can fathom. God says "My wayward children, come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts." Our part is to always, always come back to God...our biggest mess up in so much smaller than God's great love.