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 |   Devotion's that have touched my heart from God's Word
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During a time in my life where I was chair bound, I became really depressed and feeling quite like I wasn't being useful to my family or to God. It was while all this was happening, that God started touching my heart about writing. I wrote, edited, and published my first book, and then thought I was done. However, God had other plans. He touched my heart about starting this weekly devotion on facebook, and now I'm adding it here. I hope it is as much an encouragement to you as it is to me! All scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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| Prompt: How much do you think the life-stories of parents affect their children? To what degree has the story of your parents affected you, if it has? I love to hear stories from when my parents were growing up. And in kind, I have also had the privilege to hear childhood stories from all four of my grandparents and one of my great-grandparents. I think one of the most important reasons to hear these stories is that it connects us with our heritage, with our past. It tells us where we come from and where our parents have gotten their values. One of the affects it's had on me is that I want my children to hear my stories. As I child, it was fun to hear all the mischievous things our parents did and how their parents reacted. I know that I saw those reactions passed down to how my parents dealt with me. And many of those ideas and values are passed on to my children today. As a Christian, one of the most important things I heard from my parents was of their testimony and how they entered into a relationship with Christ. My children have heard my testimony and husband's, and in turn I hope someday they will be able to tell their children how their grandparents were Christians, and then how their parents were Christians, and what that means for them to pass down to further generations. I wrote a poem a while back that represents this prompt well, and I thought I might share the link here.
Joshua 4:6-7 (King James Version) 6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them ... and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. |
| Prompt: How do you begin each day? What is the best way for anyone to begin each day? View this from any angle that you wish. The way I begin my day, and the way I should begin my day are two very different things. But this is how it goes. Before my eyes are open good, I always have to make my way to the little girls room. I kind of sit there until I'm more awake, and then come back to my favorite recliner, where I pick up my laptop. Usually, I check WDC, DA (deviantart), and FaceBook. These aren't in-depth checks, but just hitting the highlights. By this time, either my son or my hubby has brought me my chocolate (protein) milk, and three sausage patties for breakfast. I pray over my meal, get my morning meds out, and eat. I'll either read or play a game while I'm eating, and after I finish, I'll make sure anything pressing is taken care of online. Within a couple of hours of waking up, I'll usually lay back down for an hour or two. If you're a Christian, you can probably see what I missed in the above routine. Although I briefly prayed over my meal, I neglected to spend my morning with the Lord in Bible study and prayer. It's something that I need to be better about doing. It probably doesn't matter what time of day you study, but I know that if I start my day out with the Lord, I feel much better. Here are a few verses about mornings and the Lord. Psalm 5:1-3 1 (To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David.) Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. 2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct [my prayer] unto thee, and will look up. Psalm 30:4-5 4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 5 For his anger [endureth but] a moment; in his favour [is] life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning. Psalm 143:8 8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Lamentations 3:21-23 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 [It is of] the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness. These are just a few examples. There are many verses about people meeting the Lord in the morning, and also about the Lord taking care of business first thing in the morning. So although it hasn't been a part of my morning routine like it should. By the grace of God, it is going to start being part of my morning routine! |
| Proverbs 11:25 25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. It is so funny that this verse came up. Last night I was walking through our bedroom, and Phil has the tv playing while he’s asleep. And it just so happened that there was a televangelist on the tv asking people for $1,000 each. This is a typical example of people turning the scripture to use it however they want. I stood there listening for a moment because I was just dumbfounded. He was telling the audience if they were having financial difficulty, that God was testing them. If they would send the ministry $1000, then later they would reap much more bountifully. It made me sick to my stomach and angry all at the same time. So deceptive! If you’ll look back at verse 17 in this same chapter, as well as verse 24, you will see a running theme. It’s something that we have heard time and again from our childhood. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” As a child I would think, but what if they are already being mean to me? No one really explained the meaning of that to me. However, as a mom, I realize the importance of teaching the entire Biblical truth. (not putting my mom down in any way) There have been times that other children or adults have been cruel to our family or to just one of our children. I even heard Trae say one time, “I wanted to get in the flesh, but I didn’t.” I was so proud of him for saying that. We have tried to instill that we should pray for enemies, and be kind to them, just as much as we would our friends. I used to hear another phrase when I was growing, “Killing them with kindness.” And I told Trae, that really wasn’t the right attitude either. We should never have the idea of trying to “get one over” on our enemies. God will take care of that issue in due time. I know this isn’t exactly what this verse is teaching, but it does touch on it. We will be rewarded by how we treat other people. Are we kind and compassionate? Are we generous and caring? If I’m liberal with my time and energy, if I strive to be a blessing, then the Bible says, I will be made fat. I don’t mean physically, and I definitely don’t mean monetarily, although that could happen. I mean God will bless us in some way for being a blessing to others. This week, our church will go out on the Blvd and give out the Gospel. It’s one of the busiest weeks of the year there, and several hundred tracts will be given out. Our church has face hardship for doing this in the past. We even had to fight the city for the right to be there, but God took care of the whole thing. And we have received a double blessing because every year, more and more people have gone out from our church to tell others about Jesus. That’s the true blessing. I haven’t shared many extra verses this time, but instead I wanted to share how this verse touched my heart. I’m so glad I’m not being forced by someone to give a set amount of money, time, etc, because that is between me and the Lord. But if I do what God says, and if He finds me faithful, I will be richly blessed! |
| With "A Baby Changes Everything" getting a thorough edit check, I have gone back to my work on "God's Prescription for Depression." This morning as I was writing the chapter on "Rejoicing," I came across these two verses. The truth of God's word just touched my heart. Habakkuk 3:17-18 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Many times we think that the words “joy” and “happy” are interchangeable. However, they are not. Remember, God knows that we are going to have different emotions. Sometimes we will feel sadness, anger, or anxiety. In fact, there is nothing wrong with being happy, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy as long as what you are happy about lines up with the Word of God. Just remember that we can have joy in our soul even when we face emotions other than happiness. Sincerely, Marci Missing Everyone  http://marphilhearts.wix.com/marciperrine |
| John 2:5 "His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." Before we can have a discussion on following God's commandments, I thought I should make one thing clear. Salvation has nothing to do with what you do. Salvation comes from God, and nothing you do can make you gain or lose salvation. That is made abundantly clear in Ephesians 2:8-9. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Then in Titus 3:5 the Word of God says, " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us..." The reason for keeping God's commandments is not because we are trying to work our way to heaven. You can see from the above verses, that idea is impossible. No. God has a much better reason for us to keep His commandments, and it is that much sweeter. We keep His commandments because we love Him. Jesus tells His disciples this many times. He says in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." You will find this sentiment repeated several times throughout the New Testament in the gospel of John and the epistles of John. You will also see it in Romans and Hebrew. My little girl has a servants heart. She does things without us even asking her to. Yesterday, my husband went in the kitchen to find her emptying out the dishwasher and reloading it with dirty dishes. Why would an eight year old do that? I think she likes getting the praise that we give her when she does something so helpful. However, I honestly believe that she does it because she loves us. This is just one example of the goodness in her heart. Now, is she perfect? No. Does she aggravate her brother? Yes. Does she get into mischief? Yes. But she loves me and her father. She wants to please us as much as she can. She knows that we love her and take the best care of her that we can. It is the same with keeping God's commandments. As far as John 2:5, Mary knew that Jesus was not just her son, but that He was the Son of the Most High God, and his commandments were to be followed. There are many things we could learn by following the context of this verse and the story that goes along with it. But the Lord really led me in this direction. "If ye love me, keep my commandments." We don't obey God because of what we can get from Him. We "love Him because He first loved us." Just like my little girl wants to please us, we should want to please God, and do whatever He tells us. Meditate on this thought, and see what you an do to please God! |
| Prompt: Can you be alone with yourself? Well, when I am alone with myself, I am never truly alone. First of all, I am the best sort of company, and I have the best conversations with myself!  I like time alone because it is the best time for me to write. My muse speaks to me most clearly when I am alone. She is most eager, especially when I want to fall asleep. However, on a more serious note, I will never truly be alone because God is always with me. I am so glad I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If I was without Him, then I would be alone, and I don't think I would like that very much. Here are a few verses that have touched my heart on this subject. Psalm 27:35 "I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Psalm 27:8-10 8 [When thou saidst], Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face [far] from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. John 14:18, 23 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He abides in me and I in Him...  |
| For two days, I have allowed the devil to rob me of my joy. First of all, how dare he! And second of all, how dare I allow him to do that. God strengthened me to make it to every meeting of the Creation Seminar this week. I learned an incredible amount of information, and was excited to spend so much time with Scott Campbell, Amy J. Campbell, and their family. What a blessing! I am also thankful for the prayer that my pastor, John Flowers Sr. prayed Sunday morning. It encouraged me, blessed me, and strengthened me as well. However, if I could pray for strength for those four days, why didn't I trust the Lord enough to ask for strength to get through the ladies fellowship which was the following night? Instead I assumed I would be tired and hurting because of the ongoing meetings and weather. Well, I was and am tired and hurting, but if God strengthened me for four days, He could strengthen me for the fifth. Sometimes God has to smack me on the back of the head to make me see things. As I was reading last night, I came across these verses. Colossians 1:10-14 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: I thank God that He is patient with me. He is longsuffering as He teaches me various things. I'm still learning how to accept and balance fibromyalgia with having some semblance of a life. Sometimes I get it, and other times, not so much. I know the Lord has taught me a lot in the past year and half, but I'm also glad He continues to teach. Thank you Lord for strengthening me and for delivering me from the power of darkness. Thank you for the forgiveness of my sins through your Son Jesus! |
| Pr 14:22 ¶ Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good. Devise means to conceive or dream up, to plan, arrange, or contrive. I wanted to look up this word because it seems to be the central theme of the verse. We know that people who devise evil, or dream up ways to be evil, are of course, wrong. What I like is the 2nd part of the verse. “…but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.” I thought of this verse in the context of outreach meetings we are having at my church, and how we are planning, or dreaming up ways to reach the community for Christ. I love when God confirms something through His word. He tells us that mercy and truth will be with us for planning good things. As I continued to dwell on the verse, I was reminded of Psalm 23 which is a Psalm of David. Verse 6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” I think about how the Lord takes care of us. I was also reminded of the situation in Myrtle Beach when we had to fight to pass out tracts there. The city was trying to stop the spreading of the gospel by saying we couldn't give out our gospel tracts. That law is actually unconstitutional. Their plan was in error, but our plan to give out the gospel was right. God worked in the situation and now we can pass out tracts any where in Myrtle Beach. Things don’t always work out that way, but regardless, God will always get the glory. |
| Pr 12:21 ¶ There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. Who are the just? They are the ones that have been justified by the blood of Jesus. They are not out looking to find mischief. However, those who don’t live right, known here as “the wicked,” they will find plenty of mischief because that’s what they are seeking. This doesn’t mean that nothing bad will ever happened to save people. On the contrary, we know that bad things do often happen. However, we have God’s grace as we go through tough times. An example is shown here by Paul in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12. 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. The wicked, on the other hand, go seek out mischief. And I know this sounds cliché, but “where there is smoke, there is fire.” If you go looking for it, then it will probably find you. There are many examples of this given in the scriptures. Psalm 7:14-15 14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. 15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch [which] he made. Psalm 140:8-10 8 Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; [lest] they exalt themselves. Selah. 9 [As for] the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. 10 Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Isaiah 47:9-11 9 But these two [things] shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, [and] for the great abundance of thine enchantments. 10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I [am], and none else beside me. 11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, [which] thou shalt not know. Ezekiel 7:24-27 24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled. 25 Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and [there shall be] none. 26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. 27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD. Acts 13:6-12 6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. In all of these verses, you can see the evil that happens to the wicked. However, when you look at the end of this passage I just read, you will see that the deputy, Barjesus, believed. He saw what would happen if he didn’t get right with God. This is God’s desire for you. He doesn’t desire judgment for you, but he is a just God, and if you don’t come to him through the blood of his son Jesus, you will befall his final judgment. |
| I wrote something to a friend earlier that would be beneficial for us all to learn. Remember that there are times when we all make choices that are out of God's will. I'm not proud to say that includes me. Yet God is so good! Sometimes God allows us to get to the bottom where there is nothing so that He can build us back up again. Remember the story about the Potter? As the song says, "And I bless the day, He didn't throw the clay away." God can, and will take you from where you are now. When we make choices out of His will, there will always be consequences, but just like a loving parent with a child, God forgives us and allows us to go on from there. He is so good! Jeremiah 18 2Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. Isaiah 64 8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. |
| As I lay in a hospital bed, weak from loss of blood, a doctor enters my room. One of the first questions that he asked me was if I wanted children. “Yes, very much!” I replied. “Well, that’s probably not going to happen,” he said in a matter of fact tone. He rambled off some other things about my condition, which is called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Then he left the room and, in turn, left me crying and devastated. I was a young newlywed, and we wanted a family more than anything in this world. After all, the Word tells us to be "fruitful and multiply." It also says that a man is happy if he has a “quiver full.” My heart’s desire was to be a Godly wife and mother, but without children I would always feel empty. It took me about four months to recover from this anemic episode, but all the while I was fuming on the inside. How dare God not let me have this precious gift! All the women around me were having babies, and I couldn’t have one? How fair was that? I didn’t know anyone else that was infertile. There are women aborting babies every day, and being selfish. Why couldn’t I have just one of those? Believe it or not, I learned a lot during that time. First, a friend that came to visit me, showed me Psalm 113:9 “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.” She reminded me that I had a lot of children that counted on me because I was a Sunday School teacher and a music leader. I read that verse over and over, but also started to go back to reading the Bible. I spent a lot of times in the Psalms, and then I came across the verses that really got me through this difficult time. Psalm 37:1-8 “ Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:…” I felt like these verses were written just for me. God’s Word is so good like that. When there is something that you are going through, somewhere in His love letter, you will find what you need. A year later, my husband and I became foster parents, and it was the most wonderful time! We had some ups and downs with getting children and then having them leave, but a miracle happened about six months into our venture. We received a baby that was very premature, and in fact still had five weeks to go until his gestational due date. We were so blessed and are still blessed by this. That teeny baby, whom we named Trae, was adopted three years later by us, and he is now almost twelve years old and over six feet tall. He is the joy of his mama’s heart! After losing two foster daughters that we had for almost two years, we decided to quit fostering. Soon after, we started making plans to go through an adoption agency in order to have another baby. When my son was three and a half, we earnestly worked on getting a home study done, and all the necessary preparations. At the end of August, everything was done, and it was just a waiting game at that point. We went out of town to see a preacher that we had known from a long time before, and that night he preached about the power of God. That night he prayed with me about having a baby, and within two weeks we got the call. God is just so good. I have to stop here and praise Him for a moment! The day before my husband’s birthday, a baby girl had been born just two hours south of us. Her birth mother chose our family from a pile of portfolios. We got the call on my husband’s birthday, and the next day, we went and got our precious Abigail. A few days later her big brother turned four. We are a complete family now. God has answered this prayer beyond the farthest reaches of my imagination. While I had one plan, He had a completely other plan, and now I can see it. I want to leave you with another one of my favorite verses. Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” God doesn’t want us to worry about anything. He is in control. Whether an answer is yes or no, or even maybe, He will always do what’s best for you! WC:909 ![Merit Badge in Spiritual
[Click For More Info]](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Spiritual-1820.gif) Won first place in The Christian Writing Contest for August 2013 |
Pr 30:20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. Here was a verse that I really didn't understand and struggled with. Finally, after a week of praying for God to guide me, He of course did. One time I was out knocking on doors with a friend, and we came across a woman who had been severely molested and abused her whole life. She had dealt with terrible things that many of us can’t even imagine. When we got to the part about how everyone has sinned, she denied that. She said with all the counseling that she had been through, one thing she had learned was that none of that was her fault and that she had done nothing wrong. She was not a sinner. I’m not going to go into the counseling side of things here, but my friend and I didn’t really know how to proceed from there. If a person doesn’t believe they are a sinner, how can you lead them to God? It’s true that she was not responsible for the bad things that had happened to her, but that did not make her a righteous person either. I’m not making light of those things, but in order to come before a just God, we must first admit that we have sinned before Him. The one sin that will keep us out of heaven is not acknowledging our sin, not repenting of it, and not accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour. The additional understanding that I have of this verse is that the person who steals because they need food, or a girl who strips to make money for college, or this adulterous woman who is just making a living, are all justified in what they are doing, right? Wrong. It is still sin. When a person is lost, they don’t understand that the righteousness of God shows how much sin they are really in. They justify their lifestyle because they are not judging it against God’s Word. I want to leave you with this final thought. You don't change your lifestyle and then come to God. You come to God, and let Him change your lifestyle! |
| What is it about the rain? Lately it seems that a lot of my poetry revolves around rain. Well, I live in the Southeastern United States, and we are pretty flooded out right now. Maybe that's it. However, when I think of rain, I don't just think of the weather, but I like to use it as a comparison. Trouble and times of trials are often described by comparing them to storms or rain. Let's see... clouds - trouble is coming lightning - trouble is hitting me from all sides thunder - trouble is here rain - my tears, trials covering me hurricane - fear the trouble will consume me It can go on and on, but now I want think about what is accomplished in a storm. You know, the Lord is good. He will not leave us or forsake us no matter what the weather. That's on my mind because I am going through a personal storm. The Holy Spirit is guiding me to see what I can learn. Let me share it with you. clouds - rest from the intense heat of the sun lightning - fire for purifying thunder - peace for sleeping rain - nutrition for new growth hurricane - just trust God I hope that with this simple devotion you will never look at storms the same way again. |
| Memory Verse Challenge - Verses for week of July 15 (I kept it simple since it's later in the week) Psalm 119:11 I John 3:1-2 Remember to comment below that you are memorizing these verses. It will encourage me and others! Marci Missing Everyone  ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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| Today, I not only have a devotion, but a challenge. I've been thinking a lot lately about the America where my ancestors grew up and where I grew up. It will not be the same America for my children, and especially not my grandchildren. America has gone so far away from God and away from all the things that it once was. I worry that as freedom's are granted to sinful groups and God haters, that the freedoms will be taken away from the Christians. We are in a land where babies are killed and whales are saved. We are in a land where you can curse God's name, but you can't share His name. I could go on and on with this list, but in this public of a forum, I don't want to alienate everyone. Remember this poem? What if you had no Bible? What if it were banned today? What if the law were final? What if it’s taken away? Do you know enough scripture? Can you recall Jesus words? Is it in your mind a fixture? How many verses are learned? Have you hid His word away, To help you fight against sin? Has it become your mainstay, To embed it deep within? Don’t forget the law of Him. Keep His words ever at hand. If the Bible’s future’s grim, Then you’ll need to take a stand. I have a challenge for everyone. For the next six weeks, let's learn at least 18 verses. My kids are expected to memorize at least two Bible verses a week, and during school, even more! I'm so glad for the verses that I was forced to learn as a kid, because now they easily come back to me. Every week for the next 6 weeks I will post these three verses. If you get them memorized, please post to let me know! I want to be encouraged as well! |
| The word worship has several meanings. I enjoy doing word studies, and this one provided an unusual challenge. On dictionary.com, the definition was “reverent honor or homage paid to God.” Well, that didn’t help me much in my quest to find the meaning of worship, so in order to dig further, I went to thesaurus.com. Here, I hit the jackpot in synonyms, but it really didn’t tell me what I was searching for. It took me a little while, but here is the reason I think that these places just didn’t answer my question. They are secular resources, and as such, can’t really give us the deeper meaning that we often need when studying our Bible. The next place I went to search for the word worship was the first place I should have gone, the Word of God. It was in the Psalms that I found exactly what I was looking for. I believe that the best way to answer the question, “What does it mean to worship God?” is to find out first the reason that we worship Him. I found the answer to this is Psalm 99. Verse three says that we should worship God’s name because “it is holy.” Verses five and nine say that “He is holy.” We should worship God and Him only because He is holy. The Psalms also answered my next question. How do we worship God? Now, I have been in church since I was a newborn. I was raised hearing the name of Jesus and honoring His word. However, when given this pointed question, I couldn’t immediately give a solid answer. I want to make sure that everything I answer comes from God, and not just something that I have been taught. Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name.” So, one way that we can worship God is to give Him the glory that He is due. Did you wake up this morning? Praise God. Do you have a home? Praise God. Do you have food to eat? Praise God. Giving praise unto the Lord is a form of worship. Psalm 95 gives us several ways to worship God: sing unto the Lord, make a joyful noise to the Lord, come before His presence with thanksgiving, and bow down and kneel before Him. Let me expound upon these great truths. We give worship to God when we sing to Him. You may say to me, “but I can’t sing.” Well, you are covered because it also says, “make a joyful noise.” Another way that we can worship God is by thanking Him. How often do we spend time asking God for things rather than thanking Him for what He has done? I know I am guilty. In the future, we need to remember that God wants our thankfulness as part of our worship to Him. Finally, I want to cover the last truth presented in Psalm 95. Verse 6 says, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Are you spending time bowing down and kneeling before the Lord? Do you go to Him in prayer and Bible study? Are you going to God with an open heart? To truly worship God, you must give Him all of yourself. Worship is not just what we do at church when we open a hymnal. Worship should be an outward expression of our daily living. Are you truly worshipping God? If not, then you can start this very minute by following the plan that He has laid out right before us in Psalm 29, 95, and 99. |
| Good morning. I had a little something that I wanted to share this morning. I was doing some studying in Philippians, my favorite book to go to when depression tries to rear its ugly head. I'm also reading a text by H.C.G. Moule, and English theologian from the mid-1800's to the early 1900's. While I don't know everything about this person, the book I am reading is a history and study on the book of Philippians, and so far everything I have read is spot on. He says something in the beginning of this book that just touched my heart. In the world we live in today, people would like to claim that the Bible is outdated or it is just literature. Look at this awesome passage! "The Book is divine, immortal, and ever young. He who was in it for our fathers is in it for us…. It is always contemporary with every generation of believers.” Can I get an “AMEN” here? Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” The written word of God can be applied to my life right now, here in the 21st century, just the same as it could be applied to the life of Mr. Moule in the 19th century, and just the same as it could to Paul in the 1st century. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that your words are “ever young!” |
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." “What does it mean to be born again?” “Can you go back into your mother’s womb?” “ I don’t understand what you are talking about.” This is often what we hear from the lost world as we explain salvation. The natural man cannot understand spiritual things unless the Holy Spirit guides him. So, let us talk about what it means to be spiritually born again. In our fleshly bodies, sin reigns supreme. The body does what makes it feel good. That is just the way it is. However, God says that the flesh we are born with is corruptible and anything that is not holy, pure, or clean cannot be in the presence of God. This is our natural state, and has only been born the first time. What can we do? We can’t remove this earthly flesh. That Is correct, we have to wear the flesh until our physical body dies, but we have two other parts of us that will never die, and that is our soul and spirit. These are the parts that become born again when we receive Christ as our Savior. I Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” Jesus showed us this process in His death, burial, and resurrection. When we receive Christ in our heart, we die to self; we bury the sin nature, and rise again in newness of life. This is being born again. Our hearts our cleansed from sin. This part of us cannot sin. 1John 3:6 “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” This is the only way to see God in Heaven. I John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” Eternity is spent one of two places depending on the second birth. If you have never been born again, you cannot go to heaven and be in the presence of God. Unfortunately, your state of being will have an eternity to mourn being out of the presence of God, and in an awful place called hell. If you have received Christ as your Savior, and have been cleansed through the newness of the second birth, you will spend eternity in the presence of Almighty God! |
This has been a particularly trying week for me. I've been working on the launch of the new group "The Poet's Place "  along with the Preview Party and Fundraiser that goes along with it. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have help. Some of you may or may not know that I have fibromyalgia and I have severe arthritis especially in my knees. Then last week I got a really bad abscessed tooth. Besides this, I'm still a mom and a wife. Thank the Lord that home schooling is done for the summer! We can be glad for these small blessings. Am I telling you all this to complain? Not really. When I'm having a rough time, the first thing I do is go to God. The devil battles me until he almost breaks me, but praise be to God as he will only allow the devil to go so far. If you don't believe this, then you need to go back and read the book of Job. After I spend time in Bible reading and prayer, what's next? I think I've mentioned before how much I love music. It soothes the soul. I do have a few favorite groups or singers, as I'm sure we all do. I love a lot of music from Casting Crowns, Gaither Vocal Band, Greater Vision, etc. I'm pretty eclectic, but I do not like Christian Rock. Okay, I'm getting off on a tangent here. So, there was a new song that I put on my iPod about a month ago, but this week it was really calling to me, and some of the words touched my heart so much that I want to share them with you. The song is "Worth It All" by Meredith Andrews. If you get a chance, you can look the song up on youtube.com. She tells the story of the song and does it in acoustic and it is amazing. Chorus "I let go of all I have just to have all of You And no matter what the cost I will follow You Jesus everything I've lost I have found in You When I finally reach the end I'll say You are worth it all" Tag at end "When I'm there in Your glorious presence Every knee is bowed before You Hear the sound of heaven singing You are worth it all All the saints cry holy holy Angels singing worthy worthy Forever I will shout Your praises You are worth it all You are worth it all" How can you stay down and depressed with something like this to remind you how awesome God is. He is truly Worth It All! Thank you to Meredith Andrews for these awe inspiring words. Whenever the devil is trying to battle you, and he will, just keep these thoughts in mind. Keep God's Word close to your heart in order to use it to combat the devil. Remember when Jesus was tempted of the devil after 40 days of fasting? How did he refute that old serpent? With the Word of God! Have a great week, and remember that Jesus is Worth It All!!! |
| My Testimony As I sat at my desk crying, I couldn’t stop thinking about the words I’d heard the evangelist speak the night before. “Are you sinner?” I knew was that God was convicting me, and I needed to respond. Sure, I grew up in a Christian home. I’d been faithfully serving in the church for as long as I could remember. I’d made at least two professions of faith as a child, and I was pretty sure I was saved. I had even been baptized. It would be shameful if everyone thought I had been lying all these years. Well, I didn’t lie on purpose, but it had been a lie none-the-less. I was not saved. God was pricking my heart and I knew it. It would be much worse to continue living a lie than to just accept Christ as my savior. I needed to swallow my pride. As I cried through the rest of the day, I knew I needed to be saved. Instead of turning my car toward home that evening, I drove to my pastor’s house, and I started to feel some peace. I went inside and spent time in Bible reading and prayer with his wife, and that very evening I asked Christ to come into my heart and save me. Guess what!... He did! I was 21 years old and I felt like I had just been born. Why? I felt this way because I was born again. The amazing part is that almost 20 years later, I still haven’t gotten over what Christ did for me. It was an awesome feeling and I want that for every one who reads this. How do you get saved and receive Christ as your savior? It’s as easy as ABC! A – Admit you are a sinner. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” That means that it doesn’t matter who you are. You may be rich or poor, black or white, a decent person or a drug addict. The Bible says “all” have sinned. We are all equal where this is concerned. Not only do you need to recognize that you are a sinner, but you really need to have true repentance. You need to tell God how very sorry you are that you have sinned against Him. B – Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness…” You see, since we are sinners, God cannot just let us into heaven. Sin cannot enter in the kingdom of God. However, God says that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all (there is that word again) should come to repentance. He also says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; BUT the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” How can God let us into heaven? He sent His son to take our place of punishment. Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood to cover our sin. “For without the shedding of blood, there is no remission…” C – Confess unto salvation. Romans 10:10 continues on to say, “…and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” We should not be ashamed of Christ. We should boldly proclaim His name. Put it all together. Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” There is no magic in a prayer. All of this comes from your heart. However, I want to lead you in a sample prayer if you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart to save you. Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am sinner, but I no longer want sin to control my life. I am very sorry for all the sin that I have committed and I turn to you now. I believe that you died in my place on cross. Please come into my heart now and save me. In Jesus name, Amen. If you truly prayed this prayer and believe that Jesus has saved you, I urge you to let someone know. I also urge you to find an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church as soon as possible so that you can become grounded in the Word of God. |
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