9.30.13

Philippians 2:16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

My Thoughts

Hold firmly to the word of life.  We can't hold firmly if we don't know God word!  It is essential that we read, for ourselves our Bibles, we are so blessed to have them.  For years I tried to be a good Christian person, I thought that I knew God. After all I went to church (a lot of those years).  I listened to the preacher and did my best to do what he taught me to do.  But I didn't read my Bible.  It just sat there gathering dust on the shelf.  Three years ago I was given a one year Bible by my son.  I started to read it every day.  Because I was going to finish it just once because John-Robert had given it to me, a Bible all mapped out for me to read each day.  At first I was as lost as when I would try to read my Bible in the past, but I kept reading...and just as God's word promises, (If you seek wisdom, wisdom will find you.) I began to understand what I was reading.  My life had changed so much at the end of that year that I knew I would never stop reading my Bible daily.  That was 3 years and 9 full months ago.  Some days life just gets in the way...but only some days and I miss a day, but I always try to catch up. A few times I have gotten a few day behind when that happens I read at least the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs parts to catch me up to the current day.  But mostly, I would say 95% of the time I read my Bible each day, renewing my mind with what God wants me to know.  Now I know God, I don't just know who God is.  Now I know if someone is misleading me in what God wants. Know I know for myself what God wants for me. Now so much of the Bible is a part of my heart that when I face hard times or just when I face daily issues, I can call on God's word to make the right choice. Now I truly understand that God will forgive me.  Now I "get" what God's grace is and I call on it all the time. 

I am not perfect, I will never be perfect. But thank you Jesus, I have a way to be made right. I am no longer tormented by Satin, because I know what His lies are and I know what God's truth about me is!  Each say I am amazed. Each day not only do I love God more, I love others more and I love myself more.  Each day not only does God forgive me, I am able to forgive me.  Peace and joy chase after me.  Because God's word is in me and I use it, mostly to fend off Satan. And it works!

If you are not in a place where you want to be. If your life is not where you would like it to be.  If you fight depression, anxiety and panic or low self-esteem, I beg of you.. Please pick up your Bible and start reading.  Don't give up it takes a few months, but you will begin to see wonderful changes in your life!!  When you do please tell me about them!  Share with others so they can have what you have.  Life can be amazing. God's word is life altering! 

9.29.13

Proverbs 24:10(NLT) If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.

My Thoughts

The NIV words it this way, "If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!"  The NKJV words it like this, "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." and The Message words verse 10 like this, "If you fall to pieces in a crisis there wasn't much to  you in the first place."  In my mind, my heart I worded this verse like this, "Jeannie, if you fall to pieces or you fail under pressure, your faith is too small." After all our strength comes from God. I have to have faith that God will take care of any situation when I choose to do what God has asked me to do.

I can choose to be afraid of a person, not showing my faith in God, and do what they would have me do. Or I can choose to trust in God to take care of me because I have chosen to do what God would have me to do.  The more I know God the more I believe that He allows us to go through small and large trials so that we will know where our strength lies. Sometimes in our lives we only go through those normal trirals of life, if we are lucky our lives will only have "normal" trials.  But as I watch time go by and I watch the horrors of the world I know that God has to prepare me, in the trials of every day, to be able to stand up with our mighty God in my heart and not be afraid of anything! Knowing that God is there for me even if I face death, horrific death.

Yes you may think that I am being dramatic, but am I?  Just last week a mall in Kenya was taken over by people taken over by Satan.  People had guns held to their heads and faced certain death if they said, "God is my God." We must be that strong.  Strong enough to say, "God alone is my God!" We must build our faith! Because if we can't be strong in the face of people who love us, people who like us, or strangers at Walmart.  Will we be strong enough? We must be able to say out loud today "I love my God." We must be strong enough to tell the truth when a lie would be easier. We must be strong enough to stand up for somebody when the crowd is against them.  If we aren't how will we be strong enough if we are taken hostage in a mall?

I am learning that God does not test us so He will know, after all He knows the end from the beginning. God test us so that we will know, so that we can see where we need to grow. God test us out of love, pure love. A love that says, "I want you to be able to make the right choices, because I want you to live with Me in Heaven."  And if we fail, God is there waiting with His hand held out, with His word on our shelves, so that we can learn and grow and be ready to handle ourselves with His grace in the face of danger.  

If this verse were longer it would NOT say, "If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small, you failure!" If it were longer I think it would say, "If you fail under pressure, you strength is too small, please recognize this and learn and grow, depend on My grace to do what you are unable to do on your on. Because I love you so much."

9.28.13

Ephesians 6:10-12 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

My Thoughts

I think that this verse is so important to put into our storehouse of verses.  We need to call on this verse whenever we are being mistreated by someone. The first thing I thought of is that when someone is not treating me right, it is not them, it is Satan and his evil.  If I treat that person with goodness and kindness and love no matter how they treat me them I have not let Satan win.  I have done what God ask us to do.

Luke 6:32 says that even sinners love those who love them.  We are called to love, even the unlovable. We are called to be kind to the unkind. We are called give to the selfish.  We are called to walk in love with everyone no matter how we are treated.  When someone is being unkind... the loudest voice in their head is Satan... our actions need to help them be able to hear God.

9.27.13

Psalm 69:20 Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.


My Thoughts

My Bible says that this is a Psalm of David. I tried to find out if it was written before or after he became king. But with my research skills I had no luck. Either way it does not matter. David was broken hearted and in despair and not one person comforted him.

I could not help but wonder if this was after he became king... a person that so many people want to please..... if it was He still did not get comforted. He was pleading to God.
There are two things to learn from this verse. One God is always there to comfort us, we can always call out to God, we are never alone when we know God.

The second thing we can learn from this verse is that if we walk away from someone that needs comforting words, we may have been the only person that would offer those words. Our kind words matter to those around us. The powerful and the not so powerful... Our boss or the girl checking us out at Walmart. We may be the only person that offers comfort and we do not need to pass up that chance.

I recently talked to a sweet girl in a store where I shop. She had a family member that was really sick. I asked to say a prayer with her, I almost didn't, then I felt the Holy Spirit urging me on. As I prayed she sobbed. When I was finished I hugged her up and said that I would be on my way, that kindness often made me cry harder. As I was finishing up my shopping she found me and gave me one more hugs and these words, "No one, not one person that I work with, not one customer that I wait on has offered to pray with me until you. Thank you so much!" What if I had walked away?


As I read this verse I thought of all the times I have walked away, lost in my own stress or business of the day. I have walked away afraid of rejection of the words, "Can I say a prayer for you?" What if we are the only one to pray? What if the angels are waiting to move, waiting on someone to ask and we are the only ones that know how to ask? What if that person is so far from God that the forgot how to ask God to move? Our words matter, our prayers matter!

Ephesians 4:23 Instead let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy.

My Thoughts
The Holy Spirit who loves inside of us when we accept Jesus is key!  Learning to hear and listen to His guidance.  I often hear people say, "Something told me." or "I just knew."  It was the Holy Spirit!! When we realize this our lives begin to change in amazing ways.  We can know how to be righteous and holy when we learn to listen and be guided by the Holy Spirit.  The thing is we always have the choice, because God gives us free will, to choose to listen to the Holy Spirit or to what the world or Satan tries to tell us.

Do you ever have those thoughts in your head that you know that you don't need to be having?  Of course you do! We all do.  Then we feel from our very soul what we are suppose to be thinking on. That is the Holy Spirit sent to us by Jesus to help us know what choices we need to be making.  The Holy Spirit reminds us of God's word. So when we know God's word we are more able to recognize the Holy Spirit speaking to us!!

We have such power in our hands, the power of Heaven if we choose to listen to the Holy Spirit... if we get in God's word and let it soak into our souls.  The more we communicate with the Holy Spirit, the more we release the Holy Spirit in our lives, the better our lives get.  Amazing things happen!

The goal is to let the Holy Spirit lead our lives so strongly that our bodies are like a glove that fits over Him.  So often we treat the Holy Spirit like the glove and put Him in our pocket... instead He should fill our lives so full  that He is leading our actions, our words, our reactions, our thoughts. So full that our skin is like a glove over Him.  We need to learn to give it all over to Him.   That is when we can have an impact on the people around us!

9.25.13

Ephesians 4:16 He (God) makes the whole body (of the church) fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

My Thoughts

I love this!!!... It just drives home to me how important being who I am is! God made me, He put together all the parts of my personality like He wanted it for a reason.  I don't need to be like my friend Lisa, or like Mrs Kay.  I don't have to study the same way that Tammy does, I have her for that :). I have to learn the way that I learn. I don't have to have the energy that Karen does, oh I love her energy,  or the strength and grace that Jo Ann has..it always amazes me!  I get to be blessed by all these ladies and more of my sweet friends at Church... and I need what I get from each one of them.  They grow me all the time. But God taught me that I also grow them!!  There are things about me that my friends need. I have a part that is important in the lives of the people around me.  I can't do my part if I am busy trying to be like everybody else or what I think everybody else wants me to be. I can only meet those needs if I use my personality, that God made just for me.  The Bible tells me that I am wonderfully made, me, Jeannie Phillips, just like I am.  I only need to try to be the best that God tells me to be... I only have to try to be like Jesus.  Then I can use exactly who I am to give to those around me.  God put me where He needed me... for me, but also for others.  I have my own brand of encouragement, I have my own little bits of wisdom, I have my own abilities that I can share and teach. And if someone needs a hug well they know exactly where to find one. 

Each of us makes up an important part of the church where God planted us.  Each of us makes up an important part of community where God planted us or the job where God planted us or in the family where God planted us.  The only way to use that successfully is by embracing who God make us to be. By growing that in positive, loving ways according to God's word.  Then by sharing unique selves with others...on the endless possibilities when we learn to love ourselves like God loves us!

I am working on this... I stumble sometimes and try once again to be the people around me...then I remember that God's word says that I am wonderfully made, and the Bible tells me that God knitted me together in my mother's womb... so I am who He wants me to be. Or a friend  reminds me with their kind words that I matter in their lives.  Or someone tells me that they love my hugs.  Then I know I am who God made me to be and I need to be the best me that I can be.  I, me, my personality, am an important part of the body of Christ, each of us are!! 

9.24.13

Psalms 67:5-6 May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us.

My Thoughts

We go about grumbling and compiling about our government. We post cleaver pictures and other people's articles on Facebook on what we stand against.... like our post will be heard and change the world. We constantly play the blame game on why our country is falling apart. We blame Obama because we might lose our health care as we know it. We wonder why the weather is crazy and why people are shooting up people every time we turn on the news. All the while still grumbling and complaining.

Our post and our complaints, our speaking out will not solve our problems... The answer is right here in God's word! When we praise God the earth will yield it harvest and God will richly bless us.

Our health care has really been on my heart lately. I do fear we are in danger of loosing health care as we know it. Not because of "Obama Care" but, instead because of our grumbling and complaining. Our total lack of being thankful to God for what He so generously provided for us! All my life I have heard grumbling and compiling about paying doctor bills and how much medicines cost from people with good health care. People including myself, complaining when deductibles went up... or when a prescription was expensive and our co-pay was $25 instead of $5. How many times do we pay our co-pay and look up to Heaven and say, "Thank you God! I am so blessed that I can come to the doctor for just $20, what a wonderful gift you have given me." How many times have we said, "Thank you God that this $300 prescription only cost me $25! You have so greatly provided for me!" We can go through surgery that we now see as "simple surgery" instead of the miracle it is, pay $300 total on a bill that was $5000 and grumble and complain instead of praising God for our health, and for keeping our bank accounts safe.


I think often of "simple surgeries." I imagine that the first time someone's appendix was taken it it was written about in the papers as a miracle! Now you can say, "I have to have my appendix out and no one even flinches. You can sometimes get that, "And why are you telling me this!" look. I remember the story of two of my aunts...one died at the age of 3 from a disease called Purpura... she got symptoms that morning and was dead by that evening. Ten or so years later my grandmother was holding another one of her girls and saw the same brusing on her legs, frantic she ran to the doctor who almost laughed at my grandmother for being so upset. He simply gave my aunt a shot...the several over the next months. She is alive and well today from a disease that killed a sister that she never knew. For my grandmother that was a miracle. Now that disease is probably prevented by some shot we get as a baby and we don't even know we are receiving a miracle. Babies use to die from the mumps and measles, I had the mumps, my children didn't... they had the measles and now my sweet grand-baby, Ripley will probable never have them. That is a miracle. Instead of praising God we forget to even me thankful.


We have the power, in our words to restore our land. We can unleash the powers of Heaven with praise... or we can bind of those powers with complaints. We can take our idle thought captive and replace them with praise. Not only will that keep our minds free of things we shouldn't think about it will set loose God's angels to heal our land so it will yield a great harvest... praise has the ability to set God into motion and make our hard work count for something... Praise has the ability to set God into motion healing our economy. The Bible tells us that the power is in the tongue... it also tells us that we can choose blessings or curses... this verse tells us exactly how to choose blessings.


So today as we go about our day, will we grumble and complain and unleash curses on ourselves or will we praise God and unleash blessings? It is our choice. What will you choose?

9.23.13

Ephesians 1:19-20 I also pray that you will understand the increadible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.

My Thoughts

Look at these verses, did you read them carefully. Did you think about the words? Powerful, "This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead!" Just before that it says,"The increadible greatness of God's power for us who believe him." When I read these words I could not help but think of Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (NIV))


Let me tell you how I now understand this...and it is so exciting! We have the power of Heaven if we believe in God and if we call on that power! We have to choose to call on that power! Matthew 16-19 says, "whatever YOU bind on earth" and "whatever you loose on earth." We have to call on that power over our health, over our wealth, over our words, our thoughts, our actions. We have to choose good, we have to choose to tap into the Fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol! It is our choice to let these things loose in our lives, it is our choice to bind up all things oppsite of the Fruits of the Spirit!! Isaiah 30:18 tells us that the Lord must wait for us to come to Him. For the Lord is a faithful God. That means that we must be the ones to choose...and when we choose God, when we choose what God would have us do we are filled with the powers of Heaven, the same power, the awesome power, that raised Jesus from the dead!


Choosing to follow God is choosing love and power beyond what we could think to imagine. Choosing God and His goodness, choosing to bind up that which is bad... choosing to let loose all that is good is life altering.

As God grows me, as I learn to harness His wonderful grace and love for me, I feel a power rising in me that is going to be unstopable! The excitement inside of me today is amazing! It is God telling me that "I can!"




9.22.13

Galatians 6:9-10 So let's not grow tired of doing what is good, at just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don't give up. Therefore, whenever we have an opportunity, we should do good to everyone--especially to those in the family of faith.

My Thoughts

I was asked one time about the part of this verse that says "especially to those in the family of faith." I prayed about it and this is what God gave me to say, and it has really stuck with me.

If there were hungry, dirty children wandering your neighborhood and they were told that they could pick any house to live in I imagine they would pick the best house. I can see those dirty little faces looking in. If they looked into a window and saw hungry dirty faces, they would not want to live in that house. But if they looked in the window and saw happy, laughing children with clean clothes and shinny clean faces and pretty hair they would choose the family where the children were taken care of.

If we are not taking care of our own brothers and sisters in Christ, how will we know how to take care of the people outside of our Church family? I don't of know of one family that doesn't take care of their own that care one bit about anybody else either. If you don't know how to take care of the people that you are no doubt suppose to love, you are surely not going to take care of the people that you don't even know.

We must take care of one another!! We all have different strengths, and we all have different needs. We we use those strengths to meet each other needs we build a bond that keeps us strong, especially in times of trouble. We work together best when we are bonded together by love. The we are more able to reach out and meet the needs of the people outside of our families.

I believe that a church that is not meeting the needs of its family, is a church that is unable to reach out to the community. I also believe that as a member of the Church we each have the obligation to do our part, to use our strength to love on the people of our family. So that we all become strong enough to reach out beyond the walls of our home.

9.21.13

Galatians 15:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  There is no law against these things!

My Thoughts

The Holy Spirit is key in our lives!  Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live with us when He went to heaven, so that we would have constant guidance, council, a constant presence of God in our lives.  Always with us.  When we are a child of God we are blessed with the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit.  It is our job to tap into His love for us, His power for us.  We we see anything that is opposite of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control we are not in tune with the Holy Spirit inside of us.  We are not listening.

When we spend time in God's word, when we spend time in prayer, we improve our reception of the Holy Spirit inside of us.  Our time with God makes us more aware when the Holy Spirit speaks.  Knowing what the Holy Spirit produces in us is how we are able to know if have changed our channel and are listening to the world or if we have kept our dial tuned in to the Holy Spirit. How wonderful that God give us a way to be the person He would have us be!  

9.19.13

Isaiah 30:18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.  For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.

My Thoughts

I wonder how many times we are waiting for God to step in, when we have not asked Him too?!  Because we have not gone to Him?  How many times do we wonder where God was when we never invited Him into that situation.

I just had to stop what I was doing and ask God into my day!  Into my words, into my actions, to prepare my mind to lean much tonight. (I am going on a Ladies Retreat with my church.)  I invited God into my body to keep it healthy and pain free! 

I wonder what I have missed out on because I didn't go to God, I expected God to come to me? I pray, I talk to God, I ask God into lots of things in my life... but they are the hard things I tend to ask for.  Sometime I ask for easy things.  I want Him in all parts of my life.  But I always expect that He knows that... He does know that... but here the Bible tells us that He must wait for us to come to Him. No matter what God knows, He has given us free will, that free will means that we have to be the person that says "Come and help me with my day God." "Come and help me with my words, God." "Come and help me with my thoughts, God." "Come and heal my body for today, God." "Come and be a part of my time with my family, God." "Come and give me wisdom today, God." 

You know this is really, really exciting to me!  So exciting!  God gives us the control, to give Him control. I want God in control in my life, when I am in control I can really mess things up!  Now I am so much more aware of how to give God control over my day!!  

9.18.13

Isaiah 26:15 Oh Lord, you have made our nation great; yes, you have made us great.  You have extended our borders, and we give you the glory.

My Thoughts

Because of the 40 days of prayer at our Church, for our city, this verse really stood out to me this morning.  How often do we thank God for making America great? I know that I have not done this probably ever.  Lately all I hear about our nation is grumbling and complaining.  All my life I have heard grumbling and complaining about what is wrong in America... and hardly ever do I hear, on a daily basis, praise for all that we have in America.  Twenty-four hour news does not help that fact at all!! Always telling us what is wrong and hardly ever telling us what is right.  I have noticed we are most thankful just after something horrific like a flood or a shooting.

In Isaiah 28:24a it says, "Does a farmer always plow and never sow?" Then I thought of Monday's Bible Study and how we talked of how important our words are!!  God spoke the world into being by His words.  Our prayers move God into action on our behalf.  Those are words of faith.  Our words of thanksgiving make God are joy to God's ears, I think they make Him want to do more for us. On the other end our grumbling and complaining makes Satin know just what bothers us and they set Him into motion.  We need to think of our words as seeds planted for our family, for our neighbors, for our nation.  We will reap what we sow and we need to be sowing good with our words.  In prayer, in praise, in thanksgiving, in conversaton with others. 

We have the power to change our nation, by using our words. And when we are having a bad day are are unhappy with how things are going then we can take a tip from the Disney movie Bambi. Thumper's mother taught Thumper, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." My keeping our mouths shut when negative things pop up in our brains we don't give Satin ammunition. We can take that a step further by doing what the Bible tells us and think on things that are whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). We can actually change our thoughts to what is good, then bad won't be there to come our of our mouths. 

I hear people say all the time, "Our country is falling apart and there is nothing I can do about it!"  There is something we can do people!  We can use our words, we can be thankful for all the good and praise God for it. We can pray to God for what is honorable and true and right to happen in our country and set God's angels in motion! We can think on what is good, so that we will talk on what is good.  Our words are powerful people, so very powerful! Jesus said that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed we could speak and move a mountain (Matthew 17:20). Our words and our faith together can make amazing changes in our country! Grumbling and complaining is the opposite of faith.  Our faith does not need to be in our government, our faith does not need to be in our president. Our faith needs to be in God.

Our words matter!  I challenge you...I beg you ... to write this verse down and carry it with you and each time you find yourself wanting to complain about America, instead say "Oh Lord, you have made our nation great; yes, you have made us great.  You have extended our borders and we give you the glory!  (Isaiah 26:15) And ask your friends to do the same!      

9.17.13

Recently I head a dear friend say a very profound thing. She said that if somebody asked her for prayer for their finances she would ask them, “Do you tithe?” She went on to say that if they answered no she would tell them to come back when they did and she would be happy to pray with them.




This morning I woke up with this verse going over and over in my head, Malachi 3:10, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."



I kept hearing, strongest, the word “storehouse.” I thought, “That word, storehouse, has a purpose.” When we become a child of God we all belong to “His house.” Here He is telling us that if we have the opportunity to invest in His storehouse, it is our choice. When we give out part, our 10% then we are welcome to what is in that storehouse any time that we are in need. And often times when our need is something extra just to make us feel good. God tells us if we store up our 10% in His house He will pour out blessings on us! You see God puts into that storehouse too and He has no needs, not a single one. So instead of taking out of that storehouse He fills it fuller than we could even think to imagine. He fills it so full that not only do our needs fall from it so do blessings… so many blessing that we will not have room to receive them all.



When I invest in the bank, my money may be gone one day. When I give Walmart my money they never call and say… on by the way you spent half you paycheck here this week, is there anything you need? When I by clothes at TJ Max, they never run into me and say, “I see you need a new pair of jeans, here!” But when I give to back to God 10% of all that He has provided me He will make sure that I am taken care of and send me down extra blessings on top of that!



God’s promises are if and then…we share in a part of those promises. He told Moses, if you lift your staff I will part the waters. He told Joshua if you march around that wall then I will make it fall down. Each time we read about God saying if you do this He always did the then part. Here He tells us, if you bring 10% of what you have earned, of your paycheck to My storehouse then you can have what you need out of My storehouse and then some!



What my friend knows is that if the person that was asking for prayers would give their part, then God would do His and prayers would not even be needed for their money troubles! She knows because she had done her if.

9.16.13

Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

My Thoughts

Now that I have learned how to know God, not just who He is, but to really know Him for myself I get this verse down to my bones.  These are not just words I hear and think I understand, they are words that are effecting my life even if I never read the words.  Every time I hear the Holy Spirit who Jesus put inside me to guide me because He loves me, I am more able, every time I choose to do what God says in His word, I am more able, every time I choose God's word over my emotions I am more able.  When I do the things God would have me do, no matter how the world plays out around me, I have peace and joy, I fee loved, I feel strong.  When I choose God's word, when I choose to do what the Bible tells me to do, the if part of, "If you do this then I (God) will do this!" Every time I choose the "if" I can know the "then" will come because all of God's promises are yes and amen. The good days are wonderful... but the best part is that in the mist of the storms of life I can still stand strong, I can still feel joy, I can still feel peace, I can have hope that things will get better. My God tells me that He will take care of me if I love Him, truly love Him and He is stronger than anything this world will bring on me.  Every day I am amazed.  Each day that I depend on God and see His promises ever present in my life my faith grows stronger! 

9.14.13

Galatians 1:10 Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.

My Thoughts

I am a people pleaser, so you would think that this verse would not be a verse that feel under my favorites list (I have so many favorites!). But it is!! This fact simplified my life like you would not believe.  I now make my choice on what would please God and let everything else fall into place.  Sometimes I mess up, after all I have spent all my life trying to please people.  But I do my very best to please God.  When I do this, I find that God softens the hearts of the people around me and I usually please them too!!  But when I don't that is okay, I have done what God would have me do, so I don't end up with anxiety.  Too there is one God...and so many people... you are never going to please all people.  It makes life so much simpler to choose to please God.

See being a servant is a good thing, it simplifies life!  If we are a child of God we are the servant of a loving master that only does the best for us.  So He will take care of our needs and protect us from danger, spend time with us and love us beyond measure.  It is a win, win!!

PS  God even gives us instructions!!

9.13.13

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

My Thoughts

Look at this, I love it The grace of Jesus, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.  I decided I needed to look up the exact definition of fellowship and fellowship is defined as:

1. a. The condition of sharing similar interests, ideals, or experiences, as by reason of profession, religion, or nationality.

b. The companionship of individuals in a congenial atmosphere and on equal terms.

2. A close association of friends or equals sharing similar interests.

3. Friendship; comradeship.

Here is the one that really stood out to me, the condition of sharing similar interest, ideas or experiences.  The Holy Spirit is inside of us going where we go, hearing what we hear, feeling what we feel, He is there for us to talk to all the time, He is our constant companion. He loves us so much that He keeps us on track like a friend would or at least should. 

Think about it, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we are never, ever alone.  When we pray in the Spirit, that is the Holy Spirit who knows us so completely talking to God for us in a way that we are not able to. 

How special is it that God gives us the Holy Spirit to be with us in all that we do, to understand us so completely!  I just love it! 

9.12.13

Psalms 56:8 You keep track of all my sorrows, you have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

My Thoughts

I love this verse, I love how it makes me know that God cares about my sorrow, that He knows every tear I have ever cried. That He will hold me in His arms one day for each one of those tears.

On the flip side of that... I am so very thankful He forgives us of our sins, of when we have wronged others... of when we have added to the jar of someone else's sorrows. How merciful is a God who would remember our tears and forgive our trespasses!!

It so saddens me when I hear a Child of God say, "He will pay for that!!" There will be a horrible crime story on TV and we hear all around us, "Oh I hope he pays for that!!" "Wait until He meets God! God will punish Him!" I always think when I hear those words of how I want God to forgive me...and if God is going to forgive me, if God is going to throw all of my sins into the Sea of Forgetfulness, as far as the East is from the West, then I have to want that for even the most hardened criminal. It is our job to pray for the sinner as well as the person that has been hurt. We want the victim to have their tears collected so that they can be comforted by God, so that one day they can sit in His lap and be loved on for all that they have gone through. But if we believe that part of God's word we have to believe the part where God will forgive all of our sins... that He has that forgiveness for each one of us if we ask. This is where Matthew 5:44 comes in where Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who have hurt us.

We can want the tears of the people we love collected in a jar so that God can mend all their hurts, but we must also love our enemies and pray for the people that hurt us! Both of these things are written in God's word. If we believe one, we must believe the other. If we act on one, we must also act on the other.



9.11.13

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it (my torment) away. Each time he said, "My grace works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

My Thoughts

My favorite years, even great anxiety, were the years that my kids were babies and little kids... young enough to need me (I loved being needed!). I was a good mom, I knew how to be a good mom... there were, after all, all kinds of books to tell you how to be a good mom. I read them Bible stories at night, I was at all their events, we went on pic-nic's had fun birthday parties we spent time at the museum and we read books..many, many books together. Then a few things happened, they got to that age where they didn't seem to need me, and I needed to be needed. Then I got sick with Lupus and Fybromylgia. Those two things begin to break me down and eventually my mom got sick and taking care of her could be hard at times...and watching her get sicker and sicker was hard. The devil struck and struck hard... bombarding me with anxiety and panic. Finally I was stuck...I only went to take care of my mom, to Hobby Lobby (it is okay to laugh here!!) at home, unless Robby was with me. And sweet Robby he bought groceries after working so hard all week.

This verse came up in Bible Study one Wednesday night recently and it made me smile... it actually made me happy. I realized so many important things about this verse that night. You see, even though I had asked Jesus into my heart at age nine, even though I had read Bible Stories to my kids and taken them to church and VBS ... I had never taken time to really know God, I didn't understand how to really know God. I had spent all these years loving God because I was suppose to... and to be quite honest to avoid Hell. But I didn't know God enough to really love Him, to truly love him. Then my son John-Robert gave me my One Year Bible for Christmas...and with all the time I had on my hands from being stuck at home I begin to read.... and in the process I begin to really know God and as I begin to really love God, He begin to change me. I accepted those changes because I was in a place where I could do nothing on my own!! Gee I couldn't even buy groceries, something I had done hundreds of times, with two babies in tow even. God became a driving force in me because I was weak. Then God put me in the right church for me and surround me with friends and love beyond anything you could imagine.

You see God healed my soul... because my soul is what matters the most... it is my soul that will be in heaven. In my weakness I needed God enough to be desperate for God. Now I love God enough to be desperate for Him!! I still get Lupus Flairs and Fybromylgia flairs but because of God's grace I don't feel useless when those flairs hit...I take time to rest but with God's grace I refuse to let disease be the victor, the controller of my life. God is the victor of my life, God is in control and some days He tells me it is time to rest and some days He tells me that it is time to get up and move!! And every time He tells me to get up and move He gives me His grace to do it!!

I believe that one day God will heal my body, because He loved me so much that He healed my soul. But Lupus and Fybromylgia never take from me what anxiety and depression took from me. They may get me down for a day or two...but they never lock me away from the world, from my friends...they never make me feel isolated and alone like anxiety, panic and depression did. The other day I had a fender bender, all my fault... you know I did not have one bit of anxiety! I sent up a prayer, and God answered that prayer. Robby was even on vacation and I didn't have to depend on him, God gave me the grace to handle all that needed to be handled. I remember a day when that would have destroyed me... when Robby would have had to drop all he was doing and come and take care of me. But you see, God loves me, God knew what was destroying me and God took care of that!

Now when I hurt, I can smile... I can put my hands in the air and sing praises. As it says in verse 10 "When I am weak, then I am strong!" Because God is my strength. God has my back! God holds me up. God loves me and I love God and that is what is important in my life! When God is ready for my body to be healed, I will be ready. Right now I am where God needs me to be and oh how I rejoice in that! I love that now I can raise my hand toward Heaven, close my eyes and feel God reach down and take my hand. Lupus and Fybromylgia have nothing on that!! God always meets me where I am...and if I need to hold His hand and can't reach up to Heaven, He leans down further towards me and He grabs my hand and holds on tight filling me with His strength! Wow, I am one lucky girl!

9.10.13

Isaiah 9:11 The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does.
My Thoughts
I have heard the phrase, "I just don't know what to think about that." all my life. I have said it... maybe it was a family phrase, or a southern phrase I am not sure but I have heard it. When I read this verse, that phrase came straight to my head and I thought, "When I think that I should ask myself, what does God tell me about this? Then I will know what to think!" My thought process continued into how often do I get upset at a situation because I think what the world would have me think instead of what God would have me think. Then I thought about a Bible verse we all know, and the world... I will forever call it
The World vs. 1 Corinthian 13 :4-7
When the world tells me that I deserve something NOW... God tells me to be patient. When the world tells me it is okay to strike out at people that I need to let my emotions out. God tells me to be kind. When the world tells me that something is not fair, God tells me not to be jealous. When the world tells me I did a good job, God tells me not to be boastful. When the world tells me that I am too good to do something or for something. God tells me not to be proud. When my emotions tell me that I should not let a car in, or I should cut a car off, God tells me not to be rude. When the world tells me that it is my turn! God tells me not to demand my own way. When my emotions tell me I am tired, then the world tells me it is okay to show my emotions, God tells me not to be irritable. When the world tell me never to forget what has been done to me, God tells me to keep no record of being wronged. When the world tells me to rejoice in all victories, about injustice. God tells me to only rejoices whenever the truth wins out. When the world tells me to give up, God tells me never gives up. When the world tells me that faith is useless, God tells me never loses faith. When the world tells me a situation is hopeless, or that life is hopeless, God tells me to always be hopeful! When the world tells me that I can make it, that something is impossible. God tells me to endure through every circumstance. And if God tells me to do it, He will give me His grace to make it possible.


God tells us what to think in all situations in His word. God only wants good for us. God only wants success for us. God only wants love for us! God only wants what is best for us. The world is fodder for Satin himself if we think like the world we will be devoured by Satin. But while we live in this world, we think like God would have us to think, we live under God's protection...and oh the joy of what awaits us in heaven. The wonderful think about God is that He gives us so much here on earth when we choose Him, when we choose to listen to Him and do what He ask of us then after all He does for us here on earth He still has more to give us when we get to Heaven!!


Maybe my title should not be The World vs 13:47...maybe it should be God and Me vs. The World... Because with God on my side my hands can be lifted in VICTORY!

9.9.13

Isiah 7:9c Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.

My Thoughts

Wow! We so have to believe that God can and that God will do what He promises! Moses told God that he could not speak, that he was not a good speaker, God told Moses he would give him the words. When the time came Moses opened His mouth believing and God had given him the words. If Moses had not opened His mouth he would have never known if God kept His promise.

God gives us free will. God's promises are always there for us, always. We just have to make the choice to use those promises. We have to have the faith to draw on those promises and know that they are there for us. We can not have faith in God's promises if we do not know what they are. But, even if we now what they are if we do not believe that God will keep those promises for us as individuals, if I don't believe that God will keep that promises for me, Jeannie Phillips then we won't call on God's promises when we need too... If we don't do the if God can't do the then.

When I am missing out on God's promises to me, it is not that God is not there. If I am missing out it is because I have not believed God enought, my faith is not strong enough that I have given that part of my life to God. I never need to ask God, "Where are you?" I need to say to God, "Grow may faith, help me believe in what you promise!"



9.8.13

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 But I am not suprised! Even Satan disguises himselve as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishement ther wicked deeds deserve.



My Thoughts

When I read this my first thought was, "This is why it is a must that I, me, Jeannie needs to read my Bible." Before I started reading my Bible there were so many things I thought about God's word that were not ture, because I believe what somebody said when they said first, "The Bible says....." I could be immediately imtimaded because they "knew" and I didn't.

When we read our Bibles for ourselves we are less likely to be deceived...when God's sticks in our head we are even more less likely to be deceived...and when God's word drops down into our hears ...that is when we can really decern the truth... it is there for us to feel the difference in what God's word says from what somebody says that wants to deceive us. We sure don't want to think we knew what the Bible said and find out from Hell that we had it all wrong.

What I do know for sure is that since I have began reading God's word, my life is different, my heart is different, my thoughts are different. I am a changed person, a more forgiving person, a more loving person. I am a person filled with peace and joy. I was once a constant worrier, now I hardly worry at all and when I find myself worring I call on God's word and it goes away. It is so important that we know God's word!! For ourselves!!



9.6.13

Psalms 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

My Thoughts

There was so much in what I read today that I wanted to write about...but God kept sending me right back to this verse!!   I checked to make sure, David wrote this Psalm.  David, a man that loved God so much the he is written about in the Bible. A man that loved God so much that he spent hours upon hours of writing Psalms to God.  A man that trusted God so much that he was willing to stand up against a giant when he was just a boy.  He asked God to restore his joy for salvation and make him willing to obey God.

When I read this it makes me excited... excited that God's grace covers everything, even my unwillingness to obey God.  I, me, Jeannie Phillips can ask God to help my willingness to obey Him!  And when I do, God will send down His grace and make me able!!!  When I obey God my joy is restored!! 

In the new testament, Mark 9:24, (I had to Google it to know where to find it) a father that wanted Jesus to heal his child was asked, do you believe, by Jesus and he replied, I do believe but Lord help my unbelief. Another example of God's grace making us able to do what we could not do on our own. 

These two examples just say to me that any area where I find faith weak all I have to do is ask God to help me. I can even say to God, "God, help me love you more!"  "God, please help my prayer life."  "God, help me think of you the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night."  God reaches down His hand... it is always there just above our heads, it is saying I am here to help you with anything you need.  What we have to do is reach up with our words and ask!  Oh just now as I typed those words I felt God's peace drop down on me like a sheet on a spring day...Joy! Pure Joy!  Thank you Jesus!! 

9.5.13

Psalms 50:14-15 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you and you will give me glory.



My Thoughts



I love this verse every time I read it... and if you have followed my Bible verse thoughts at all you have probably seen me write about the verse several times. Being thankful is so simple, but it is so huge!

Every time I read this verse I am reminded of the sacrifices the Israelites made to God. They would have to give the first born animal, an animal without blemish, not even a wart. The first time I noticed this verse I thought of those sacrifices the Israelites made and how they were a sacrifice to the people...not only were they giving up some of their food.... it took probable a year to raise this perfect animal to give to God. They had to pay attention and know where this baby animal came from... if it was the first born of its mother. Then they had to check it out from head to toe and make sure there was not a single thing wrong with this animal... checking every single tiny spot, not missing a thing. I am sure they fed this animal the finest grain... groomed it... kept it in a special place in the barn making sure that it was perfect for the time of sacrifice. So many of the sacrifices were made at special times so they couldn't just sacrifice it the day it was born and perfect...they had to keep and eye on it and keep it perfect.

I imagine that the time they spent with this animal is a time they thought about God and how pleased God would be...and this took time each and every day. Keeping an animal perfect took time... it was a sacrifice of time as well as a sacrifice of food.

Yet all that God ask of us is that we make thankfulness our sacrifice. This means that we truly need to take time in our day for being thankful. We need to take time being aware ... just as aware as the Israelite had to be of the perfection of his animal... aware of how all that we have comes from God.. We need to spend time each morning and each evening and some time in between being thankful. The Israelites could not go out in the field on the day of celebration and just pick out any animal...they had to use an animal that took their time and their awareness. We can't just show up on Sunday at Church and say a flippant, "Thanks God." We need to be aware each day... we need to sacrifice some of our time and be truly thankful!

I think that when we are that aware in our thankfulness we are more likely and more able to keep our vows to God...and when we do that we can call on Him when we are in trouble and He will rescue us...and because we are aware enough to be thankful we will give Him the glory.

Each time I read this verse, I am once again reminded how important it is to be thankful to God for everything in my life. I am aware that being thankful should take time... that I should take as I say, "Thank you God."

9.4.13

Ecclesiastes 10:10 Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade.  That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

My Thoughts

When I read this verse this morning my first thought was if reading God's word daily, it helps us keep our sword of truth sharpened for a daily battles.  When we keep God's word fresh in our minds with a daily dose it is much easier to draw on it for our life.  The more I get God's word into my heart the better decisions I make and the easier those decisions come.  When my sword of truth is sharpened I don't have to make a decision then remember the verse I needed to know.  I know what God expects when I make the decisions in my life. 

Also when God's word is fresh in my heart and mind I am way more able to fight Satin when he attacks me, when he attacks my thoughts, when he tells me that I don't matter.  When God's word is fresh in my mind, when my mind is sharp with God's word, I can win the battle of words that Satin sends soaring through my head about me.  Because I know what God says about me, and that what God says is truth! 

Wisdom comes from God's word.  The world likes us to believe it comes from the world, but it comes straight from God.  The more we grow in God's wisdom the more we can be successful in what really matters. 

9.3.13

Proverbs 22:17-19 Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instructions. For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart and always ready on your lips. I am teaching you today -- yes you -- so you will trust in the Lord.

My Thoughts
It is good to surround ourselves with wise people. People that are further in their walk with God than we are so that we can draw on their wisdom and learn from them. And it is good to keep God's word in our hearts so that we know it, truly know it and can use it when Satin strikes. God's word is strong than the devil. God's word is like perfect Devil Seeking Missiles that we can use to win our war on Satin. Satin runs from God's word. It is amazing how much strong God's word is than Satin is!! When we know God's word and we keep it ready we can fight anything that Satin tries to tell us.

God's word is how I fight anxiety and panic and it works. I don't know the scripture and verse, I use Google for that. But I do know what God's word says about me. So when Satin says that I can, I tell him that God says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. When satin says that I am useless, I tell him that God says that I am wonderfully made. When Satin says that nobody cares about me, I say to him, "Are you kidding me God knows even the numbers of hairs on my head and that changes by the second!!" I struggled with anxiety and panic attacks every since I was a child, until I leaned how to use God's word! God's word is powerful and it never returns void!!

You might be thinking as you read this, "I can't memorize things, I can't remember that! I have tried!" I am hear to tell you, I didn't even realize how smart I was in school because spelling is my weakest point, and I couldn't memorize anything word for word. The word test would paralyze me! But God tells us that if we seek wisdom, wisdom will find us!!! I can't tell you scripture word for word, or chapter and verse. But I do know what God's word says, and I do use enough of the right words to Google where the scripture is found. You see God promised that if I seek wisdom I would find it... I read God's word and He puts it in my heart! The scripture also tells us that we should renew our minds constantly. So I read God's word every day in my One Year Bible. It is laid out Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. So each say I renew my mind..and there are things that I read again and think "I thought I would never forget this and then I did!" But I am learning...and God is honoring that effort!! Each day I write here a little of what I read and what I think about what I read. It is how God's word touched me. The things I write about are the things that I remember the most. What I am trying to say is this, you can lean God's word and keep it in your heart. You can know God's word enough to fight off Satin, because if you will make the effort God will honor that effort!! God's word changes us... God's word seeps into our bodies and becomes a part of who we are! God's word is so alive, that when we know it, we have God's DNA in us making changes to who we are!! (Thank you Pastor Keith for that bit of knowledge it makes me happy every time!)

9.2.13

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughtout the world."

My Thoughts

In Matthew 12:30 Jesus says if you are not for me you are against me. If we are a nation that honors God God will make us strong. If we are a nation that ignores God and His comandments, that ignores love for others. A nation that ignores God we become a nation against God. If that happens we move out from under the protection of God. If we are against God we are an enemy of God. If our nation is an enemy of God it will be destroyed!! We must stand for God, we must love God, we must honor God. We as a nation must make Godly choices!