God Knows!

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

When a tragedy or situation hits us and we didn’t see it coming we tend to blame others and ourselves. We hardly ever see it as God putting it  in our path to make us strong. We don’t know what God has planned for us in the end. Even though it is expected, it is also unexpected. That’s why we should prepare ourselves today for what we may face tomorrow.  God knows what is going to be in our paths. We may feel like our situations are making us weak. That’s when we need to ask for strength. Believe me, it works! We are given the ability to call on God for strength and wisdom at the time of need. Think about it. Ever been prayed through and went to preach to someone about the glory, miracles, grace and love of God and didn’t know what to say? Didn’t think so! When situations hit we need to thank God for the end because He already knows. Even when we don’t see ourselves as ourselves, He sees us for who we are and knows exactly where we are at. He knows where we are going, and where we have been. He knows that our situations are going to make us strong. We’ve never faced one battle alone. He has always been there. God has a plan for everyone and everyone is important to God. He loves the unlovable people because He knows where they are going to be in the end.

God Is Faithful

God is faithful,by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:9). The apostle does not say,"You are faithful." Alas! the faithfulness of man is a very unreliable affair; it is mere vanity. He does not say,"You have faithful ministers to lead and guide you,and therefore I trust you will be safe." Oh,no! if we are kept by men we shall be but ill kept. He puts it,"God is faithful." If we are found faithful,it will be because God is faithful. On the faithfulness of our covenant God the whole burden of our salvation must rest. On this glorious attribute of God the matter hinges. We are variable as the wind,frail as a spider's web,weak as water. No dependence can be placed upon our natural qualities,or our spiritual attainments; but God abideth faithful. He is faithful in His love; He knows no variableness,neither shadow of turning. He is faithful to His purpose; He doth not begin a work and then leave it undone. He is faithful to His relationships; as a Father He will not renounce His children,as a friend He will not deny His people,as a Creator He will not forsake the work of His own hands. He is faithful to His promises,and will never allow one of them to fail to a single believer. He is faithful to His covenant,which He has made with us in Christ Jesus,and ratified with the blood of His sacrifice. He is faithful to His Son,and will not allow His precious blood to be spilled in vain. He is faithful to His people to whom He has promised eternal life,and from whom He will not turn away.



Spurgeon

Watch Your Mouth by Katie Romero

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grevous words stir up anger.

As a child, my husband would always have to recite this verse to his mother before he went to bed. He had two sisters, you see, and sibling rivalry was obviously a factor, as it usually is in any family. "A soft answer turneth away wrath" which means if you're nice to others, you usually get "nice" in return (and I use the word usually very specifically). Be nice to your fellow man. "But grevous words stir up anger" which means if you're "mean" so to speak, you usually get "mean" in return.

Eph 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

He would always say that verse before heading to bed, and understand to basically obey the golden rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Therefore his siblings would not fight with each other (usually). God does not want us to fight amongst ourselves. He wants us to treat a perfect stranger as you would treat your most loved one. Treat others as you would treat yourself, with respect and honor. God honors those with the patience to turn away from an argument and the knowledge to know the best way to handle a situation. "A soft answer turneth away wrath; but grevous words stir up anger.

Why Fear Things, When Our God Is Bigger!

2 Timothy 1:7
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. "

When I was a little girl, I would always be afraid of Monsters in my closet, or things creeping in the dark. Then my Mother would tell me that when I was afraid, to say this verse over and over again, and my fear would go away. And you know what? It did. Sometimes in our lives we fear things that are unnecessary. Our God is bigger than any "Monster in the closet" or any drug addiction, or any hardship that you may be going through in your life. God has not given us the spirit of fear. He never intended for us to fear anything but himself. He gave us the spirit of power  and love, and a sound mind. Which means he never wants us to worry. Because in His hands, all things are possible, and if you just depend on Him, He will take care of all of your needs.  Our Father always has us in mind. He will check the closet for monsters and he will help you when you think no one cares. God loves you, always has, and always will. So next time you have any worry or trouble or tribulation, remember, God did not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Genuine Love by Sister Norma Miles

It is very easy to tell your children, grandchildren, and family members you know, and even others you have come to know, that you love them. People think that to tell someone you don’t know that you love them is bizzar! How can you love someone you don’t know? The same would go for the question of how you can love God if you don’t know Him. When you are born again with the spirit of God dwelling in your heart, you can love as Christ loved. You are able to say “I love you” with the honesty that comes from the heart, and you are able to show love and compassion, even to those who seem unlovable!

John 13:34 

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Before Christ left the Disciples, He would give them a new commandment. They were to love each other the way Christ intended for us to love one another. Loving one another promotes the gospel, and people see the God that dwells in our hearts and a genuine love in the body of Christ. When we don’t have love for one another, then people really wonder who sincere, and reject the love that is demonstrated by those that ARE sincere!

To love those as God loved is to love and know God.  Have you ever told someone you didn’t know on a personal level you love them, and you automatically feel that spirit of rejection towards you, and get no response, or they act like they didn’t hear you?

That is exactly the way God feels when we don’t allow the love of God to rule and reign in our hearts, so that we can demonstrate the true love of God towards others.

1 John 4:7-8 

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

So if we have the love of God in our hearts, we can love all who cross our path, whether we know them or not! Because of the spirit of the Lord that dwells in our hearts, when we are born again of God’s Spirit. We can look through the eyes of God and say, “I love you!”

I Will Go by Sister Betty Richardson

Isaiah 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Isaiah overheard God saying “Who will go for us?” The call of God is not for the special, it is for everyone.

Whether or not I hear God’s call depends upon the state of my ears, and what I hear depends upon the state of my heart.

Many are called, but few are chosen. That is, few prove themselves the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God, their ears have been unstopped, and they hear the still small voice questioning all the time.  “Who will go?”

God did not single out Isaiah, Isaiah was just in the presence of God, and he heard the call.  He said, “Here I am. Send me.”

When God called the disciples he said “Follow me.” If we let the spirit of God bring us face to face with God, we too will hear as did Isaiah did, and we will say, “He I am. Send me!”

God's Desire

Psalms 27:8   

When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

Do you set your heart to seek His face every day? Do you focus on Him? Do you long to come closer to Him? To be drawn? His eyes are fixed on you.  He wants you. He’s come for you. He wants all of you. Not just one day a week. Not just one hour a day. He longs to completely take you over, that you are not yourself anymore.

2 Corinthians_5:17   

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Become a new creature in Him. Let Him totally, completely, immediately take you over. Let Him change you.  Cry out to Him today! Change me, O God! Make me hungry. Make me thirst. Create a desire in me that cannot be explained.

He wants to show you His beauty, His glory. Focus on Him.  Spend time lying before Him in worship.  More of You, and less of me, God! The cry of my heart, is more of You. Let me be the fragrance of God on Earth.

He is calling out right now. Yield to His voice, and answer His call. Listen to His heart. Learn to worship Him. Learn to love Him more and more every day. Answer His call today. He longs for you. He loves you. He desires you.

Focus

God gave me a word, several months ago, and when He spoke it to me, I felt like I needed to write it in big letters, and put it on my refrigerator.  He said, “Focus on the Positive, Praise Me for the good.” 

These words came to me during a time when all I could think about, was the bad.  You know what I mean.  Sometimes, we get so preoccupied with something, it absolutely overwhelms our lives!

This is where I was living. I was not backslid.  I was praying every day.  I was at church every service.  But all I could think about, was the turmoil I felt in my heart. I was almost in mourning!  But God showed me, that the way I was living, was in a state of oppression.  The enemy was taking over.  I was no good to anybody in that condition.  So I did as I was told, and I wrote “Focus on the Positive, Praise Me for the Good” and put it on the fridge.  And every time I noticed my mind trying to run away, I remembered these words.  God wants us to focus on Him.  When we pray, He is our focus. When we worship, He is our focus. When we study, He is our focus.  But now, God was telling me, He is to be my focus, in the good times and the bad.  On the mountain, and in the valley.  If you only shout victory when the battle is won, you are missing a great blessing that the Lord has for you. 

Try putting the Lord as your focus, no matter what you are doing. If you are mopping, ironing, driving, or making lunch. If you are driving a tractor, or hammering, or running a machine in a factory, stay in the presence of God.  He was to bring you deeper.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank you for every mountain, and for every valley.

I thank you that you are always there to guide my every step.

I thank you for the many blessings I see every day,

And for all those I may never see. 

Help me to put you center in my life.

I want my focus to be Jesus Christ.

Remind me of your presence throughout my day.

I love You, and can’t wait to know You more!

A God Who Speaks by Rita LaRue

Jeremiah 38:20

But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver thee. Obey the voice of the Lord which I speak unto thee; so it shall be well unto thee and thy soul shall live.

God audibly spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden concerning their disobedience and also spoke to Cain concerning his brother’s whereabouts. Let’s not forget he must have talked with Enoch and walked him right out of this life. When the world had grown so wicked he had a talk with Noah, and planned a way to save all the animals, fish, birds, ect. along with those who entered the ark.

As we move thru time God talked with Abram in Genesis 12:1 and stated “I will make you a great nation.  Abram believed, obeyed, left his Father’s house and went to another country. In Genesis 15 God spoke one more time and reassured Abram, “I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.” At the age of 99 Abram’s name was changed to Abraham and one more time blessed of God.  Genesis 24:1 tells us Abraham was blessed in all things.  The story doesn’t end there. In Genesis 25 verse 8 Abraham died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, as a matter of fact he was 175 years old.

Now you may say God has never spoken to me.  Well, have you read the word? Just try it, and it will speak to you.  The psalmist said, “It will be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”  It will teach you, convict you, and guide you through life.

Proverbs 30:5 tells us every word of God is pure.

While Colossians 3 reminds us to let the Word of God dwell richly (or abundantly) in all wisdom in us.

Obey the voice of God and it shall be well with thee and thy soul shall live (The Holy Word)

Affectionately HIS

Colossians 3:1-2 KJV

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

We are told to set our affection on things above, not on things on Earth.  Set you affection.  This brings to mind a certain young man I know.  When he was in high school, he set his affection on a girl. Now at the time, she would have little to do with him. But he absolutely would not give up. He carried her picture in his wallet and showed it to us often saying, this is the girl I am going to marry. He had her name on his keyring. He was always talking about her with a smile on his face.

This is what we are called to. We should set our affection on our Lord Jesus Christ! His name should be forever on our lips. We should be smiling while telling everyone we meet, "This is the One I love!"

Get your mind off of this crazy sinful world! Stop looking at it with longing eyes.  I love a verse God showed me years ago when my eyes were beginning to wander.  It simply says "Remember Lot's wife"

Don't look back at the sin you used to be in. Stop wishing you could. Start living your life to please the Lord you serve. I want to bring Him glory!

So let's purpose in our hearts to set our affection on Him.  Read about Him. Pray to Him. Love on Him.

Salty Children

Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.

We the church of Jesus Christ are called to be the salt. We are to be the fragrance of God on Earth. We ARE the body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But how well are we representing the King whom we serve? Is He proud to see the life we are living? Are we reaching out to the lost, the poor, the broken, the same way He would, the same way He did, on Earth?

Jesus never had a selfish moment. Jesus was always about His Father’s business. And we are called to “walk even as He walked.”

It’s time for us to put aside all of our selfish ambitions, our dreams and desires. Put off that old man, and begin to walk in the Spirit of the Living God!

Instead of being separate, called out, and chosen, it seems to me that most of those who call themselves the church, are only in it for what it can benefit them. SELFISH!

Child of God, lets get back to the place where we can be that salt that God has called us to be. I want to bring Him glory. And I am sure you do to!

Dear Heavenly Father,
Forgive us for not being the salty children you have called us to be.
Make us hungry for more. Make us thirst for you like never before.
I pray that you would anoint us, to make others desire You.
Its all about You, Jesus. Let every word we speak point to You.
Let every action, though, attitude, and desire, point to You, Jesus!

Holy Hunger

Mat 5:6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

What are we really hunger for? We are living in what is called the “western world.” We who live in America basically hunger for nothing. We not only have food to eat, but we have an abundance! We have so much, that we chronically overeat, and then have to pay money for doctors, pills, and exercise equipment.

Although we do not hunger physically, we do hunger spiritually. But the sad thing is, we do not know our hunger. We have masked it. We have filled our hunger with other things, rather than go to the One we hunger for: Jesus!

Jesus said “I am the bread of life.”

Jesus is our life. If we are to have eternal life in heaven, we must seek Him. And it is time to seek Him like never before. We must get our worship pure. Stop trying to appear to worship. Stop trying to worship for what we can get out of it. Just stop. And take some time to love on Him.

Be still. Know Him. Love Him.

Do you see how hungry you really are? Are you filling up on the junk of this world?

My Jesus,
Forgive me for putting other things, other people, before you.
I want you to be first in my life.
Change me. Right now I ask that you change my desires.
Make me hungry to know you. I pray that I will experience a hunger
For you like never before.
Change my appetite.
I want you. I desire you. I crave you!