Category: February2019

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Nervous About Change

The last few weeks Dave and I have been making subtle changes around the house. We’re excited but our little Aussie is unimpressed and in fact, it has made her very nervous.

Last Fall when I started working on the book, The Best Gifts of Christmas, I realized that I didn’t have a quiet place to write. The desk was right out in the middle of all that happens in our home. I kept eyeing this big, under-utilized space called the dining room. In the five plus years we have lived in our home the dining room has only been used about 5 or 6 times. Most of our friends and family would rather eat outside on the patio instead of at the dining room table.

I asked Dave if we could sell the table and convert the dining room to an office. He agreed that was a good idea. Neighbors called one day and wanted to know if we would like an antique roll-top desk. Yes! And so the transformation began.

Two weeks ago the dining room table finally sold. Out it went! In came an oak file cabinet, down went a horse hair hide for the rug and Monday we came home with an oak cabinet that we found in Mesa while visiting Kim and Austin.

Tuesday was the day to move end tables, lamps, books from the bedroom bookcase to the office. So much activity. Vacuuming baseboards and corners. Dusting books and arranging shelves. Trading out tables and lamps. Which one looked best where?

But Glory doesn’t like change!

It makes her nervous. She wants things to stay the same. When things get moved around she has to find a new place to lay. Where does she belong? In all the moving, her favorite place becomes the couch, on my lap when I am sitting down. She has to be close – it’s her comfort zone. I think she feels she is going to get left.

Aren’t we like that?

Change can be unsettling. A new job or school. A new neighborhood or town. A new relationship or marriage. Little kids can be unnerved by a new baby. How do we react when we are emotionally and physically uprooted?

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7 ERV

I think we are a lot like Glory. We need comfort, we need reassurance. We need to be close! Close to the Father. We need to know that we haven’t been left on our own to flounder and find our way. We need a place of security – a place to find love and comfort!

“Protect me, God, because I depend on you..5 Lord, you give me all that I need.
  You support me. You give me my share. 6 My share is wonderful. My inheritance is very beautiful. 7 I praise the Lord because he taught me well. Even at night he put his instructions deep inside my mind. 8 I always remember that the Lord is with me. He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me. 9 So my heart and soul will be very happy. Even my body will live in safety, 10 because you will not leave me in the place of death. You will not let your faithful one rot in the grave. 11 You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16 ERV

That place of comfort is right next to the Father. When we are in His presence we have fullness of joy. He never wanders off or leaves us alone. There may be times that we wonder where He is but it’s because WE have left Him to do our own thing. If that’s the case, then we need to take a lesson from Glory. Jump on the couch and get close.

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

Don’t let change make you nervous. Draw close to the Father and let Him show you the adventures ahead!

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It’s A Glorious Day!

How do I know that today will be a glorious day? I have God’s promise on it! When His word gives us a promise we can believe it.

“I will tell of your greatness, my God and King. I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day. I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 The Lord is great and deserves all our praise! No one can fully understand his greatness! 4 Each generation will praise you and tell the next generation about the great things you do.” Psalm 145:1-4 ERV

“I will praise you every day.” King David made it his goal to praise the Lord every day. We should too. I remember something that evangelist Oral Roberts used to say. He was known for his saying “something good is going to happen to you this very day”. He lived expecting to see God’s goodness displayed each and every day of his life.

How wonderful!

Obviously King David or Oral Roberts didn’t face the challenges that you and I face each day, right? They didn’t have to deal with aggravating people, physical illness and pain, wayward children, vicious co-workers or financial upset like we do. Really? Of course, they did. But they knew that God watched over them and provided His best for them on a daily basis. So they spent each day in praise.

This morning I was reading about Jesus trial and His crucifixion. The Jewish religious leaders were driven to destroy Jesus and His ministry. Their vendetta was real. They took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, to get him to pronounce a death sentence but Pilate said he found no fault in Jesus. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who ruled the area of Galilee. Herod found no fault with Him either and sent Jesus back to Pilate.

A crowd had gathered by now, knowing that Jesus had been arrested and the religious leaders had incited the people into a frenzy. They were a lynch mob. Pilate tried to release Jesus but the crowd called for his crucifixion. There was nothing good about this day.

But wait…there was! This was the day that God, the Father, had planned. He sent His Son to be our substitute. He took our place and gave His life so that we could live forgiven, in relationship with the Father.

“Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. 45 The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle. 46 Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died.” Luke 23:44-46 CEV

In only a few days the world would see a victorious Christ rise from the grave! Satan’s defeat would be complete and our lives have been redeemed. All we need to do is receive, as a gift, what Christ did for us on the cross!

A glorious day!

There’s a song that I learned in church many years ago. The lyrics came flooding back this morning as I read the story of the crucifixion in Luke 23.

“One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Chorus: Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

Chorus

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

Chorus

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine

Chorus: Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day!”

It’s a glorious day – a day of hope, joy, forgiveness and peace! Christ has come to fill our lives to the full with a relationship of love that will last for all eternity.

O glorious day!

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Keeping Your Battery Charged

Every morning I pick up my laptop and share what the Lord has put on my heart for that day. After I post, I look at what others have posted overnight, read through emails and then do some research.

Inevitably, I will receive this message. “Power supply at 10%. Plug into power source.” And if I don’t heed the warning, I will get another one in a few minutes telling me I only have 7% of my power and if I ignore that warning the laptop just shuts down.

Yesterday I ignored those warnings with my phone and it shut down completely. I had to plug it in and wait until it was recharged before I could make a couple of calls and receive some texts that were important to me.

Do you ever feel that your battery is running low? Your power is in short supply and you’re about ready to shut down? I’ve been there many times and that weariness is my warning that I’m operating on stored power and need to reconnect to the power supply.

This morning I was reading in Luke. Jesus had just commemorated the Passover with his apostles. They had asked him about which one of them would have a greater position in His kingdom. They were looking to operate on their own power. Jesus warned them that they were going to face some of the biggest tests of their lives and then He led them out to pray.

“Jesus left the city and went to the Mount of Olives. His followers went with him. (He went there often.) He said to his followers, “Pray for strength against temptation.” Luke 22:39-40 ERV

Jesus knew what was coming. He would be arrested, falsely accused, beaten and crucified. He came to pray! He came to draw strength from the Father and He wanted the disciples to do the same.

“Then Jesus went about 50 steps away from them. He knelt down and prayed, 42 ‘Father, if you are willing, please don’t make me drink from this cup. But do what you want, not what I want.’ 43 Then an angel from heaven came to help him. 44 Jesus was full of pain; he struggled hard in prayer. Sweat dripped from his face like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45 When he finished praying, he went to his followers. He found them asleep, worn out from their grieving. 46 Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray for strength against temptation.’” Luke 22:41-46 ERV

Jesus knew they needed to be connected to the power supply, the Holy Spirit. It was essential. All through His ministry Jesus didn’t do any miracles or teaching until He had spent time in prayer and been empowered by the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t want us to attempt anything on our own either.

We need to be connected. After Jesus rose from the grave and before He went back to heaven He gave the disciples one final instruction that would provide them with all the strength they needed.

“You saw these things happen—you are witnesses. You must go and tell people that they must change and turn to God, which will bring them his forgiveness. You must start from Jerusalem and tell this message in my name to the people of all nations. 49 Remember that I will send you the one my Father promised. Stay in the city until you are given that power from heaven.” Luke 24:47-49 ERV

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to give testimony of what God has done in our lives. Starting first with those closest to us and spreading out from there. Our family, our friends, neighbors, work mates…

Thank you Father for reminding me that my power is draining and that I have a power source with unlimited supply. I desire to stay plugged in to You today!

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Prayer Priorities

Rising early is what I do – most days. This morning for no reason at all I was awake at 1:30 am and then I lay in bed trying to go back to sleep – that just seemed a little too early to get up. But at 3, I was up – put the dog out, the coffee on, and sat down in my daughter’s rocking chair, for what?

To pray!! To pray for each of you who are reading this. Praying is one of my favorite things to do.

After praising and thanking God for His goodness and His love, I prayed for my family and those I know so well; I prayed for our nation, our leaders and our country. Then I prayed as Paul said in I Corinthians 14:15 “I will pray with my spirit and I will pray with my understanding also”. As I prayed with my spirit, I asked the Lord to minister through me to each person who reads this this morning.

First I prayed, ” Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. ” III John 2, that you prosper spirit, soul and body.

Then I prayed that “God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. 4 You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.” Psalm 91:3-4.

I prayed for you from Proverbs 25:26 “Good people who don’t stand strong against evil are like springs that have been polluted or pools that have turned dirty and muddy.” I pray that you will stand strong and be an influence of godliness in this world that so desperately needs God’s love.

And lastly, also from Proverbs 25:21-22, I prayed “If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. If they are thirsty, give them some water. 22 This will make them feel the burning pain of shame, and the LORD will reward you for being good to them.”

Your enemies need compassion. This is one of the only ways they are going to see the love of God in their lives. Jesus prayed for those who persecuted him and on the cross He asked the Father to forgive them. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, as he was being stoned to death, prayed that the Father not hold these things to the charge of those who were casting the rocks. Today you may have the opportunity to do something kind for those who have tried to destroy you, ask the Lord to show you how. He loves them too.

This morning I have prayed all of this for you. As you read this, I hope you pray these things for yourself and for others. We can join our prayers together! The great thing about praying scripture verses is that we know we are praying God’s will because His word is His will. He promises that His word will not be void of power or purpose but will accomplish what it was sent to do.

“In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:11

I feel privileged to pray for you and I thank the Father for blending our hearts together by His Spirit.

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Coming In First!

Don’t you love being first? It is such an honor – being the first to get a phone call or text with really important news – getting the first piece of cake on your birthday – the first dance at your wedding – the first lick of an ice cream cone – the first ride on a motorcycle – the first kiss… I could go on and on.

Most of us will probably never be first in the Olympics or first in the Daytona 500 or first at the NFR but we all celebrate the “first” we have in our lives.

Did you know that the Lord celebrates “first” too? We worship on the first day of the week, the day Jesus was raised from the dead. We bring Him the first of our offerings because He deserves to have first place. And in Exodus we find that there is another first.

“The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Dedicate to me the first-born son of every family and the first-born males of your flocks and herds. These belong to me.” Exodus 13:1-2

When the first is dedicated to the Lord he knows He has the heart of the family. It’s a way of showing honor to the Lord for the blessing of life and the first of the flocks (our livelihood) represents our well-being and prosperity. But there’s more…

“Each year during the month of Abib, celebrate these events in the following way… Then on the seventh day you must explain to your children that you do this because the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

9 This celebration will be like wearing a sign on your hand or on your forehead, because then you will pass on to others the teaching of the Lord, whose mighty power brought you out of Egypt. 10 Celebrate this festival each year at the same time…

12 From then on, you must give him every first-born son from your families and every first-born male from your animals, because these belong to him…
14 In the future your children will ask what this ceremony means. Explain it to them by saying, “The Lord used his mighty power to rescue us from slavery in Egypt…
16 This ceremony will serve the same purpose as a sign on your hand or on your forehead to tell how the Lord’s mighty power rescued us from Egypt.” Exodus 13:1-16 CEV

The dedication of the first-born was a reminder of what the Lord had done for them by delivering them from Egypt.

We too have been delivered from an evil king and the slavery of his rule.

“I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.” Colossians 1:12-14 CEV

So celebrate today – Remind your children and yourself that there is One who deserves to be first in all things – your heart, your decisions, your focus!

“Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command.” Matthew 22:37-38 ERV

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May I Help You?

Each morning it is my duty, a labor of love really, to remind myself to act like Jesus. My first conscious thought is “Father, I love you. Jesus, I love you. Holy Spirit, I love you. Good morning!” and then next I remind myself to think like Jesus and honor Him with my thoughts, my words and my actions.

Sad to say, I’m not successful every morning. Some mornings I just want to go back to sleep or be left to myself. Those are the days that I feel God’s prompting to make the necessary attitude adjustment and honor Him.

“But Jesus called the disciples together and said: You know that foreign rulers like to order their people around. And their great leaders have full power over everyone they rule. 26 But don’t act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. 27 And if you want to be first, you must be the slave of the rest. 28 The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.
29 Jesus was followed by a large crowd as he and his disciples were leaving Jericho. 30 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. And when they heard that Jesus was coming their way, they shouted, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!” 31 The crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted even louder, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!”
32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They answered, “Lord, we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Right away they could see, and they became his followers.” Matthew 20: 25-34

“The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.” I remember the first time that verse had an impact on me – I had a house full of people, was preparing for some special meetings at a hotel conference room, had my family responsibilities and my “help” had been called away. I did what any self-respecting woman would do, I started to complain. Not outwardly but from my heart; I grumbled, I murmured and I wanted to kick the dog but that wasn’t acceptable. So I just kept going and when I finally had a few minutes to myself, I picked up my Bible and read the verses above. WOW!!

If Jesus, the Son of God, creator of the universe, said that His role in life was to serve others and not be served, how selfish and self-centered was it of me to be grumbling over my lack of help. As quickly as I could, I said “Lord forgive me and if I have no help at all, let people see Jesus through me.” He did. We had a wonderful weekend of meetings and so many lives were touched.

But now let me take you back to Jesus and what surrounded these verses. Jesus had just been telling his apostles that He was about to be betrayed and would be handed over for his crucifixion. The mother of James and John was in the traveling group this day and asked Jesus, “Well, when you get to your kingdom I want you to have my sons sit by your side”. Even among those closest to Jesus there was a jockeying for position. This made the other ten upset and so that’s why Jesus said that they must be willing to be a servant and not look at being the master.

I love that this exchange is followed by the story of two blind men. Jesus got to live what He preached. He was talking about his death, spending the last few weeks or possibly days with his disciples getting them ready for what was to come and his ministry is interrupted by two blind hecklers calling from the side of the road, “Jesus, hey Jesus!”

When they were told to hush, they yelled louder. Jesus didn’t become upset and ignore them instead he stopped all he was doing to talk with them. “What do you want from me?” “We want to see.” And Jesus restored their sight.

The verses above say that Jesus felt sorry for them but in other translations it says that Jesus had compassion on them, that means he was moved by love, not pity. What he was doing and saying to the disciples was important but the lives of these two men became his top priority. He was moved by love because God IS love. That’s a servants heart, an attitude of “how may I help you”.

Today, we will all have opportunity to serve others or to be caught up in having others serve us. In both cases, it is our responsibility to have “the mind of Christ”. First, we should be grateful and appreciative when we are served, not taking the attitude that of course they should help or do this. Second, we should serve from a loving heart and not out of guilt or an act of responsibility.

We know we’re doing it with the right motive when it brings you joy and not complaint.

Thank you Lord for Your living example of helping others.

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Out of Balance

Do you remember those days in seventh grade Science class when your teacher brought in a set of scales and weights? I do!

Mr. Fox put the scales on the front lab table. There were a set of graduated weights and there were various other objects too; an apple, a brick, a coin, salt, and feathers. We then embarked on a series of trials. One of the objects was the exact same weight as one, or a combination of, the weights. It was up to us to determine which one.

Nine times out of ten we were out-of-balance!

Have you ever felt that way? That things in your life are out-of-balance. This morning I’m going to tell you why that’s a good thing.

When it comes to our walk with the Lord we need to be top heavy. Jesus disciples came to him and asked Him to increase their faith.

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith!”6 The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!’ And the tree will obey you.” Luke 17:5-6 ERV

Notice Jesus didn’t tell them that they needed BIG faith. No, He told them that if they had little faith, faith as little as a mustard seed, that they would be able to accomplish big things. The question was how to use the faith they had. Look at the example he gave them.

“Suppose one of you has a servant who has been working in the field, plowing or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, ‘Come in, sit down and eat’? 8 Of course not! You would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.’ 9 The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do. 10 It is the same with you. When you finish doing all that you are told to do, you should say, ‘We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.’” Luke 17:7-10 ERV

Here, Jesus is referring to faith as a servant. He told the disciples to put it to work. Faith is doing what the master has told you to do. Jesus had told them to go out and teach, preach, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out devils. They did as he told them and they came back amazed at the results they had. But then there were other times when they let the circumstances stop them from doing what the Lord had said. He told them to get in the boat and go to the other side; they let the waves and the storm overwhelm them with fear and they almost capsized. Then there was the night that Jesus was arrested. He told them to pray with Him so they wouldn’t fall into temptation, instead they fell asleep and scattered in fear when the soldiers took Jesus away.

There are no great accolades for doing what you are told to do but there are great results. Faith is a tool that God wants us to use. Using our faith is as simple as obeying what God says. Just like a servant obeys his master.

If little faith can make great things happen then where’s the problem? It’s fear. Do you realize that fear is also a form of faith? Fear is a belief that the negative will happen. Instead of trusting God and putting faith in His word fear believes that circumstances will overwhelm and shatter God’s promises.

“In Christ we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ.” Ephesians 3:12 ERV

“The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!”26 Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then he stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped, and the lake became very calm.27 The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!” Matthew 8:25-27 ERV

If we have little faith and great fear we will be out-of-balance and the results will be disastrous. But if we have little faith and no fear or doubt we can move mountains.

“Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 The truth is, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you. 24 So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24 ERV

Let me ask you this. What types of things cause fear in your life? It’s important to identify them. Is it cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, rebellious children, loss of employment, auto accidents? Find what God says about each and every one of these things and as you do you will begin to remove them from the fear side of the scale. The more items you remove, the greater the weight of your faith becomes. Soon, faith in what God says and will do will tip the scales and you will be out-of-balance in faith.

“We thank God for you always. And that’s what we should do, because you give us good reason to be thankful: Your faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of you has for each other is also growing.” II Thessalonians 1:3 ERV

It’s time to tip the scales in the right direction!


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Don’t Lose Hope

Hope. Do you have hope? 

Situations and circumstances of life come crashing in some days and any “normal” person would get depressed or, at the very least, stressed out! But…a very important but. When we place our hope in God we can see the victory and not be a victim. We can have hope when everyone else says it’s hopeless; we can have peace in the midst of a storm.

“Why are you sad, O my soul? Why have you become troubled within me? Hope in God, for I will praise Him again, my help and my God.” Psalm 43:5 NLV

Hope in God…HOPE in God… Hope in GOD!

King David wrote this after he had experienced many trials. Because He kept his hope in God he also experienced many victories . When he went out to face Goliath as a young man, King Saul was concerned for his safety but David’s response was “The Lord delivered me from the lion and the bear, so who is this uncircumcised Philistine?”  His hope was in God’s strength, not his own.

When a problem comes that seems too big for us to handle, that’s a good thing. It means God will show up to fight it for us. If the things we face in life are only small and insignificant we won’t gain any strength or character.

Now don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not saying that we should run around looking for trouble – not at all; it will come sure enough but when it does come, look up to Jesus, your source of help – don’t lose hope!

“I look to the hills! Where will I find help? 2 It will come from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth. 3 The Lord is your protector, and he won’t go to sleep or let you stumble.” Psalm 121: 1-3 CEV

Hope is the stabilizing force in our lives. It will anchor our emotions and calm our fears much like a boat in rough waters.

“These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he says something, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath.

So these two things are a great help to us who have come to God for safety. They encourage us to hold on to the hope that is ours. 19 This hope is like an anchor for us. It is strong and sure and keeps us safe.” Hebrews 6:18-19a ERV

The last few days I have been sharing a variety of verses in this morning blog. A number of them have dealt with safety and protection; others have covered God’s love and forgiveness. Each of those verses is a promise – a promise that God will not break. When we attach our hope to those promises they anchor us. They keep us from being tossed about in life’s storms. They keep us from crashing on the rocks of life.

So let’s look again at those situations and circumstances that have come crashing in like a storm surge. Let’s compare them to God and His mighty power. There is nothing that is to hard for God. We must put our hope in Him.

“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 ERV

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You’re Being Followed!

Have you ever had that feeling that someone is following you? It can be a bit unnerving if you are in an area that isn’t familiar to you.

God promises to see that we are followed wherever we go.

This morning I had a bit of a dilemma. I was reading the lesson of the prodigal son in Luke 15 and also reading Psalm 23 on the goodness of the Lord. Both of these Scriptures stir my heart each time I read them. I wanted to share them both. I can’t read them just once and then go on; I re-read these verses and ask “Lord, what do you want me to learn today?”

As I was praying about which Scriptures to share I kept coming back to Psalm 23.

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.
2 You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water,
3 and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths. 4 I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe.

5 You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. You honor me as your guest,
    and you fill my cup until it overflows.
6 Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23 CEV

I like reading this version because it’s so personal. “You lead me”. Everything about this psalm is personal. It’s not about they or them – what they say – it’s about You and me.

Jesus is the you and I am the me!

Did you notice what it says in verse 3? You are true to your name…in the Old Testament, at different times, the Lord would tell the Israelites about the diverse attributes of His name. He is the Lord but He described Himself as our provider, our healer, our present help in times of trouble, our shepherd, our mighty God, our banner, the I AM, our peace, and the One who is always there. That’s why King David could start this psalm with “You are my shepherd. I will never be in need”. Whatever it is we need and whenever we find ourselves lacking, the Lord is there.

If I walk through dark valleys, valleys as dark as death or if I am face to face with my enemies I have no reason to fear because Jesus, my shepherd is right there with me.

His love and kindness is with me each day of my life, following me and then when my life is over I get to live in His house forever!

Love and kindness each day! In other words, words that we are more familiar with, this is translated goodness and mercy shall follow me. God doesn’t send us out on our own. He follows us with His unfailing love and infinite power of forgiveness.

There’s an obscure verse in Isaiah which tells us that God is keeping watch behind us. He protects us from a rear assault – goodness and mercy as there to be the rear guard.

“But you will not go out in a hurry. You will not leave as if you were running for your lives. For the Lord will go before you. And the God of Israel will keep watch behind you.” Isaiah 52:12 NLV

I pray you will be very aware that you are being followed today. Goodness and mercy are always there.

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Call For Assistance

We had an interesting morning yesterday. We had some errands to run in Nogales, it’s only 15 miles south of us. An easy drive. We figured to get everything done, maybe stop for lunch and then be home in a couple of hours.

It didn’t quite happen that way.

We had just gotten off the interstate and on to the surface street when the tire on the front passenger side blew! Dave was able to keep the truck under control and get us to the side of the road. Thank God it hadn’t blown a few moments earlier when we were traveling 75 mph on the freeway.

Dave got out to check the damage. The tire was shredded. It was a little more than we could deal with on our own so we called Roadside Assistance. Only the second time in all our years of driving that we’ve had to do that. Anyway…talking to someone who wasn’t familiar with the area and the names of the road at first seemed challenging and then she said “I’m sending you a link in a text, click on the link and I will be able to locate you.”

For those of you who have On-Star or other vehicle navigation locating devices this isn’t very interesting but for us, it was technology at it’s finest. Then she told us she would be contacting providers in the area and we would receive a text message as soon as someone was on the way.

We were able to stay updated on the app and knew when the driver would be arriving. There was an indicator of our vehicle on the map, along with the make and model of our truck. While we were waiting some nice people stopped and offered to help. Got to love helpful people.

We were expecting a tow truck, not that we needed to be towed but the information we received was that it was a towing company who had responded. We were surprised when a little Jetta pulled up in front of us, backed up on the shoulder, the driver jumped out in his safety reflective vest, got a jack out of his trunk and went to work.

He was such a pleasant young man. He seemed to enjoy his job and in no time at all we were ready to head down the road.

I had several Scriptures come to mind as we sat there. Dave and I both told the Lord how grateful we were for our safety and His protection.

“You can go to God Most High to hide.  You can go to God All-Powerful for protection.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.”
3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. 4 You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.” Psalm 91:1-4 ERV

“You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. 2 You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. 3 You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. 4 Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, 5 and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side.
6 I can’t understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.” Psalm 139-1-6 CEV

“Good will come to you in the city, and good will come to you in the country…6 Good will come to you when you come in, and when you go out.” Deuteronomy 28:3&6 NLV

I know the Lord is the originator of GPS tracking, God’s Protection Service. Long before On-Star He has been able to watch over all of us, His system doesn’t overload and shut down. He knows where we are!

As I said, I was expecting a tow truck but our help came in a Jetta. I love how the Lord continues to teach me each day to step outside of my preconceived ideas and just let Him work.

Before you head out today take time to thank the Lord for His protection. Let Him cover you with His wings, that is where we can safely dwell.

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