12.7.10

3 John 1:11 Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.

My Thoughts

So often we see somebody doing bad and think they have a good heart...we excuse it... we excuse it in ourselves lots of times when we do something we know is wrong...but the Bible tells us that we prove by our actions that we are God's children... so many of the decision we think we have to ponder over should be straight cut answers if we are asking ourselves what God would want us to do... so today if you are pondering if you should or shouldn't do something ask yourself will this decision prove that I know God... then you will have your answer!.. I need to start asking myself this questions... I intend to start asking myself this question... I challenge you to do the same.

12.6.10

2 Timothy1:3 Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

My Thoughts

Wow to have somebody to constantly remember you in their prayers, what a gift that would be!!... what a gift that is!!... I had lots of prayers during my surgery and my recovery and those prayers where wonderful gifts to my life!  Most all of us have had that Grandmother that prayed for us, always!.... but did we stop to think how important that was in our lives?... how much those prayers  helped us will never be truly known but there is no telling how many good steps we made... how how much evil was chased away from our days by those grandmother's prayers! Those quick prayers so they won't be forgotten can change a day!!... Imagine what those prayer over us daily can do for our lives.... I know starting my day every single day in prayer has changed me!... I know that learning to pray for others has changed me...I know that prayer works! and when somebody says they are praying for me that touches me deep within my heart and makes me feel loved!...I use to send a quick prayer up when I told somebody that I would pray for them...and that was a good thing...but now I take time to write that person's name down on my prayer list... I assign them a certain day of the week and pray for them each and ever day that was set aside for them.... I try to keep in touch with people I am praying for, try this, it is amazing when I do this how I get a chance to know how much my prayers are working... that strengthens my resolve to keep others in my prayers... it is important that we never underestimate the power of prayer... when you see a friend in need, never think "I wish there was something I could do for them!"... there is always something you can do... you can always, always pray, prayer is the most important thing you can do for somebody!.... and when somebody tells you they have prayed for you thank that person, love them, know that what they did for you is the most important thing a person can do... know that they took some of their time with God, asking him to take care of you... their prayers for you, our prayers for others are no less important than if we were standing face to face with God and asking him to do something for us...imagine how much that would touch your life!

12.5.10

1 John 5:4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.

My Thoughts

Faith is an amazing thing.... it makes us strong, able, wise, kind, loving ... Faith makes us all that we need to be!  Faith in God that he will do all that he promises .... all it takes to defeat this world is faith.  God shows himself all the time... we see what we look for ... and we need to look for ways that God has been there for us... when we are aware of how God has been there for us it strengthens our faith...and the stronger our faith becomes the stronger we become against this world and the evil that is all around us... the more we are aware of the ways that God has taken care of us...the more we will know that God will continue to take care of us... two years ago I had surgery...I was terrified!!...I had not learned to put my faith totally in God... last week I had surgery, I knew God had prompted me to go to the doctor and if God made sure I got to the doctor God was getting me through surgery!!  The peace I had this time was amazing compared to the fear I had before... God gave me victory over my fear through my faith that he would take care of  me! Faith for lots of reasons was a hard thing for me (the devil loved to make me question if God was taking care of me)... God built my faith through doing little things for me...and it made me know if God would do those little things for me he would do the important things for me.... if you struggle with your faith, if you have trouble knowing that  God WILL take care of you start by asking for little things... and be aware of those things... build your faith my looking for what God does for you in your life.... I continue to ask for the little things, things that might seem strange to ask for.... but its those little things that remind me that God is always there. One of the little things I ask for recently was help with my Loom Knitting... I picked up my first loom and said to God "God please help me with this... I want to learn it and be good at it."...I have learned it...I am good enough at it that people ask me to make things for them...I have only been Loom Knitting for 3 months now and I can do all kinds of things...if God will help me with this, God will help me in surgery!... Ask God to help you today... pay attention... build your faith in God and when God answers one of those prayers for you this week let me know!!.... I love the stories of answered prayers!!

12.4.10

1 John 4:17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.

My Thoughts

Love is grand... it is such a blessing.... it changes everything around us... love makes us whole... love makes us feel secure... love mends broken hearts... love makes babies grow....love changes people, places and things... love heals... Love is so powerful.... we all need it, we all seek after it... we look and search for love... at love is right beside us all the time... because God is right beside us all the time.... isn't it amazing that our capacity for love is endless... that our love can grow more perfect.... the more we feel loved the more able we are to love... the more we love the more love we get in return... you can never go wrong with love... I pray that God will put more and more love into my life...that the love in my life grows more perfect with each passing day.... I hope that my life with God grows in such a way that when I walk into a room that people feel love....Today I am so thankful for God's wonderful gift of LOVE.

12.3.10

1 John 3: 18-19  Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.  It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord.

My Thoughts

I remember being so relieved that the devil puts thoughts in our head.... and if we don't act on them, dwell on them that they belong to the devil... that I was not a bad person just because a bad thought popped up in my head...wow what a relief!!  Then there is the flip side.... we are not good people merely because a good thought pops into our head... that after all is the holy spirit...and what makes us who we are is our actions...not our thoughts... now dwelling on those good thoughts is what leads to those good actions... and here in 1 John it tells us that "It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth"... So today when we think we should do something nice for someone, or say something nice to someone... we those nice thoughts pop up in our head lets do something toward being that good person that God wants us to be.

12.2.10

Psalms 121:5-6 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

My Thoughts

Oh this is such a timely verse in my life!!... As most of you know I had surgery yesterday... and from the beginning I could feel Gods protection... in fact while I was reading my Bible just last Monday the word came to me as clearly in my head and anything I have ever heard or thought "Jeannie call Dr. Ayers right now."... now I would have thought I may need to call Dr Ayers or I need to call the doctors office today... but I know I would not have thought those very words...at that time of day, in the middle of reading my Bible... so I listened... I called Dr Ayers office.... I said I am not feeling good...and there is no rush but I need to make an appointment... well God was still looking down on me.... they booked my appointment for that afternoon.... when I got in I told Dr Ayers only 3 things that were going on with me...he asked me a couple of questions then with great certainty he said this is your Gallbladder I want to run some test... test were Wednesday...and on Monday (there were the holidays mixed in there)... Monday I got a call from the Dr office..my Gallbladder was working at 11%... it was blue when they took it out!!... I tell you this story because I know without a doubt that "The Lord himself" was watching over me!!...I "stand in his protective shade."... I believe that I would not have heard God had I not been reading my Bible... I just would not have know and would have reasoned myself out of needing to go to the Doctor... I pray that each and every person I know learns how to walk in the protective shade of the Lord...I wish I had learned how sooner...but am so happy that I have... God changes lives, I was a good and sweet and kind person... I tried to do what God wanted...but now I am so, so blessed because I have learned how to have a relationship with God... It is amazing how it has truly changed my life.

12.1.10

1 John 2:11 But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness.  Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

My Thoughts

So often when somebody wrongs us we feel hate, or a strong dislike for this person... it can consumes us at times... the Bible tells us that when people do evil that that is the devil causing the evil... evil has gotten hold of that person and used that person to get to us.... and it is easy to dislike people that do us wrong... but when we do, we choose to give the devil power over us...and we are also responsible for making the devil choose that person to use and torment because we allow the evil coming through that person to cause us to sin... the devil will torment that person, use that person to get to us, if we let the actions of another person get to us.... so when we hate another person we are tempting the devil to tempt them.... the best thing we can do for ourselves and for somebody that wrongs us is love them... love them with all our heart... pray to have love for them.... to be totally aware that the devil is using them... we need to chase the devil away with love...with the armor of God... we need to show goodness and kindness and love... we need to see these qualities as a shield that we are holding up against evil... the next time a person is mean and hateful to you, think of a way to show love to them... bake them a cake, buy them lunch, ask about their day... see these actions as your shield... can you imagine how far the devil will run if the evil in another person make you more loving!!...I can just see him getting really frustrated when he uses somebody to be hateful to us, to ruin our day....I see the devil standing there behind that person whispering into their ear to be hateful and ugly... grinning and waiting on us to react in an ugly way... can't you see the disappointment on his face when we return love and kindness, the devil will be so disappointed...lets use love in our day, in our actions to chase evil away!