Expect the Great!

6 02 2013

Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord! Psalm 31:24 AMP

DSCF0247A definition of “Expectancy” is the state of thinking that something, especially something pleasant, will happen or be the case. As God’s children we can live in a continuous state of expectancy of His goodness and His love being extended to us. Our Father is a Great God who desires to bless those that delight themselves in Him. We have a heart full of thanksgiving for this blessing. We can expect and anticipate the goodness of God to be evident in our lives; His peace, His mercy, His love and His grace will surround each day. We praise His Holy name for all of His power and majesty and the blessing of being in relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 95:1-3 AMP


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Categories : ENCOURAGEMENT, Uncategorized

Laser Focus

6 02 2013

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-2

DSC02697I admire people who have the ability to focus on a goal and work toward it without getting weighed down with the challenges of living. They seem to be able to fix their eyes on their goal down the road and work diligently toward that goal no matter what comes their way. I am working on having that kind of laser focus in my life.

Our passage today is about fixing our eyes on Jesus. We have so many followers that have gone before us, leaving a trail that is encouragement to throw off every hindrance in our lives. We should avoid every sin, every distraction and each thing that will keep us from running swiftly toward our goal. Our Father did not just provide grace, mercy and salvation for us alone. He has given each one of us purpose and work to do to build His Kingdom. Now, like never before we should commit our focus and our hands to getting it done.


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Categories : PURPOSE, Uncategorized

Seeing Clearly

4 02 2013

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119: 105  

???????????????????????????????Our life’s journey is full of decisions. Knowing what path to choose or which road to take can be challenging. We can depend on our own wisdom and our best thinking but relying on that alone can lead to a wrong turn.   We may hope for a booming voice from God or even a quite whisper that tells us clearly how we should proceed. Still at times we may remain unsure where our next step should be placed.

This portion of Psalms reminds us that our God’s Word provides a lamp unto our feet. God orders the steps of the righteous. Seeking guidance from His Word and the powerful leading of the Holy Spirit can provide the clarity we are seeking. We thank God that He provides a bright light to our path. We can step out on faith knowing that our Father is there every step of the way.


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Categories : GUIDANCE, Uncategorized

Do You See What He Sees

31 01 2013

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

DSC04059A vision of what is possible may come at different phases in our lives.  In youth, we may envision our lives with an abundance to live happy, prosperous lives.  As we age and make choices, the possibilities of what we can achieve seems to get smaller or larger based our vision.  I am thankful to God who has a Kingdom view of our lives as our Creator and our Heavenly Father.  He sees all of the gifts and talents that dwell within.  He sees what lies ahead and His Holy Spirit can lead us toward the bright purpose He has for each of us.  We should each seek to see what God sees.  Knowing His love for us is great and that His purpose for us is for good.  We praise God for His love, His grace and His direction for our lives.


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Categories : PURPOSE, Uncategorized

Suddenly

30 01 2013

Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.  Isaiah 26:4

DSC04206The landscapes of our lives can change suddenly. Things that we count on and even take for granted can make a sudden shift that leaves our heart and minds spinning. The unexpected loss of a job, a doctor’s report from seemingly out of nowhere or the loss of a loved one can send us searching for more certain ground. We can be thankful that whatever the day brings that we can stand and put our trust in Lord. Whatever the circumstance, we can look to Him for His love, His protection and His guidance as our Eternal Rock. We are so thankful to God that He never changes.   He is our solid foundation of love, hope and peace for today and the days ahead. We can plant our faith and trust firmly in Him. Some days may bring difficulty but our God is faithful to be with us every step of the way. We can put our trust in Lord, our Eternal Rock.

God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.

We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, 

courageous in sea storm and earthquake,

Before the rush and roar of oceans,

the tremors that shift mountains.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Psalms 46:1-3 MSG


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Categories : REFUGE, Uncategorized

Nooks and Crannies

29 01 2013

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:37-40

DSC03998We are so blessed that God will reveal things to us about what is down inside; the things that are pleasing and the things that need to change in our thinking and our behavior. They may be things that are just under the surface or find themselves down in the crevices of our thinking. I call them the “nooks and crannies” of our living. Our thoughts and deeds should reflect His love and His ways. Some times during our everyday living, we discover a hard place in our attitudes toward others that may not be loving, maybe judgmental or lack mercy or compassion. We may have a tendency to think of others based on race, economics, or even ability. When it happens, we may be tempted to “sweep it under the rug” as commonplace but the Holy Spirit is calling us to a higher ground of love. I am so glad that Jesus loves us enough to show us when we have some work to do to become more like Him. We can ask the Lord for forgiveness and to ask Him to change our hearts and minds toward His love and His compassion then it up to us to follow His lead and change our behavior.

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”  Matthew 22:37-40 MSG


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Categories : LOVE, Uncategorized

Give it to Him

29 01 2013

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. I Peter 5:7 NIV

IMG_1115God cares about every aspect of our lives.  He cares about our thoughts, our decisions, our hopes, dreams, our problems and our concerns. I love the scripture that says that “we can cast all our cares on Him for He cares for us”. It is a powerful assurance that no matter what we are facing, God cares and that we can cast, toss, or give our problems to our Heavenly Father. He cares about the big and little things of our lives. We may have concerns about health, finances, relationships or how a whole range of situations will be resolved. We can thank God for His love and that He knows all about it. We can demonstrate our faith and confidence in Him and turn it over to Him. When we give it to Him, He immerses His love, His power and His healing that transforms any situation. It may be a long-standing concern that has burdened our hearts for months or years but I challenge you today to give it to the Father. We can receive a new outlook through the lenses of His faith and promises concerning His children. We may be waiting on Him but He may be waiting on us to put our whole faith and trust in Him. Give it to Him today.

Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you. I Peter 5:7


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Categories : REFUGE, Uncategorized

Be Ye Holy

26 01 2013

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” I Peter 1:15-16 NLT 

DSC03860One description of Holiness defines it as dedicating ourselves wholly to God. We should reflect His will and His way that makes our lives and living distinct from the world. It is something that we strive for each day. We can seek to have a better understanding of what we should do and have the wisdom to do it. God’s Word is an open letter to each of us with a description of the higher ground that we should reach for in our lives. I am so thankful for the Gift of His son Jesus and the Holy Spirit that empowers believers to make our walk personal and gives us the strength to walk according to His will. It is surprisingly not a denomination, the ability to dance and shout but truly committing ourselves to God. I know that may sound difficult or create mental images of living like a monk on a hill but we can live a “holy” life right here in our homes, among our families and friends within our communities. It is a necessary dedication for the abundant life that we seek through Jesus Christ.

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”  You call out to God for help and he helps – he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living. I Peter 1:15-17MSG


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Categories : GUIDANCE, Uncategorized

The List

24 01 2013

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. I Thessalonians 3:12 NLT

DSCF0560We live busy lives. Each morning we wake up with at least a mental list of what we want to accomplish.   I am sure we have included the many tasks for our jobs, our families and the other demands placed on each of us. When we make “the list” this morning, we may want to consider what the Lord would have us to do. Have we included on “the list” a time of devotion and gratitude with Him. We woke up this morning and we are thankful. Is there a place on the list for sharing love and concern for the people who mean the most to us, our spouses, children, siblings, parents and friends? The loved one that is in the hospital, or another you know who needs encouragement, take a moment to reach out to them. A card that you have been meaning to send or the phone call to let someone know that you are thinking of them. I am working on my list for today and asking God where I can make the most impact to encourage His children. We thank Him in advance for His leading and His love that we can extend to someone today.


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Categories : PURPOSE, Uncategorized

Evidence of His Love

18 01 2013

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love-so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about-not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. I John 4:7-10 Msg

IMG_0137Love comes from our Heavenly Father. As His children, love should be evident in our DNA and the world should be able to identify us because of the love on our faces and the traces we leave with our actions. We should able to spot strong evidence of love in our conversations and our ability to shine encouragement upon others. Just like the strong resemblance of the Jones, Smith or Williams families, people should be able to identify us walking on the street, on ours jobs, at the neighborhood school or in the marketplace.   They will be able to see it in our eyes, hear it in our voices and feel it with kind acts of our helping hands. The peace and love that we bring will transform situations where people will be able to see us as one of His children. Just think about the evidence of His love showing up everywhere His children walk, work and live. It’s powerful to think that love would appear everywhere we go.


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Categories : LOVE, Uncategorized

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