Friday, October 11, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Prayer for my friends
Lord I come to you, Just As I Am, but today I am bringing my hurting friends with me. They ache and hurt from lifes disappointments, failures, regrets, illnesses, losses! I want to bring them to your throne where you can wash over them and give them peace. How do I pray? How do I help them with their loneliness, their sadness, their sickness? What are your words to comfort and heal my friends?
Jeremiah 31:25
25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. (NIV)
Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 63:1
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble
You have made it so clear as our Lord and Savior, that we should come to you when it hurts, when its hard, even when it all falls apart. We should just run to you; our healer, our comforter, our portion, more than enough, all we need! And I know you hold us-ME- in the palm of your hand.
Isaiah 49:16
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
"God is still on the throne and nothing can snatch us from His hand"-Joel Osteen
My friends, my prayer for you today, even as I lift you up in prayer, is to go before God-take it to the throne- and leave it there for Him to work out. No matter what the pain you are going through, no matter how broken you are- God is there and is waiting on you to bring it to him! HE IS FOR YOU!
Matthew 11:28
Come Unto Me!
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you
Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you He will never let the righteous be shaken
"Everytime I obey, absolute Deity is on my side, so that the grace of God and natural obedience coincide" Oswald Chambers
Phillippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus
"Here" Kari Jobe
Come and rest here
Come and lay your burdens down
Come and rest here
There is refuge for you now
You'll find His peace
And know you're not alone anymore
He is near
You'll find His healing
You're heart isn't shattered anymore
He is here
Jeremiah 31:25
25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. (NIV)
Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 63:1
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble
You have made it so clear as our Lord and Savior, that we should come to you when it hurts, when its hard, even when it all falls apart. We should just run to you; our healer, our comforter, our portion, more than enough, all we need! And I know you hold us-ME- in the palm of your hand.
Isaiah 49:16
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
"God is still on the throne and nothing can snatch us from His hand"-Joel Osteen
My friends, my prayer for you today, even as I lift you up in prayer, is to go before God-take it to the throne- and leave it there for Him to work out. No matter what the pain you are going through, no matter how broken you are- God is there and is waiting on you to bring it to him! HE IS FOR YOU!
Matthew 11:28
Come Unto Me!
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you
Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you He will never let the righteous be shaken
"Everytime I obey, absolute Deity is on my side, so that the grace of God and natural obedience coincide" Oswald Chambers
Phillippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus
"Here" Kari Jobe
Come and rest here
Come and lay your burdens down
Come and rest here
There is refuge for you now
You'll find His peace
And know you're not alone anymore
He is near
You'll find His healing
You're heart isn't shattered anymore
He is here
Jesus Christ is giving you a place to rest. He is your refuge center. Lay your burdens down and get out of there! You will find peace, healing and you won't be alone! He will give you healing for your heart!
Just let Him....let Him.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Love and Marriage
John 15:17 Love one another.
Such an easy task He has put before us. It is easy for us to say "I Love You" three words we utter without even giving them thought. Often at the end of a phone call "Love ya, bye" How often have we heard that?! It becomes a little harder when we are asked to put some action with those words! When I am loved, I want to feel it! Even if I never hear those words, I want to feel them! I want to feel them in my every day tasks. Maybe that note left for me just to say I love you or to say have a happy blessed day. I want to feel love because someone packed my lunch, or let me have the remote to the TV during their favorite showtime, or did an extra load of laundry when they were so tired but knew I was too. Love is when for no reason you give someone flowers, a kind word- an encouraging word, a foot rub, do the dishes, pick up the living room or even tuck you in at night with a cozy blanket and your favorite drink. Love is when every morning and every night you lift someone up in prayer! When you are burdened for someone that you cry their tears- thats LOVE! the love of God. Thats the kind of love I want. And I won't settle! God puts forth specific instructions for his people to follow. Instructions for leaders of countries to battle one another. Instructions such as the Ten Commandments for us to follow. Love is no different! He tells us how to love! He tells us marriage is sacred. It is special and as hard as it is for us to love our enemy, our neighbor- our marriage partner should be easy, RIGHT!? But you can't say I love you with your mouth and not "love" with your heart. God has burdened my heart with hurting marriages! And I surely don't know why because Danny and I never had a "bad" time in our marriage. But when I see a marriage that is not all that it can be with Christ as the center and the husband and wife sharing their everything with each other- it makes me cry.
We were blessed for 28 years- we were blessed. And I am here to tell you if you are in a marriage that isn't inspired by God- you are settling for 2nd best. All I can say is pray and pray hard! A friend told me this week that Christ is #1 but after that its family and if the marriage is not up to snuff- the family suffers. You suffer! God has given you a most precious gift in your mate! Please don't treat them like an after thought. Next to serving God, you should want to serve your mate. God actually commands it!
Ephesians 5:22
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord
1 Timothy 2:11
11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission
1 Corinthians 11:3
3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man,[a] and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 7:33
33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—
Ecclesiastes 9:9
9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.
Colossians 3:17
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Corinthians 7:14
14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy
Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral
1 Corinthians 7:3
3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband
The most important and loving thing you can do for your mate in life is pray for them. Pray they will have a heart like God. And don't stop! Pray everyday ALL day! As if your life depends on it. Because in this life we walk side by side with our mate, and that walk will be cold, lonely, and often painful and loveless without Christ walking in your midst! I can honestly say when I walked that walk with Danny that Christ was always with us. Even that last year and the last mile- He was there. And when Danny went on to Heaven, Christ has stepped in and taken his place right by my side. I no longer hold Dannys hand, but I have his heart, and I so want to share that with you. So take Christ by the hand and pray for your mate, invite him to your marriage. You will be surprised at the chalnges you see. Let Christ fight for your marriage! He wants to be on your side!
Ephesians 3:16
I pray that from his glorious unlimited resourses he will empower you with inner strength through his spirit.
Don't put your focus on "fixing" your marriage, focus on "fixing" yourself, serving your spouse, and fix that relationship with God! He wants so much to be there with you! Invite Him in! I can't wait to see the results!
Such an easy task He has put before us. It is easy for us to say "I Love You" three words we utter without even giving them thought. Often at the end of a phone call "Love ya, bye" How often have we heard that?! It becomes a little harder when we are asked to put some action with those words! When I am loved, I want to feel it! Even if I never hear those words, I want to feel them! I want to feel them in my every day tasks. Maybe that note left for me just to say I love you or to say have a happy blessed day. I want to feel love because someone packed my lunch, or let me have the remote to the TV during their favorite showtime, or did an extra load of laundry when they were so tired but knew I was too. Love is when for no reason you give someone flowers, a kind word- an encouraging word, a foot rub, do the dishes, pick up the living room or even tuck you in at night with a cozy blanket and your favorite drink. Love is when every morning and every night you lift someone up in prayer! When you are burdened for someone that you cry their tears- thats LOVE! the love of God. Thats the kind of love I want. And I won't settle! God puts forth specific instructions for his people to follow. Instructions for leaders of countries to battle one another. Instructions such as the Ten Commandments for us to follow. Love is no different! He tells us how to love! He tells us marriage is sacred. It is special and as hard as it is for us to love our enemy, our neighbor- our marriage partner should be easy, RIGHT!? But you can't say I love you with your mouth and not "love" with your heart. God has burdened my heart with hurting marriages! And I surely don't know why because Danny and I never had a "bad" time in our marriage. But when I see a marriage that is not all that it can be with Christ as the center and the husband and wife sharing their everything with each other- it makes me cry.
We were blessed for 28 years- we were blessed. And I am here to tell you if you are in a marriage that isn't inspired by God- you are settling for 2nd best. All I can say is pray and pray hard! A friend told me this week that Christ is #1 but after that its family and if the marriage is not up to snuff- the family suffers. You suffer! God has given you a most precious gift in your mate! Please don't treat them like an after thought. Next to serving God, you should want to serve your mate. God actually commands it!
Ephesians 5:22
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord
1 Timothy 2:11
11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission
1 Corinthians 11:3
3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man,[a] and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 7:33
33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—
Ecclesiastes 9:9
9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.
Colossians 3:17
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Corinthians 7:14
14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy
Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral
1 Corinthians 7:3
3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband
The most important and loving thing you can do for your mate in life is pray for them. Pray they will have a heart like God. And don't stop! Pray everyday ALL day! As if your life depends on it. Because in this life we walk side by side with our mate, and that walk will be cold, lonely, and often painful and loveless without Christ walking in your midst! I can honestly say when I walked that walk with Danny that Christ was always with us. Even that last year and the last mile- He was there. And when Danny went on to Heaven, Christ has stepped in and taken his place right by my side. I no longer hold Dannys hand, but I have his heart, and I so want to share that with you. So take Christ by the hand and pray for your mate, invite him to your marriage. You will be surprised at the chalnges you see. Let Christ fight for your marriage! He wants to be on your side!
Ephesians 3:16
I pray that from his glorious unlimited resourses he will empower you with inner strength through his spirit.
Don't put your focus on "fixing" your marriage, focus on "fixing" yourself, serving your spouse, and fix that relationship with God! He wants so much to be there with you! Invite Him in! I can't wait to see the results!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Love
Love- Extraordinary Women’s Conference 2013
10,000 women in one room-most men would say “what a nightmare!” After standing in line for the bathroom, the shuttle to park, the lunch line…even the women were saying that! Even worse that 10,000 women in one room, think about it as 10,000 children in one room. That’s what we had yesterday-all weekend. We were in Gods Day Care, All of his children in one place. We were told basically when to sit, when to stand, when to eat, when to go to the bathroom-and we did it! And it was a miraculous event. And we did this all in the name of Love! One little 4 letter word. First of all we came because we love God. And we love our girlfriends, sisters, mothers, daughters- so we took them with us. To get away from the obvious- men, husbands, brothers, sons. All in the name of love. Our theme verse was:
1 Corinthians 13:13 for the weekend
And now these three remain; faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love
It was on big screens, t-shirts, bookmarkers, coffee mugs…everywhere! But it was also at the civic center, on the shuttle bus, in our car ride, at our hotel, at our restaurants, even with us as we crossed the street. We banded together all weekend as a group for everything. You know us women- we can’t even go to the bathroom alone. And trust me this weekend that was not a problem. We stood in lines that wrapped around buildings to wait…and wait…and then wait some more. But do you think God didn’t use even that! Absolutely not! We saw friends we haven’t seen in years- our own neighbors living in the same community- but God takes an event where there are 10,000 women- to a different state and puts us in the same hotels, on the same bus ride, in the same line!
We of course went in the name of love because we love God. And as we were there that first night we start to hear how God loves other people. Our speakers tell of experiences of how Gods love has transformed their lives. In 1 John 4:8 the Bible says “God is Love” and John 15:12 &13 This is my commandment love each other in the same way I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this. That one lay down his life for his friends. Out of the whole weekend this one sentence spoken that first night by speaker Kasey Van Norman is what I will remember and carry with me. “I don’t know how to not love you” And that is so like God. He just loves us. There is no other way.
In Ephesians 5:1&2 Follow Gods example, therefore, as dearly loved children. And walk in the way of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Her parting words for us were “God’s love is gracious, sometimes painful and always redeeming” Everyone has a “story” of how Gods love has been gracious. For some their “story” may be painful, but God always gets the last word. You will be redeemed! 1 John 4:11 Beloved, If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
If I didn’t learn anything else from this weekend, I learned we need to love our fellow man- our neighbor, our classroom buddy, the person sitting next to us on the bus, the person sitting beside you on the church pew! Not just tolerate that person-but just as God loves us- we also have to love one another. As you go about your work, school, home- As you go about life- this week- this year! Remember this one verse:
John 15:17
Love One Another!
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