Stress

The Little Things

The Little Things

"It is the littlest things of life, the minute, unimportant-looking things that are most likely to shatter our peace.  Because they are so small, it is most likely that we will fight them ourselves instead of looking up at once to our Strong God - our Barrier between us and them."

Amy Carmichael

Not One Time!

Hindered

Hindered!

"Let us draw near.."

Hebrews 10:22

"..let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.."

Hebrews 10:1

This morning as I seek my Father's face, I think about all of the times that I've talked about drawing near, thought about it, led congregations in singing about it, and even prayed about it.

All the wasted time... When I just didn't cast all else aside and move towards Him. It's always easier to just talk about things, a lot harder to just do it. I excelled at talking about walking without moving.

Once you cross the line and cast aside whatever hinders you, whatever stands in your way, you'll never be truly content with anything less! He will be your sufficiency.

It pains me to think of the wasted years when I talked about it and never "had it"! I've confessed and changed--you can too! My loving Father has cast all that into the sea of forgetfulness, so I can move on.

Moving on...moving towards Him! Make it your one goal today!

"We must, nevertheless, always work at it, because not to advance in the spiritual life is to go back. But those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep."

~ Brother Lawrence ~

May you seek His face before you face any other today!

Faith

Faith

"Faith gives birth to prayer, and grows stronger, strikes deeper, rises higher, in the efforts and struggles of mighty petitioning. Faith is also humble and persevering. It can wait and pray; it can stay on its knees, or lie in the dust. It is the one great condition of prayer. The lack of it lies at the root of all poor praying, feeble praying, little praying, unanswered praying."

E.M. Bounds

Anything!

Safe in His Arms!

Wondrous Love

Wondrous Love

"It is He who remembered us in our low estate, for His steadfast love endures forever;

And rescued us from our foes, for His steadfast love endures forever;

He who gives food to all flesh, for His steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever."

Psalm 136:23-26

What a wonderful reminder for this day: He loves us with a love that will never end!

He loves,defends, protects, delivers, sustains, strengthens, uplifts, comforts and cares for us like the best father does for his children.

In my early years, the picture I was given of God at home was often one of judge, jury and executioner.  I always had a sense of waiting for the hammer to strike.  I struggled for decades with understanding God to be a loving Father, who always wants His very best for His children. One who loves unconditionally - ALWAYS - no matter how I failed Him.

Once and for all, I came to terms with all of this....in a hospital bed this year.... Fearing for my life, then being wrapped in the arms of Wondrous Love and knowing real peace, love and comfort in my time of need.

I wouldn't trade one day of over 5 months of bed rest and suffering for that one realization!

He loves me...always has...always will!!!

"What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul."

Unknown 

Wondrous Love!

May you seek the Lord of love before you face any other today!

He is the Potter, We are the Clay

Let it go

Leave it there

Leave It there

"Cast all your care on Him, for He cares for you."

1 Peter 5:7

"Be content to leave your prayer in His hands, who knows when to give, and how to give, and what to give, and what to withhold."

C.H. Spurgeon 

"Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you."

Psalm 55:22

Do you struggle with telling the Lord about your burdens and anxieties and then trusting Him with them?  So many times in my life, I've taken my cares, my problems to Him and then just had to keep a hand on them or at least a finger....always just convinced that He needed my help!

I chose to try to carry it all, to do all the work, as if He couldn't be trusted.  No wonder my path took me to anxiety, surface Christianity and massive heart attacks.

Our Psalm today points to a different path. "Cast....He will sustain you."  Not in my nature to do this, but oh the peace that comes when we follow His word.

He can be trusted! He's always faithful! Our loving Heavenly Father only wants HIS best for us.  Do you have a burden, anxiety, or problem you've carried for far too long? 

Today is the perfect day to take Him at His Word.  Cast your care...He will sustain....His is the work......our job......to trust...to rest!

Leave it there!

May you seek His face before you face any other today!

Our Teacher

Our Shepherd

Our Shepherd

"He always has a purpose in His leading. He knows where the bits of green pasture are, and He would lead His flock to these. The way may be rough, but it is the right way to the pasture"

J.R. Miller

What a wise Shepherd we have!

Look Up!

Hindered

Hindered

"And the only reason that He does not work it more effectually and continuously is, that we do not let Him. We hinder Him either by our indifference or by our self-effort, so that He cannot do what He would."

Andrew Murray

Trust Him

Nothing Else Matters

Nothing Else Matters

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the Living God; when shall I come and appear before God?"

Psalm 42:1-2

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings...."

Philippians 3:10

David wasn't a perfect man, but the passage from psalms shows that He desired God no matter what.  Looking ahead, we see the overwhelming passion that Paul had for his Lord, too.

Nothing else mattered to either of them.  Their passion was bent towards God and eternal things.

How many times have you and I sought after temporary things? How many times have we substituted things, people, even relationships for things eternal?

We can cram all we want into our lives, but satisfaction will never come until we get our priorities straightened out.

I remember how convicted I was as I lay in CCU 9 months ago, still not knowing all that was ahead, but regretting as I looked back on my life how often I had "worked" for the Lord but He was nowhere near my work... He wasn't my passion. I was so busy, there just wasn't time for anything but surface relations with Him.

Where are you in all of this? Are you walking in your own self-sufficiency? Where do your passions lie? What matters to you?

I want to thirst for God more than anything - just like David did, to know Him like Paul wanted to know Him!

Nothing else matters!

May you seek His face before you face any other today!

Leadership

Leadership

"It is most needful for all servants of Christ to remember that whenever the Lord places a man in a position of responsibility, He will both prepare him for it and maintain him in it."

"Be Tenderhearted, Forgiving One Another"

Fervent Prayer

"Fervent prayer, like a cannon planted at the gates of Heaven, makes them fly open."

Unknown

He Hears My Cries!

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

"But, how wise the Holy Spirit is. He takes the soul, lays it on the table, and dissects it in a moment. He finds out the root of the matter, sees where the complaint is, and either applies the knife where something is required to be taken away or puts a bandage where the sore is."

~C.H. Sturgeon~

Rest!

His Purpose Fulfilled

His Purpose Fulfilled

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies and your right hand delivers me.

The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever."

Ps 138:7-8

Some nagging thoughts have been troubling me for several days now. I woke up this morning fighting them and went straight to a quiet place in the house to be with my Lord.

Have you noticed that the closer you try to walk with the Lord, the more darts the enemy throws your way? Well, I have! 

These verses were such a comfort to me today.... The Lord has a purpose for me and He WILL FULFILL IT! 

It doesn't matter what darts, doubt, fear and worrying thought the devil throws my way. Our God is mighty and He remains ever faithful.

I get messages from so many of you who face the same things that I'm facing.  We are not alone in this battle that life sometimes becomes! What a friend we have in Jesus.

Remember this.....I'm reminding myself this morning..... There's always hope for a Christian....our loving Father has a purpose and a plan for us....He wants HIS best for us......no matter how things appear, He's always working and will fulfill His purposes for you and for me.

I'm praying for those of you who've messaged me while on your journey. Please pray for me on mine!

May you seek His face before you face any other today!

Be His Hands and Feet!

My Worry - His Care

My Worry - His Care

"Blessed be the Lord! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.  

The Lord is my strength and shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.

The Lord is the strength of His people; He is the saving refuge of His anointed."

Ps. 28:6-8

It's amazing to me how often the Lord provides just what I need through His Word!

I've had a few nagging worries in the back of my mind for a few days and I will be facing them this week.  What are you facing? I know I can't be the only one who struggles with those nagging worries... The kind that are just off in the background... The kind that erode your peace slowly and turn into giants if unattended.  

I'm so weak and I hate that I'm prone to this. But, each morning, I'm going to the source of my strength and handing my worries over to Him. It's the only way I'll make it. 

I speak of this often, but as I walk with the Lord, I'm reminded more and more that the day to day "plugging in" IS the secret! It was stress and my self-sufficiency, and an out of control life that led to 2 massive heart attacks and almost 6 months of suffering and illness. BUT.... I know now that He is my cure and the only way the weak "me" can stay off that old path is by snuggling up to Him, confessing my weakness and drawing on His strength. His is made perfect in my weakness!

So, today, He is faithful again and gave me this:  "The Lord is the strength of His people", "He is a refuge", "He hears my cries for help", "He is a shield for us".

And...... Once again, the worries subside, peace comes and I'm confident that He will remain faithful and cover me with His wings of comfort and mercy!

Peace will come for you, too! Your worry and care is just as important as mine is to Him.

Plug in!  The little flickering flame of our worry gets snuffed out by His great love and care for us.

"All your anxiety, all your care.

Bring to the Mercy seat, leave it there.

Never a burden He cannot bear. Never a friend like Jesus."

~Edward Joy~

May you seek His face before you face any other today!

Peace!

Peace!

"It is not by agonizing over your difficulties, but by communion with Him that all your storms will subside and become a great calm"

F.B. Meyer

Absolutely!

Absolutely!

I just read that George Barna's research has found that 54% of Christians don't believe in absolute truth. 

The Gospel IS absolute truth!

Let it Shine!

Prayer Request-My mom

Prayer Request - My mom

My mom wants to continue with her treatment. Please pray for her strength. Her breathing issues are attributed to a new COPD diagnosis. Lots of issues, but she's at peace with her decision.

She loved her visit with Sophie and our 2 little munchkins yesterday.

Press On!

Press On!

"But let us never forget that the noblest men are they who make their mistakes and failures stepping-stones to a more conspicuous success, and, baffled, have learned to fight better."

F.B. Meyer

I Forgot!

I Forgot

Matt. 16:7-8

"And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, "we brought no bread". But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O ye of little faith."

What is amazing about this text is that

The disciples had just seen Jesus break the loaves and fish and feed 5,000!! How quickly they forgot! 

Just this week, I've allowed myself to worry about some upcoming things and have just had to kick myself. How quickly the enemy can draw me away and cloud my memory. How quickly I forget that He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it. How quickly I forget that the God who owns the cattle on a 1,000 hills has sustained us through difficult times, illness, and need for these past 8 months. Shame on me and God forgive me! 

Then I remember: This is why I need a fresh touch from Him EVERY day. This is why I need to dig in His Word and get on my knees and beg for His touch... Beg for His Spirit to fill me afresh each day.

Why??? It's because I forgot.

When I take my eyes off of Him, I forget!

We forget!

The disciples forgot!

May we seek His face before we face any other today! 

Savior!

He Has a Plan!

Prayer Request-Lynn

Prayer Request-Lynn

Please pray for my friend Lynn's mother. 94 years old and rushed to the hospital this morning in Florida with severe chest pain

Adversity

"Often, adversity is a blessing in disguise, and is certainly the greatest character builder"

~Koch~

Never Alone!

Prayer Request-My Mom

Please Pray for my mom. She's 80

And is very very sick from this chemo. My sister is talking with her about whether to continue or not with the treatment. She has had a major decline since last Tuesdays treatment. Sis is afraid that she won't survive the treatment and as sick as she is, there is no quality of life right now. Sometimes treatment is worse than the illness. Taking our sweet babies and Sophie to see her on Friday.....that will have her smiling for sure!

We appreciate your prayers so much!

Oh, how I need Him!

Remember!

Helplessness

"The various experiences of human life, perform their highest office for us, when they convince us of our helplessness, and incline us to avail ourselves of those spiritual resources which are always within our reach"

~F. B. Meyer~

Helplessness

Helplessness

"The various experiences of human life, perform their highest office for us, when they convince us of our helplessness, and incline us to avail ourselves of those spiritual resources which are always within our reach"

~F. B. Meyer~

His Hands

Always Enough

Always Enough

"I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me."

Psalm 13:6

This morning, I'm focusing on my wonderful Lord and the grace and sustenance He continues to pour out on my family!

So much of this year has been spent living on the edge! "God, it looks like we are going under....God, we aren't going to make it....God, what are we going to do???" Have you had times like that?

Aren't you grateful that God uses these times to shine through our darkness? Aren't you grateful that He uses times like these to draw us to Himself and prove His unfailing love and faithfulness? Praise you, Father--I am!!

He's tried our faith so He could prove His faithfulness many times this year.  10 months into the year, I can say...always enough! He's always enough! His provision is always enough!

Try Him today and you will find He's always faithful in loving and caring for His own.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

May you seek His face before you face any other today!

Wait!

Wait!

"Observe that they had a work set before them, and they had a promise of power to perform it. They were admonished to wait until the promise was fulfilled."

"First, we, as Christians, have the same commission to fulfill. As truly as they did, we need an outpouring of power from on high. Of course, the same admonition, to wait on God until we receive it, is given to us."

~Charles Finney~

Be the Church

You Just Wait

You just wait!

Psalm 62:5-8

5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Don't you just hate waiting??  I always hated any form of wait that came my way.  The last 6 months have helped me come to terms with the concept, and the pain and frustration that can go hand in hand with waiting.

5 1/2 months of either staring at my bedroom ceiling or the hospital ceiling.  Always waiting for the pain to go away, waiting

for the next cardiac event, waiting to get out of the hospital for the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th time....always waiting, always wondering!

Early on in the process I reached a fork in the road. Either submit, wait on the Lord and let the refining process begin, or wallow in it all.

All of our waiting periods are different, but they usually have a common thread.... They're difficult!!  

I found that in submitting myself to the Master's timetable, my soul was flooded with patience from Him. He became my refuge  and strength in a way I had never known before. He proved time and again to me that He was trustworthy and His timing was perfect.  His mercies were new every morning to me and I found out how important it was to walk one step at a time while looking up to Him! Day by day!

I took great comfort in Deut. 33:25 ... as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

Although it's not easy, if you can learn to trust and wait, His will is revealed and peace will come!

You just wait and see!

May you seek His face before you face any other today!

Trust!

Hands Tied

Hands Tied

" 'You ask me for something and then you proceed to tie my hands by your anxiety.' It is His work--and it is my business to believe Him. No strain or stress is necessary. He is over all. It is no longer I, but Christ Who dwells within"

~A.W. Tozer~

Leading the Way

Leading the way

Deuteronomy 31:3 the Lord your God Himself will go before you; 

31:6 Be strong and courageous...do not fear... The Lord your God goes with you....He will not leave you or forsake you.

31:7 Be strong and courageous

31:8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you neither forsake you. Fear not neither be dismayed

31:23 Be strong and courageous....I will be with you

The time had come for Joshua to take the mantle from Moses and lead the Israelites over the Jordan River.  Joshua would have his hands full as the Israelites were crossing into the land of plenty and would forget their God....the God who had brought them safely through their wilderness years.

Joshua really didn't know at the time what that crossing of the Jordan meant for him. Years of frustration as he watched his people forget their God,  watched evil and trouble overcome them, watched as his Faithful God had to turn His face away from their evil.

The wonderful provision God made for Joshua in all of this was His personal promise that whatever he faced in the coming days and years, the Lord would go before him.  He would be with him, He would never fail him, He would never forsake him!

We all have our rivers to cross, frustrations to face, troubles to come .... We don't know what, we don't know when.

But, what comfort in knowing that the same Old Testament God who made all those promises to Joshua is still keeping promises today! He's been unfailing through the ages and He is still "mighty to save". 

Whatever you may face today, know this:  He goes before you....He will be with you... He will not fail you!

Walk with God. May you seek HIS face before you face any other today!

Prayer Request

Prayer Request

10.9.15

Please pray for our family. We have all 5 been sick with cold and fever all week.  We are ready for good health to return to our household.

I've missed my daily posting on Haven!

Knees

"When trials come, don't wring your hands---Bend your knees!"

~Adrian Rogers~

Our Great Way-Maker

The Light of the World is Jesus

Deaf and Dull

Deaf and Dull

"For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed."

Matthew 13:15

It's sad that this verse reads like a glimpse into so many of our spiritual lives.  I just hate that my ears get plugged up with the noise of the world so easily! 

The Holy Spirit convicted me of this weakness soon after I suffered 2 massive heart attacks, and I've worked so hard these past 7 months to walk "unplugged".

Jesus was telling the disciples about the New Testament Christians when He quoted Isaiah in today's referenced Scripture. Even 2000+ years later, we are still dull of hearing and heart!

One thing I've heard so often but never really learned in my heart until recently is... HE is the only way! He is the One who speaks peace to the noise and chaos in our lives. Only time in His presence quickens our spirits and warms dull, lukewarm hearts.

Cling to Him! How this world needs believers who worship daily at His feet and crave the fellowship of the burning heart.

May you seek His face before you face any other today!

I know Who holds My Future

Personality

Personality

"Spirit can penetrate spirit. It can penetrate personality--oh, if God's people could only learn that Spirit can penetrate personality, that your personality is not an impenetrable substance, but can be penetrated."

~A.W. Tozer~

Draw me Nearer

Prayer Request-Sister Update

Update on my sister Dotty:  We were concerned about her condition upon release from the hospital following a massive stroke.  Her Doctor immediately set her up with a speech therapist, physical therapist and occupational therapist. She still has trouble talking and thinking and only has very limited use of her right side. Please keep her in your prayers!

If only...

If only...

"He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea"

Micah 7:19

Do you ever let the "if only" questions of the past rob you of present peace and victorious days?

Many are the times that I've looked back and then slid down the hill of despair. "If only I hadn't..." "If only I had.."! My, how often the enemy has caused havoc in my day by taking me on a tour of my past failures!

Our enemy wants us to forget that our loving Father, when we lay our past at his feet, casts it all into the sea of forgetfulness. 

What a wonderful thought! Our sins will be remembered no more! So, let us fix our eyes on Jesus. When the enemy starts the slideshow of your past, turn your eyes upon Jesus! If HE has tossed it and forgotten it, we need to follow His example. Quit letting your past rob today of its joy and impact for the Kingdom.

"Deem not the irrevocable past as wholly wasted, wholly vain, if, rising on it's wrecks, at last to something nobler we attain"

~Longfellow~

It's a new day!

May you seek His face before

you face any other today!