Monday, March 18, 2024

Are you drawing near or running from?

Psalm 139:7 "

Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  8 If I go to the Heavens you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 if I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,  10 even there your right hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."    He is with us always….even to the end of the age!(Matthew 28:20).   God is our constant comfort and strength, our blessed assurance.   On the flip side of He is with us always; my blatant sin makes me want to hide like Adam and Eve tried to do in the garden.  We can't hide from God.  He goes with us wherever we go.   When there is something that makes me want to hide from God verses run to Him; I simply confess it and plead for His help.  He already knows.    His love for each of us has no boundaries!!   I get such tremendous relief when I call upon the name of the Lord.  He loves us always and is always there to help us through!!😇🍀🙏 Thank you Jesus!!!   ( He loves us so much, He gives us consequences)

Friday, March 15, 2024

Life giving rebuke

Proverbs 15:31 "He who listens to life giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.  32 He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.  33 The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor."    Recently I feel into a behavior that was sinful.   A sin that I had felt I had long ago conquered.  Just a taste of that sin made me want for more.   Made me think “So what?”  My heart was hardened.   It was blatant disobedience that seemed to just take control.   When I look at the why, I am realizing that in my pride I am not seeking first the kingdom of God.  But I am seeking the fleshly desires of my heart.  I have been, "showing off".   Funny I didn't realize I was tell a dear Christian  friend pointed it out to me.   My "little sins" staring hardening my heart.  The other day a swear word came out of my mouth at church.   That was a huge indication of where my heart is.    I am very thankful for my friends life giving rebuke.    I don't like it.   I also love it.  I know likely,  I will have to face some disciple for these behaviors. I would rather to be disciplined and humbled than haughty and prideful.    Today and always, may God bless you with friends,(fellow sisters and brothers in the faith) willing to give, life giving rebuke in love.😇❤️🙏.  May you also be courageous enough to “in love “ give life giving rebuke.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Rise up!!

Romans 8:8 "Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."   This is a very short powerful verse.    Lately I have been toying around with justifying a behavior I know is against Gods way.     This verse is helping me understand that when I justify my sin and go in that direction without being convicted of it’s wrong, I cannot please God.    This seems so harsh.  I just have this one sin that the world says is totally okay that I want to justify.  Truth is that is a slippery slope.  Thank God He is convicting me.   Moses chose to not enjoy the passing pleasures of Pharos house to do Gods will.    May each of us identify and resist the devil and the sinful behaviors that so easily ensnare us and RISE UP!!!    Be Holy as He is Holy.  We all fail at this. The key is to not harden our hearts and pretend we can go on sinning and be pleasing to God.  Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Go the heights!!

 1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with wise persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's' wisdom, but on God's power."    Men’s wisdom,  we are bombarded with it!!!  Commercials, friends advise, movies, news, radio so many sources of men’s wisdom.   It is hard to stand on the “Word“ when we listen to the world.        Be careful today who you listen to.   Habakkuk 3:19 “The Sovereign Lord is my strength, He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.”    Whatever mountains you are facing today.   Let God’s Word enable you to go the heights!!!  Don't let this world's wisdom defeat you.    You are more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ!!!

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Leave it behind and move forward in Jesus

 Mark 8:33 "But when Jesus turned and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter. "Get behind me Satan!" He said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man."

James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded."    Looking toward the things of man over the things of God.  Sometimes I think I’m riding the mountain top of Christ centered behavior and don’t even notice I’m taking a fall.  It’s PRIDE.  God has a way to keep me humble.   Usually it’s my sin.  True repentance isn’t sorrow or guilt, it’s turning from the sin and pressing on toward Jesus Christ.    We are new creations in Jesus.   The old is gone the new is here!   Unfortunately, we can easily fall into sin, even sin we thought we conquered.   No matter how many times we fall our Loving Heavenly Father is here to pick us back up again.   Sin has consequences.   Good thing, or we would keep on sinning without repentance .  We are not defined by our sin.    We are defined by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.     Where ever you are in your walk with our Lord, on the mountain top or in the valley, know you are His most treasured possession.   He will never leave you nor forsake you no matter how many times you fall.   Keep turning from worldly snares  and keep turning to Jesus.   It’s a sanctification process that gets us healthy and well, through the powerful gift of Jesus! 😇❤️🙏

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Enjoy your work enjoy your life

 Ecclesiastes 3:22 “So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?”     Enjoy our work!!!    This is great advice!!!   We spend most of our waking hours at work, so if we choose  to be upset about our work life we will be upset about our lives.     I am currently retired from an amazing career.   During that career I had many things that were difficult.  I choose to see what was right.    In my retirement I still have to treat my life like my career.   I have to intentionally choose to do things I don't feel like doing.  I usually don't "feel" like cleaning the toilets or washing the floors.  I enjoy having my home clean.  I choose to enjoy the work because I enjoy the end product.   Attitude is altitude.    Today may you choose to enjoy your work and enjoy your life!😇❤️🙏

Monday, March 4, 2024

Single or married be courageous!!

1Corinthians   “Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

Joshua 1:9 “ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”    I am a divorced woman.    When I first went through the breakup I was sure it would be “easy” to replace my husband.   WOW!!!  That is some serious messed up thinking.  At the time I was a practicing alcoholic.   I had a lot of “stinking thinking”.   Some of my friends are currently going through relationship break ups.   It’s truly one of the hardest things there is to go through being rejected by someone you love.   God never rejects us!!! He will never leave us nor forsake us.   Be strong and courageous in your marriage or in you singleness.   God knows exactly what you are going through and He is with you always.   Constantly loving you beyond your wildest dreams!!😇❤️🙏