It is a wonderful thing not to fear God
Isaiah 25:1 1 LORD, you are my God.
I honor you and praise you,
because you have done amazing things.
You have always done what you said you would do;
you have done what you planned long ago
Psalms 63:3-8 3 Because your love is better than life,
I will praise you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live.
I will lift up my hands in prayer to your name.
5 I will be content as if I had eaten the best foods.
My lips will sing, and my mouth will praise you.
6 I remember you while I’m lying in bed;
I think about you through the night.
7 You are my help.
Because of your protection, I sing.
8 I stay close to you;
you support me with your right hand.
Have you ever been so weak all you could do was say, “Jesus?” I just survived my fifth heart attack. It is a wonderful thing when you face death to have the praises of God on your lips, and it is more than wonderful to be unafraid.
Why would I be afraid even as death lingered at my door? Because I know the thoughts and plans he has for me, plans for good and not for evil, to give me hope in my final outcome. Jer 29;11.
How do I know this to be true? Because I have a relationship with my Father. I don’t just know about Him, I know Him.
If you have never met my Jesus, today is the day to do so. Repent, be redeemed, and be saved. Find a Bible believing church and be baptized. Surround yourself with other Christ followers who will lift you up and praise Him with all that is within you.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
From Where do Your desires come
Psalms 37:3-6 3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the Dawn your vindication like the noonday sun.
Well, yesterday I had just chosen my scripture for my devotional when I had to pause to call Larry for help. After four heart attacks I was fairly certain I was experiencing yet another cardiac arrest.
So we rushed to the hospital and within minutes I was in the Cath Lab having my blockages removed. Sometime during the night, I returned to my Bible study. Do you know that being able to trust in God, take delight in Him, and commit myself to Him is all I need?
And, are you aware that we do not decide the desires of our hearts, but instead God places the correct desires within our hearts?
May God be faithful after the desires of our hearts so that we will become the people we are meant to be.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son. and of the Holy Spirit. Amen .
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If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be?
Freedom Found Only In You
Psalms 119:41-48 41 May your unfailing love come to me, LORD,
your salvation, according to your promise;
42 then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
43 Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
for I have put my hope in your laws.
44 I will always obey your law,
for ever and ever.
45 I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.
46 I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame,
47 for I delight in your commands
because I love them.
48 I reach out for your commands, which I love,
that I may meditate on your decrees.
I have a cat that is supposed to be an indoor cat. Yet, with every chance he gets he does a door dash, and he slips just out of my reach. What he does not know is the inherent danger in his momentary freedom. Just to the north of us are packs of coyotes. To the south is a fairly busy street where the speed limit for our neighborhood is routinely ignored. Along with these dangers are birds of prey and who knows what else. My cat’s freedom is illusionary. The freedom we have in Christ is not.
When we go beyond just believing and become intentional disciples, people who have determined to follow the Good Shepherd no matter the cost, then we experience true freedom.
Today is a good day to transform from being a believer into becoming a disciple, one who considers every word spoken and every action taken in light of the cross.
May we each make a practice of choosing Jesus instead of the world, for it is in Jesus where true freedom is found.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Faith of an Intercessor
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25
“Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” – James 5:16
But those who hope (wait upon)in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on (mount upon) wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” – Romans 8:25
As I prepare for my weekly prayer meeting, I consider what builds up my faith so that I can pray more effectively.
I begin with asking the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to the needs of people, to prevent me from distraction, and give me the words to say according to the Scriptures. I then commit myself to prayer, often praying a particular scripture out loud, for I believe God loves to hear His words spoken back to him
I have just recently begun keeping up with my prayers with the following chart:
My prayer list
Name: ____________________
Need __________________________ __________________________
Scripture I’m holding onto:____________________
Date I started praying:_________________
Answer and date (even partial):__________________
May we commit ourselves to lifting others up, and as we see God move may our faith be made stronger each day so that we may be effective warriors in God’s kingdom.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seek Me Early
Proverbs 8:17
17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
Isaiah 55:6 6 Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;
When I was nineteen I, along with a handful of teens from church, visited three nursing homes along with two people who were housebound. We did this every Saturday from 9-4. Mrs. Schwarz delivered the Bible lesson, and our little group sang hymns and Southern Gospel songs.
Wherever I hear today’s scripture, my mind goes back to those early days when we were dedicated to delivering God’s message in Word and song and my heart is warmed.
Seek God early
Many years later I was the pastor in charge of the older congregation. I visited Assisted Living homes and private homes of folks who could no longer attend church services, and I was delighted to once again carry God’s Word, serve Holy Communion and listen to stories of people whose youth had long since passed.
Seek God early
Now it is I who am old and I wonder if I reach the point where I can no longer attend church if there will be someone to bring the Word to me. But until then, I will continue to get up early, read the Word, commune with the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and give thanks with a grateful heart that I have had a relationship with the One, True and Living God, and that I have had the privilege of serving Him by serving His people.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 