|
| "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowlegde of Him who called us by glory and virture." 2 Peter 1:3 Many believers do not understand the vast riches they already possess in Jesus Christ, an infinite treasury of wisdom and knowledge and all good things. The moment you accept Him as your Savior you receive everything God is, everything God does, and everything God provides. You lack nothing. God's immeasurable, overflowing love and power are available to you by His grace for every trial, every decision, every challenge. -Charles Stanley Into His Presence | | |
| My neighbor is SUCH a wise woman of God! She reminded me tonight that where ever I am at is where God wants me to be. We tend to give the enemy too much credit. God places us in situations and environments to squeeze us, mold us, and teach us. She quoted me the verse "for the spirit of heaviness, put on a garment of praise," reminding me when things start getting bad, all I need to do is praise the Lord! Also, she spoke about how I have the power to bind the words of the enemy! I have access to ALL of the authority of heaven! And her final advice this evening was that all I need to do is to work unto God, and if I give my best, that is all I have to give and all I am required to give. If I start putting too much time into work, more than I should, the flesh will start to rise up, and it has. I need to put up more boundaries on how much time I spend working so it doesn't take over my life! I am so blessed to have such a WONDERFUL Godly neighbor! Thank you, Jesus! :) | | |
| God is real. His power is true. He is an active teacher, so patient with His students like me! There are some verses that He brings to me over and over. They are verses that jumped out at me at one time or another, and that He knows I have been able to relate to! Recently I went to a worship/prayer meeting, and I was asked about how things were going. After sharing, I was asked if I would mind being put in the "hot" seat. I did not mind, and so this group, who didn't know me very well, and some whom I just met that night, prayed for me. I had a peace about them, and knew enough about their beliefs and what teachings they followed, so I was o.k. to let them pray for me.
Some of the verses that were brought up included: 1 Peter 5:7; Phil. 4:5-7; Phil. 4:13; and someone spoke a verse that I finally was able to understand in my spirit: 1 John 4:4.
I have been going through some difficulties at work, and annoying things have been happening "at home," including some health concerns that the doctors haven't been able to figure out, having my air mattress pop, and some other things. I have felt disheartened and frustrated. I know God has been trying to teach me lessons.
For example, I have thought of how I need to cast my cares upon Him. (1 Peter 5:7), yet, putting that into practice isn't always easy. Just to have that verse spoken out helped me to take a greater hold of that verse.
I was given a new understanding of Phil. 4:5-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. One of the people praying for me shared with me on how the ending "in Christ Jesus" was so important. When I am "in Christ," or by remembering that I am sitting with Christ on His thrown, I can better think of the power and authority I have! Each day I am to think about how I am sitting in that spot of victory.
And it amazed me that someone spoke the verse "You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you." (Phil. 4:13) This is a verse that my dad often has quoted me. It is the ONLY verse I can think of that my dad has quoted me, other than quoting the "Our Father" for me to learn as a child. So it is special to me.
The verse 1 John 4:4 was quoted to me by someone I met for the first time that night. "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." She assured me that I was in the midst of a spiritual battle, and that I had to remember how Christ in me is greater than any other principality, spirit, person, or situation! I have heard this many times, but that night I was finally able to cling to it in my spirit!
These are the only verses they spoke, and it encouraged me deeply that most of them were verses that had special meaning to me! And the "new" verse has given me new power!
I had felt so loved by each one that night, and from how they prayed over me, I was reassured that God knows all about what I am going through!
It does make it easier, even if the situations are still not desirable.
I am being challenged to choose an attitude that is positive and to speak kind and encouraging words at work, so that goodness will overcome the ugly attitudes and words that have been manifested there. It is always best to focus on the good, for, as they spoke in the meeting, anything that is good is from God. They said, therefore, anything good can and should be celebrated as a miracle, because it is of God!
So, I have been praying that God will help me focus on His goodness, on the love that I have that Christ has given me, and that His light, goodness, and love will truly be known through me!
| | |
| "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."-Marianne Williamson | | |
| Heb 12:1-11 ESV
(1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
(2) looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
(3) Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
(4) In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
(5) And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
(6) For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
(7) It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
(8) If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
(9) Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
(10) For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
(11) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discipline in Hebrews is, of course, of Hebrew origin. One of the words it can be translated to, according to blueletterbible.com, is "instruction." And instruction can be called "lessons." Lessons have a number of different purposes, including to bring a person to have a new idea, to behave a different way, and/or have their senses opened in a way they have never been opened before. Sometimes a lesson is not new, but is continued because the person has not acquired the new idea, the different behavior, or have their senses opened as never before. Sometimes the person finally catches on, at least temporarily, and finally the idea is held in a new way in their mind, the desired behavior finds action, and/or the dulled senses are awakened. I am someone who can take a long, long time to learn a lesson. It is amazing the Lord doesn't give up on me. He continually spends time taking me through various situations, letting me feel pain when I don't acquire the new information as I should. I can get very, very frustrated , as well as discouraged, but He is faithful to bring encouragement at the right time! Most recently He has brought encouragement through friends who pray for me when I have felt as thought I can not tolerate one more lesson! And, though at times I fall and fail, overall, it presses me to pursue Him in a greater way! It truly amazes me how He works! For example, lately I have been put in the position to choose to do what is right, which puts me at a disadvantage from the world's perspective, or to choose what is wrong, which could bring me success financially, in the eyes of those who have the power to promote me, as well as make me feel more comfortable in the environment I have been in. Unfortunately, there have been times I have given in to the wrong choice, yet, thankfully, most of the time I am able to do what I know is right. I know that power only comes from the grace of God! I have also been challenged in the area of boundaries. I had once thought I had conquered this form of weakness in my life, but I have found I still have need of much growth. There is only so much a person can do, and breaks are important. I desire to give my all, and to do my best, but when I fail to set limits on how long I work and how much I take on, I am not able to create excellence. Instead, my contribution is just beyond mediocre. Another lesson I am being instructed in, and the Lord is trying to teach me to grow in, is relationships. There are days when I have known that I have thought that there is no way on my own efforts that I could continue in some of the relationships I have had to try to be in. I am aware that I have a choice in how deep and personal relationships are, yet, there are times when I don't have much choice in facing some people each day. I know that some people have the same struggle with me, and when I am frustrated and discouraged, it is harder for me to be a person who is desirable to be around. (Thank GOD that He will NEVER leave me, no matter how undesirable to others I am!) Imperfection in others, AND in myself, have been so noticable lately! I have found myself rethinking situations, and wondering, "did that really happen? Did so and so really just do that?! Did I really just do that?!" People will never be perfect. Some get along better than others, but they still have their problems. As necessary as it is to constantly rely on grace, I am learning more about how to think of Bible passages in situations to help me stay in peace and to release God's power. This one I still need a lot of work on! And it looks as though God is giving me plenty of opportunities and time to practice! Anyway, this time of learning has not been easy, and at times, has been plainly painful! But the Lord promises that He disciplines the one He loves, and He really does love me! He also promises that in time it will produce a peaceful fruit of righteousness in me! I need to remember I will NEVER have to go through what Christ did! Little by little I am learning how to have endurance, and how to stand back up on the grace provided by Jesus when I fall! As unpleasant as it is, I am thankful the Lord is disciplining and teaching me! He is ALWAYS GOOD, and ALWAYS brings me though the situations that will best make me to be like Jesus!!! | | |
|
