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Showing posts from June, 2024

Carefully and Persistently

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'Do you see those who are skillful in their work?   They will serve kings;   they will not serve common people.' Proverbs  22:29 (NRSV) Diligence is the key to a long and productive life when it is coupled with skill and ability. Do not be careless and waste your life, but rather seek to find it's meaning, stay persistent and rise. Be diligent and excel in all things. In life and in religion this is sound and this is true. Diligence. A word to ponder. A word to consider.  Working and with skill is God's way and it is to be rewarded by an audience with the governor. Presidents will seek you out for your skills. You will be admired for your talents. No more will you be required to serve the common man. No more will you be required to waste away in that which is not productive.  God offers another way. God's ability. God's will. God's way. The way that leads to eternal life. Wisdom through the eyes of Solomon, the richest and wisest man who e...

Tree of Life

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  'Hope deferred makes the heart sick,   but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.' Proverbs 13:12 (NRSV) Nothing energizing me more than hope. Hope is the passion that drives me on through the storms. I can have hope in something good and when I see that vision in my mind, I can do much in order to achieve that thing that I have kept dear to my heart. That desire, when it has become a reality is what brings me the greatest joy. That desire, when it is never fulfilled or lived out is what brings me to despair.  Hope keeps my dreams alive. Hope is what keeps me going in life. Having the faith in my dreams is what I need to find my purpose and to be fulfilled. When I lose the faith, I've lost the hope. When I lose the dream, I've lost the desire to work towards it even if for one more minute. Crushing blow that deferral of hope is to me. My heart is sick. No turning back to it. It is finished.  New directions and new dreams, hope restored. Thankfully...

The Good Life Way

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'Bless the Lord , O my soul, and all that is within me,   bless his holy name.   Bless the Lord , O my soul,   and do not forget all his benefits who forgives all your iniquity,   who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit,   who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works vindication   and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses,   his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious,   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.   He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.   For as the heavens are high above the earth,   so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;   as far as the east is from the west,   so f...

Praise for Deliverance

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  'I will praise the Lord at all times, his praise is always on my lips. My whole being praises the Lord .   The poor will hear and be glad. Glorify the Lord with me,   and let us praise his name together. I asked the Lord for help, and he answered me.   He saved me from all that I feared. Those who go to him for help are happy,   and they are never disgraced.' Psalm 34:1-5 (NCV)  Daddy, teach me your ways! And He does. He teaches me His ways and in His Kingdom He always goes first. Heavenly Father says, first, we praise. Not only that but He teaches me to praise Him at all times. My lips are to be praising Him always. Even in my distress it is what I am to do. Even before I cry out to Him in anguish it is where I am to go. Do it first. It is His Divine order of approach. I can approach Him with lips of praise for He is worthy. Even during my most difficult situations and in my poverty, I am to search for and to think on...

Someone to Praise and Something to Sing About

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'O my soul, come, praise the Eternal with all that is in me—body, emotions, mind, and will—every part of who I am—praise His holy name. O my soul, come, praise the Eternal; sing a song from a grateful heart; sing and never forget all the good He has done. Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you. More than any doctor, He heals your diseases. He reaches deep into the pit to deliver you from death. He crowns you with unfailing love and compassion like a king. When your soul is famished and withering, He fills you with good and beautiful things, satisfying you as long as you live. He makes you strong like an eagle, restoring your youth. When people are crushed, wronged, enslaved, raped, murdered, the Eternal is just; He makes the wrongs right. Psalm 103:1-6 (VOICE)   Even the sin of forgetfulness is forgiven. My God is a merciful God. He loves me. Do not forget this:       1. He forgives me of all of my sins,  ...

P.U.S.H.

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' I’ve written this letter to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you will be assured and know without a doubt that you have eternal life.   Since we have this confidence, we can also have great boldness before him, for if we present any request agreeable to his will, he will hear us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have obtained the requests we ask of him.' 1 John 5:13-15 (TPT)   W hen John wrote this Epistle about an eternal truth to the believer it was in regards to the power and assurances we can all have that Jesus saves us for eternity  Then, with this power comes the assurances and with that the confidence in the power of prayer that is given to us from God. When we pray in his will He hears us. When we pray in His name we know that we have the request we ask of Him already! If so, then why, if this being a rule for all is this principle not being applied by us all everywhere and und...

An Amazing Room With a View

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  'There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you' John 14:2 (NCV)  H eaven is a big place. The house where I will live has many rooms and will accommodate all of my family and friends. Jesus is working on His Father's house right now. It's a labor of love. He is Lord and He was a carpenter by profession. He knows what He is doing. He is in no hurry. The project is so big, that it is going to take Him some time to complete it. This last weekend reminded me of what He might be doing there in heaven while He intercedes and waits for me. His Father's house has many rooms and mine may be in need of some TLC. He may be preparing it for me right now. I bet Jesus even picked out my room Himself. I trust Him that He could see the potential of the place He bought for me in heaven, and so could I. He has my heart in mind when He put his hands to the task of preparing th...

Hymns of Praise

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Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:1 (EHV) No matter what I am going through, this is what He calls me to do. He is working through all things and everyone to bring about the redemption of us all! How can I ignore Him? How can I deny that He controls it all and that He is about His Father's business? So, I am to recognize Him as Lord and to thank Him for everything. I am to praise Him with my strong faith and with my Hymns and songs of praise. I am to praise Him with my devotion and love. I am to praise Him with my service. With everything that I've got, I will praise the Lord! Dear Father Thank you for Your Word. Today I praise you and pray for my children. No matter what they are going through, please fill them with Your unfailing love. Send mercy and grace. Return Joy. Build Faith. In Jesus name. Amen. Source: 'Drummingthemessagehome', June 23, 2019, reposted.   

Enjoy the Day

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'And Mary said; I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I’m the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It’s exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now.' Luke 1:46-55 (MSG) "So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life...

God Always Remembers

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' Dear friends, we are saying this to you, but we really expect better things from you that will lead to your salvation.  God is fair; he will not forget the work you did and the love you showed for him by helping his people. And he will remember that you are still helping them.  We want each of you to go on with the same hard work all your lives so you will surely get what you hope for.  We do not want you to become lazy. Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised.' Hebrews 6:9-12 (NCV) So, here it is, a hope for eternal life with a promise. We want that you get what you hope for, and even better things, so show God's love by helping his people. He will not forget the work that you did. He is fair and will always remember the love that you showed for him. God always remembers, it is part of His nature. In His remembering your acts of grace you can rest assured that He will make sure that you will be rewarded with even ...

My Earnest Prayer of Faith

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'You have recorded my troubles.     You have kept a list of my tears.         Aren’t they in your records?' Psalm 56:8 (NCV)   Through this study in Hebrews we were asked to recall the spiritual burdens that we cared enough about to offer to God in prayers and supplications with tears. My immediate response was to recall those prayers for my own family's salvation, of course. I prayed for them and have cried so many tears for them all. Then I was reminded of a few of the situations that I found myself in that hurt so badly that I could not even find the words to pray. So I cried. And I know that God always hears those prayers and comforts me through the pain because He cares. It is comforting to know that God cares enough about me to keep a hand written record of all the troubles that I have been through and all of the times that I have cried. He loves me that much. Maybe even more so, the little children. This less...

Drum Beat of Praise

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'The musicians were playing loudly and the singers were singing. Jezrahiah led them, and together the sounds filled the city. Everyone was rejoicing and making sacrifices to God in their great joy—even the women and children got involved. Far outside Jerusalem the noise from our celebration could be heard.' Nehemiah 12:42-43 (VOICE)   Another cause for celebration - the wall! Brick by brick, Nehemiah had been faithful to see that it was completed even to the end and now... who was he giving credit to? He would not take the credit for all that was done for himself but turned the people's attention to none other than God. God, the Giver of all things Great. And this was a great day. It was a day in history when a nation was restored and her people were feeling safe and protected from her enemies again. It was a day and a cause for a national celebration, even the women and children got involved. There she was leading the worship with her drum beat of praise. O...

No Lies Behind These Smiling Faces

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'A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.' Proverbs 15:13 'And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;' Ephesians 5:18-19 (NASB)     Isn't it the truth? We all know the guy. I seek him out when I need an emotional boost because I can depend on him to brighten my day. He seems to have found the key to happiness and it shows up a lot in the things that he says and the countenance on his face. He is always smiling! How does he do that? I've got to figure out what makes him so happy. He is dancing and singing his way through life and where ever he is and whenever he is in the room it is contagious. His mood is a mood lifter in others and it is quite remarkable.   No matter the circumstance, no matter where we are it's always the same with hi...

Keep My Heart

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  'Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.' Proverbs 4:23-27 (MSG) All things are to be kept but above all else keep keeping the heart. For out of the heart flows the issues of life. Physically, it is at the center of the body from where the blood of life flows. Morally, it is the center of my moral affections and the center of my spiritual life. So I am to keep keeping close watch over me. I am to keep keeping close watch over my mind to avoid prideful thoughts and keep humble ones. I am to keep keeping close watch over my tongue and avoid mindless gossip and white lies. I am to keep keeping close watch over my will and avoid the things that might lead me to...

Make Room For Me

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  ' As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”   Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62 (NLT) The call to discipleship is a life changing thing with many exciting and challenging twists and turns and my first thoughts when I am called to it should always be whether I have what it takes to do what I need to do. In case you don't know, delivering the Good News will cost you ...