God and I had a good time this morning. I was recently reminded of a really old song, and I sat down to see if I could remember how to play it. I got to singing the words, and the presence of the LORD filled my space, and it was wonderful!!! The words of the song touched me and reminded me to "Praise the Lord." I believe Dallas Holm wrote the words:
When you're up against a struggle
That shatters all your dreams,
And your hope has been cruelly crushed
By Satan's manifesting scheme,
And you feel the urge within you
To submit to earthly fears.
Don't let the faith you're standing in seem to disappear.
(Chorus) Praise the Lord!
He can work with those who praise Him.
Praise the Lord!!
For our God inhabits praise,
Praise the Lord!!!
For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise Him!
Now satan is a liar,
And he wants to make us think
That we are paupers,
When he knows himself
We're children of the King.
So lift up the mighty shield of faith,
For the battle has been won!!!
We know that Jesus Christ has risen,
So the work's already done!!!
Aren't those powerful words?
Live like a child of the King!! Praise Him!!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
"For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down , and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" -- Psalm 107:9-15.
I mentioned in my last post that I have been having a hard time, being really anxious about my lost loved one, and that God had been faithful in giving me raindrops to help me. The above psalm is one of the raindrops, a VERY POWERFUL raindrop, especially the verses I quoted. Most of that psalm spoke to me, and you may want to read the whole thing to see which part speaks to you the most.
This verse basically told me to hang on and give praise. Even if my loved one is in the very shadow of death, God is still able!!! He is ABLE!!! I will "praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
I mentioned in my last post that I have been having a hard time, being really anxious about my lost loved one, and that God had been faithful in giving me raindrops to help me. The above psalm is one of the raindrops, a VERY POWERFUL raindrop, especially the verses I quoted. Most of that psalm spoke to me, and you may want to read the whole thing to see which part speaks to you the most.
This verse basically told me to hang on and give praise. Even if my loved one is in the very shadow of death, God is still able!!! He is ABLE!!! I will "praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
I may have mentioned that I pray scriptures for my children (including my son-in-law) from Jodie Berndt's Praying the Scriptures for your Children, usually praying one scripture prayer a day, filling in whosoever's name fits the prayer that I come across that day, sometimes even praying for children of friends. Last night I came to a prayer that was particularly pertinent to me, because in the past few days, I have had several "slaps in the face" about my lost loved one. The prayer said, "As we pray for________, do not let us be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let us always remember to present our requests to you. And let your peace, which transcends all understanding, guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)"
My faith has been wavering because of the things I have seen and heard about my lost loved one, and I had to apologize to the LORD, because He has remained faithful, and I can trust Him. Just because my faith wavered does not mean He has stopped working and fulfilling His promises to me. In fact, when I asked Him to please give me a raindrop and to let me know He is still working, He was faithful to even do this: to send this prayer, to show me His creation to remind me of His awesome power, and to send so many songs that have helped me praise and to remember Him, as well as many other reminders.
In fact, this passage of scripture gives us the answer for the anxiety of the wait: prayer with thanksgiving. There is a peace that comes when I pray, presenting all my concerns before the LORD, and thank Him for His work and for listening and answering my prayers.
He is so very faithful, and He has given me a peace that I cannot fathom. In fact, I almost feel guilty to be so much at peace when so much bad is going on. But even that is being handled by God. I cannot be God in my loved one's life. I cannot fix anything. I cannot save that person. I cannot manipulate circumstances for that person. I am not God. I am Tami, but I serve God, and He has this under control!! I am thankful!
My faith has been wavering because of the things I have seen and heard about my lost loved one, and I had to apologize to the LORD, because He has remained faithful, and I can trust Him. Just because my faith wavered does not mean He has stopped working and fulfilling His promises to me. In fact, when I asked Him to please give me a raindrop and to let me know He is still working, He was faithful to even do this: to send this prayer, to show me His creation to remind me of His awesome power, and to send so many songs that have helped me praise and to remember Him, as well as many other reminders.
In fact, this passage of scripture gives us the answer for the anxiety of the wait: prayer with thanksgiving. There is a peace that comes when I pray, presenting all my concerns before the LORD, and thank Him for His work and for listening and answering my prayers.
He is so very faithful, and He has given me a peace that I cannot fathom. In fact, I almost feel guilty to be so much at peace when so much bad is going on. But even that is being handled by God. I cannot be God in my loved one's life. I cannot fix anything. I cannot save that person. I cannot manipulate circumstances for that person. I am not God. I am Tami, but I serve God, and He has this under control!! I am thankful!
Monday, September 3, 2012
"(For he saith , I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) --2 Corinthians 6:2
OK. I guess I am just a little slow, but the phrase, "today is the day of salvation," hit me and hit me hard and made me so VERY happy!!! The King James Version says, ". . . now is the day of salvation." I have heard people say, "All in God's time," and that had me a little confused in my prayer time for my lost loved one. However, Christ came, died, rose, provided redemption, said, "It is finished." I KNOW it is not God's will for sin to be in anyone's life. It is His perfect will that all would be saved NOW, TODAY!! It is not God's perfect will that my loved one stay in sin one more day!! NOT ONE MORE DAY!!! Yes, He will work all things for good, but His perfect will is that this person would be saved today!! I am glad He will use the experiences for the good. However, I am praying, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." TODAY!!! I know I am praying for God's perfect will!!!
OK. I guess I am just a little slow, but the phrase, "today is the day of salvation," hit me and hit me hard and made me so VERY happy!!! The King James Version says, ". . . now is the day of salvation." I have heard people say, "All in God's time," and that had me a little confused in my prayer time for my lost loved one. However, Christ came, died, rose, provided redemption, said, "It is finished." I KNOW it is not God's will for sin to be in anyone's life. It is His perfect will that all would be saved NOW, TODAY!! It is not God's perfect will that my loved one stay in sin one more day!! NOT ONE MORE DAY!!! Yes, He will work all things for good, but His perfect will is that this person would be saved today!! I am glad He will use the experiences for the good. However, I am praying, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." TODAY!!! I know I am praying for God's perfect will!!!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
"He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?"--Matthew 16:15
". . . According to your faith be it unto you."--Matthew 9:29b
A friend called me to say God had spoken these two verses to her. The first one is a question, and your answer is EXTREMELY important!! Who do you say that God is? Who does your heart say and that He is? What do you really believe about Who He is? Remember from before, even if we lack faith, He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13) It does not change Who He is, but it can change your outcome!
The last one, ". . . According to your faith be it unto you," is a scary thought sometimes, but teachers to me over the past couple of years, taught me to build my faith by surrounding myself with people who have experienced God and His person first-hand, listening to testimonies of people who have been healed and saved and had their loved ones saved, and refusing to hear the stories of nay-sayers.
Good advice!
". . . According to your faith be it unto you."--Matthew 9:29b
A friend called me to say God had spoken these two verses to her. The first one is a question, and your answer is EXTREMELY important!! Who do you say that God is? Who does your heart say and that He is? What do you really believe about Who He is? Remember from before, even if we lack faith, He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13) It does not change Who He is, but it can change your outcome!
The last one, ". . . According to your faith be it unto you," is a scary thought sometimes, but teachers to me over the past couple of years, taught me to build my faith by surrounding myself with people who have experienced God and His person first-hand, listening to testimonies of people who have been healed and saved and had their loved ones saved, and refusing to hear the stories of nay-sayers.
Good advice!
Monday, August 27, 2012
I have to post twice today, because I have had another comforting raindrop.
Have you ever hugged someone, and it felt your tiredness or your burden or your stress just drained away? Well, I got a hug like that from the Word of God.
At the suggestion of my pastor, I read the words of Jesus before bed each night and in the morning, usually just reading a verse or two. Last week, I came to Matthew 11:28: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
I stayed there for several readings, because it was like that hug. I felt comforted, rested, loved, and supported, knowing I am not alone.
I hope it gives you that hug, too!! Many blessings to you as you keep up the fight for your loved one!!
Have you ever hugged someone, and it felt your tiredness or your burden or your stress just drained away? Well, I got a hug like that from the Word of God.
At the suggestion of my pastor, I read the words of Jesus before bed each night and in the morning, usually just reading a verse or two. Last week, I came to Matthew 11:28: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
I stayed there for several readings, because it was like that hug. I felt comforted, rested, loved, and supported, knowing I am not alone.
I hope it gives you that hug, too!! Many blessings to you as you keep up the fight for your loved one!!
Nothing is beyond redemption!!
Please, allow me to quote Jack Hayford from his book, Penetrating the Darkness. It
made me want to scream a "WOOHOO!!!" Some people do not like those, so I won't right now! (Smile!)
He says on page 69:
"There is nothing in the Bible that suggests we are victims of unyielding circumstance. . . . nothing is beyond redemption. Nothing in your life, nothing in my life, nothing of anything we face--nothing is beyond redemption. But there is a decisive issue to be settled.
"Where can our conquering Savior find, among those who have acknowledged Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, those who will then accept and apply the keys of the Kingdom? Those keys, which represent the authority He is inviting us to exercise, constitute the key component to change. Redemption on earth advances as God's praying people take action, invoking through intercession the victory that is established in heaven."
"So much of the Church lives passively, rather than taking action and becoming redemptive agents of God's Kingdom in our world. We are called to transmit through prayer the invitation: 'Let Your Kingdom come! Enter into this circumstance, that problem, that soul that home! Let your will be done in our family, our town, our nation--exactly as You, Father, will in it heaven. Release it in Jesus' name. Shed forth the blessing of His victory--apply what He has 'finished'!'"
"It is finished!"--John 19:30. Jesus finished it. He said it. I believe it.
I am striving to listen, to accept and apply God's will through prayer. Nothing and no one is beyond redemption! That makes me so happy!
Please, allow me to quote Jack Hayford from his book, Penetrating the Darkness. It
made me want to scream a "WOOHOO!!!" Some people do not like those, so I won't right now! (Smile!)
He says on page 69:
"There is nothing in the Bible that suggests we are victims of unyielding circumstance. . . . nothing is beyond redemption. Nothing in your life, nothing in my life, nothing of anything we face--nothing is beyond redemption. But there is a decisive issue to be settled.
"Where can our conquering Savior find, among those who have acknowledged Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, those who will then accept and apply the keys of the Kingdom? Those keys, which represent the authority He is inviting us to exercise, constitute the key component to change. Redemption on earth advances as God's praying people take action, invoking through intercession the victory that is established in heaven."
"So much of the Church lives passively, rather than taking action and becoming redemptive agents of God's Kingdom in our world. We are called to transmit through prayer the invitation: 'Let Your Kingdom come! Enter into this circumstance, that problem, that soul that home! Let your will be done in our family, our town, our nation--exactly as You, Father, will in it heaven. Release it in Jesus' name. Shed forth the blessing of His victory--apply what He has 'finished'!'"
"It is finished!"--John 19:30. Jesus finished it. He said it. I believe it.
I am striving to listen, to accept and apply God's will through prayer. Nothing and no one is beyond redemption! That makes me so happy!
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