Psalm 119:105 - Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Learning on What to Rely
Study

In Comparison

Isaiah 40:18

"To whom can you compare God?
What image can you find to resemble Him?"

It is impossible for our human minds to fully imagine 'GOD'. Then, we can think how awesome it is that God's knows us all - individually.

Jeremiah 1:5
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

Luke 12:6-7
“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."

Romans 1:17
"This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life'.”

Our Lord is amazing, far more than we can ever truly imagine. Hope you have a great day. Maggie

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Comparison

Genesis 1:1-5 - "First God made heaven & earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day."

In the early 80's the Internet didn't exist, almost no one had a computer in their home, and those could do little more than play games. Video tapes were becoming common and there was still something called "Beta Format" vying for the dominant video tape recording format against VHS.

In comparison, while writing the above paragraph, my computer also burned an audio CD of a message recently heard in our church. The audio quality is great and disc could have held twice as much audio data. In fact, that little cheap disk holds roughly 3000 times more information than the hard drive on my first MS DOS based desktop computer!

Amazing what man has been able to create and use, isn't it? It took humanity approximately 6000 years of recorded history to bring about these modern computer marvels and a few decades to change from tape to digital media.

By comparison, the Bible declares that God spoke all energy and matter into instantaneous existence. God didn't have to do any research or go through a lot of trial and error. His Word was enough. Yet Satan would have us forget these facts as life's trials come our way. Instead of remembering how great our God is, we focus on the temporary problems of this life.

Look around you today and remember the great God who wants you to get to know Him!

- by The Circuit ‘Riter, Michael Ullrich
Posted by Maggie at 9/17/2011 10:34 PM | Add Comment

Think You've Got It Bad?

 

Man, just when you think your life is getting too full of unwanted 'STUFF', you hear about several friends and/or family
members whose lives are being bombarded with 'junk'.
It really puts your brain and your mouth back into the gear it should be.

Charlie's Advice

Are you upset little friend?
Have you been lying awake worrying?
Well, don't worry...I'm here.
The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will
shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you.

~ Charlie Brown to Snoopy ~


Every once in a while, an astoundingly, astonishingly awesome statement will come out a 'daily cartoon'.... such as above. When I first read this, I thought that it could have been said by God, because He does promise us that He will take care of us.

I will repeat my favorite scripture: Isaiah 41:10 - "Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."

Unfortunately, there are times when the "human" side of us forgets this, and that's a shame. If we repeatedly remember His promise, we can live our lives with joy, coming from our strength in our faith.

Psalms 51:12 - "Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."

Psalms 126:5 - "May those who sow in tears, reap with shouts of joy!"

Ecclesiastes 5:20 - "For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart."

Isaiah 35:10 - "And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Jeremiah 31:13 - "...... I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow."

Colossians 1:11 - "May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy"

1 Chronicles 16:27 - "Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place"

John 15:11 - "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."


Nehemiah 8:10 - "Then he said to them .....for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Psalms 28:7 - "The LORD is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him."

Isaiah 40:31 - "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Ephesians 3:16 - "that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man"

Ephesians 6:10 - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might."

2 Thessalonians 3:3 - "But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from evil."

Psalm 55:16 - "As for me, I shall call upon God, and the LORD will save me."

Hope you have a blessed day. Maggie
Posted by Maggie at 8/18/2011 7:56 AM | Add Comment

Are We There Yet?

 
Luke 6:21
"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh."

John 15:11
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be made full."

I'm going to start exercising AFTER vacation. I'm going to clean out the garage when the weather's not so hot. I'm going to write to that friend when
I have more to say...... same about phoning another friend. I'm going to clean and organize my entire house after this headache stops. I'm going to start reading more of the Bible every day. I'm going to pray more, even when there's no 'catastrophy'. Have you ever been 'there'? Let's face it, there's hardly ever a 'perfect' time to do everything we'd LIKE to do. Guy Penrod sings a song in which is said, "It's not that you fall, but that you get back up." It's STARTING the race, the project, the 'Resolution'...... THAT's the hard part.

Hope you have a great, cool day. Maggie
__________________________________________________________________

Be of Good Cheer

"And now I exhort you to be of good cheer." (Acts 27:22)

What do you do when you're in a really perilous situation?

What is a faith cry? It's calling things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). It's what the Bible means when it says, "Let the weak say, I am strong" (Joel 3:10).

The Apostle Paul knew how to use the faith cry. That's why in Acts 27 he exhorted the men on that battered, sinking ship to "be of good cheer." He was telling them to start acting by faith. Can't you imagine what those sailors thought when he said that? "Listen to that stupid preacher. We're sinking and he says be of good cheer. We've thrown everything we have overboard and he says be of good cheer."

You may feel just like those sailors did, right now. You may feel like your ship's going down. You may feel like crying out in desperation. But don't do it. Instead, do what Paul said and be of good cheer!

Cry out to God in faith and say, "Lord, I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to despair. I'm going to be of good cheer because Your Word says You'll deliver me from this situation" (Psalm 34:19 - "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.)

Then start being cheerful. It may take more determination than anything you've ever done before, but God will give you the strength to do it. He'll give you the power to be cheerful in the middle of the most ungodly darkness the devil can bring up.

Instead of crying out in desperation, take a faith stand. Sing and rejoice and praise God for your deliverance. Be of good cheer and you can be sure God will bring you through the storm just fine!

- Kenneth Copeland
__________________________________________________________________

The Splinter - from MountainWings

Once there was a man who thought to cross America on foot.
He bought a map of the USA and carefully plotted out his course.
He would take the back roads and walk from morning till night,
viewing the beautiful land all around him as he went, stopping
at wayside inns and spending the night, rising the next morning
to begin his journey again.

On the morning of the beginning of his journey, he walked
outside on his porch and viewed the beautiful sunrise.

As he headed back into his house, his foot caught on a loose
board and a splinter wedged in the ball of his right foot.
The man sat down and lifted his foot and yelled at the splinter,
"Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!"

Rising, he went inside and finished preparing for his journey.
Heavy socks and thick walking shoes were to be his protection
against the hard earth. T-shirt and shorts would be his main
clothing. A backpack with a change of clothes and trail mix, a
map and plans for the trip, identification and a first aid kit
along with various other items completed his gear. A full belly
and plenty of sunscreen and he was off on his journey.

The man had not gone very far from home when he started to limp.
The splinter seemed to grow larger and larger. But the man was
determined and continued on his way.

That night he stopped at a little Bed and Breakfast Inn and got
a room for the night. After eating supper at a local diner, he
prepared for the morning before going to sleep. Finishing his
shower, the man sat on the side of his bed, lifted his right
foot and yelled at the splinter, "Out! Get out of my foot!
Out, I say!" And then he went to bed.

The following morning, the man rose up and started dressing for
the day. He lifted his foot and yelled at the splinter, "Out!
Get out of my foot! Out, I say!" Then he renewed his journey.

The sun rose with a spectacular view as the world shimmered
awake, but the man limped by with his eyes on his right foot,
glancing up only now and then, missing a lot of the views.

The roadside bloomed in wonderful shades of blues, greens, reds,
yellows, purples, oranges and burgundies. Rabbits hopped and
deer cropped in the fields all around. The birds sang and flew
all around the man, but he was unaware. The splinter was bigger
now, of that he was sure, as big as a two by four or maybe
more.

The sunset came that evening in glorious hues of purples, reds,
oranges and blues, but the man did not notice. He focused on the
painful throbbing of his right foot.

His mornings and nights started rolling together as the splinter
grew and grew and grew, and his limp got bigger and bigger and
bigger. His views got smaller and smaller as he focused more and
more on his right foot.

Each morning and each night, the man would lift his foot and yell
at the splinter, "Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!"

Halfway across America he went, inch by painful inch. Finally he
could stand it no longer, caught a bus and went home.

Calling his best friend along the way to tell him he was coming
home, the man settled into the swaying of the bus. Every so
often, he would take off his right shoe, remove his right sock
and yell at the splinter, "Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!"

Home at last, the man limped down his driveway to find his best
friend waiting for him on his doorstep. All excited, his friend
asked him about what he had seen, where he had gone and what he
had done.

The man had nothing to tell him but the splinter that was lodged
in his right foot. It hurt so much that he didn't feel like
looking at the view. It hurt so much that he didn't feel like
walking, much less going anywhere special. It hurt so much that
he didn't feel like doing anything exciting. It hurt so much
that he came home with his journey incomplete.

Then his friend asked the man,

"Why didn't you remove the splinter?"

So many times in life, we let splinters get in our way.
Instead of removing them and enjoying the rest of our journey,
we simply yell at them thinking they will respond to our
complaining and fussing. Then we cut the trip short.

What splinters do you carry?

~ Author Unknown ~
__________________________________________________________________
Posted by Maggie at 8/16/2011 8:28 AM | Add Comment

It's Not My Fault

Psalm 19:12
"How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults."

Jude 1:24
"Now all glory to God, Who is able to keep you from falling away
and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault."

Do you remember Flip Wilson, and his 'The devil made me do it' ??? And, then there's the infamous "It's not my fault". Well, guess what? Sometimes it IS our fault !!
Hosea 4:4
"Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame!...."

Galatians 6:5
"For we are each responsible for our own conduct."

We always need to search our hearts to see if just maybe it IS we ourselves who need to take the blame. Of course, 'things' do happen over which we have no control. Also, we are not responsible, nor do we have control over someone else's words and actions, the weather, etc. It's US for whom we are responsible - our own words and actions. When you give it all over to the Lord, you can apologize if needed, and find peace about any situation. Hope you have a great day. Maggie
Ezekiel 3:14
The Spirit lifted me up and took me away.
I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord’s hold on me was strong.

John 16:33
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me.
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.
But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

2 Peter 3:14
"And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen,
make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in His sight."
__________________________________________________________________________

When Somebody Does You Wrong

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19)

Somebody's done you wrong! Sooner or later it happens to all of us. Somewhere along the way, we all get hurt or cheated or lied to or abused.

It's as predictable as it is painful. Yet when it happens most of us find ourselves strangely unprepared. In our outrage, we often cry out to God against the one who wronged us. We ask for justice, or even vengeance, and end up making things tougher on everyone involved--including ourselves.

If that's been true of you, it's time you found out how you can put the power of God to work for you the next time somebody does you wrong.

Step one: Identify the enemy! Right here's where the majority of us make our biggest blunder. We mistakenly identify our enemy as the person who hurts us. Don't waste your energy ranting and raving or plotting and scheming against people who cause you pain. They're simply under the devil's influence. Aim your spiritual ammunition at the right target. It's the devil who's behind it all. Go after him!

Step two: Fire! Once you've pointed your spiritual guns in the right direction, fire! Hit the devil fast and furiously with the Word of God. Use the Name of Jesus and the power that's been given you as a believer and bind the devil from doing you any further harm in that area. Then move on to the next and most important part of this spiritual battle.

Step three: Pray the prayer of intercession. In Matthew 5:44-45, Jesus gives us these instructions: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven."

Crying out for the vengeance of God to strike like a lightning bolt when somebody does us wrong isn't acting like our Father. Remember God has great, great mercy. Not just for me and you, but for everyone!

The devil will probably think twice before he bothers you again. Next time someone causes you pain, put the power of God to work for you. Identify the real enemy. Hit him hard with the authority you've been given as a believer. Then pray the prayer of intercession.
- Kenneth Copeland
__________________________________________________________________
Posted by Maggie at 8/3/2011 12:26 PM | Add Comment

Even Though


Luke 7:4
" So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. 'If anyone deserves your help, he does,' they said "

ENTITLE - "to give a title, right, or claim to something; furnish with grounds for laying claim."

Do we always want 'our way'? Usually!!  There's a saying, "If you want to give God a laugh, tell Him 'your plan'." In this day and age of the dreaded 'entitlements', so 'discussed' on the news channels daily, we need to realize that, and this is a 'Maggie-ism', the only 'entitlement' we have is if we serve and follow Jesus with our whole heart and being, we'll end up in Heaven with Him.

Hebrews 11:39
"All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised."

Hebrews 11: 1-3
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen."

Synonyms for 'entitle': 'empower, authorize' (web dictionary).

Ephesians 3:16
"I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit."

Hope you have a great day, filled with the knowledge that any 'entitlement' comes from God, and be at peace with that. Maggie
___________________________________________________________

EVEN THOUGH

Job 1:20-22 - "Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.' Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God."

You may think you know the story of the first years the Pilgrims were settling in the New World, but there is more to the story than just hardship and a great feast when things got better. During the first winter, half of the original settlers died. Over the next year, food was very hard to come by. When the harvest was finally bountiful, they did have the famous feast with their native friends. However, things did not get better from there.

During the next two years there were some devastating crop failures and a severe drought. More settlers came, but failed to bring any new supplies. At one time during the first years, daily food rations were 5 kernels of corn each. After a day of fasting and prayer abundant rains came. Crops were saved. Pilgrim father Edward Winslow wrote, "Another solemn day was set apart . . . wherein we returned glory, honor, and praise, with all thankfulness to our God who dwelt so graciously with us."

Can you imagine being thankful when so many had died and things had been so hard? Job would have been able to. He said after losing EVERYTHING, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

What say you today?

~~ The Circuit 'Riter, Michael Ullrich ~~

______________________________________________________

Crickets and Scorpions

~A MountainWings Original~

I usually spend time in prayer at five a.m. each morning.

I shall relay a lesson that God taught me very dramatically
during one of those early morning sessions.

I pray in a closet that is actually the vocal booth of our
former home music studio. It is soundproof.

As I entered clad only in shorts, I heard the sound of a cricket
chirping. There in the shadow, I saw the cricket.
It was very close to where I sit on the floor each day.

"Sit down and don't bother the cricket,"
I heard a soft voice speak in my spirit.

I obeyed.

I turned out the light and sat in total darkness and silence.

I felt something crawl up on my leg.

"Don't bother the cricket," I heard the voice say again,
"I am trying to teach you something."

"You need to learn to distinguish the difference between
crickets and scorpions in life. Don't bother the cricket."

The cricket crawled. It is an eerie feeling to say the least.
I wasn't afraid of the cricket. I knew it couldn't harm me.
It wouldn't bite, sting, or even so much as scratch me.

It was just a highly annoying and extremely icky feeling.
A cricket crawling all over you.

I let the cricket crawl for almost a minute until I couldn't
stand it anymore. I brushed the cricket off, turned on the light,
picked it up in my hand, and took it outside and let it go.

I understood what God was trying to show me.
Life has scorpions and crickets.

Scorpions are the things that can hurt us; things that are truly
destructive and dangerous. Crickets are the things that have
absolutely no power to hurt us, they are just irritating.
They get on our nerves; they try our patience.

I saw things differently after emerging from prayer that day.

I realized that the vast majority of the things that really
irked me

...were crickets.

The vast majority of the things that irk you

...are crickets.

Don't bother the crickets
and don't let the crickets bother you.

__________________________________________________________________

You Hold the Key

"I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

The Greek text of that scripture would literally read, "I give you the keys of the kingdom. Whatever you declare locked on earth is locked in heaven and whatever you declare unlocked on earth is unlocked in the heavenlies."

The heaven Jesus was talking about there isn't the heaven where God resides. He was talking about the battle zone, about the heaven where Satan's forces are operating.

He was telling us that God has given us power to bind the wicked spirits in heavenly places and to loose the angelic powers of God to work in our behalf.

Philippians 2:9-10 says, "We have been given a Name which is above every name, and at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow!" Where? In heaven, in earth and under the earth. That covers it all!

As believers, we have total authority over the powers of Satan. We can take authority over the evil spirits that are trying to destroy this nation. We can take authority over them in the Name of Jesus and pull down their strongholds.

It is time we began to realize how important we are to world affairs. Since the day Jesus gave us the Great Commission, the life or death of the world has been in the hands of the Church. We are the ones who have the mighty Name of Jesus and the awesome strength of the gospel to bring life and abundance to every creature. We are the ones whose prayers can change every office of authority in this land.

It's up to you and me to begin to intercede right now and use the power God has given us. We may come from different lands with different backgrounds, but we all have one thing in common -- Jesus Christ is our Lord. And that alone is enough to alter the spiritual complexion of this earth.

- Kenneth Copeland
Posted by Maggie at 8/1/2011 11:38 AM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

In The Midst

I have two friends right now who have seen a 'break through'. One, for whom we've been praying for a year, and the other, for months. The prayers have been answered - Praise the Lord !!!

Sometimes we want a 'hastened' answer from the Lord, and fail to remember that everything is in HIS plan. We are 'IN' a situation which is controlled by God, and He'll never let us down, and HE always is with us.

Hope you have a great day,
a cool day if it's HOT where you are,
and raining if that's what you need.
Take care and God bless.
Maggie
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bible Truths for Tragic Times
(Excepts) By Laura J. Bagby
CBN.com

"The waves of death surrounded me; the floods of destruction swept over me. The grave[a] wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face. But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I called to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears" (2 Samuel 22:5-7).

The above Scripture passage, a heartfelt cry of King David written thousands of years ago, is also very telling of the experiences of many of those recently suffering with 'natural disasters'.

God does hear the cries of those who suffer in the aftermath. The Lord God is close to the brokenhearted, to those crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He is our refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 59:16).

And He is answering the cry for help in part through the humanitarian efforts as Operation Blessings, Samaritan's Purse, The Salvation Army, and the Red Cross, just to name a few, as well as through government funds and military rescue efforts.

In the meantime, as the rest of us stay glued to the television set, transfixed at the images of horror that have transpired, possibly waiting to hear from loved ones, we must not allow our hearts to faint to the point that we lose hope and begin to question the goodness of God. We can become overwhelmed when we dwell on tragedy, which is exactly why the Bible tells us to set our minds on things above and not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).

When our hearts are troubled, we must seek the Lord. When we give our anxious hearts to God instead of remaining paralyzed by our fearful thoughts, we gain His peace. The Bible tells us plainly in Philippians 4:6-7:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" .

John 14:27 also notes the exchange of fear for peace. Jesus states:

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid"

These are the times to remember just who our God truly is, a God who is there and a God who cares. So let us pause to consider our Great King. Let's look on heavenly things for a moment to calm our nerves.

WHO IS GOD IN THE MIDST OF TRAGEDY?

Our Comforter

  • "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
  • "Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places And her wilderness He will make like Eden,And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her,Thanksgiving and sound of a melody" (Isaiah 51:3).

Our Deliverer

  • "But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
    He speaks to them in their affliction    "     (Job 36:15).
  • "He is my loving ally and my fortress,
    my tower of safety, my deliverer    "     (Psalm 144:2).
  • "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).

Our Overcomer

  • "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
  • "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

Our Guide

  • "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Our Upholder

  • "Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you" (Isaiah 41:10).

Our Protector

  • " Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared" (Proverbs 3:25-26).
  • "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7).

Always with us

  • He says he will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5).

The Unchanging One

  • "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

The Compassionate One

  • "But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness" (Psalm 86:15).

Isn't it good to know how great our God is! He is our Defender, Deliverer, and Mighty God. Let us choose to trust in His goodness in these troubled times.

"The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever" (Psalm 29:10).

Posted by Maggie at 7/18/2011 2:36 PM | Add Comment

Enjoy

Luke 6:21
"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh."

John 15:11
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

Today's Saturday, July 9th.  I'm hoping that you're having a good start to a wonderful weekend. Be joyous.  Have fun.  Enjoy. Maggie
 
__________________________________________________________________
 
Be of Good Cheer
"And now I exhort you to be of good cheer." (Acts 27:22)

What do you do when you're in a really perilous situation?

What is a faith cry? It's calling things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). It's what the Bible means when it says, "Let the weak say, I am strong" (Joel 3:10).

The Apostle Paul knew how to use the faith cry. That's why in Acts 27 he exhorted the men on that battered, sinking ship to "be of good cheer." He was telling them to start acting by faith. Can't you imagine what those sailors thought when he said that? "Listen to that stupid preacher. We're sinking and he says be of good cheer. We've thrown everything we have overboard and he says be of good cheer."

You may feel just like those sailors did, right now. You may feel like your ship's going down. You may feel like crying out in desperation. But don't do it. Instead, do what Paul said and be of good cheer!

Cry out to God in faith and say, "Lord, I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to despair. I'm going to be of good cheer because Your Word says You'll deliver me from this situation" (Psalm 34:19 - "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.)

Then start being cheerful. It may take more determination than anything you've ever done before, but God will give you the strength to do it. He'll give you the power to be cheerful in the middle of the most ungodly darkness the devil can bring up.

Instead of crying out in desperation, take a faith stand. Sing and rejoice and praise God for your deliverance. Be of good cheer and you can be sure God will bring you through the storm just fine!
__________________________________________________________________
The Splinter - from MountainWings

Once there was a man who thought to cross America on foot.
He bought a map of the USA and carefully plotted out his course.
He would take the back roads and walk from morning till night,
viewing the beautiful land all around him as he went, stopping
at wayside inns and spending the night, rising the next morning
to begin his journey again.

On the morning of the beginning of his journey, he walked
outside on his porch and viewed the beautiful sunrise.

As he headed back into his house, his foot caught on a loose
board and a splinter wedged in the ball of his right foot.
The man sat down and lifted his foot and yelled at the splinter,
"Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!"

Rising, he went inside and finished preparing for his journey.
Heavy socks and thick walking shoes were to be his protection
against the hard earth. T-shirt and shorts would be his main
clothing. A backpack with a change of clothes and trail mix, a
map and plans for the trip, identification and a first aid kit
along with various other items completed his gear. A full belly
and plenty of sunscreen and he was off on his journey.

The man had not gone very far from home when he started to limp.
The splinter seemed to grow larger and larger. But the man was
determined and continued on his way.

That night he stopped at a little Bed and Breakfast Inn and got
a room for the night. After eating supper at a local diner, he
prepared for the morning before going to sleep. Finishing his
shower, the man sat on the side of his bed, lifted his right
foot and yelled at the splinter, "Out! Get out of my foot!
Out, I say!" And then he went to bed.

The following morning, the man rose up and started dressing for
the day. He lifted his foot and yelled at the splinter, "Out!
Get out of my foot! Out, I say!" Then he renewed his journey.

The sun rose with a spectacular view as the world shimmered
awake, but the man limped by with his eyes on his right foot,
glancing up only now and then, missing a lot of the views.

The roadside bloomed in wonderful shades of blues, greens, reds,
yellows, purples, oranges and burgundies. Rabbits hopped and
deer cropped in the fields all around. The birds sang and flew
all around the man, but he was unaware. The splinter was bigger
now, of that he was sure, as big as a two by four or maybe
more.

The sunset came that evening in glorious hues of purples, reds,
oranges and blues, but the man did not notice. He focused on the
painful throbbing of his right foot.

His mornings and nights started rolling together as the splinter
grew and grew and grew, and his limp got bigger and bigger and
bigger. His views got smaller and smaller as he focused more and
more on his right foot.

Each morning and each night, the man would lift his foot and yell
at the splinter, "Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!"

Halfway across America he went, inch by painful inch. Finally he
could stand it no longer, caught a bus and went home.

Calling his best friend along the way to tell him he was coming
home, the man settled into the swaying of the bus. Every so
often, he would take off his right shoe, remove his right sock
and yell at the splinter, "Out! Get out of my foot! Out, I say!"

Home at last, the man limped down his driveway to find his best
friend waiting for him on his doorstep. All excited, his friend
asked him about what he had seen, where he had gone and what he
had done.

The man had nothing to tell him but the splinter that was lodged
in his right foot. It hurt so much that he didn't feel like
looking at the view. It hurt so much that he didn't feel like
walking, much less going anywhere special. It hurt so much that
he didn't feel like doing anything exciting. It hurt so much
that he came home with his journey incomplete.

Then his friend asked the man,

"Why didn't you remove the splinter?"

So many times in life, we let splinters get in our way.
Instead of removing them and enjoying the rest of our journey,
we simply yell at them thinking they will respond to our
complaining and fussing. Then we cut the trip short.

What splinters do you carry?

~ Author Unknown ~
__________________________________________________________________

Posted by Maggie at 7/9/2011 11:11 AM | Add Comment

Corinthians 13

Just this morning, July 8th, a dear pal and I were discussing 'holidays' and how there doesn't seem to be enough time to relax and enjoy them, and then I ran across the following !!! Thank you, Lord. Maggie

FIRST CORINTHIANS 13 'CHRISTMAS' VERSION, but good all the time........

~~ AUTHOR UNKNOWN

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime: but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen, carole in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity; but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata ut do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return; but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things
endures all things.
Love never fails..

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust;

But giving the gift of love will endure.
Posted by Maggie at 7/8/2011 1:41 PM | Add Comment

Dear God

In Chronicles 7:14, You say...."If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways ... then will I hear from Heaven, will forgive their sins and will heal their land."

Please God .. please bless and reawaken America !!!!

Posted by Maggie at 7/8/2011 12:53 PM | Add Comment

Breathe Deep

Genesis 2:7 - " Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. "


Psalm 33:6 - "The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. "


Job 32:8 - "But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent."

Within the past couple of days, I've been bombarded with the  word 'Breathe'. First, I was writing to a pal about my recommendation of Guy Penrod's CD 'Breathe Deep' (which is awesome). Then, following the Anthony trial and findings and sentence, I, along with nearly everyone I know, was outraged. We all were opining, and with each 'discussion', I could feel

my chest tightening up with anger and disbelief - more and more. Then, I had a revelation -- SIT BACK AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH !!! I immediately was struck with something I KNOW. "God is in control" !!!


Then, I received an email from a dear friend, having nothing to do with the trial, but really spoke to me. Here is an excerpt:


"He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it."


Do we allow our 'embers' to burn low? That's when we need to let THE LIGHT enter our spirit and let It shine as a testimony to God. Sit back, take a deep breath, and shine !!!
Carry a Heart that Never Hates.
Carry a Smile that Never Fades.

Carry a Touch that Never Hurts.

HAVE A PURPOSEFUL DAY IN THE LORD!

'God Blesses Us To Be A Blessing Unto Others'
Hope you have a wonderful day. Maggie
 

__________________________________________________________________________

Focus on Matthew 16:24-26 - "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?' "

Let the instruction of Christ lead your thoughts and actions.


Today, pray the Holy Spirit will continue to develop the desire to deny ourselves and remember it's not done striving in human ability. His spirit enables us to walk free.


As we follow scripture and take up the cross, we do so not as a reminder of our sin but as a symbol of the power and authenticity of Jesus. He did what He said He would do. He loves us that much. But even more He is alive to show He keeps His promises! As we follow Him today don't leave this power of His love behind, carry it with you. A disciple of Jesus is not promised an easy life, but is promised a full life. The fullness and abundance of His presence is what strengthens our daily life.


~~ Pastor Sean Cherry
Posted by Maggie at 7/7/2011 2:14 PM | Add Comment
Older Posts
Newer Posts