What a Promise!

 When I saw this floating around on Facebook - I knew I needed to use it as my "What a Promise" post.

I am so thankful that Jesus left His heavenly home to come down to this earth and was willing to sacrifice His life for my sins. Praise be to Him!! :o) 

Checkin' In

I have not done a personal post for a while and have a few things on my mind tonight, so I thought I would check in and get my thoughts written.

First of all tomorrow - would have been one of my work days and even though I have been thankful that I have not had to work- especially the last week or so -with me being sick. There are positives that I am thankful for - like not being around cigarette smoke and being able to rest more. And another thing that I don't think I have mentioned here.

I had worked there at the store for like 18 years off and on. The floors were cement. We had a few thick rug things that helped but the first like 8-10 years or so of working there I wore some cheap shoes - which did not give my feet very much support. Well there actually came a time that my feet would hurt so bad that just putting weight on my feet in the mornings would be so bad. In fact, I had to take a break from working for like a year or so and it took that much time in order for my feet to heal and not kill me when I put weight on my feet. During the year or so - even though I wear better shoes - my feet would begin to hurt ever so often. And so now I am at least looking at the positive -that my feet will not have to be on concrete for hours at a time - damaging them.

 But I still miss the positives of working - like the extra money - not much but it was something. And I felt like I contributed. I am finding my place in the world again. And I know that God is in control.

Another thing I wanted to talk about is -things to do to help get rid of sickness - or help prevent sickness. A friend of mine worked at a gym a couple of years ago and she told me that they had bleach water in a bottle and they would clean all surfaces with the bleach water - trying to keep germs from spreading. This is something I plan to implement in my home. Another thing that I remembered was - boiling water and then taking our toothbrushes and dipping it in the boiling water - to kill germs. That way your toothbrush does not hold onto the germs and re-infect. Spraying Lysol - on door knobs, sinks, toilets, and light switches - places that you would touch. These are just a few of the things that we do -to try to get rid of the germs and sickness.

I am curious - what do you do to get rid of germs? Would love to hear your suggests and ideas!

Stony Paths

Each of us may be sure that if God sends us

 on stony paths He will provide us with strong

 shoes, and He will not send us out on any journey

for which He does not equip us well.

-Alexander MacLaren

 

A Little Devotional

Below you will find the main part of the devotional for my "Streams in the Desert" Devotional book that was actually for yesterday, but it was so good I had to share. I hope that it will help you have a better understanding of when you are going through hard times. God is always there - tenderly working with us and loving us.

 

The Harp

 

“I am jealous over you with God’s own jealousy”

 (2 Cor. 11:2) Weymouth

 

How an old harper dotes on his harp! How he fondles and caresses it, as a child resting on his bosom! His life is bound up in it. But, see him tuning it. He grasps it firmly, strikes a chord with a sharp, quick blow; and while it quivers as if in pain, he leans over intently to catch the first note that rises. The note, as he feared, is false and harsh. He strains the chord with the torturing thumb-screw; and though it seems ready to snap with the tension, he strikes it again, bending down to listen softly as before, till at length you see a smile on his face as the first true tone trembles upward.

 

So it may be that God is dealing with you. Loving you better than any harper loves his harp, He finds you a mass of jarring discords. He wrings your heartstrings with some torturing anguish; He bends over you tenderly, striking and listening; and, hearing only a harsh murmur, strikes you again, while His heart bleeds for you, anxiously waiting for that strain–”Not my will, but thine be done”–which is melody sweet to His ear as angels’ songs. Nor will He cease to strike until your chastened soul shall blend with all the pure and infinite harmonies of His own being. –Selected.

Importance of Praising God...

On the way home the other day this song came on the radio:

 

"Sing Your Praise to the Lord" by Rich Mullins

Chorus:
Sing your praise to the Lord
Come on everybody
Stand up and sing one more hallelujah
Give your praise to the Lord
I can never tell you. Just how
much good that it's
Gonna do you just to
Sing anew
The song your heart learned to sing
When He first gave His life to you
The life goes on and so must the song
You gotta sing again
The song born in your soul
When you first gave your heart to Him
Sing His praises once more
Repeat chorus
>From the rising of the sun
To the place where it sets
The name of the Lord
Is to be praised, the Lord is exalted
Over all the nations
His glory above the heavens
Who is like the Lord our God
The one who sits enthroned on high
He who stoops to look down upon
Down upon the earth and its skies
Sing aloud
The song that someone is dying to hear
Down in the madd'ning crowd
As you once were before
you heart the song
You gotta let them know
The truth is alive to shine upon the way
So maybe they can go
Sing your praises once more
Repeat chorus
Let the name of the Lord be praised
Both for now and evermore
Praise him, oh you servants
Give your
Repeat chorus
Sing, sing, sing, Com on, Sing sing sing
I can hear you now, SIng, sing, sing

As I listened to this song and then began to sing along - I was reminded of the Importance of Praising God. It is very important to Praise God. He is worthy of ALL praise.

If you will click the title of the song - it will take you to this song on Youtube. There are some really pretty photos on the video. Enjoy! :O)

Hopeful

So for two months I have been sick. I tried to fight it off on my own for the first two weeks. Then I went to the Dr. She thought that I had bronchitis and thought that I might have pneumonia so I had to have xrays done. I did not - Praise the Lord. I took 2 z-pak meds and then a third round of a different antibiotics for 10 days. So after 20 days of antibiotics you would think that it would clear up - wouldn't you? Well it did not. Just a couple of days till I was finished with the 3rd round of antibiotics - I began to get a yeast infection. Decided at that point to finish meds and hope that I would get to feeling soon. The yeast infection cleared up but not the cough.

I told ya'll that I tried a couple of natural things but I think that it was just too late- that the infection at that point had moved to a sinus infection.

So I broke down and on Friday morning went to the Dr. That is where I found out that it was probably a sinus infection. So now I am feeling more congested than ever. She prescribed several different meds. She also told me that if this did not work - that I would probably have to have blood tests run, cat scan done to find out what is going on - or even sending me on to an ENT Dr. So I am hoping that this 10 day round of antibiotics will take care of this infection.

So that is where I am right now. I am thankful that I have the time to just take some down time and try to get well. It is hard not to try to get things done though - so I will just plug away and get done what I can get done. And I remain hopeful that I will get to feeling better soon.

I hope you all are well and can stay well. Remember - wash your hands often, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest...as my Momma would say.

What Seventh Day Adventists Believe....#20

Fundamental Belief #20

Sabbath:

 The beneficent Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God's unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God's kingdom. The Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God's creative and redemptive acts.

"Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made."

Gen. 2:1-3

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day

and hallowed it."   

Ex. 20:8-11

"So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read."

Luke 4:16

   "Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off. 6 "Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants-- Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant--"   

Isa. 56:5, 6

    "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, 14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken."      

Isaiah 58:13, 14

    At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" 3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." 9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"--that they might accuse Him. 11 Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."   

Matt. 12:1-12

    "Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.' "   

Ex. 31:13-17

"Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them."      

Ezekiel 20:12

"hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.'"      

Ezekiel 20:20

  "  'Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day."   

Deuteronomy 5:12-15

"Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; 5 and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest." 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience."   

Hebrews 4:1-11

"It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath."   

Leviticus 23:32

"At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed."   

Mark 1:32

DRAWING NIGH to GOD....series

DRAWING NIGH to GOD

by Minnie E. Dauphinee

 

Supreme Love .....When Love Wanes

 

Sometimes the gospel seed falls upon hearts where there are thorns. We are not left in doubt as to what the thorns represent, for Christ distinctly declared them to be cares, riches, pleasures, and the lust of other things (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19). The thorny-ground hearer wants to be saved, He professes to be a Christian. For a time a struggle goes on between the desire for holiness and the temptation to worldliness. The things of this world absorb time and thought and strength that should be devoted to God and His service.

A dying man said to the pastor whose church he had attended for twenty years, " I have never heard a sermon," explaining that always during the preaching he had been planning his business affairs. An Arab told of losing his way in the desert. Having been without food for days, he had despaired of his life. "I shall never forget," he said, "the feeling of delight that came to me when I found a package that I thought contained food, not the bitterness that I suffered in discovering that it contained only worldly wealth."
 

 Caring for the necessities of life and securing riches are right and necessary in their place. But when they take first place in our thoughts, they "choke" the power of God's Word, and love for our Saviour wanes. Let us give Him first place-

"And the things of earth will
 grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and
grace."

What a Promise!

    "I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them."

 Isaiah 42:16 

Bless the Lord

This was one of the reading assignments in my lesson today - in my

 Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart" workbook.

It was such a blessing to me - I wanted to share it with you all!   

 

 

  A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

             2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:            

3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,

             4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

             5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 6 The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed.

             7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

             8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

             9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.            

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.            

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;            

12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.            

15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.             

17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children,    

         18 To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them. 19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.            

20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.

21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.            

22 Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!   

Psalms 103

 

This chapter reminds me of the song-

 "10,000 Reasons(Bless the Lord)"

by Matt Redman

If you have not heard it-

Click Here

It is a beautiful song!

 

Have a wonderful day and may God bless each and every one of you! :o)

Hi Ya'll

Hello~ Well I was doing pretty good there for a bit with posts, then I totally forgot to get Sabbaths post ready. Our family is going through a real faith building experience. I have shared how both my sons and I lost our jobs - with only about 3 days notice. Well my oldest son is still looking for a full time job. Last Thursday he had been invited to a private job fair that a company was having and both of the people that he talked to on the phone made it sound like he had an excellent chance to get a job with their company. He went to the job fair and later in the evening got an e-mail saying that they had decided to go another direction.
This is discouraging for our family because with this son working for my MIL he was barely making ends meet then. He had been looking for a job. It's just a really tough job market right now.
Anyway I kind of got distracted. And that is not good. I feel so much more at peace when I keep my focus on Jesus Christ. Just like Peter when he was walking on the water - as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus he did fine but once he took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink. Well this is what happened with me Thursday evening - when my son did not get the job. He was VERY discouraged about it. Then again on Sunday. I got a phone call from a friend who is going through a divorce and some of the things she told me - make me start to worry about my son's divorce hearing which will be the first week of February. I again fell into that dangerous trap of thinking that I needed to do this or do that to make sure everything worked out. Instead of keeping my focus on Jesus and trusting His will in this situation. Don't get me wrong- I will be asking for your prayers along with all my other friends and families prayers. Prayers change thing. But I am choosing for right now and every day from here till this hearing to keep my eyes on Jesus and trust Him.

Sunday we had beautiful weather here in Texas! My husband changed the oil on both of our vehicles and we worked in our back yard to get it cleaned up. It looks SO much better now. We have quite a burn pile and are looking forward to a rainy day that is not windy that we can try to get this pile burned down.

Oh remember the upper respiratory infection that I got in the first part of December? Well I ended up taking two rounds of Z-pack meds and then 10 days of another antibiotic. Well I am still struggling with drainage and coughing. In fact, last night I got woke up the most with needing to cough that I have probably the whole time of being sick. Well today I had an appointment to get my hair cut and the lady who cuts my hair told me some stuff that she takes to keep herself well. She has a large clientele and she said that most of them are sick right now. Anyway she told me about Esberitox. I got this photo from the Internet. Look this stuff up if your interested in it. Anyway it is suppose to be a supercharged Echinacea. And it is to help boost the immune system. I went by the pharmacy she told me about and bought myself a package of it. I am hoping that this stuff will help me. If not I have already ordered another helpful natural resource- ALJ.

 

This is a Nature's Sunshine product. And below is what it says about it:

Benefits:

• Helps soothe irritated tissues.
• Encourages the entire respiratory tract to gently cleanse itself.
• Supports healthy lung function.
• Assists the body in neutralizing allergens by nutritional means.
• Provides effective respiratory system support.

How It Works:

Airborne particles are everywhere. When particles enter the respiratory system via the nose or the mouth, the body turns on its cleansing mechanisms, and the immune system is put on active duty.


I have used this stuff in the past and it has helped my immune system. I sure hope that one of these or a combination of them will help. I was tired of taking the antibiotics and had already started to get another kind of infection due to the antibiotics. So I really want to kick the rest of this stuff naturally.

Well I hope that you all are well and if not that maybe something I have shared today will help you as well.
We have another pretty day today - a high of 64. And the next two days - in the 70's. More work in the yard! Check in with you all later. Have a great day! :O)  

It's Not Over Yet...

 

 

 

 

"My friend, the game of life is not over yet. Sometimes it may seem that our team - the team for God and all that is good - is losing. And the critical question for you and for me is simply this, Whose side are you on? Which team are you supporting? Will you stay by until the very end when victory is declared?"

 

 Because we as Christians have read the end of the book - we know that God will be victorious. Here on earth it may seem as though we are losing, but God is in control and we will be victorious in the end.
The quote at the beginning is from a book that I just finished reading today called, "God's Love Song"

 

By Ginny Allen

 

Running the Home More Smoothly

I think I have done a post before about this - but that was last year and maybe some of you need reminders like I did.
Today I pulled out my home management folder and was looking for some information. I have not used this folder very much lately but I am finding more and more important information that I would like to have handy to help me to run my home more smoothly. For more information on Home Management Folders - google it - there are a lot of great posts about it. I could not do it justice. Anyway last year I had found an awesome website that allowed me to print off a great calendar of the year and I was happy to see a link to this site at the bottom of my old calendar that I had printed. So I went to the website and sure enough there they were again. You can choose to have them blank or ones that tell of holidays and such. I like the one with the holidays - it just helps me keep up with things so much better.

Here is a great link to where you too can print off a calendar.

There are two things that I like to keep track of on this calendar - important birthdays, trips, or special days and the other thing is basic menu information. That way I can keep an better handle on what we are eating and to also help us not get into a rut with eating the same meals over and over. And also having it easy access like this - helps me to be able to come up with a menu quickly when I don't have time to sit down and really plan one out.

I hope that this will help you to run your homes more smoothly. Have a great day! :O)

DRAWING NIGH to GOD....series

 

DRAWING NIGH to GOD

by

Minnie E. Dauphinee

 

 

Supreme Love.....Supreme Friendship

 

Of the more than two hundred names and titles that applied to Christ, none is more endearing than "Friend." Solomon spoke of Him as the One "altogether lovely," and said, "This is my friend." He was a friend of sinners. Though we cannot talk to Him face to face, as did the disciples, our friendship with Him may be just as real. We cannot confide in Him without feeling Him near. He is interested in our mistakes, our sorrows, our hopes, and our plans. If we seek His counsel in everything, we are bound to succeed in life.

 

It is natural for us to speak of an earthly friend whom we love. Yet how much greater reason have we to talk of our heavenly Friend. His daily mercies and the multiplied evidences of His loving kindness cannot be summed up. Then should it not be natural for us to make His friendship supreme, and constantly to seek for ways of expressing our love?

 

If Thou dost need a hand today

To clasp another hand on life's rough way,

Take mine, dear Lord, take mine.

 

"If Thou art needing feet to tread

In paths where sin to woe is wed,

Use mine, dear Lord, use mine.

 

"If Thou art needing lips today,

For words that help and heal, to say,

Fill mine, dear Lord, fill mine.

 

"If Thou art needing eyes to see

When souls begin to stray from Thee,

Fit mine, dear Lord, fit mine.

 

"But cleanse, dear Lord and purify,

And then each talent sanctify,
Of mine, dear Lord, of mine."

 

Mary E. Kendrew  

 

What We Did Today

Good Afternoon my friends. We are having a beautiful sun shiny day. It is 57 degrees outside. My son does not have school or work today so I took advantage and asked if he would use the chain saw and cut down a couple of dead trees that we have. The summer before last we lost - my favorite tree(this one had several bird feeders hanging from it plus it gave shade to our kitchen area in the hot summer time) and several others. Well we got my favorite one cut down about a month or so ago and today we got two more cut down. We also got the wood cut up and either put in wood pile - for the fire place or in our burn pile.

When we cut down my favorite tree - we had only been able to take care of half of the tree. So today we took care of the other half. Same thing - some wood to the wood pile - the rest to the burn pile. Now the yard looks SO much better. Plus it was great to get out in the sunshine and fresh air and get something major accomplished.

Today was one of the days that I used to go work in the bakery. So I was feeling a bit sad. I miss it. I miss the money the most. I did not make a lot but it was a little extra money and it helped me feel like I was contributing.

In this day and age- it seems that there is so much pressure - that a woman has to have a job in order to be someone. This is something that I struggle with as well. I finally learned that my true value comes from Jesus - not something that I do or don't do. This is a very important lesson to learn. So with my extra time - I am looking to see what I can do to better take care of my home. Cleaning your home blesses your family as well.

Anyway so all of that to say that by accomplishing the extra things it helped me to feel like I did a little bit of extra blessing of my home today. And it blesses me as well. Because when I look out my back windows - I can see how much nicer the yard looks and I get to enjoy the view and the feeling of accomplishment.

Well I better get off of here - I have my book club meeting this evening and I have some stuff I want to finish before I have to leave the house. Have a good afternoon. :O)

What a Promise!

Show Your marvelous lovingkindness

 by Your right hand,

 O You who save those who trust in You

From those who rise up against them.

 (Psalms 17:7 NKJV)

What a beautiful promise :0)

The 3 P's of Praying

"1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?    

 

         3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4 Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him"; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

             5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me." Psalms 13   

 

I read in my November issue of Signs of the Times magazine a wonderful article about "Healing Prayer."
 "A study of these psalms(speaking of many different psalms) shows us that we can actually talk to God when we feel that He's not keeping His promises. And there are three ways to pray that will bring healing to a broken and troubled heart."
 

"While several psalms use these three ways, Psalm 13 contains them in a succinct and orderly structure and shows us how to pray in times of distress."

"1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?" Psalms 13:1,2 

The first two verses of Psalms 13 shows us David "pouring" out his heart to God. Pouring out our hearts to God - especially when we are disappointed or saddened by the way life is going - is an important part of prayer. God knows how we feel - we will not surprise Him at all by pouring out our hearts to Him with our feelings.

"3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him"; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved." Psalms 13:3,4
These next two verses shows us David "petitioning" God.
"David asked God for help by requesting what he most needed. So be real and open about what you want. There is no hiding when it comes to God. He's big enough to look past your words to see the deeper need behind them."

  5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me." Psalms 13   

 

"Finally, imitate David by "praising" God in spite of your pain. "


"If you are too weak to bring yourself to speak spontaneous words of praise, read a psalm of praise to God. Psalms 113-118 and 145-150 are excellent passages to use for this purpose."

"Even if you have been challenging God's character, the moments of praise will reaffirm your loyalty to Him. You will be saying, "God, I know I challenged You, but You do know what's best, and You always do good for me."
"Being angry at God doesn't mean you have severed all ties with Him. You can still retain your relationship with Him. All you're doing is pleading for Him to remember you, to fulfill His promises."

These are just a little bit of the highlighting of this article. So review - the 3 steps are:
 1. Pouring our hearts out to God
2. Petitioning God for what we need
3. Praising God -for all He has done and all He will do

These are the 3 P's of Prayer!

 I had really hoped that I could link up to the article but it is not one of the articles that you can read online. But I am going to give you a link to the website for "Signs of the Times" magazine. There are a lot of other articles available to be read. I hope you enjoy! :O)

Not Picked On, But Chosen

I am not sure if I have shared with you all about my friend doing a Bible study with Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart" or not. Anyway every Thursday night(unless of sickness or holiday) we have our study. It has been an abundant blessing to my life. And every single week - something really speaks to me. It is awesome. We have a workbook - with a good amount to study each week - and then when we meet together we talk about what we have done through the week and then we watch the video for that week. I am telling you girls - if you ever get a chance to do this study - DO NOT hesitate to do it. It will be well worth your time and effort. With all that being said - I would like to share with you the blessing that I received this week from the video in hopes that it will bless each and every one of you in a special way. That is my prayer.

Beth Moore was speaking about when Zacharias and Elizabeth were unable to have children. When they were both way up in age an Angel came to Zacharias and told him that Elizabeth would have a son and that they were to name him John.

After she pointed out some interesting details of this story, she went on to point out that every time that a barren couple was mentioned in the Bible that a miracle followed. She said when the things come naturally to others, don't come naturally for you- it can be very frustrating. And you can begin to feel picked on, but don't. Because there is a very good likelihood that you are not being picked on but that you have been picked!

When things that come naturally for other people don't come naturally to you - maybe God has chosen to reveal Himself to you in a supernatural way. You will see a side of God that not everyone gets to experience.

When things that come to others easily and haven't for you - when God moves in your life you will see God's divine power at work for you. How special is that?

You are not picked on- you have been chosen.

"Sermons We See"

 

"Sermons We See"

by Edgar Guest

 

"I'd rather see a sermon
     than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me
     than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil
     and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing,
     but example's always clear;
And the best of all preachers
     are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action
     is what everybody needs.

I soon can learn to do it
     if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action,
     but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver
     may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons
     by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you
     and the high advice you give,
But there's no misunderstanding
     how you act and how you live."

What Seventh-day Adventists Believe....#19

Fundamental Belief # 19

 Law of God: 

 The great principles of God's law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express God's love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships and are binding upon all people in every age. These precepts are the basis of God's covenant with His people and the standard in God's judgment. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit they point out sin and awaken a sense of need for a Saviour. Salvation is all of grace and not of works, but its fruitage is obedience to the Commandments. This obedience develops Christian character and results in a sense of well-being. It is an evidence of our love for the Lord and our concern for our fellow men. The obedience of faith demonstrates the power of Christ to transform lives, and therefore strengthens Christian witness.

  "And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 13 "You shall not murder. 14 "You shall not commit adultery. 15 "You shall not steal. 16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."   

Exodus 20:1-17

 

"Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."

Psalms 40:7, 8

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."   

Matthew 22:36-40

    "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 "The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. 14 So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.   

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

    "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.   

Matthew 5:17-20

"Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."   

Hebrews 8:8-10

   " If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."   

John 15:7-10

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."   

Ephesians  2:8-10

 

   "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

1 John 5:3

 

   "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

Romans 8:3, 4

 

   "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."   

Psalms 19:7-14

Drawing Nigh to God ....series

   So sorry that this is so late. But trust me - it's a good devotional today. Well worth the read. Lisa :O)

From the book:

"Drawing Nigh to God"

by:

Minnie E. Dauphinee

 

Transforming Power in~ 

  Christ's Strength

The Christian is always the object of temptation. "Satan regards not the sanctity of place. He enters the Garden of Eden, and he stand on the pinnacle of the temple. He is not destroyed by the influence of holy companionship; he tempts Achan in the camp of Israel, Judas among the disciples of Christ, Ananias and Sapphira among the first Christians in Jerusalem. He is not afraid to attack the most favored saint- David, the man after the heart of God; Peter, the first of the apostles: the three disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane; he tempted even Jesus, the Lord of glory...Everywhere and always he temps." Adolph Saphir.

Though we are always the object of temptation, we may take courage from this precious promise, one of the most precious in all the Bible: "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The Saviour knows how much temptation we can bear, for He made us. It reminds us of bridges we have seen. At the entrance is a sign that reads, " Load limit, 5 tons," or "Load limit, 10 tons. "To attempt to take across a heavier load is to invite disaster. A severe test may be a sign of God's confidence. Before Satan was permitted to test Job by inflicting the loss of all his property and children, before he was permitted to afflict Job with a horrible disease, God knew his load limit. He knew that Job would remain faithful. In the same way God keeps our load limit in mind, and He will not allow Satan to tempt us beyond that limit.

We cannot understand the unequal proportions in which temptation is distributed. Why do some have so much less to bear than others? It is enough that God understands, and that He will apportion to each what he can bear and no more. He assures us that with every temptation He will make a way to escape. He does not do this by removing the temptation, but by providing strength to overcome. Here is the secret of all victory. But we must lay hold of Christ's strength. However great the temptation, we may hear Him say to us-

"I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee" - Isaiah 41:10

 

 

 

What a Promise!

Made Perfect Through Suffering

Today I wanted to share with you the devotional in my "Streams in the Desert" Devotional book. I think this is very helpful for those of us who are struggling through some difficult times in our lives.

I heard a pastor on the radio once say "if you are not in the middle of a very difficult time or have not just gotten past a very difficult time - then more than likely you are fixing to have a very difficult time." In the life of the Christian - these difficult times are just stepping stones in our journey. Sometimes they are slippery stepping stones and we feel we may never get past this river of difficulty, but we will. God is using these difficult times in our lives to mold us into the people He wants us to be.

I hope you will get as much of a blessing out of this devotional as I did:

January 9th

 

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared

with the glory which shall be revealed in us”

Rom. 8:18

 

I kept for nearly a year the flask-shaped cocoon of an emperor moth. It is very peculiar in its construction. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the perfect insect forces its way, so that a forsaken cocoon is as entire as one still tenanted, no rupture of the interlacing fibres having taken place. The great disproportion between the means of egress and the size of the imprisoned insect makes one wonder how the exit is ever accomplished at all–and it never is without great labour and difficulty. It is supposed that the pressure to which the moth’s body is subjected in passing through such a narrow opening is a provision of nature for forcing the juices into the vessels of the wings, these being less developed at the period of emerging from the chrysalis than they are in other insects.
I happened to witness the first efforts of my prisoned moth to escape from its long confinement. During a whole forenoon, from time to time, I watched it patiently striving and struggling to get out. It never seemed able to get beyond a certain point, and at last my patience was exhausted. Very probably the confining fibres were drier and less elastic than if the cocoon had been left all winter on its native heather, as nature meant it to be. At all events I thought I was wiser and more compassionate than its Maker, and I resolved to give it a helping hand. With the point of my scissors I snipped the confining threads to make the exit just a very little easier, and lo!
immediately, and with perfect case, out crawled my moth dragging a huge swollen body and little shrivelled wings. In vain I watched to see that marvellous process of expansion in which these silently and swiftly develop before one’s eyes; and as I traced the exquisite spots and markings of divers colours which were all there in miniature, I longed to see these assume their due proportions and the creature to appear in all its perfect beauty, as it is, in truth, one of the loveliest of its kind. But I looked in vain. My false tenderness had proved its ruin. It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully through that brief life which it should have spent flying through the air on rainbow wings. I have thought of it often, often, when watching with pitiful eyes those who were struggling with sorrow, suffering, and distress; and I would fain cut short the discipline and give deliverance. Short-sighted man! How know I that one of these pangs or groans could be spared? The far-sighted, perfect love that seeks the perfection of its object does not weakly shrink from present, transient suffering. Our Father’s love is too true to be weak. Because He loves His children, He chastises them that they may be partakers of His holiness. With this glorious end in view, He spares not for their crying. Made perfect through sufferings, as the Elder Brother was, the sons of God are trained up to obedience and brought to glory through much tribulation. –Tract.

Devotional from "Streams in the Desert Devotional" book for January 9th.

Be Still

As you all know Psalms 46:10a is like one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

 

"Be still, and know that I am God;"

 Last night I was looking in my Bible Commentary for help understanding a few verses in Psalms. Once I was done looking at those verses, I started going through Psalms in my Bible and any time that I saw highlighting - I read about that verse. Well I came across the above verse and what I found really spoke to me. I would like to share it now just in case it will bless someone else like it blessed me.

 

"Be still. Literally, "let be," "desist," give up." God Himself speaks these sublime words. The first clause of this verse has been paraphrased: "Hush! Cease your tumult and realize that I am God." We talk too much and listen too little. We lack Christian poise and steadiness, because of our ceaseless busyness. Moses spent 40 years in the land of Midian (Acts 7:29,30). Paul 3 years in the desert

 (Gal. 1:17,18; AA 125-128), and Jesus 40 days in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1,2), in preparation for the responsibilities of the divine call."

 

There is a reason for the tough times in our lives and for the many times we find ourselves "waiting on the Lord."  God has a purpose for those times and will use them for His glory. May we learn to trust Him more and more every day!

Hang It On The Cross

by Logan Parker

If you have a secret sorrow,
a burden or a loss,
an aching need for healing...
Hang It On The Cross.

If worry steals your sleep
and makes you turn and toss,
if your heart is feeling heavy...
Hang It On The Cross.

Every obstacle to faith
or doubt you come across,
every prayer unanswered...
Hang It On The Cross.

For Christ has borne our brokenness
and dearly paid the cost
To turn our trials to triumph...
Hanging On The Cross.

 

 

I saw a really pretty plague with this poem on this, was not able to buy the plaque but I wanted to share it with you all. Enjoy! :O)

What Seventh-day Adventist Believe....#18

Fundamental Belief #18

 The Gift of Prophecy:

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White . As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested.

 

"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."   

Joel 2:28, 29

 

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.' "

Acts 2:14-21

 

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, "

Hebrews 1:1-3

 

"And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

Revelation 12:17

 

 "And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Revelation 19:10

 

If you are not familiar with any of Ellen G. White's books- I would highly recommend

"Steps to Christ"

and/or
"Mount of Blessings"