5.18.14

Proverbs 15:19 A lazy person's way is blocked with briers, but the path of the upright is an open highway. 

My Thoughts

When I read this verse, Romans 12:2 was brought straight to my remembrance...it says Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. I thought about how when we get to lazy to renew our minds each day it is harder to recognize the truth of what God tells us in His word. We get stuck in our decision making. Lost in what the world tells us. What the world tells us is the weeds in our lives, when we renew our minds daily with God's word our path is clear, as clear as a paved road. We know the truth, the right paths to take, we don't get confused and are less likely to make decisions that get us stuck for a while...we get instead to move forward.

I have to admit that this year I have not been as diligent. Things keep getting in my way of me doing my daily Bible reading. How many weeds have I let grow in my path because I didn't take the time. I know, I have experienced God honoring the time in my day when I take time for Him. Today he used this verse to let me know,p that weeds are beginning to grow on my path. He touched my heart when it was easy to pluck those weeds. He warned me that I have been able to walk around them and they didn't hinder my progress too much because I have keep the weeds at bay...but if I was not careful the weeds would begin to choke out my clear path...I wouldn't be able to see the lines in the road if I was not careful to keep my path weeded with God's word, with the daily renewing of my mind, and I could end up odd the clear path that God has set before me. 

I love how God can reach down and take our had ever so gently and pull us back where we need to be. I love that He loves me enough to say, "Okay Jeannie let's get you back where you need to be." I love that there is always a "let's" when God tells me I need to do something, because God gives me His grace to make me able. Oh how He loves us so! 

John 4:36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!

My Thoughts

We get our minds so focused, as Christians, on how to be a harvester. Which is so important. But there can not be a harvest where a seed has not been planted. It takes many people to win souls to Christ and we each play a part. Each part is equally important, so important that Jesus promises us joy for being a planter or a harvester. As a harvester we get to see the fruits of our labor, so often as planter we have no idea that we have produced anything. 

Then comes the question, "How do we plant seeds that produce a good harvest?" The answer is love. Letting the love of Christ shine through out words and actions. By sharing our stories of how God loves us. By living a life rooted in God so deep that we walk in joy, so that people that see us what what we have. By living with integrity so that people know that they can trust us and what we say. 

How do we plant the seeds of God's love in our everyday lives? With a smile, a kind word, a soft touch that says, "I care!" We do it by listening, by meeting the needs of others. We do it by showing forgiveness in unforgivable circumstances. We do it by quietly, softly sharing what God does for us each and every day, by acknowledging His hand in all the good that is in our lives. 

When we live as planters, then sometimes we will get to be the person that harvest yet another soul for  God. But if we are never planting, because we are so focused in being a harvester, there will be nobody ripe and ready for the harvesting. 

Go out into the world today determined to plant the wonderful seeds of God's love in the lives of others! 

3.20.14

Galatians 5:25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

My Thoughts
This was in my study notes in my Bible today.  In Luke 4 today, the scripture talked about Jesus being led my the Spirit. Jesus said I do and say only what my Father tells me in John 5:19. He knew what His Father told him by listening to the Spirit.

This verse today came to me at just the right time. We just finished studying the Holy Spirit in Bible Study and now on Wednesday nights we are studying the importance and power of prayer. The more I learn to walk in the Spirit the better my life becomes.  We recently learned a new song in our
Church about there being less of me and mor of You. The only way to grow in this area is by inviting the Holy Spirit into every area of our lives. Robby (my sweet husband) and I were talking about this just this morning ... We talked about how when the phone rings we need to ask the Holy Spirit to guard and guide our words. Vector we drive we need to ask the Holy Spirit to lead us. Before each of Robby's stops in his UPS truck he need to ask for help with that stop and those customers. We need to learn to make prayer, and learn to be constantly aware of hearing the Holy Spirit in all that we say and do. Too often we go about our days, with our own plans in mind, never stoping to hear or bothering to ask until a problem arises. If the hard times are better when we call on God, won't the good times and the every day times be that much better I. Prayer and in hearing the leading of .god through the Holy Spirit?  I must become more acutely aware that I need the Holy Spirit in all that I say and do and to have Him ever present I must invite Him in.

3.12.14

John 14:26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

My Thoughts

There was a time in my life as a Christian I would have said that nobody was reminding me of anything. I would get nudges. The Holy Spirit was trying, doing His best with what I had given Him to work with. But how could he remind me of Scripture, of what God has told us all, if I didn't know what God had told me? He couldn't! I also didn't know to recognize that still small voice as the Holy Spirit talking to me, leading me, protecting me. Now I hear and recognize Him all the time...more every day, and He does bring to my  remembrance Scriptures. I can recognize the scripture because I have now read the Scripture. 

Just this last week when I was living in all the days ahead that this week held, beginning to feel overwhelmed and exhausted from all that lay ahead of me, The Holy Spirit reminded me of   Matthew 6:34 and not to worry about tomorrow today was big enough all by itself. So each day I have made myself stay focused on just that day, being reminded by The Holy Spirit each time my tomorrow's tried to steel my joy for today...and I recognized Him and His love for me and I listened.... I lived in that day... Accomplishing enough not to be dragged down by my past once that day was my past... And keeping my tomorrows from exhausting my present before it even got here. This past week I have learned the importance if this verse... It is huge to my future todays.... This verse alone will give me strength by keeping tomorrow from taking my strength.... This verse alone will help me stay present in the moment so that I can feel the joy that God gives me and intends for me to have. I was able to grab hold of this verse because I recognized it when the Holy Spirit reminded me of it and told me how to use it in my life! 

5.30.13

John 19:1-3 Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a led-tipped whip.  The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on  his head and they put a purple robe on him, "Hail! King of the Jews!" they Mocked, as the slapped him across the face.

 

My Thoughts

That is love to take all of this because of our sins and then to die on the cross.  Today I though of my own children and how much I love them.  How much I hurt when they hurt, what pain I feel when somebody does something to them to make them unhappy.  When I am unhappy, I am just unhappy but when they are unhappy I feel pain!  Can you imagine what pain God flet, as He watched down from heaven at sinners mocking and hurting His perfect child?  God did that for us!! That is love beyond understanding!!

5.28.13

John 16:1-3 "I (Jesus) have told you these things, so that you won't abandon your faith.  For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.  This is because they have never known the Father or me.

 

My Thoughts

The disciples were facing certain death..here Jesus told them they would be killed. Yet he told these men not to abandon their faith for people that don't believe in Jesus.  Our faith in Jesus is believing that all things work together for the good for those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28).  If these men were facing certain death and they were not to let unbelievers shake or abandon their faith, we in our everyday lives don't need to let unbelievers shake our faith!! No matter how they might treat us, no matter what they  might say to us, we are to stand strong in our faith because we love the Lord!! 

 

When things happen now in my life that seem to test my faith, I will tell myself that I can stand strong because Jesus loves me!!  The deciples stood strong even facing death.  I am only facing a problem!!

5.27.13

John 15:7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

 

My Thoughts

The more I read God's word the more this verse makes me smile.  And the more that I understand it!  When we hide God's word in our hearts so that we won't sin against Him  (Psalm 119:11) then what we ask for is in aline with God's word and we don't have to be told no.  When we love God with all of our heart we seek after him!! 

 

Remember when you were first falling in love.  You could not stand to be away from that person.  You wanted to know every detail of their lives!  You could listen for days on end almost without food. Everything that they said you wanted to hear.  You wanted to remember the important things and smile and the not so important things. You wanted to be a part of their lives...you wanted them to be a part of who you were.  That is how we need to treat our relationship with God.  We need to fall in love with Him, with His words.  We need to want to spend time each and every day with Him.  We need to want to do what would make Him Smile. 

 

God's word can only remain in us if we know it. And I mean truly know it.  I use to know what people told me about God's word.  There were  few verses that I knew, you know those verses that most everybody knows.  But those words were not in my heart not really.  I liked to believe they were...but they were more in my brain.  The more that I read God's word the more it drops down in my heart and becomes a part of who I am instead of a part of what I know.  We need to know Jesus enough that He is a part of who we are not a part of what you know!! 

 

I have a long way to go!!  The things of the world still get in my way sometimes.  There are verses that I don't quite understand yet but one day God will reveal the meaning to me. When He does it will drop down into my heart, because God will make sure that it does.  The more I know God the more my request line up with His will...and when that happens I always get a yes!!  Each time I am amazed!! 

5.24.13

John 14:27 "(Jesus said) I am leaving  you with a gift --peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don't be troubled or afraid.

 

My Thoughts

Oh there were so many goodies in my Bible reading today, I underlined and underlined and underlined, but this one on this one is so important. I just didn't want anybody to miss it!! 

 

Jesus is where our peace comes from!  We can look all around us and see people from every walk of life unhappy, not peaceful.  Because they are seeking their peace in so many other things!!  I have been there. Oh if I had only know early, early in life where peace came from!! 

 

I heard about a psychologist once that decided to do an experiment... he had is patients read the 23 Psalm, you know the one The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want. He had them read that whole some 4 times a day.  They were to write it down and carry it with them... if I remember right they were to read it in the morning, at lunch and dinner and before going to bed at night. They had to read if from the paper not from memory.  And they had to think on each and ever word.  Something like 80% of them were better within the month.  I was not surprised when  I head this because I had been reading my Bible every day for a couple of years and I knew it worked.  But if you had told me that about 5 years ago I would not have believed it.  Now I know it is true.  Why? Because our peace of heart and mind can only come from Jesus. 

 

I have had anxiety and even panic over the years, sometimes less than others, but I always had it.  I had it on my first day of school and it never went away.  I have had it in mild forms for long periods of time...then I have had it in incapacitating forms for months on end.  The last time I had it was several years ago.  My kids were both out of the house so I had nothing to keep me in touch with people and the world around me.  My anxiety and panic had gotten really out of hand. I would leave my house to take care of my mom and I could go to Hobby Lobby by myself... but Robby bought groceries because Wal-Mart would give me such anxiety.  Robby and I would go out and that was fine because I had Robby with me.  But I could tell I was getting worse and worse and worse.  Then John-Robert (my son) gave me my One Year Bible for Christmas and since it was laid out in daily readings and I knew where to start and where to end and because it was from him, I was determined to read it from cover to cover. 

 

I started reading my Bible. Now mind  you I had been saved when I was 9 and I had been in and out of church all my life.  I knew who Jesus was and I knew that I was suppose to love Him so I did.  As I read my Bible I begin to fill a change, I begin to hunger after God in a way that I had not ever hungered after God...those words were changing me!!  I became thirsty for God's word and I begin falling in love with God and with Jesus... not loving them because I was suppose to...but because they loved me so much and I couldn't help but love them back!!!  The more I read and understood, the more peace I had... slowly but surely that peace took the place of the anxiety and panic. It is a peace that does pass all understanding and every day I am amazed.  You see the devil didn't have to tempt me with being bad, he just had to keep me distracted with life and fill my head with thought that produced anxiety.  But God is stronger that Satin and God will win every time if I keep my eyes on Him. 

 

Every once in a while I feel anxiety creeping in and I know that I am not going back to that life.  I reach deep within my spirit and I start saying out loud those things God tells me.  Things like I am wonderfully made, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God will never leave me or forsake me.  The list goes on!!  And before you know it.. in a matter of less than an hour all that doubt and anxiety goes right away.  The thing is... when I renew my mind each morning with God's word there is seldom, and I mean once every few months, a time when I even get a bit of anxiety. That is because peace comes from knowing Jesus. Jesus loves me this I know!!  And some days I can even feel Him reach down His hand for mine and that is so awesome!

 

If you don't have peace, I beg you seek Jesus!  If I were there with you I would hold your face in my hand and say, "Jesus loves you!!!  Take time to know Him, really know Him!! And your life will be forever transformed!! I promise!"  Every minute you spend with God, He will give you back that time seven fold! Don't ever think you don't have time, God will make a way for all you have to do, if you will make time for God!!

 

5.23.13

John 14:1 "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me."

 

My Thoughts

Another words, "Don't worry We've got your back!!"  When we worry it shows a lack of faith that God does have our backs, that Jesus is setting there on the right hand of God praying constantly for us.  Jesus is praying for us when we forget to pray ourselves. 

 

It is so important that we take time to notice the things God does for us... to realize that all the good that happens in our lives is a gift straight from God.  From a smile across Wal-Mart from a stranger to surviving a complicated surgery...and all the good things in-between.  When we learn that these are all from God and we take time to notice them, and be thankful for them, the easier it is to give our troubles over to God.  When we realize that God cares about whether we eat, or have clothes on our backs.  When we realize that God cares about the desires of our hearts. Then we start to notice that He does make sure our needs are met...and he even gives us so many of our wants, then it is easy to not let our hearts be troubled, because it is ingrained in us that God is taking care of us. 

 

I challenge you today to notice the good in your day, and each time that there is good in your day to give God the credit, the glory for that good. 

 

As I was writing this last sentence I realized that each time we talk about the good in our lives and we know that it is from God we are giving God glory. On the other side of the same coin, each time we talk about the bad in our lives we are giving Satin glory.  I don't want to give Satin one bit of glory!! Do you?  I know you don't.  Spend your day recognizing the good!  Spend your day thanking God for all that you have!

 

 

 

5.17.13

John 10:3b-5 He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.  The won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice.

 

My Thoughts

We can not follow Jesus if we don't spend time learning what His voice sounds like.  I know... I tried, for years, to do what Jesus wanted without finding out exactly who Jesus was and what Jesus would say to me and what His voice sounded like.  Satin tries to sound like Jesus so he can fool us... if we know Jesus we know what Jesus sounds like...because we recognize his voice and we know what Jesus would and would not say because we know His heart.  When we learn what Jesus sounds like, what words Jesus would say and what words He would not say we know when to run. And when we run we need to run straight to Jesus.

 

And do you know why Jesus walks ahead of us and not behind us herding us up?  Because Jesus gives us free will to follow Him.  Jesus gives us a choice.  And because Jesus is finding the safe places for us to land...He can't do that from behind. When I wrote that last sentence I thought of how a soldier sends out his dog ahead of him...that dog will risk his life for the solider he loves so much. He will sniff out the land mines so his soldier can step on safe and solid ground.  That is the very reason Jesus walks in front of us... so that He can sit us on safe and solid ground. Satin on the other hand will lie to us and tell us he is doing something good for us. Then he will sit us right slap dab in the middle of the field of lands mines, blindfolded then step outside the field and shout "fire run!" Not Jesus, Jesus loves us so much that He takes us with our eyes wide open and says to us, "Look, I have just stepped here and it is safe to follow me!" Then He will even take our hands if He needs to.  If we are not paying attention and we step on a land mine along the way, Jesus will come back and nurse us back to health.  Then He will stand in front of us leading us again. 

 

There is no greater love than a man that would lay down His life for us...and that is just what Jesus did.  We need to know the voice of someone that would do that for us! We need to know the voice of Jesus!!!

 

 

5.16.13

John 9:2-3 "Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parent's sins?"

 

"It was not because of his sins or his parent's sins," Jesus answered, "This happened so the power of God could be seen in him."

 

My Thoughts

I found this verse comforting!  I have read it before at least three times before....but today it really struck me!!  Jesus told the disciples that if they had the faith of a mustard seed they could move mountains.  People in the stories in the Bible were healed when they believed Jesus could heal them.  I have to have faith that when the time is right for God's glory to be revealed in my healing, because I believe in Jesus, I will be healed. 

 

Now each time I hurt, each time it is hard for because I am so tired from Lupus...I will say, "Thank you God for letting me be a part of your glory... thank you that you have chosen me for your power can be seen in me."  That is how I will look at being sick from no on!!  I believe that one day it is going to be the right time for God's power to be see in my healing!!  How exciting is that!!!

 

 

5.11.13

John 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.

 

My Thoughts

I so love this verse... it just makes my heart happy!!  The very minute we have the thought to find out about Jesus it is God saying I choose you, I love you!!  I want you to be one of my children.  The very minute we read about Jesus, the same is true.  The very moment someone tells us about Jesus, the very moment someone says to us, "Jesus loves you!"  It is a fact that He does...and that God does...because Jesus tells us here, "no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me!"  When someone tells us about Jesus it is God saying I love you!!  And I want you to meet my son Jesus because He is the way to Me... If you know Him you can come and live with me in My Kingdom.  If you know my son and love Him and accept Him you are also welcome with Him into My home...here let me introduce you because I want you with me too!

 

If you read this today, it is God telling you that He loves you and wants you to be His child!!!  He wants to share all He has with you!!  How special is that, that God chooses us!!  I love it!!

5.6.13

John 4:50 Then Jesus told him, "Go back home. Your son will live!" And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

 

My Thoughts

This man's son was healed because of his belief in what Jesus told him.  How much do we miss out on because we don't believe? How much do we miss out on because we don't know what Jesus said to believe it? 

 

God's word is full of promise that are for us when we become a child of God.  But to be able to believe in God's word, we have to know God's word.  The only way to know God's word, to truly know it is to read, read, read and study, study, study.  What power we have a children of God when we learn and grown in Him.  

5.5.13

John 3:34 For he (Jesus) is sent by God.  He speaks God's words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit.

 

My Thoughts

In John 5:19 Jesus tells us, "I only do what my Father tells me to do."  The more we become like Jesus the more of the Spirit we get.  Jesus was given the Spirit without limit because He depended on God totally!  Our strength and victory comes straight from God.  The more our lives we give to God the more strength and victory we will have.  The  more Spirit we will be given.  We have to strive to be more and more like Jesus each day!!

3.22.13

Luke 5:17b And the Lord's healing power was strongly with Jesus.

 

My Thoughts

In John 12:50 Jesus tells us that He only says what His Father tells him to say.  Jesus was not powerful just because He was God's Son... Jesus was powerful because He let God work through Him and He gave God all the glory!  This verse says "the Lords healing power was strongly with Jesus." Look at all Jesus accomplished here on earth... it was because God was with Jesus, and Jesus allowed God to work through Him.

 

If perfect Jesus, the very Son of God, needed God to be powerful, to be able to do the things He did on this earth... imagine how much more we, sinners, need God to have any power at all to even get through a day! 

 

Mark 5:16 tells us that Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.  Jesus went to talk to God and to listen to God, often!!  We need to do the same.  Jesus stayed in close contact with God... always listening to His instruction.  If we are to be like Jesus we have to be in constant contact with God, stopping to take quiet time to pray and to listen to what God tells us to do. The only way to learn to grow and be more like Jesus is to take note of how Jesus did things.  To do that we have to pick up our Bibles and learn!  

 

God's word can not change us collecting dust on a shelf. God's word changes us when we learn it enough that it drops down into our hearts and becomes a part of us. 

10.1.12

Philippians 2:12b-13 Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

 

My Thoughts

I love this...I love that God not only gives us the desire to do what pleases Him...but he also gives us the power to do what pleases Him.  If we just seek after God. If we take time to read God's word and pray, God will start working in us and change us in amazing ways.

 

I have heard this verse many times in my life... but once I picked up my Bible and started seeking after God I begin to see this verse working in me.  Each day bring me new joy... each day I get a new tidbit of information that makes my life better and better and better.  Each day my strength grows, my peace grows. Each day I am more and more in awe of God and His love for me and for you!! 

 

I have been in that place where I thought "Doesn't life get any better than this??"  Life can be so full... Jesus died on the cross so that we could have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). I begin to know that abundant feeling when I picked up my Bible and started reading it... when I began to earnestly want to understand it.  Little by little my life begin to change...at first it was in tiny ways... it is like a snow ball rolling down a hill, as it rolls it gathers more and more snow with each turn.  No matter how small it starts out if it keeps rolling it grows bigger and bigger and bigger... gather more and more snow with each turn of the ball.  That is what God's word does.. at first we understand just a little bit here and there...and as we understand we are able to gather more and more and more... and one day we wake up and feel amazing!!  All because God wants to grow us.. If we seek after God, God will make sure we understand!!

 

If you feel helpless or hopeless I beg of you to pick up a Bible that you can understand... I love the New Living Translation, I have a friend who loves The Message.  It doesn't matter which one you like... it matters that you seek after God.  Once we seek after God, He does the rest!! I promise that in a matter of weeks you will begin to feel better... you will find hope where you were hopeless... you will find help to get through this day and the next and the next.... then one day you will wake up and realize that you feel joy! 

Ephesians 4:29  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

 

My Thoughts

Oh this verse is so important to our quality of life, and the quality of life of the people around us!!  Can we be frustrated, angry and upset? Yes! But we need to take those things to God. When we do God sorts them our in our hearts in the right way.  People tend to tell us what they think we want to hear, making us more frustrated, angry or upset.  God sets us straight... God gives us the best way to think through something.  Then our words don't make the situation worse for us or for others. 

 

We need too, to be careful of the words we say to ourselves about ourselves. We need to but us up, as well as others... we need to have helpful dialog in our head about ourselves and our lives... we need our words spoken about ourselves to be words of encouragement!  We need to remember what God says about us!! 

 

God tells us He loves us so much that He let His only son die for our sins (John 3:16). God tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14).  God tells us that we matter so much to Him that even the hairs on our heads are numbered (Luke 12:7). I don't know about you, but with me that changes ever few minutes...and God knows when it does!!  God tells us that He cares about the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). God cares about what we want!!... the list goes on and on. If we matter that much to God we should be kind to ourselves!!

 

We need to remember that we are all God's children!!  If we matter that much to God, the person next to us at any given time at any part of our day, matters that much to God to!!  Have you ever known a mother that didn't just love somebody to death that loved and encouraged her child. God feels the same way!!  When we love and encourage others we are loving one of God's children. That matters to God even more!! 

 

We need to remember the words of Thumper's that his mother taught him (from Bambi), "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin at all."  Proverbs 18:21 tells us that our words have the power of life and death and that we eat the fruit of our words.  We need to be mindful of our words, not just letting anything flow from our mouths... the words we choose should be loving and encouraging, good words, helpful words.  We need to remember if we hear ourselves saying something we shouldn't that it is never too late to shut our mouths!! 

 

If we start out watching our thoughts, and think on things that are good and noble and kind, honorable and pure and lovely (Philippians 4:8). Then good and noble, kind, honorable, pure and lovely words will follow.  By taking our thoughts captive, we take our words captive! 

7.5.12

Proverbs 18:14 The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?

My Thoughts

Oh this is so true!!... Haven't we all see it... sick people who practically willed themselves well.  They decide they are going to make it... the get involved in making it and they do! 

Then I have seen perfectly healthy people become distraught with sadness, depression and crumble...their health decline rapidly!  I have seen depressed people become a shadow of their former self.  I have been a shadow of myself.  So lost... so hopeless...even with the people around me doing all they could for me...I just couldn't find my way to the surface.

As sick as I have been with Lupus and Fibromyalgia ... the worse sick I have ever been was when I was in the deepest, darkest place of depression. When you get there the devil has his foothold on you!!  Your mind is always going...and the devil is filling it up with all kinds of negatives..."You can't do anything right, it is useless to even try." "Nobody really loves you!"... "Look at you you are worthless!" The devil will tell you anything to keep you in those deep dark places.  After all if you can't love even yourself you sure can't show love to the people around you. 

What I didn't really understand is that God was there with me all the time...I just had to call out to Him!!  Reading God's word gave me such hope!!... It changed me, little by little by little.  Slowly I begin to see just how much God loved me!!  I started to believe it when I read "You are wonderfully made!" I started to understand it was ME that was wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14)!!  God made me... He knitted me together in my mother's womb (Psaoms 139:13). Jesus died on the cross so that I, me, Jeannie Phillips could have an abundant life (John 10:10). I have learned to fill my mind and my heart so full of how much that God loves me, that when the devil tries to tell me I am useless I can just tell the devil how wonderfully righteous I am.  I can say to the devil "Sure I messed up...but that is not of your concern because I told my God about it and He made me right again!!"

The more I become right with God, the more I know God, the more confidence I have in the decisions I make over my life.  I let the Holy Spirit guide me.  Lately He has told me that I can be a better me!!... That I have control over my health and life. The devil told me that "Lupus is going to get you, there is no use trying!" God told me, I can heal you!!... God told me that I am amazing!!  God told me that I, me, Jeannie Phillips could make a difference in my health and that if I made the effort He would send down His grace and make me able to do more and more and more to make me better and better and better. 

God is where our hope is...we can endure a sick body... but we can not make it if we loose our hope... hope abounds when we love and trust in God!!

How do I start?  Here is how I started... I was given a One Year Bible by my son, thank you John-Robert for loving me that much!  I picked it up and started reading, day after day after day... if you couple prayers...and oh my prayers were simple, and choppy but they were honest, earnest prayers... I kept after it...and little by little by little I grew in amazing ways!!  I grow every day..I have so much growing to do... but oh I am growing... You can too!!!  You can too!!  God's word tells us that if we seek wisdom, wisdom will come to us.  We just have to want it and to go after it... then God drops it down into our understanding!!  If you want to change  your life pick up God's word and seek after Him... amazing things happen!!

5.15.12

John 14:27 I am leaving you with a gift-- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give you is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.

My Thoughts

OH I love this!!  What better gift to have than peace of mind!!  Peace of heart!!  So often we feel anxious or troubled... we don't need to try and find peace by shopping... or by turning on the TV... or by picking up the phone (those kinds of friends are awesome!) we need to go straight to Jesus!  If we take our troubles to Jesus...then we begin to fill that calm... if we stop and listen...which can be so hard to do... listen to our heart...deep down where the Holy Spirit lives we will get the answers we need.  When we don't know what to say... all we have to do is praise God and thank God over and over and over and we will feel His Spirit come over us and give us that wonderful gift of peace.

Isiah 40:20 He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and abound].... we also find in Isiah 55:10-11 that God's word does not return void! That is why it is important to learn what is written in God's word...so we can call those verse's out to God, to Jesus... and they will come back to us strong and working... We can say Jesus you said I would have peace of mind and heart I am asking for that peace today.

Sometimes the devil finds our weak spot and he keeps after us... but Luke 10:19 says "I have been given authority and power over all the power the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm me." So when the devil keeps after us with thoughts that make us anxious we can tell him that we have been given  power over him ...to just go away!!

Sometimes it takes a while no to take those anxieties back when we give them to Jesus...but that is ok...we just keep giving them back...and each time we get a little better. 

We just need to remember that shopping, and griping and complaining, sports, TV etc. will not give us peace... Jesus will give us peace.  When we turn to the world in our times of stress and anxiety we only make things worse when we turn to Jesus... that is where all peace comes from!!

5.12.12

John 7:24 Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.

My Thoughts

Here Jesus was taking about the leaders seeing Him as "working" on a Sunday when He healed somebody... If they had looked beneath the surface Jesus was "loving" someone by healing them. The leaders wanted to find fault..so that is what they saw.

So often when we get our feelings hurt it is because we immediately want to justify our feelings so we think the worst of somebody.  When actually our mood is so often why our feelings get hurt by some body's action.  If we stop and think...stop and look beyond the surface... at the intention of the other person from a totally loving, objective standpoint we can see that the intention of the other person was only love... or at the very most there was no intention at all...especially not an intention to hurt us. But we can get so caught up in the justification of our own feelings that we loose site of what actually happened.  Then we become the one that is actually causing "a situation."

God's word tells us to believe the best of others (1 Cor. 12:7).  We should always give people the benefit of the doubt.  We should give the the benefit of believing they only had good intentions toward us.  If we do that we can go about being happy. We also don't cause conflict where there was none until we open our mouths.

If we believe the best in others ...if we look beneath the surface to we can judge correctly.. we could save a lot of hurt feeling... usually being our own!!

Just this morning I was talking to Robby about a situation that was really bothering me!!  My feelings were hurt...and as I talked about it I felt more and more hurt.  I was even getting a bit angry.  Then God said to my heart...think about this person's intentions...this persons personality. I did! Once I did that I saw the whole situation so differently!!  And I...me... I felt much better about that person...and about me. 

It was so funny that I would read this verse today.. just after I had had to stop and look beneath the surface!!  I will now make more of an effort to do that in every situation where I feel even a little hurt or put out!!  I am going to save myself so much grief this way!! I am going to save others some of my grief too!!