Moving Forward In His Strength!

“Do you believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will  be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone.  Yet I am not alone, for my Father in heaven is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:31-33 NIV

Right after Jesus made these comments, he looked toward heaven and prayed and while he was praying, he prayed for you and me (in John 17:20) and I’m so thankful that He looked down through generations to come and saw me and He saw you, too. He loves us enough that He wanted to make sure we knew, He was thinking about us before we were ever formed in our mother’s wombs.

Understanding that God’s Word was written with me in mind–providing me with understanding of how things were, why they happened, and a look at the future has given me the fortitude needed to keep moving forward in His strength, rather than my own. And if you have developed a relationship with God–His Word was also written for your benefit and not mine alone.

In times like these–we need to know more than ever than we do indeed have a Savior that loves and will guide us in all we do. We need to know that with Him going before us, we are more than conquerors and we can do all things through Him. Nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible for God to accomplish through those who love Him. When we are at our weakest moments in life–He is our strength. When we feel we can’t go on, He speaks to the hearts of those around us and they encourage us to keep moving until victory is won.

Though we do not understand the foolishness that prevails in the White House, we can be assured that God is allowing this all to be revealed to His glory, not the glory of any man or group of men, but so the world will know–when people lie on Him, He will expose the lies and truth will make a way and soon we’ll all be free of the idiocy that now exists in the land (Washington, DC).

Don’t give up no matter how tired you are! No matter how foolish the speeches are that come out of the White House through the press secretary or any of the surrogates who only speak lies–look towards heaven and pray and God will hear and answer our prayers.

This we must do–stay vigilant–observing everything that happens, making sure sources we use for information are credible, and ignore all the machinations used by the enemy, including the bots promoting negative, inflammatory remarks that attempt to belittle or negate whatever anyone says that does not favor trump. We are in this to win it and we will not be deterred by the lies and deceit. We will move forward in His strength and encourage others to do the same. The Resistance is here to stay and will not  be moved by lies or threats or bullying of others.

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30 Days of Prayer and Praise–30!

I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me. May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD, when they hear what you have decreed. May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. The LORD will vindicate me; your love, LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. Psalm 138 NIV

Day Thirty!

Lord Jesus,

You have kept us focused on the prize in our obedience to praising You. You have given us boldness, courage, stamina and insight with wisdom from above to keep moving forward, daily exercising our gifts in giving You praise.

Lord, thank You for continuing to pour into us knowledge and wisdom and desire to know truth and to always speak truth about all things. Daily, we’ll lift our hearts and sing praises unto You for there is no other like You worthy of our praise!

Thank You for always quickening our spirits when dismayed and providing us with a circle of others who love You to keep us encouraged. Thank You for keeping our thoughts from straying as we continue to work to seek justice for all and to right wrongs perpetuated against others.

Thank You for being a beacon of light in the darkness of a world filled with hate and giving us boldness to speak love, dispelling the darkness in the hearts of those who do not know You, anointing them with Your love.

Thank You for being in the chambers of the Senate and House–speaking a word of encouragement to the hearts of those who stand up and speak out for those whose voices are not heard through their own attempts to speak loudly. Thank You for giving all elected representatives hearts of flesh and not of stone so they’ll be moved with compassion and put country before party.

Lord, our Lord–who is mighty in battle and a conqueror never defeated–thank You for pouring into us Your spirit so we too can keep fighting the good fight of faith and are strengthened by the love You have for us in doing what is right for all people.

Blessed is the name of the Lord and blessed are those who obey Him in all things. Blessed are we who love You, O Lord that we might be a blessing to others and all who do not know You will come to know You through our living example of The Word.

In Jesus’ name we pray and thank You, Amen!

30 Days of Prayer and Praise–7!

Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who is the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 134 NIV

Day Seven

Lord,

As You look upon us today and see our challenges, encourage our hearts O Lord, to keep looking to You, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

As we look to You for direction, feed us O Lord with wisdom from on high--wisdom only You can give and only those filled with Holy Spirit can discern and share with others.

Lord, we are Your children and we know You only give good gifts as any loving Father would do. When Your children are starving, You will not give us stones. When Your children are lost, You will not lead them down paths of destruction. When Your children desire wisdom, You will not give them foolishness. When Your children desire truth, You will not give them lies for we know how much You hate a liar.

Lord, we know and recognize all the attributes You have and when they are present in those who claim to love You.

You, O Lord are as transparent as clear glass and there is nothing hidden about You unless people have chosen to live in darkness and never acknowledge who You are.

You, O Lord are light that dispels the darkness and brings every hidden thing into the light for all to see.

You, O Lord are love and do nothing out of hatred and neither will You encourage Your children to hate.

You, O Lord are the God of peace, not chaos; stability and not unrest; unity and not divisiveness and those who love You, demonstrate who You are in like manner.

You, O Lord are our banner of strength and courage and You give us boldness to keep marching forward, doing all You put on our hearts to do no matter what the enemy does.

You, O Lord are the gift that keeps giving and never allows any of Your children to suffer from lack.

You, O Lord know our thoughts before we ever think them and You speak to our hearts to keep us on the path of righteousness.

You, O Lord have quickened our spirits to always stay in the battle–defending the rights of the poor and needy when they have no voice or strength to fight on their own.

You, O Lord remind us daily that You and You alone are God, You are the only One who has heaven and hell–prepared for those who obey or disobey.

You, O Lord have given us right examples in what our attitude should be in all situations, as Peter and other apostles realized in the face of certain death, “We must obey God rather than human beings.” (Acts 5:29 NIV)

Lord, we pray that everyone who has a heart for You, will remember that obedience to You is better than sacrifice and whatever You have promised when we obey, will be ours.

Lord, we thank You for searing the hearts of all who would attempt to deter and manipulate others from hearing You, out of greed for riches, status, and power. Show them their end if they refuse to hear You.

Lord, we thank You for giving most of us–an ear and heart to hear–both naturally and spiritually–all You are saying and for giving us a mind to please You and no one else.

For all You have done, are doing and will do in the lives of those who love You and obey, we give You praise and glory for You are the only one worthy of it.

Thank You for hearing and answering our prayers this day and always. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Strength For The Battle!

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:6-14 NIV

Sometimes, appearances can be deceiving,

Sometimes, when right, we simply keep believing,

The wrongs that need correction

Lord, guide us with Your direction

Speaking to hearts along the way,

Never giving up, by night or day.

Enlarge our hearts and our space,

Reaching others to seek Your face,

Never in fear, but always with love,

Knowing true wisdom comes from above.

Help us in this battle to remain strong,

Bold, and fearless while correcting this wrong,

Brought by manipulation and deception

Turned and righted for Your reception,

Of us into Your Presence.

Though the journey to seeing a wrong turned right,

Gets weary, never forget, we are precious in His sight.

Press on, mighty soldiers of valor and integrity,

Fight on with honor, strength, and dignity.

For the battle is The Lord’s and not ours,

When weak, we’re strengthened in His power,

To stay the course, never veering from the path,

Of victory that is before us, the win–in the math,

As God calculates it.

While we wait to see the victory,

Be strong, determined to make unprecedented history,

Remember God knows and truth will reveal

The tricks and lies used in attempts to steal,

Joy and happiness found only in Him.

The Joy of The Lord Is Our Strength!

Forgiven and Healed!

Of David. Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5 NIV

Lord, You are great and greatly to be praised. There is no one else like You in the whole wide world. We could climb the highest mountain, or sink to the depths of the sea, explore the earth from east to west and north to south and still would discover, You alone are God!

With a heavy heart, but a determined faith, I am standing in the gap for a friend who has just been told she has breast cancer. She does not understand how great God is or His loving mercy so I’m praying on her behalf. I’m praying that God will reveal Himself to her greatly, that she’ll receive His love and mercy and commit to living for Him, and that God will heal her body and all traces of cancer will be eradicated. I’m also praying for strength and wisdom in knowing how to be a friend to her without overwhelming her.

I know The Lord as Savior, redeemer, friend and healer, provider of all my needs. I pray that I have truly pleased Him and that He’ll hear and answer my prayers for this woman and for all who are facing the challenge of fighting cancer.

We never know who or when this diagnosis will be presented to anyone, so I encourage all to pray with me during this time that if–we ever hear it–we’ll be strengthened by the knowledge of a loving-God who never abandons His children and that He will heal us of all diseases.

Father, prompt Holy Spirit to rise in all who love You and impart strength and wisdom to those who are battling disease and those who are praying for them. Help us to endure to the end–to see the victory that can only come from above. In Jesus’ name I pray and thank You, Amen!

Strengthened By Faithfulness In Our Obedience to God!

“He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the LORD will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (I Samuel 2:9,10 NIV)

Those who are faithful–obedient out of reverence for The Lord–have no need to fear judgment at the end--for The Lord will judge them according to their faithfulness to Him.

At the same time, those who have not acknowledged God and not obeyed Him, will be silenced in the midst of their wickedness and at the end, they shall appear before God, trembling and shaking and rightfully so.

When children are obedient to their parents, they have nothing to fear from their parents, but can look forward to receiving the just reward of their behavior. Obedient children quickly respond to questions parents may have and own up to any mistakes made, accepting responsibility for anything they did that caused a problem.

On the other hand, disobedient children will deliberately do whatever they “feel” like doing, allowing their emotions to rule over them and then they will lie or blame everyone else for the negative things that happen in their lives. When they are caught in a lie, they become defiant, arrogant and unruly. When punishment is meted out, they become resentful and instead of owning up to their behavior, they blame others for the predicament they find themselves in.

Good parents–parents who are observant and know their children–always know which child did what in their absence. They even know that older, more mature children, will often take the blame for younger, immature children to keep them from suffering a punishment. Parents know who did what when they have paid attention to their children and know their personalities–who’s mature and who’s not. They know, but sometimes they don’t say anything and judge according to the information presented to them.

Those older children who take the blame for the things the younger ones, only exacerbate the problem since the younger ones seldom learn to take responsibility for their actions. Then they go through life, never willing to own what they do, but always willing to blame others.

God knows His children–the good and the bad–and His judgment will be based on the works we do out of obedience and since those who are disobedient don’t accomplish much (based upon His plans), they will get their just reward from Him.

Don’t get weary doing what is right even though it appears that those who never do what’s right seem to get ahead of you in life. They haven’t gotten ahead and in the end, they’ll discover just how are far behind you they really are. Do good and know your reward is secure because of His love for us and He is faithful to those who are obedient to Him.

Even If The Mountains Fall!

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,” (Psalm 46: 1,2 NIV).

Though the news in far-away places is usually negative and depressing, we have no need to fear.

Though politicians refuse to do the job for which they were elected (make decisions for the people, not the greedy), we have no need to fear.

Though the foolish and idiotic attempt to sway believers they are wasting their time believing in God, we have no need to fear.

Though the gun-lobbyists are fueling evil and creating environments that cost lives, we have no need to fear.

Though lawmakers create laws that encourage sin in the land, we have no need to fear.

Though there can be little hope for peace among those who are peace-breakers, and not peace-makers, we have no need to fear.

Though it may appear that all hope is lost because of man’s desire to do what pleases himself instead of God, we have no need to fear.

No matter how the enemy influences others to do what is totally against God, we who believe that God is and will always be–our refuge and strength in times of trouble, have no need to fear. We can and will stand confident in the knowledge of God and in His Word and we will not be moved by trends or people who deliberately defy God. Though the mountains tumble into the sea–our confidence remains deeply rooted in the faith that God can and will save us.  Even though some may see and know physical death, our eternal resting place is guaranteed, and nothing will deter us from obtaining it.

 

Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for Your Word that rises up mightily in us in the face of danger and negative reports.  Thank You for instilling in us, unmoving faith in You and in the knowledge of who You are and Your plans for us.  Remind us to encourage others in the faith, to hold onto Your Word, no matter what the enemy does, and be not moved by the appearances of things, but moved only by our faith in You.

 

Stay Strong!

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in The Lord” (Psalm 31:24 NIV)

Staying strong in the face of adversity, persecution, and ridicule takes courage.  And courageous people are stronger than those who are full of pride and arrogant.  How do we know?  Those who are arrogant–so full of themselves that think rules don’t apply to them–or think they know everything–eventually discover the end of themselves when they realize–the rules do apply and they don’t know everything.  Those who are full of pride–who think they do not need anyone but them or are too ashamed to ask for help–eventually fall under the pressure of their pride.

But those who dare to stand up–to the bullies, to injustice, to fight for the rights of others, to withstand the ridicule of fools (for The Word says,”the fool has said in his heart, there is no God”), who face enduring illness with determination, who will maintain their faith in God, no matter what–those are the strong.

Think about your reaction to life–the good and bad things that occur almost on a daily basis; are you the strong?  Take heart!  If you are willing to keep your focus on the hope you have in Christ Jesus, your determination will strengthen you and you will know–the hope of glory!

In His Strength

I’ve been very busy lately.

Teaching and writing, and writing and teaching, and taking care of home.

Some nights, I don’t sleep well, but I still have to keep going, and going, and going.

When the body is tired, the mind is confused and the spirit is listless, logic is gone.

But when I feel I cannot go another step, cannot rise from a bent position, and just feel like laying in the floor, ready to give up, I hear the voice of the Lord, “You can do this, just one more day.”

“No, Lord, not today.  I cannot make it one more day.”

“Have faith in me,” The Lord continues.

“I do have faith in You, but I cannot make it.”

“If you have faith in me, you can do all things necessary,” The Lord says.

“But, Lord.  I’m tired.  I’m drained. I’m completely empty.”

“Good!  Now let me fill you with my spirit, “says The Lord. “When you can no longer count on you, you can always lean on me.  In your weakness, I am made strong.  There is nothing too hard for me.  I love you and I will not forsake you.  Now, get up!”

“Lord, I’m so tired.”

“Get up and speak only those things I have spoken to you,” says The Lord.

Slowly, I turn my head and say, “I can do all things necessary.  In my weakness, You are my strength.  There is nothing too hard for You.  I am loved and never alone.”  As I repeat this several times, I feel renewed energy surging through my body and slowly I rise–feeling my spine straighten, hearing my joints squeak as they begin to move, and then I am standing, raising my hands, looking towards heaven and singing praises unto Him who loves me and will never leave me alone.  I am moving once again and just for today, I am re-energized and ready for anything the enemy throws my way.  I am a living testimony and I will proclaim His goodness this day!  Hallelujah!