4.30.11

Proverbs 14:13 Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.

My Thoughts

Our bodies, our souls,  was made to serve the Lord, to do what is right, to love one another. Our bodies grieve when we don't do what we were made to do.  We can go about acting happy... doing things that we think will make us happy.  We can try our best to hide our sadness...but when we go home at night and climb into bed we will feel that grief.  Shopping, partying, playing those things will not get rid of the sadness we feel when we are not doing what we were created to do. Only loving God, loving our neighbors, doing the things God ask us to do will get rid of the grief.  Our souls were made for love and serving the God... for serving other. To have a happy soul we need to love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37).

4.29.11

Psalms 100:4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise to his name.

My Thoughts

Every time I read this I think.... God could take us at any time the only way to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise is to be in a constant state of thanks and praise. I praise and thank God  more all the time... but, I have not reached that place where it is constant.  When the trees fell in our yard during the storm I thanked God when I saw the branches laying against my sliding glass doors...I was so thankful that they didn't come through!... But I was not thanking God while I was huddled in the laundry room waiting for the storm to pass.  This was a time that I knew that something could happen to me... yet I was not praising and thanking God.  When I get to heaven I want to enter His gate with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  I want to be the child of God that God wants me to be. God wants me to be constantly thankful... constantly praising Him.  Just think how our lives would change if we would live just this verse!

4.27.11

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

My Thoughts

Forgiveness sometimes seems so hard! We can be so hurt or so broken we sometimes feel like we just can't forgive.  Jesus forgave...when Jesus forgave it was in the middle of great suffering... he had been beaten, carried his cross,  been nailed to the cross with huge spikes, his side had been pincered and Jesus asked forgiveness as he hung on the cross and soldiers gambled for his clothes.  Now if there was a time that we would have a hard time forgiving it would be then!!.. Yet Jesus forgave. We should always forgive. I have learned that God steps in where I fall short.  All I have to do is show the willingness to do something and God will take over.  The way I learned to forgive things I thought impossible to forgive is to start by speaking the words in my prayers.  I said them each day...over and over again...then God saw that I wanted to forgive and He stepped in with his grace... I found one morning as I was doing my forgives that I didn't need to say the hard one anymore... God had given me what I needed to forgive... I made the effort God made me able.  If Jesus can forgive while hanging on the cross in great pain and agony...surly we can forgive. We just have to start by opening our mouth.

2.26.11

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

My Thoughts

I read this and smiled.  I will never again hear the ocean and not think that it is shouting praises... I will never again see a garden bursting with blooms and the fruit of its vine without knowing the earth is praising God... I will never again hear the rustling of the trees without knowing they are praising God.  Even the earth gets excited over God... over His presence...over his return!!... if the waters and the plants and the trees get excited  so should we.  I want to be reminded each time that I see these wonderful creations of God and each time I hear these wonderful creations of God to feel great joy... to sing God's praises. How exciting to know that even the waters and the ground...the trees and the plants praise God. Can you say Wow!

4.25.11

Proverbs 14:4 Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

My Thoughts

I thought want on earth does this verse mean?!?!?!  Then almost as quickly as I had that thought I had the answer.  We can stay in our safe little world of home and church... surrounded by things that don't tempt us that don't dirty our minds ... that won't dirty our hearts... but to reach people for God we need to risk messing up... getting "dirty"... taking the wrong steps to reach thee people that don't know about God's great love. I think God would rather us try and mess up and learn and try again... than for us to stay as white as snow locked away from the world... when we take that step in faith God's grace steps in and takes over.

4.24.11

Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

My Thoughts

Jesus was saying to Simon... I know you are going to mess up...the devil is really after you!!.... I know you think you won't mess up...but you are going to.... I am already saying prayers for you... I know you will ask forgiveness .... aft...er all this happens help the people you know be strong in me.

Jesus loved Simon... knew he was going to mess up... Simon was going to mess up by denying Jesus!... Jesus loved him anyway.... Jesus loved him so much that He prayed for Simon. What an example of pure love! It is hard to love people that talk about us... it is hard to love people that are mean to us... it is hard to love people that betray us. But Jesus loved Simon even thou He knew that one of his best buddies in the world was going to deny Him. Don't you know this was hurtful!... as hurtful as it was Jesus didn't just pray for Simon... Jesus pleaded, pleaded in prayer for Simon.

We need to take this example and follow it. We don't need to react in anger when somebody upsets us...we need to stop and pray for them. Imagine what prayer will do for not only for the other person but for us... it will soften our heart... if we take time to pray for the people that wrong us, people that hurt us, people that make us angry... then we ourselves are changed. When we have offered up forgiveness...when we have sent a prayer up for the person that hurt us...and we have cleansed our own heart from anger. ...our day also be better!!.. When we do this we can go about being happy and productive. But when we stay angry and hurt we destroy our day with our words, our feelings and our actions... we actually make the anger grow into a creature all its own...sometimes we destroy a whole week or year with the anger in our hearts.. just think of all we have to gain when we pray for those who hurt us. Imagine how love can grown when we focus on love.....When we react in anger the devil smiles...when we react like Jesus, God smiles.See More

4.23.11

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

My Thoughts

This passage just makes me feel all safe and warm.  In this world we become all self absorbed... we are taught to think me, me, me.  We are taught to take care of ourselves and not depend on others.  Commercials tell us be selfish it's OK... you deserve it! The Bible tells us to love! ... To put God first.... and God says I will take care of those who love me...I will be with them in trouble...when they call on me I will answer...I will reward them with a long life and salvation.  The best way to take care of yourself is just to love God... to honor God... to trust God.  If we quit worrying about our self and put all our energy in God everything else will fall into place.  The world may send trouble our way...but God will be with us and God is stronger than the world.  One way that salvation is defined is : Preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.  When we love God, trust God, call on God, He will protect us from harm, ruin or loss.  In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that the came to give us life... more abundantly.  God loves us and wants to take care of us... God wants to make our lives better.... To make our life better we don't need to look to stuff...we don't need to go around saying I deserve so I am going to have not matter what it cost... we need to take time for God... we need to love God... we need to trust in God...everything else will fall into place.  Because God loves us even more than we know how to love ourselves.

4.22.11

Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

My Thoughts

Each day we have choices. One of these choices is who we are going to spend out time with. God tells us to spend our time with Godly people. God tells us that wisdom comes from His word.  If wisdom comes from God's word and we need to walk with the wise that adds up to being with people that love God and try their best to do what God ask. I have learned more about how this helps me by going to Bible Study.  Each week I gather in a room with a group of ladies that love God. Ladies that are doing their best to do what God ask of them. Each week I learn something new that God promises me...I learn that God is there for me... I learn how to lean on God more and more.  It is like getting my battery charged with positive energy.  When I go to make a decision I often refer back to something I learned from the wise ladies of my Bible study.  The problem with hanging out with fools is that event tho we think what they say is not rubbing off on us it does. We hear their stories about the choices they make and one day when we have a choice to make we find ourselves thinking "oh it will be ok.... _____________ did this and it worked out fine." Before we know it we have been influenced by somebody that we know does not make wise decisions.  An example of this could be hanging out with somebody that doesn't manage their money well. We see them buy and buy... but we never hear the stories of how they can't sleep at night.  We go to the store and we  see something we really, really want.... and we know we should save up our money first.  Then we think "_____________ uses their credit card all the time...they seem fine." We know better... we know spending money we don't have is not a good thing.... but we are influenced by what we have seen and that association sneaks into our minds and we make a not so wise choice.  But if we have been hanging out with somebody that manages their money the thought that runs through out head will be "If you can't save for it then how can you make the payments on it." and we walk away and start an envelope when we get home. In other words what goes into our minds is often times what comes out in our actions. So if we spend our time with wise people...we will have wise information stored in our hearts and minds.  God tells us that wisdom is a choice... he tells us all the time to choose wisdom.  We don't get a free pass for being foolish, foolish has it consequences. On the other hand wisdom has it rewards.  Consequence or reward? Consequence of reward?? That would be a good test when you are making a decision "Will this action produce a consequence or will it produce a reward?"  Remember to always be honest with yourself when you answer.

4.21.11

Proverbs 13:19 It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.

My Thoughts

Did you ever wonder if God cares about what you want?  Right here in Proverbs it tells us that He does. God wants our dreams to come true. When we do good, when we do what is right God rewards us. John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came so we could have life and have it more abundantly. Not just have life but have abundances in life. As always though we have to do our part... just like the Israelite soldiers had to shout before the walls of Jericho would fall...we have to turn from our evil way to see our dreams come true...When things in our life don't seem to be going right ... when we are not accomplishing what we dream to accomplish... we need to remember that God is on our side... God is on our team... we have to do our part...  We need to stop and examine our lives and ask ourselves if we are doing what God ask us to do... if we do what God wants... if we live how God ask us to live God will take care of our dreams. If our dreams are not coming true we are probably just going about it the wrong way... To obtain our dreams we need to go about making time for God, we need to take time to love God and love the people around us... we need to care about what God cares about... then God in return cares about what we care about. We have the opportunity to to attain our dreams... we just have to go about it in God's way.

4.20.11

Proverbs 13:16 Wise people think before the act; fools don't - and even brag about their foolishness.

My Thoughts

I have learned so much in the past 16 months of reading my Bible daily.  It amazes me at how my life has changed.  The more I read and learn the more God's ways are written in my heart. Learning what the Bible says had so changed the decisions I make on  a daily basis. Do I still mess up? Sure I do...but I am getting much better. Maya Angelou said "When you know better, you do better." I always tried to do the best I could... I did the best I could with the knowledge I had.  But I kept making foolish mistakes...often by just opening my mouth!!... We have all done that... then even bragged about what we said later... then later than that realized how silly, how foolish we sounded.  But, we can know better! God gives us instructions, God tells us how to make wise choices...the more we seek wisdom the more our capacity for wisdom grows. It builds on itself.  The more I learn about God the easier it is to make a wise decision... I have fewer choices. "Fewer choices?"you might say. But, fewer choices is actually a good thing because doing the right thing actually broadens my horizon...and I don't spend hours, days, even week agonizing over what choice to make... and I don't spend near as much time suffering the bad consequences of my foolish decisions.  The more I learn the messages God gives us in His word the more I can discern the difference between the Holy Spirit and my own voice inside my head... I never go wrong when I do what the Holy Spirit directs me to do. It says here in Proverbs that wise people think before they act... I think wise people think "What would make God smile in this situation." When we learn to read our instruction book for life (the Bible) we learn over and over again what would make God smile.  When we choose to make God smile life only gets easier, and fuller...it opens up space to feel the joy in life that God wants to give us. If somebody ask me today how to change their life for the better I would say "Read your Bible every day, if it is only a verse or two. Pick it up and read it because once you know better, you can do better."

4.19.11

Luke 19:41-42 But as Jesus came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.  "How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace.  But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes."

My Thoughts

Jesus was sad because the people didn't understand.  Jesus is sad today when we don't understand. Proverbs 8:17 says that the more we seek God the more we will find him.  Jesus wanted the people to seek after God... to seek after God's peace... to seek after God's love.... Jesus knew and knows that God provides all our needs.  The more we want to know... the more time we spend seeking after God the more God gives us of himself.  It is like a addict in a way... and addict never gets better until they want to get better... they have to want it.  We can't know all that God has for us until we decide we want it enough to seek after all that God has for us.  Jesus knew all that God had for the people.. Jesus knew how wonderful the gifts from God are...and it made Jesus weep because he knew just how much the people were missing out on. Jesus knew how much God loves... how much peace you can have with God ... Jesus knew the power of God's love ... Jesus wept because the people were missing out on such wonderful things. Jesus still today wants us to have all that God gives us.... God will give us all we seek after...but we have to want it.  We have to take the steps to truly know God.  What steps will you take today??

4.18.11

Luke 19:26 “‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

My Thoughts

This story starts a few verses up... the king gives each of his servants money... one makes great investments... one makes good investments and one hides his money away.  The king comes back and is upset with the man that didn't do anything with what he had been given and takes his money from him.  Jesus uses this story to help us understand the importance of using what He gives us. 

The most valuable thing God gives us is love.  The more we love.. the more love we get in return.  We can hide away from the world and not share that love or we can go about the world and love with all our heart. When we do that it is like putting love in a bank.  When we put money in the bank, or in good investments we get more money in return. When we go about putting love in the world we get love in return. Sometimes we put our money in places where we don't get a return...but we have to keep trying.  The same can be said about love...sometimes we can put our love in a place where we don't get a return on our investment.  But we should never give up...there is always a place to put our love where it will grow and grow.  The return on love is an amazing thing.  I think too when God gives us something we love doing...we can use that ability to share our love...to show people that we care.. and the return on that will be more love and a greater capacity in our ability to create. God loves to expand our world when we let him.  We just have to step out on faith, we have to make that investment into the good things in life, in people, in the world... when God is our banker the return is pure, amazing love! There is no better return than love.

4.17.11

Luke 18:27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible for people is possible with God."

My Thoughts

God can do anything...  in Matthew 17:20 Jesus  tells us we can move mountains if we have faith.... when Joshua lead the Israelites into battle and God was with them God stopped the water from flowing in a river. God stopped the earth from turning so it would stay dark.  God took down walls of a city with shouts of the people.  But each time God had the people do something first to show their faith. The priest had to put their feet at the edge of the water for the water to stop... the people had to shout for the walls to fall. You have to believe you can move a mountain before God moves it.  The more we have faith in God the more God can do though us.  A very wise lady that I know said "God meets us where our faith is." Think of the things you can accomplish if God is working through you... God gives us the "I Can" in life.  It is so important to know the promises of God to accomplish all that we can accomplish. It is hard to have faith in something you don't know... so knowing the promises of God gives us the capacity to have faith in all areas of our lives... the more we know about God's promises the more able we are to have faith in what God can do, the more faith we have in what God can do the more we are able to accomplish because we have God working through us. The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us... "all things" not just some things but "all things." God's ability in my life is only limited by my faith... if the people had not put their feet at the edge of the water the Israelites could not have crossed the river, if the people had not shouted the walls of Jericho would not have fallen. God's ability in us is only limited by our faith in what God can do.  When we believe that God can do anything...when we believe that "all things" are possible through Christ the sky is the limit, no not even the sky can limit what can be accomplished.

4.16.11

Psalms 85:8 Listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people.  But let them not return to those foolish ways.

My Thoughts

God is wonderful this way... He give us instructions on how to be peaceful.... He comes near to us and gives up a peace that passes all understanding.  God wants us to have peace in our hearts, peace with each other. Love is the key to peace. Jesus tells us to "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27) When we love others and want what is best for them, and they love us and want what is best for us the only thing that could come from that is peace.  As I apply this to loosing my mom...I think of her in heaven with only love in her heart... no thoughts from the devil trying to get in her head.... no thoughts of "how could we get over he dieing if we loved her?!?!?!" only the purest thoughts of love. In those thoughts if she could come to me she would hold my face in her hands and say "I know you loved me... I know you did the best you could... I love you with all my heart... now you quit missing miss we will be together again...and you go about being happy... be sure to love everybody around you because love is an amazing thing!  ... Love is all I feel now... wonderful amazing love... now go and be happy and I will see you again soon."... Pure love, total love, the love we will feel in heaven brings only peace.  When we go about loving here on earth, doing loving things, having loving thoughts only peace comes from that.

4.15.11

Psalms 84:3a Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your alter, O Lord of Heaven's Armies.

My Thoughts

Psalms 41:6 tells us that God is ever present in times of trouble.  As many of you know my mother passes away on Monday.  Then today this verse is in my Bible reading.  How special is that, that I would have this verse to bring me peace today.  God so takes care of us when we need Him... when we do the things that keep Him near to us.  I have been so blesses that I learned how to have a relationship with God... that I have learned to run to God... that I have learned to talk to God.  I could not have gotten thought all of this without God.  Evey time I turn around God is doing something to get me though!!  If you have ask God into your heart... but you still miss that peace that passes all understanding... get you a One Year Bible and start reading it every day... make time for God every day.  That time you take with God will change your life in amazing ways!!

4.14.11

Luke 16:10 "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest with little things , you won't be honest with greater responsibilities."

My Thoughts

So many times we go about not thinking the little things matter. We just kind of over look them... but the little things are where we build our habits of doing good, doing what we are suppose to do... if you don't do what we are suppose to do when it is something little... because we think it doesn't matter...the the next thing you know we will be thinking the things a little bit bigger than little doesn't matter... then we will be thinking that the middle things aren't big enough to matter and so on... so before we know it the big things won't matter to us either.  We need to be very conscious of the little things...the little things are where we build our foundation of doing right... of doing for others... they are were we make our habits.  Instead of overlooking the little things we should use them as an opportunity to practice doing what is good and right and sweet and kind, just and fair.

I Lost My Mom Yesterday

I lost my mom yesterday. She was 72. Please keep us in you prayers the next few days and weeks. I talked to my mom every day on the phone, every day.... often for hours....this will be hard for me.Thank you so much.

Hugs
Jeannie

4.11.11

Joshua 3:13-16 "The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.” So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge,  the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

My Thoughts

These people were about to go into a battle that God ask them to go into... God said I will take care of you...I will take care of this river so you can cross it... but first you have to trust me enough to do your part.  You have to show you trust me by placing your feet at the waters edge, then I will do my part and stop the water and dry up the ground beneath the water.  How do this apply to us?  God ask us everyday to go out into the world and do Godly things instead of wordly things... that can be a battle... God will help us do those things, just like he stopped the waters of the river.... first we have to do our part and show our faith in God.  We have to open our mouth..then God will give us the words...we have to start the task then God will help us finish... we have to give then God will give us enough to replace what we gave and then some....God is so much stronger and so much more able then we could ever be... what we have to do is be willing... then God takes care of the able!... so today when we feel God prompting us to do something... lets take put our feet at the waters edge... then let God do the rest.

4.8.11

Luke 12:37-38 The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!  He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

My Thoughts

We should always, always be ready and waiting for Jesus.  We should conduct ourselves in a way that if Jesus were to appear beside us at any time he would smile down on us. If Jesus was to appear beside us today would He would smile at what we are doing?  Would He would smile at what we were saying? Would He would smile at the thoughts that we are dwelling on?  Would He would smile at the way we are treating somebody? Would He would smile at the way we are working? Would He smile at the choices we make? Would He smile at the way we were spending our money? As we go about our day making choices, speaking words we should always, always be mindful and ask ourselves "Would this decision, would this action, would these words make Jesus smile?" If we would always be mindful of what we do and what we say making Jesus smile then when Jesus returns we will get to be one of the  people sitting at the dinner feast. Now that is a feast I don't want to miss!

4.7.11

Luke 12:31  "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."

My Thoughts

I love this!!... Love, love, love this!!  Eighteen months ago I would have read this and not given it much thought... because I really didn't understand how to seek the Kingdom of God above all else. Then I started reading my Bible daily... and each day I learned a little more and a little more .... and now I am reading through my Bible a second time... and learning a little more and a little more.  The more I seek to know about God the more I understand... the more I understand the more I am able to apply the knowledge that God plants in my soul.  The more I try to know God, the more I talk to God, the more I listen to the Holy Spirit inside me guiding my steps and my words.... the better my life gets!  The less I worry... I hardly worry at all any more...and I use to worry about anything and everything!... the more I know about God the more I understand just how in control He is.  The more of my life that I hand over to God the more He takes care of.  All I really have to do is seek after God... strive to do what God ask me to do...and God takes care of the rest... I have learned that the more I know God... the more I seek to know God the more he takes care of all my other needs.  Now when I read this verse it just fills me with joy!!  Overwhelming Joy!! I use to feel kind of like a ship lost at sea... subject to any wind or storm that came along...some days were breezy and sunny and other days were like a hurricane... and no matter what I did I could not quiet the storms.  Now I feel like a baby cradled in the hands of somebody that loves them with all their heart and will protect them no matter what ...and even if a storm comes along the winds can blow and the waves can crash but I am totally and completely protected.  When ever I feel unprotected I just examine my life and see where I have wandered from God and I ask forgiveness and I am all safe again. Seeking after God is so much easier than worrying about the world...and way more productive.

4.6.11

Luke 12:6-7  “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."

My Thoughts

The very hairs on my head are numbered!... I would not even want to count the hairs on my head...and it changes from minute to minute.... my hair is always falling out, always!  At any given moment on any day the amount of hairs on my head will change...but God always, always knows... if God knows about the hairs on our head... and we don't even care to know how many their are...just that they are there... you know he cares about  the things we do notice.. that we do care about... the things that are important to us.  God cares about the desires of our heart (Psalms 34"7).  He knows our commings and our goings (Psalms 121:8). God cares!... that is what is so important in this verse.  God wants us to know that he cares about us, all about us... God cares about us all the time. What a wonderful thing to know!

4.5.11

Deuteronomy 28:1-2&15 (1-2) If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: (15) “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you:

My Thoughts

This is a chapter worth reading!!... it goes on to list all that we can have if we obey God and it list all that will come upon us if we don't obey God.  God is talking to the Israelites here...but you can so see how it applies to the United States... how we grew and how strong we became when we were obeying God... and how much we are loosing as we turn away from God.  I think the next president should read this chapter in the Bible on Inauguration.  What is exciting is that every time the Israelites turned back to God, God forgave them and showered them with blessings again!  One person may not be able to change a nation... but we can change ourselves and what we do.  The change in us will impact us, our families and all the people we come in contact with.  We can make a difference by doing what God ask us to do.  When the people around us see the changes in our lives...when they see us prosper and do good...when they see the blessings that God has given us and ask why our lives are good.  We can say "These gifts come from God, He promises me that if I do good and love Him and obey his commands He will bless me.  I do my best each day to do what God ask and he blesses my life."  It is not enough to know what God wants us to do... we need to live what God wants us to do. 

What I have experienced is as I read my Bible and learn what God wants from me in my life... as I put into practice all that I learn.... my life just gets better and better and better... God takes away all the confusion and frustration... and each and every day I see more of God's blessings in my life... I have learned to more I do what God ask of me the more blessings I see in my life... and the more excited I get about life.. the more joy I have... the more I accomplish... the more I am able to learn and grow in all areas of my life.  God and His blessings are truly amazing.

4.4.11

Luke 11:9-10 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

My Thoughts

I love this...it tells me that I can keep asking....and God will answer me.... it also tells me that somethings I need to want something bad enough to ask over and over and over... sometimes I need to know how important something is to me before God gives it to me so I will be aware that it was a gift from God. The next few verses go on to say as parents we want to give to our children...and God wants to give us more than we even know to want to give to our children. As parents we sometimes wait to give to our children so when they get what we give them... they will be more aware of how important the gift is that they have... and they take better care of it after wanting it so bad.  God answers our prayer in his time but for our benefit.  When the answer is wait and ask again... our response should be "yes Lord, thank you!"



4.3.11

Proverbs 12:13 The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape much trouble.

My Thoughts

Oh wow!...How true is this!... I think the best example of this is gossip in the work place..... that we should walk away and not listen...but we get drawn in ... then we know we should keep our mouth shut but we dont....then the next thing we  know we are part of all the trouble the gossip has caused!!.... We felt it in deep in your insides... we  heard the Holy Spirit inside of  us telling us to walk away but we didn't do what we knew was right.  Just think if every time we did what we knew we should do how much trouble we would stay out of.  If we did what we knew God would want and walked away from the gossip in the first place...where we didn't even know what it was to be tempted to share it... we would not get sucked into the trouble.  God tells us these things to keep us safe and happy.  God tells us these things to protect us and the people around us.  Doing what God ask can only bring about good.  We should always take pause when we feel the Holy Spirit nudging our insides... take pause and listen... then don't "but" the Holy Spirit... Do what he tells us to do...and see how our daily lives change for the better.

4.2.11

Luke 10:5-6 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’  If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you.

My Thoughts

I loved this when I read it... Jesus was sending out disciples to spread the good news and he told them to pray peace over all the houses the went into.  This would be such a wonderful habit to make in our own lives... if we blessed every building we entered in the Name of Jesus.  We need to wish blessing and peace  upon everything and everybody around us... when our community is blessed, when our community is peaceful we get blessing in return... it is a win win!... I would love to know that somebody blessed my house, ask for God's peace over my home as they walked through the door. Praying for somebody is such a wonderful way to honor them... to love them.... and to ask for peace over their home...their life... their work... what a wonderful way to go about spreading joy! I like this... I want to make it a part of everywhere I go.

4.1.11

Deuteronomy 20:1 “When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you!

My Thoughts

I use to be confused about praying for God to be with me.... and against somebody else... "Wouldn't God want to help us both?"  Our enemy is not the other person... our enemy is evil, the devil himself...not the other person.  So we can pray for God to go against our enemy.. to cast out our enemy...then the "person" that seems like our enemy can become our friend... and the other person can come out of a situation as untouched as us.  God is always with us when we ask Him to be... when we pray for the "people" that seem like out enemies we should pray God's goodness and mercy upon them.. pray that they feel God's great love.  When we pray against our enemy it is important to know that the enemy is the devil... When we pray for the "people" that seem like our enemies only good can come from that.  If we are all loving and kind...if we all learn to do as Jesus said and love our neighbor as we love ourselves we would all be building each other up... helping each other become stronger and better...imagine a whole nation that were building each other up... or a whole office that built each other up... a whole church that built each other up... a whole family that built each other up......wow what wonderful power in God we would have!... We need to ask God to help us defeat our enemies... we need to ask God to help us defeat evil.... we need to chase the devil as far away as we can...  and then love all the people around us with our whole heart.  Can one person change the world? I believe they can at least change the world around them.  I have seen one person taken over by evil change the workplace into a bad place... If we let ourselves be taken over by love, by God and all his goodness, couldn't we change the world around us for the good?  I believe that we could by fighting evil with love.