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







Thursday, January 31, 2013

Matthew 21:21-22 Then Jesus told them, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen.  You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."
 
My Thoughts
I think, no I know that faith in all things that God can do through me, eludes me in so many ways.  What I am learning is that faith grows.  The more I know God the more I am aware of Him.  The more I know God the  more I see Him working in my life in so many ways.  The more I know God the more He does for me. The more I know God the more I can look back and see when He was there even when I wasn't loving Him like I should.  The more I know God the more my faith grows. 
 
Our faith so too often is constructed on our experiences with people, with humans. And often our faith in anything is shattered by the very people that love us. Then there is Satin, himself talking in our heads telling us not to have faith in anything. He knows that if he can shake our faith then we loose the power that God gives us over him. 
 
My faith has not moved a mountain yet. But it is growing.  The more I get into God's word, the more I understand how much God loves me, the more my faith takes root.  As I learn to see God in my life I recognize His hand in all that goes on.  The more that I understand that all that is good comes from God, the stronger I get in the faith that God is always there for me.  The more I understand that love, true perfect love is from God, the more I "get it!"  The more I speak God's word over my life and see the fruits of that, the more of God's words I speak over my life. 
 
My faith is growing, but I have a hand in growing that faith.  My part is taking time to really know God. In turn God teaches me ways that improve my life and in doing so grow my faith even more.  God tells us in Philippians 1:6 that He will finish the work He begin in us until the day of Christ return. This means that God will keep growing me and one day I will be able, with my words of faith in God, toss a mountain right into the sea!! 
 
Imagine what the world would be like if we all grow our faith so strong that our words make things happen.  Imagine planting a seed and saying, "Grow beautiful and strong and feed me." I can't wait to have that kind of faith!  I will get there!!  

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

1.30.13

Matthew 20:15 "Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?"

My Thoughts
Let me set this verse up for you... it is from a story that Jesus told.  A farmer hired some people early one morning and told them he would give them a day's wages.  Throughout the day he hired more workers.. Some at lunch, some at mid-afternoon and some about an hour before work ended. In the end all the workers were paid the same.  The all day workers were up-set and protested and the verse above was the farmers answer. 

When I have read these verses I would get lost too in what was fair.  But today I was writing these verses and I got caught up in the "Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?" part.

When we love others, and we are called to love others, we are suppose to want them to have all that is possible for them.  So often we are jealous of what others have when we have all that we need, when we all that we could really want.  So often we just want to be wanting.  Jesus had a moment when He wanted to be delivered from dieing on the cross for us.  But because he loved us so much, even in our sin, when we didn't love Him back, He put His wants aside for us!! How can we stop and think about that and allow ourselves to be jealous of others. 

I hope that I will forever see jealously in me as the devil working to take away love from my life.  I hope I am able, from today forward, to recognize that feeling of jealously as an attack on the love that Jesus died so that I could have that love overflowing in me.  I hope that from today forward that I am able to feel only pride for others because they have something I don't have.  I will strive to be glad for others, because of love. I will notice, pay attention to, be thankful for all that God has given me and know that it is enough!! 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

1.29.13

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me.  Don't stop them!  For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.
 
My Thoughts
I never read this verse without thinking of my children when they were little.  That age where parents know still know all and can fix all. That age when children still know deep in their hearts just how much you love them. I think of them running to Robby when he would get home from work, so excited to see him.  Climbing up in his lap, bring things for him to fix, telling him about their day. Telling him the good stuff and the bad stuff. Listening to any story he had to tell them.  Wanting his approval.  They would just soak him all in...and they knew that he was soaking them all in.  They would leave nothing out in what they told him. 
 
That is how we need to be when we go to Jesus. Loving Him, letting Him love us. Giving him our problems. Telling Him our ever need and want. Telling Him how much we love him.  Depending on him to take care of us.  Giving Him our all!!  Wow!!  Can you imagine what our lives would be like if we would go to Jesus with such great abandon!!

Monday, January 28, 2013

1.28.13

Matthew 18:21-35  Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!"

“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.  He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt."

 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt."

“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 3But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.  Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
 

My Thoughts
When we read this we really want to stop at the seven times seventy part and figure out how many times we have to forgive a person that keeps on hurting us.  But we can't stop at that part of the story. I couldn't help but think of how much we are each God's children. And how much harder it is to forgive people that hurt our children than it is to forgive people who hurt us.  It made me think. "so each time we hurt someone, sin against someone, we hurt God. We hurt him to the core." Yet often we have a hard time forgiving one person of their "sins" against us, over and over.  I could hurt 20 people. once each but that would be 20 hurts against God that I ask Him to forgive me of.  Yet I can walk around with unforgiveness in my heart!  We do this so often,  too many times,  over the smallest things.
 
The more I thought about this the more I though of those lines in the Lord's prayer... forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. In this perfect prayer, a prayer that Jesus told us to pray... we are only asking for forgivness as much as we forgive.  We need to forgive completely if we are to be forgiven completely.
 
Forgivness is a must. Unforgivness seperates us from God.  If we commit only one sin it can not be this one. 

Sunday, January 27, 2013

1.27.13

Matthew 18:7 What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin.  Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.
 
My Thoughts
This verse really got me to thinking about our words, our words of advice.  I know that I have tempted people to do wrong.  I have. I wish that I could say that I haven't, but oh I have.  We often teach our children to do wrong by teaching them to tell white lies to keep from hurting peoples feelings.  We should teach them to not say anything if they can't say anything nice, but we should never teach them to lie. How often does learning to tell a white lie so we will not be hurtful lead us into saying yes to others sins where we will not be hurtful? 
 
I am a people pleaser.  In ways this is a good thing...but not if you are a people please to a fault.  I never want to be disagreeable. I look back as I read this verse and ask myself, "How many people have I encouraged to sin because I just wanted to be agreeable?" I must learn to be courageous when I need to be.  At the very least I should walk away from the conversation instead of being agreeable when I know that agreeing will lead to encouragement of somebody committing a sin. No matter how small the sin seems to the world, a sin is a sin is a sin. 
 
We are never to tempt others to sin, ever!!  We must be so careful of this, so aware of our words, of our actions. We must be aware of our in-actions too. As much as we are each responsible for our own actions, we become responsible for somebody else's actions when we tempt someone to sin.  We are taking their forever into our hands at that point. 
 
So often we ask God to help us.  We are good at asking God to help us with problems.  Sometimes we are good to ask God to help us with our day and our plans.  What we must get good at is asking God to help us with our words, not just in the morning, but each and every time we go to respond to somebody, each and every time we open our mouths. 
 
We need to especially practice saying, when someone ask our advice, "Let me pray about this first, before I give you an answer."  or at the least, "I just don't know how to give you advice on this matter." We should never jump in at the heat of a moment with advice, we too often get caught up ourselves with our own emotions, and sometimes our own agenda.  Our past is so tied  to our experiences and our past hurts are tied up in our advice, we need to take time to clear our heads of those and ask God to help us with our words of advice so that we never, ever tempt someone else to sin.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

1.26.13

Matthew 17:24-26  On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the Temple tax?”
 “Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went into the house.
But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?”

“They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied.
“Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free! However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin.Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”

My Thoughts
If I had not written this out in long hand I would have totally missed these verses.  But while writing them I so pondered the  meaning of this story.  So I went back to read over it a couple of more times.  I even read it out loud to Robby.  Then the meaning came to me... at least what it says to me. 
 
First the temple tax was to take care of God's temple.  That is important.   Then here Jesus says that only  the people that have been conquered (slaves) pay the taxes. Then notice that in their willingness to pay the Temple tax, that money was provided for them.
 
Good Kings took good care of their slaves.  Really good care of them.  In America when  slaves were set free  some slaves chose to stay with their former masters because their masters took so much better care of them than they could care for themselves because they were good masters, they were loving people. They had a love for each other. 
 
Here is where I got to on this... When we love God, we chose to become a slave of God.  By choice we are a slave of God. When we tithe that is a token we give to God saying that we are His. In return God, who is a good King, a loving Master takes better care of us than we could ever take care of ourselves... He even provides us with the money we need so that we can give back to Him with our tithes. 
 
We never loose out by giving our tithes to God... it is a symbol to God that we love Him... it is our way of saying that we don't want to offend Him in any way. It is a way to say I am yours God I trust you with my life.

Friday, January 25, 2013

1.25.13

Matthew 16:15-17 Then he (Jesus) asked them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son  of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being."

My Thoughts
I love this!!  All of our knowledge comes from God.  The minute we wonder who Jesus is, is the minute God has chosen us to be one of His children. We are chosen by God himself. The minute we even wonder, God has put that wonder of Jesus into our hearts, because He loves us, and He has stretched out His hand to us and said, "Come to me!" 
 
God gives us free will, so it is our choice to believe. But even before we believe God loves us. If you have ever thought, "Is there a God? Does God love me? What about Jesus? Did Jesus die for me?" Then God has already knocked on your heart, He is already saying to you, "I choose you, I love you! Now choose me, believe!"

Thursday, January 24, 2013

1.24.13

Matthew 16:6&12 "Watch out!" Jesus warned them. "Be aware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." 12. Then at last they understood that he wasn't speaking about the yeast in the bread, but about deceptive teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
 
My Thoughts
A little deceptive teaching can effect your whole belief system, just like a little yeast changes the structure of a whole loaf of bread not just part of the bread...but the whole thing. 
 
If we run a stop sign that we don't see, we have still run the stops sign.  If we are caught by the police we  can still get a ticket... we have still broken the law.  We are responsible for God's law in the same way. It is all written down for us to read for ourselves.  There were things that I believe that were wrong, things I have head people say about the Bible, if I had never picked up my Bible and started reading it I would have never known.  Those things at the time shaped my decisions.  I am still accountable for those actions.  By reading my Bible and learning what I needed to know, I was able to ask for forgiveness and have those sins thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. Next time I will be able to do better,  because now I know! What if I had never picked up my Bible and started reading?
 
If we don't know a sin is a sin because of something someone else said, it can effect our whole lives. It, like yeast in bread, can change who we are, how our lives are shaped. It is up to each one of us to know what is right and what is wrong.  In these verses Jesus is warning us that it is important to know the difference.  He is saying that if we don't know the difference our whole lives can be effected.
 
When we read our Bibles and know the words enough, we can recognize the red flags of untruth. If we know God's word enough to see a red flag we can then go to God's word and find out the truth.  In today's world with such technology we don't even have to know verse and chapter.  We just have to know part of the story, then with those words we can find the verses that give us the truth.  It is important that we know God's word for ourselves. 
 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

1.23.13

Proverbs 4:14-15 Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evildoers. Don't even think about it; Don't go that way. Turn away and keep moving.
 
My Thoughts
We know not to do evil...but here it says not to even think about it!  It even tells us to keep moving. We are not to dwell on why somebody does evil, or how. We are not suppose to even take time to notice what their life is like. 
 
I believe that there are two reasons for that... if we are busy with evil in any way we can not have our mind on God.  And evil is such a strong power we can easily be pulled in, deceived by it.
 
God's word tells us to constantly renew our minds.  We are to keep our mind on God... to stay busy, to keep moving forward in God.  We are not to even stop and ponder evil!
 
I think we need to become extremely aware of all the ways evil creeps into our lives. Is it through people, through books, through TV?  We must be aware, we must take notice we must turn away and keep moving toward God.
 
 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

1.22.12

Matthew 14:33 Then the disciples worshiped him (Jesus). "You really are the Son of God!" they exclaimed.
 
My Thoughts
I read this and though, "How did they worship Jesus there in that boat?" The thing we know that they did was give Jesus credit for being exactly who he was, the Son of God. When people bowed down to kings that was there way of saying, "I know that you are the king."
 
Then I asked myself how do we act when we worship something?  In our world today who do we worship?  What does that feeling bring out in us?  I am about to be a grandmother for the first time.. people tell me I will worship that sweet baby.  How do grandparents show that worship? They spend time with that baby.  They adore it.  They are happy in it's presence. They spend their money on it. The listen intently to all it has to say when it begins to speak. 
 
Then I thought about my uncle, he worships Mark Twain. He knows everything there is to know about Mark Twain. He can quote probably 50% of anything Mark Twain has ever said. 
 
Then there are football fans who worship their teams.  The celebrate those teams... they dress up in team outfits.  They follow the teams around... they make a festival out of a game. They come together with shouts of excitement. They know all there is to know about their football team. 
 
When two people fall in love... truly fall in love, they want to know everything about that person. And they want to tell that person everything about their life, their day.  They want to be with that person and talk to that person. They want to share the good and the bad of their day, or their life with each other.  They invest in each other.  They hold nothing back. They talk about their dreams and their worries to each other.  They talk about their fears and their successes. 
 
David held nothing back. He talked to God about his victories and he talked to God about his anger and frustration.  He talked to God about his worries and his successes. He talked to God about his dreams and his failures.
 
My experience growing up was of formal worship.  The prayers I heard people pray were in church, those more formal prayers. That is what I learned and that is all I knew to teach my children.  I wish I had know more. 
 
God tells us though that if we seek wisdom, he will give us wisdom.  Today God gave me this.  The knowledge that worship doesn't just come on Sunday morning with song and prayer.  Worship is not just a praise sent up. It is a constant.  We are in worship of God when we are learning about Him. We are in worship of God when we tell Him about our day, even the bad stuff.  We are worshiping God when we make a choice that pleases Him.  We worship God when we sit in silence and wait for him to speak to us. 
 
My son, John-Robert, who gave me my One Year Bible said to me once, he was about 17 at the time, "I never say amen unless I am praying in public. Because my prayer to God should never end. I need to be talking to God all the time."  I asked him that day, "What do you pray about all day?" He said, "I just tell God about my day." It took me 8 years and 3 times through my Bible but now I understand!! 
 

Monday, January 21, 2013

1.21.13

Matthew 13:52 Then he (Jesus) added, "Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a home-owner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old."
 
My Thoughts
I love this verse!!  Each of us bring a different perspective from God's word. We take what we learn from others, our Sunday School teachers, our pastors, our parents and our grandparents, old gems of truth...and then we add what we learn from the Bible new gems of truth.  For each of us the Bible speaks to us in different ways. How we see and interpret God's word depends on the things we are going through in life at the time.  Different passages stand out. The same passage may mean something different to us this year than it did last year. 
 
One time in Bible Study, there were about 10 of us, we were given a scripture to read to ourselves. Then we were to each tell what that scripture meant to us, there were at least 8 different answers.  Why because we were all in a different place in our lives... we had 8 different gems from that one scripture. 
 
Some of us come from a totally historical point of view... some of us take from the whole story.... some of us take from stand alone scriptures. Some of us learn more from the history and some of us learn more from the parables.  Some of us understand Matthew more and some of us understand John more.  Some of us have James' personality and some of us have Mark's personality.  Each of us relate to the Bible differently... in a million readers there will be a million different views. 
 
The way I understand this scripture is this: What I get from reading scripture is important, it is a gem... a gem is a treasure... my gem of truth is worth something.  It matters. So I need to share it.  My gem of truth may be the only gem of truth that gets through to somebody.  All the other gems of truth I have learned are important too...they matter. So I need to listen to others. 
 
It is important that each of us, pick up our own Bible in our own homes and find out what important gems that Jesus wants us to learn.   When we know God's word for ourselves, not just what someone else has taught us, we can begin to discern the truth of what we hear.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

1.20.13

Matthew 13:33 Jesus also used this illustration: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in makeing bread.  Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough."
 
My Thoughts
I have read this before, it never before captured me like it did today!!  I thought, "Every day I spend a small part of my day reading God's word and over time it has permeated every part of my life." I thought of how it took a little while to get into all parts of my life. But when we add yeast to bread it takes a while to rise to get into all of the bread.  If you walk into a room where yeast rolls have been cooked you can smell them before you have seen them. When you break open the roll you can see little pockets everywhere where the yeast made the breads rise.. no part of that bread is got a place where yeast had not touched it. Then you bite into it and it is sweet, just the right amount of sweet... it taste like love.  You know the kind of love a grandmother gives...she loves you with her actions, her words and her food. 
 
When somebody loves God, when they seek after the Kingdom their presence is like that.  You can walk into a room and almost know they are there before you see them.  The room is somehow filled with the peace of God through their presence.  All of their actions say, "God is a part of me." The way they love you makes you feel special.
 
We can be this person... if we spend time with God... if we take time to soak up the wisdom of the Kingdom of Heaven. It doesn't take all of our time... just a part of our time and the rest of our days are touched by the things we learn.  Our part is to take time in each day to sprinkle in the yeast.
 
I had some yeast for friendship bread once (thank you Judy Hardwick for the reminder on today of all days!). That yeast took a little of time.. it had to be divided and feed.  I had to keep it going.  I cooked with it almost every day.  When I quit feeding it I lost it. 
 
If we quit feeding our faith we can forget God's promises. We can forget how God expects us to act.  Our love for others can be squashed out by the worries of this world.  We have to keep feeding our faith in God by the continued renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2).  We have to feed our souls with words from the Kingdom of God.  When we do every part of our lives will be touched.  We can be so much more when we add the yeast of God and His word, than we ever could without it. 

Saturday, January 19, 2013

1.19.13

Matthew 13:18-23 18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
 
My Thoughts
Forever I was stuck as the seed on rocky soil and seed that feel among the thorns.  My faith could be shaken so easily.  Worries crowded out everything. I have heard this story on and off all of my life. I didn't understand  how to be the good soil!!  I felt like I had no control of that... that my soil was just not good soil. Poor me!! 
 
Then my son gave me a One Year Bible...and I begin to read it every day... I was determined to read it every day for a year!!!  Do you know what begin to happen... my soil was getting weeded... the rocks begin to be thrown out.  Good soil takes work!!  Good soil has to be weeded... you have to pick out all the rocks as you find them.  You many not know where the rocks are...but the more you tend the soil the more you recognize the rocks and the more you know the difference between the flowers and the weeds. 
 
Some people inherit good soil...they are taught from a young age... when that seed gets planted it takes hold and takes root.  Others of us we were given rocky soil, or thorny soil...some of us grew up on the footpath with cement underneath. Some of us have had rock and thorns thrown on our paths.  But we can have good soil!!  It just takes work and desire.  As we read God's word and talk to God we are pulling up the thorns and throwing out the rocks... some of us are even using a jackhammer to remove the footpath to find the rich soil underneath.  But it is there if we work at it. 
 
God's word tells us that if we seek understanding we will find it (Matthew 12:12). It is within our power to have good soil!!  This year will be my forth time through the One Year Bible that my son gave me. Each time around I gain a deeper understanding.  Each time around I throw out a few more rocks and pull up a few more thorns. Each time I pick up my Bible and seek understanding my soil grows richer... my faith grows stronger.  We have the power to understand... God is that power and if we seek He will  provide the understanding.  Growing us until the end. One day each of us can reach the place where our garden overflows with a crop bigger than we could have ever imagine when we first started.  But we have to start.  

Friday, January 18, 2013

1.18.13

Matthew 12:36-37 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgement day for every idle word you speak.  The words you say with either acquit you or condemn you."
 
My Thoughts
Whew, oh my!  I took a course in college and one of the chapters was on the importance of Water-cooler talk.  It talked about how the idle talk at the water-cooler mattered, it was the managements way of sending out information.  I imagine that it works more like that secret the teacher tells the first person on a row...and when it gets to the last person on the last row not even one of the words are the same.  Psychology has convinced us that we need to talk about our feelings no matter what they are.  In our world we take this to a new level by talking about somebody else's feelings too... to other people. What Psychology doesn't teach us that the Bible does and that we need to rebuke those thoughts that lead to bad feelings, that lead to idle talk. 
 
Here it says that we will have to give an account for every idle word we speak.  I can't even imagine how long the list is, of the idle words I have spoken. I bet that at least 80% of the words we speak are idle words.   I can imagine that maybe more than half of our idle words are negative words.  We complain if it is too hot or too cold.. if there is no rain or if there is too much rain.  We complain about sports teams and traffic.  We complain about our meals when we eat out.  We complain about how much things cost... we complain about our government.. we complain about waking up and how bad we slept.
 
If you stop and really think about it...  idle words are mostly negative words. What if we started being more thankful...filling our mouths with praise about kind people, about the fact that we have transportation... what if we were thankful for rain...then for sunshine... what if in the winter we sent up thanks for heathers and warm fires instead of complaining about the cold?  Those words would not be idle...they would be of praise and thanks.
 
What if we tried this for one day? Then for one week? I bet we would see such a difference in our lives that we would not want to go back.  I bet it would change our lives and the lives of the people around if we eliminated idle talk. And we would have so much less to account for on judgement day.
 
Will you watch your words today? I will!  I am putting this verse on my fridge. I don't want to forget!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

1.17.13

Matthew 12:17-21 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning Jesus: "Look at my Servant, who I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me.  I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.  He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public.  He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.  And his name will be the hope of all the world.
 
My Thoughts
I thought just after I read this, "If we are to be like Jesus, we  need to pay close attention to what Jesus was like." So I went back and read this carefully looking at the things I can do.  In these verses it tells us that Jesus pleased God. That is something I can do my best to do.  It tells us that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Once we accept Jesus, God sends down the Holy Spirit to live inside of us... we can listen and do what the Holy Spirit tells us to do.  It tells us that Jesus did not fight or shout or raise his voice in public... we can do that. It says that Jesus did not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle... this tells me that Jesus was gentle and that He didn't not crush the hopes of people... we can do that.  He caused justice to victorious... there are times when we can be a part of doing this too.   Jesus' name is the hope of the world... we may not be able to be the hope of the world... but we can be hope to the people around us... we can do for people that we see in need... we can pray for people.. we can be a part of building hope and never tearing it down. 
 
I can't be like Jesus if I don't pay attention to what Jesus was like.  We tend to think we know what Jesus was like even if we have never read scripture.  Today I realized that even though I have read my Bible through 3 times I didn't set my mind on knowing what Jesus was like...I thought to myself, "How can I be like Jesus if I don't pay attention." I have decided today to take notes!!
 
 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

1.16.13

Matthew 11:8 Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces.
 
My Thoughts
Here Jesus was asking a question about John the Baptist and He goes on to teach some important lessons.  But for some reason I really got stuck on these words that Jesus spoke.  We often make "expensive" relative to more than what we have in our lives.  But if we look the world over, really pay attention, expensive for some people is the sale rack at your local K-Mart.  In my mind when an outfit cost as much at my weekly grocery bill it is expensive!!  What I noticed is that Jesus said, "People with expensive clothes live in palaces." How often do any of us look at our homes as a palace?
 
The very first house that I have memory of living in as a child had a living room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a bath...and a side porch had been taken in to make a sun porch. I have some of my best memories from that house.  We were comfortable and warm, I remember being happy there.  That house would fit in 1/3 of my house today.  Around where I live they don't even build houses that size anymore.  You would have to buy a single wide, like Robby and I lived in when we first got married to have that few square feet. Now it is hard to even find a place to put a single wide trailer because people are want to keep their neighborhoods nice.  I don't think they even make single wides that small anymore. 
 
We have become society that expects to live in palaces... instead of being thankful for them.  I am guilty!!  I have not been near thankful enough for the wonderful palace I live in!!  I have not been thankful when I could go and buy expensive clothes.  I have not been thankful when I bought my clothes at K-Mart. I am not thankful enough  that I can pick up a phone out of my purse and call my family and friends. 
 
My mother remembered her first telephone.... My dad and I were taking about how far the world has come in his lifetime, just before Christmas.  He and my mother didn't have a phone until after I was born.  Now I can call people from my car or from the grocery store.  Yet I don't ever remember saying, "Thank you God for my cell phone!"  I bet my grandmother said, "Thank you God for this phone!"  It meant she could call the doctor if she needed him for one of her 8 children.  For me today a phone means that I can talk to my daughter how is an hour away, or my son in Auburn.. or my dad who is two towns away, anytime that I want.  Before phones I would have been reduced to seeing them when we had time and wondering how they were doing. Yet I have never said, "Thank you God for this phone?" I should be saying it every time it rings!!! Or every time I pick it up to call someone!!
 
My point is that we in America, most of us, life like kings.  We are warm in the winter, cool in the summer, our bellies get fed, we have entertainment at our fingertips, we can communicate with people from around the world on our computers.  If we fell and got hurt in the woods we could use our phones to call for help. And look at all that we have above all of that!!  God has provided all of these things for us, and not only do we not make time for Him, we forget to say thank you! 
 
If we are too busy to stop for a minute to be aware of all that we have, then we have made our lives way busier than God intended, don't you think?  Today enjoy your palace!  Stop and notice that it is just that a palace... and send a thank you up to God!  I know that  for a change I will!!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

1.15.30

Matthew 10:28 Don't be afraid of those who want to kill you body; they cannot touch your soul.  Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

My Thoughts
Wow those are powerful words.  I am a people pleas-er to a fault.  This makes me think of all those times I choose to do something I knew I shouldn't just so somebody would not, not like me. Which is different than wanting someone to just like you. If we are to choose God even if it means death, and we are, then we need to choose God over any earthly thing or pleasure, over any persons acceptance. 
 
The next two verses tell us that we are more precious than the sparrows and God knows when they fall from the sky.  He knows the number of hairs we have on our head. Jesus tells us not to be afraid we are move valuable to God than a sparrow.  Another words God watches and He knows when we choose Him. When we choose God over anything else God notices, God knows!!  We have not gone unnoticed by God ever!  We should never ever think that choosing good is not worth it because no one notices... God always sees. 
 
We must not ever give away our souls to please people, to have something, to keep up with the Joneses. Sometimes we think we don't have a choice...but we always have a choice, always!  We need to get so into the habit of asking God, "Is this ok?" that that question is an automatic response to every thing we do and everything we say.  That is what it is like to be in constant contact with God. 
 
I have not been good at this... asking God about all my choices in a day. I want to start. I have learned to hear His answers when I do ask questions. I must admit that sometimes I don't ask because I don't want to hear the answer... I will do better, Jesus tells me that I must do better!!  I think I will put this in my phone as an hourly reminder, "Ask God!" 

Monday, January 14, 2013

1.14.13

Proverbs 3:13-15 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable then silver, and her wages are better than gold.  Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you can desire can compare to wisdom.
 
My Thoughts
For some reason this made me think of the Civil war and how Confederate money became useless. People had put their stock in money.  They went from having so much to having nothing.  That printed paper that bought them so much...that they put stock in became worthless.  The people that had amassed wisdom and had God on their side...the were the ones that came back from such a hardship. 
 
It also reminded me of how we use to make sure we knew something...but now so much is at our fingertips that we depend on being able to find the knowledge instead of storing knowledge in our heads.  I can't tell you one phone number to my friends that are not numbers that were pre-cell phone.  I don't store information like I use to.  I would not be surprised if this experience and the need to depend on God is why the Southern States are called the Bible Belt.  Those people had to depend on God. 
 
I can tell you what the Bible says...but I don't have the verses memorized for right where they are because I can use the little knowledge I have to find out just what verse I am thinking of on the Internet.  But what if all the satellites fall out of the sky???  I have not stored up that wisdom so I can easily go to my Bible and find what I need. I need to work on knowing those things.. be diligent at it!
 
We need to store up wisdom, it is important.  We need to know things... we need to seek the wisdom of God first and foremost. We need to put our Bible verses in our heads and hearts.  And we need to know how to do things that are important to our everyday lives.  There is wisdom in knowing how to build something... or how to cook... the ability to manage money takes wisdom.  God tells us to seek wisdom. God tells us He will give us wisdom if we seek it (John 6:26)...but we have to do the seeking for God to do the giving!!  Above all we must seek Heavenly wisdom...that wisdom will change everything!!
 
God tells us to be wise, Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 10:16 to be as shrewd as snakes but as harmless as doves.  We can't be shrewd without wisdom. It is our job to seek after it!!  We must do our part.  The wonderful thing is.. when we do our part... God will shower us with the blessing of His wonderful wisdom!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

1.13.13

Psalm 11:5 The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence.
 
My Thoughts
There is nothing more that the devil likes better than to sneak things in that God hates.  Doing it so slowly that we don't even know it.  I remember TV when I was a little girl.  It was all about "perfect" families.  Families that we probably couldn't be like... but at least we strived to be like them.  Then somewhere along the line we were convinced that striving to be "so good" was bad for  us. Because it was impossible.  Now children on TV don't respect their parents, they make fun of them and everybody laughs. 
 
I also remember that when the movie Bonnie and Clyde came out, I was only 6 years old, but the controversy about the violence was so talked about that I still remember.  By the time I was an adult and watched the movie I was shocked, not at the violence, but at the lack of the drama and blood in the violent scene. That was more than several years ago.   Now what we see in Prime Time TV makes Bonnie and Clyde seem less than G rated. 
 
Crime dramas started out with the show being all about bring justice to the bad guys.  It sucked us in... now the crime and the gruesome details are most of the show.  We are become less interested in the justice and more interested in what goes on in the minds of evil people. 
 
We spend way more time on watching evil for entertainment than we do learning about God's love.  We have become so desensitized to evil that we don't even recognize it for what it is.  I have slowly begin to turn some of what I see on TV off.  I use to watch shows like 48 Hours and American Justice all the time... a while back I decided that I couldn't watch those any more....and even with that decision I sometimes get drawn into one.  I must do better!!  I use to love Criminal minds and then one day they crossed the line for me. From where the crime was the show not catching the killer.  I don't watch that show any more even though I love the cast of regular characters. 
 
This verse tells us that God hates those who love violence... it tells me that I must be very careful not to let the devil pull me in on something that looks harmless. I need to watch what I let into my life it can become a part of my heart.  I must pay attention.  I want to be someone that God loves.
 
 

Saturday, January 12, 2013

1.12.13

Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.  Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
 
My Thoughts
How often do we work ourselves to the bones trying to "have"...when all we have to do to "have" is honor God in all that we do.  How different would we do things if each time we started a task we said to God, "God I am doing this for you and I will do my best!"  There are so many task I do half hardily that I would do better if I committed that task to God. This is something that I must get better at!! 
 
We can't ignore the first part of this verse, that we are to commit our wealth to God. Our ability to obtain that wealth is given to us from God...so we need to thank God for that by giving back to Him his part of what He has blessed us with. 
 
God made sure that we had this information because He loves us.  We show our love for Him by giving Him all that we are.  God gave us his most prized possession, Jesus.  Yet He ask so little of us in return.  And after He gave us Jesus... and gives us our abilities...when we give back to Him He blesses us even more. How special is that!
 
 

Friday, January 11, 2013

1.11.13

Genesis 26:12 when Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. 

My Thoughts
God had told Isaac that if he went to this certain city that God would bless him there.  Isaac went and looked what God did!!  He gave Isaac 100 times more grain that he planted.  A hundred times more!!!!  Do you know why?   Because Isaac trusted God and did what God ask him to do. 
 
There are so many promises in God's word about how He will provide for us if we just do what He ask!!  To be blessed we have to do what Isaac did, trust God and do what He ask of us. 
 
What I am learning is this...when I feel God missing from what I do it is not because God has abandoned me... it is because I forgot to include God in my decision. Every time I make choices based on God those choices are blessed by God!! 
 
Receiving blessing from our wonderful God requires faith that He will do what He says... and our obedience in what God ask us to do.  If we do these things God will take care of us in amazing ways!!  Don't you know that Isaac was amazed, utterly amazed when his seeds produced 100 times what he planted!!  I want to live my life in amazement!!!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

1.10.13

Psalm 9:10 Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem's gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.
 
My Thoughts
Yesterday I passed a man in Walmart with a loaf of bread in his hand. As he passed me he lifted his hands in the air and said, "Praise Him!" I lifted my hands in the air too that moment. Then the man said, "You know don't you! He promised us bread!"  This man was praising Jesus publicly.  The man that passed this dear man just before me, I had seen it from a distance and didn't know what was going on, picked up his pace to rush pass the man praising God.  I bet if there had been a crowd standing there praising Jesus, that man would have rushed toward the crowd to see what was going on! 
 
Today as I look on yesterday, which brought me great joy, I think of how I should praise God each time I put an item into my buggy. Why? Because God had provided for me enough that I can put those things in my buggy.  Each and everything that I place in my buggy, anytime that I shop, is a gift straight from God Himself.  I need to be publicly proud and thankful that God has given me so much. 
 
As Christians we must quit being politically correct and we must become God correct!  We must do what God calls us to do.  David was considered a godly man and he couldn't wait to praise God publicly.  Neither could this man I ran across yesterday!  I need to take my cue from them!!  God has blessed me with so much, the least I could do is acknowledge God in all that He give me! No matter where I am!!   
 
 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

1.9.13

I started January 1 handwriting the New Testament... boy do you hear God's word differently when you can't miss a word!!  I think this may be as life changing as picking up my One Year Bible was!!   What I am doing is handwriting the New Testament and Proverbs each day that is in my daily Bible reading. I really want to encourage you to hand-write the words of Jesus! 

Psalms 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

My Thoughts
I really set about this morning thinking about searching for someone.  I thought of my sweet dog, Shaggy.  I am his world... he loves Robby and John-Robert and Madison...but he LOVES me, he loves me the most...the very most.  When I leave the house and come home he is looking out the window searching to see if that is me out there.  He is waiting for me at the door when I walk in.  When he goes outside and comes back in he goes straight to the places I usually am, searching for me.  I am told he is very pitiful when I am gone from home.  When Robby is home and the phone rings Shaggy listens to see if it is me, he pays close attention, searching for Robby to say to him, "Mama is on her way home."  Then he goes straight to the window and watches.  To Shaggy I am the one who loves him and protects him.  In everything he does Shaggy looks for me and makes sure that I am there and that I am ok with what he is doing. 
 
As I write the words of the last paragraph ... "Shaggy looks for me and makes sure that I am there and that I am ok with what he is doing." I already know that I fail God ... there is so much in my day where I don't stop and say, "God, are you ok with this?" Just yesterday  I was completely, totally lazy.  I know by the way I felt by the end of the day that that was not ok with God.  Because God does not want me feeling like I felt around 6 pm.  If I had been seeking God about my plans for the day...they would have been different.  I seek God each morning by reading His word.  I pray little prayers here and there through out my days.  But I don't seek God in all that I do, I don't look to God for every plan that I make about my day.  I so often just go about "living" life.  I want to live life like God wants me to.  I try real hard to not act in ways He would not want me to act.  But do I search for Him and ask Him if what I am choosing is ok? Not nearly enough!!! 
 
I already know as I type these words that I need to do a lot more seeking through out my day!  A lot more.  If I do that God will not abandon me.  How many times have I not felt God's presence ... only the times when I have not ask Him to be present in my choices!! 
 
These words are going on my frig... I don't need to forget them for one second!!


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

1.8.13

Matthew 7:3-5 "And don't worry about the speck in your firend's eye when you have a log in your own.  How can you thing of saying to your friend, "Let me help you get that speck out of your eye,' when you can't see past the long in your own eye. Hyprocite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye."

My Thoughts
I know we all know that this means don't judge another person's sins you have sins yourself!!   But today as I was deciding which verse I wanted to write about, to ponder on I kept being pulled back to this verse.  So I thought there must be an even deeper meaning there. 
 
Here is what came to me in my thoughts.  What we see with our eyes is processed through our brains, which are subject to our own life experiences. Even twins have different life experiences.  Not one single one of us can truly understand how another person process their actions.  Even if we could get into someone else's thoughts, those thoughts would be processed through our brain. Our brain which still has it's own life experiences as a filter for every decision we make.  Our brain which has a personality unique to each one of us.
 
So as much as we want to be helpful to others we can't make those decisions objectively.  The only, only, only way to get rid of the log in our own eyes, is to go through God.  To ask God if a person needs our help and how He wants us to go about helping.  God sees the situation crystal clear. He also sees how we see the situation and how others see the situation. 
 
We will all always have logs in our eyes, those logs are life experiences that skew the way we process everything, every single thought that goes through our heads.  Not only does that log in our eye skew our vision, it often blinds our vision completely.
 
Not only is our vision skewed by life experiences... it is also skewed by limited knowledge.  Just think of how different a child sees things, then a teenager sees things.  How different we saw things at 30 than we see them at 40 and 50.  How different our grandparents see things.  Knowledge changes how we view each and everything that happens.  God is the only one with complete knowledge. 
 
We will always, always have a log in our eye... so we need to always, always go to God for guidance on how to do help ourselves and how to help others.  And when to just keep our mouths shut!

Monday, January 7, 2013

1.7.

Proverbs 2:1-5 My Child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Turn your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.  Search for them as you would for silver seek them like hidden treasures.  Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.
 
My Thoughts
Recently Robby and I have started Geo Caching... which is a high tech treasure hunt.  This treasure hunting we have been doing makes me see these verses more clearly!!  When I had never hunted for treasures, as most of us haven't in today's world, you can read these verses and fill like you get the concept without really understanding all that this verse actually implies.
 
When you go on a treasure hunt you need a map and a couple of tools.  You have to decide to hunt for  your treasure and then you have to plan your trip. When you arrive at the place where you treasure is you have to begin hunting.  You have to think about the clues you have read..then you have to look and search and seek. Sometimes you have to start back at the beginning and look again.  You often have to sift through the weeds and the brush. The treasure is camouflaged so it can be hard to find when it is hidden in the brush.
 
If we treat seeking after God like a treasure hunt there are a few things we need to do.  First we need to decide to look for God... to learn all about Him so that we know what we are actually looking for.  Our Bible is our map...then we need a couple of tool to understand the map... often a dictionary so we don't miss the understanding and sometimes someone wiser than us to help us understand the instructions.  After we have studied our Bible, which has provided us with the way to go and clues on how to get where we are going... clues on how to seek God and find Him in all that we do... we have to use those clues to know the difference between what is no the treasure and what is the actual treasure.  Our hunt is seeking God in all that is out in the world... know how to recognize and know God from the things in this world.
 
I never really looked at it like this at all. This to me is so exciting.  The Bible is my treasure map... God and His love is the treasure.  We need to know the difference the world and God and His love.  God and His love are the treasure.  Matthew 6:22 tells us that our eyes are the lamp that provides light for our bodies.  When our eyes see good our whole body is filled with light but when our eyes see darkness our bodies are filled with darkness. We must use our Bible, God's word to be able to recognize the true light.  We need to be able to recognize our treasure in this world.
 
When we use God's word as our map so we can find our treasure we are able to find God and His love in this world...when we able to recognize that ...when that is what we begin to see... it will become a part of us, of who we are. That is when our lives will began to change in amazing ways!!
 

Sunday, January 6, 2013

1.6.13

Matthew 5:47-48 (Jesus said) "If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.  But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

My Thoughts
Be kind to everybody? Really!? What if God was not kind to us?  When we had not yet asked Jesus into our hearts, were we not an enemy of God then??  Yet God still loved us anyway. He loved us enough to send Jesus to die for our sins! God loved us when we didn't love Him.  What if God picked and chose who to love? What if God didn't love us all? What if we were one of the people that God didn't chose to put on His list?  It is not our choice to make, who deserves love.  Thank goodness it was not one of our enemies choices to make, if we deserved to be loved by God. We are commanded to be kind to every one. Verse 48 even says that we are to love our enemies...we are to even pray for them.  Thank goodness somebody prayed for us. 

Saturday, January 5, 2013

1.5.13

Matthew 5:18-19 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest  detail of God's law will disappear until it's purpose is achieved.  So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.  But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
 
My Thoughts
Every part of what God ask us to do matters!!  We don't get to pick and choose... and we don't get to tell other people that their bad choices are ok either.  This does not mean that we should go around judging people and pointing out everybody's faults.  But it does mean that if we are asked that we can't go against God and what He would ask by being sweet and agreeable either. 
 
We teach others best by our actions.  If we tell white lies we are teaching others to tell white lies. If we use bad language we are teaching others it is ok to use bad language.  On the other side of this..when we do what is good and what is right...we teach the people around us to do what is good and what is right.  We never know who is watching us and who our actions speek to, who they teach. When we obey God's laws we teach others to obey God's laws. 
 
There is a lady at my church that I love dearly.  I have learned so much from her words.. but I have learned more from how she acts.  Her words of wisdom are always in line with how she conducts herself.  Each day I try to be more like her.  What she does with her life greatly effects my life. It even effects Robby's (my sweet husband) life.  Just the other day he said, "If Mrs Kay told me to do it, I wouldn't ask any questions I would do it!"  I am watching Mrs Kay, Robby is watching me and somebody is watching Robby. How we act effects so many people...and teaches so many people. We need to never think that our actions don't matter.  If we are always doing our very best to be the person God wants us to be. To follow even the smallest of God's wishes,  our lives will be good. And what we teach others will be right and good. 
 
Looking back at my life there is so many things that I have taught to others, my children, my friends that I wish I could change now.  Those things would so make me least in the Kingdom of Heaven.  I can't undo them.  But what I can do is ask God for forgivness and move foward doing the best that I can possibably do.  Learn as much as I can possibly learn. Surround myself with people that love God and can teach me to love God more. Then maybe my new example will undo some of the wrongs that I have done.  Maybe my better life will make others want what I have.  I pray that God gives me a chance to teach by example...and I pray that He directs my steps so that what my life teaches will be pleasing to Him.   All of our actions matter... all of our actions teach... it is our choice what they teach.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Psalms 4:4-5 Don't sin by letting your anger control you.  Think about it overnight and remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust in the Lord.
 
My Thoughts
Four years ago today this was the first verse I wrote about.  Well the first part of this verse...I didn't put the second part "Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust in the Lord."  I especially love this verse this time around.  I so see it as a useful tool.
 
When I started thinking of how to use this in my life the first thing I thought of was Psalms 50:14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God.  Then I thought of how anger makes me sin... because anger makes each of us sin in different ways.  When I get angry or frustrated with someone I tend to talk it, them to death to Robby. Over and over for a couple of days. When I do this it really doesn't help me...it makes me worse.  I have gotten better at finally taking control and stopping myself... but the bigger my anger the longer it takes me to do this.  What I don't do is remain silent...and in the process of thinking about it give my sacrifices to God in the form of sending up thanks to God for all that I have, for all that He has given me. I don't send up thanks yous for the person that has upset me...and if I love them enough that they can upset me... I love them enough that I should be always thankful for their presence in my life. 
 
I believe that this verse needs to go on my refrigerator so that I will for sure be reminded when I am angry to take control of my anger and keep my mouth shut (remain silent).  Then I need to think about it over night... If I am silent while I think I will be able to hear God and He can help me with my thoughts.  Then I need to start thanking God ... making a mental list... I need to use my voice to send up my thankfulness to God.  I need to keep at it giving thanks for everything I can think of. 

I am excited about this verse!!  It is going to do several things in my life ... it will bring me closer to God... give me control over anger and frustration, which gives me more control over my life...and it will strengthen my relationships with the people around me.  As always doing what God says is a win!!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

1.3.13

Matthew 4:10-11 "Get out of here, Satin, " Jesus told him.  "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God and sere only Him." Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. 
 
My Thoughts
Jesus had been in the wilderness for 40 days without food. Satin came along and tempted Jesus with three things... each time Jesus said, "For the Scriptures say," and quoted words from God's word.  Satin went away!!  God sent angels to take care of Jesus.  Once Satin even used scripture to tempt Jesus.
 
Jesus knew God's word!!!  Jesus used God's words to defeat Satin. That is why it is so important to know God's word so that we too can defeat Satin!  So we know what God means by His word so that Satin can't us it against it by turning it and twisting it to his advantage.  We need to know God's word it is our weapon against Satin and it is a powerful weapon... a weapon that can defeat the devil every time.  But, only if we know it to use it!! 
 
A very simple example of this is when Satin tries to tell us we are useless.. we can say God's word tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made!!"  (Psalms 139:14) When we know God word we can win the fight...but we have to know God's word and that part is up to us!!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

I am so sorry that I have been missing!!!   My modem went out on Friday... just got hooked back up the Internet today!!   I am handwriting the New Testment this year as I do my daily Bible reading... I am believing that I will learn even more!! Looking forward to year 4 through the Bible!!